A Wedding

The last night before our departure, we attended the religious wedding of our friends Martin and Edith.  Because of costs and preparation time, it is very common for a couple to first become married civilly and later have a religious wedding.  What often happens though is that couples can't find the time or money to have a religious ceremony once they have kids to raise.  Martin and Edith had been civilly married for almost 20 years before doing their religious ceremony.

The impetus for Martin and Edith was the death of their 17 year old son Jason last July.  Jason was born with a spinal deformity that caused him to be hunched over.  As Jason grew this caused lots of pressure on his lungs.  With decreased lung capacity, Jason had troubles handling respiratory infections.  This past July he had an infection develop into pneumonia and passed away.  Jason meant the world to Martin and Edith.  He was their only child and they were wonderful parents.  In a world where not all parents are fully committed to raising their children, it is sad to see two who are lose their child. 

After the ceremony in the chapel, we went over to their house for a party, which included food, drink, the boquet toss and garter belt toss. Our departure at midnight was considered early (especially since dinner wasn't even served yet) but we needed to get some rest before our 20-hour bus ride to Lima.