Lifou wedding and new sister missionaries

New experiences come regularly even after more than a year here. Among these was a marriage involving a family from Lifou and therefore its tribal leaders as well as a family from France. And then we welcomed 2 new sister missionaries from Tahiti.

The wedding combining the coutume of Lifou, a service at the Magenta chapel to the Church on behalf of the groom and then all of the events around a traditonal Lifou wedding showed us how marriages take place. Quite the events.

We started the evening before the wedding with coutume, or the customary exchange of gifts. This first time was between the tribal leaders in Lifou who had come, the family and the Church interestingly. Tribal chiefs are patriarchs of large clans or families. Otherwise they look like pretty normal Melanesians. Because they were all coming to the Church the next day, they wanted to be respectful to us. I represented the church along with the local branch president. Our gift to them was a copy of the Book of Mormon. Also important was the chance for us to talk about the church to these tribal leaders who lead the tribes on Lifou where we have just placed missionaries for the first time in two years. So we were grateful for the opportunity this wedding presented to present the Church to these tribal leaders.



The following day, after the wedding at the mairie or before the government which is required of all marriages in France and its states, the couple and extended family of well over 200 people joined us at the chapel. Opening hymn and prayer, then talks by the branch president and myself about eternal marriage, importance of the family and welcoming the teachings of the Savior into their home, a vocal solo, and then off to more coutume. This time gifts by the couple to her parents as well as gifts to the couple from everybody present. The giving of gifts through all of this was quite public with an announcement at the end as to just how much money they had received. To say nothing of mountains of rice in bags, sugar and other staples. What did they do with it all? During all of this was a seemingly spontaneous, unaccompanied singing by the older women who had seated themselves along one side of the space while all of the gifts were presented and given by whomever wanted to. A film clip with sound follows:






Nearby, a group of women, dressed similarly and led by quite a character did a kind of line dance accompanied this time by a group of men on whistle like devices. the line of women did a kind of two-step as they approached various people. It appeared to us they were 'loosening up ' the crowd to be more generous with the couple. Their leaders would signal from time to time to the whistlers so they would stop while she spoke. We were highly entertained.



The end of the week welcomed new sisters arriving with President and Sister Ostler as well as a zone conference. there was much to do as we prepared for a week's absence for a senior couples' seminar in Fiji. Transfers took place as we prepared for that trip also. Subject of the next entry.