SULADS STORIES

Instant Minister To An Instant Wedding

By: Lowell  Limbagan

Langilan Mission School

November 2000

“Kill that girl! Kill her! Kill her!” I was disturbed by the shrill shout of an angry woman.  “Embarrassing!  What a shame!” She continued to scold.

It was very early in the morning and the whole village was stirred. People were running with their bolos to the scene. My partner and I just stood in our cottage staring at each other. I was hesitant to join the crowd because I know the temperament of these people. Whenever they are at the height of anger, they kill.  They will not spare anybody, even their immediate family members.

“MAESTRO! MAESTRO! (Teacher! Teacher!)” somebody shouted.

“Lord, please help me!”  I whispered a prayer and went to investigate. One mother collapsed. Two were beating a girl with a piece of firewood. The girl just coiled in a corner of that little house hiding her face.

“How dare you be a prostitute and sleep with our brother?”  The sisters continued to strike mercilessly.

“What is happening here?” I broke in.

“They are blaming the girl, Sir, who came and slept with their brother last night”, one man explained.  I understood.  This was a grave offense. Their culture demands immediate marriage in this situation.  The mother was so furious that she collapsed.  She was just as angry as the sisters.

“Is there anything we can do to solve this situation?  Can‘t we send this girl home?” I suggested.

“NO SIR!” the chief demanded.  “It is our culture that grave sins like this would cause bloodshed if the people involved will not be wedded right away.”  I was silenced.

“There must be some other way to solve this,” I told myself.  I went inside the house to convince them to look for some peaceful solution.  These teens were too young yet to be forced to marry.

When I entered the house, I saw the girl already seated beside the boy.  “What‘s going on here?”  I inquired. 

“They will be married right away sir!” they explained. 

“This must be the solution,” I guessed.  But I could still hear the shouts of the two sisters outside rebuking the girl, hurling sharp insults to the poor instant bride.

“Maestro”, the chief patted my shoulder. “Join me to officiate the wedding,” he invited. 

“No.  I can’t,” I refused.

“No, you are a MAESTRO and you can officiate!”  The chief demanded.

“Lord, I’m not a minister to do this, but this is the chief‘s demand.”  I went back to the cottage to change and get my Bible. The people, including the children, were gathered now to witness the big event.

I gave a sermon about the significance and sacredness of marriage.  How God originated marriage and the blessings He will bestow on a home if the family members would only accept and understand each other, whatever the situation may be.  There was a long silence. Husbands and wives were nodding their heads.  The two angry sisters were tamed now and attentively listening.  The teen couple standing in front of me nodded their heads to every point I stressed. “What God has joined together, no person should separate.”

They were surprised at this, the strongest point of my message. Then I turned to the chief to endorse to him the couple to be pronounced husband and wife. “No,” the chief refused. “You are even better than I am to officiate. I am giving you the authority to pronounce them married.  You do it.  It is a rare opportunity for us to have a Maestro officiate in our wedding,” the chief added.

I had no choice. And so I said, “With the power vested upon me by your chief, and being your MAESTRO, I pronounce you husband and wife.  What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. You are bound together as long as you both shall live. No sister, parents, brother, chief, or whoever can separate you except when death comes to you.”  I let them give their promises to be faithful to each other. Then I prayed. 

In my prayer, I asked for heaven‘s blessings and a peaceful life for the couple.  I requested that no harassment should come from anyone in the village. The two chiefs gave their blessings too. They expressed that this was the most special wedding they ever witnessed. After that the people cheered with a loud applause including the two sisters and the mother.

What seemed a bloody problem turned out to be a successful joyous wedding.