Weddings are a big deal in Palawano culture. Everybody loves wedding feasts, and, of course, there must be roasted pig. How could you have a feast without a pig? Christians can sometimes make do by killing a goat or chickens, but unless something gets killed, it isn’t really a wedding.
So there we were trying to figure out how to have a culturally correct, acceptable, yet God-centered wedding for our daughter Bubit. We had decided to have it at our lowland farm, but I felt uncomfortable with the expectation that we would be killing and eating animals. I just don’t like killing things. I understand that in many cultures meat eating is basically unavoidable, but I just kept wondering if there was a way to have a wonderful wedding and a great feast without meat. I asked around and found that nobody else seemed to think that such a thing could be done.
Our daughter Jilin, who has visited the States, absolutely loves FriChik. When someone sent her some, she shared it with some of her Palawano friends, and they thought it was the best meat they had ever tasted, even though it was totally vegetarian. So I suggested we substitute FriChik for meat. The response was less than encouraging. “How will you get it here in time for the wedding with only five weeks to go?” “That stuff is expensive. How do you plan on paying for it?” I had to admit those were certainly challenges. So I thought I would call folks in the States and see if they had any suggestions. I got much the same response. Waste of money. Not a very good idea. What if it doesn’t arrive? What’s the big deal? Just kill a bunch of chickens.
So I gave up. I told God, “If this is an idea You think is worthwhile, You will have to work it out, because it is certainly beyond my ability.” So I thought that that was the end of it. I wasn’t going to worry about it anymore.
The next day, I received a call from my good friend Diane in the States. She had just finished raising up additional donors to help with our fundraising, and I was so grateful for all her help. Then she asked me a question that caught me off guard. “Now that we have finished that project, what would you like me to do next?” Amazed that she would still be asking to do more for us, I said, “Well Diane, I do have a small project. It may sound crazy, and I am not asking you to do anything about it, but if you feel God is calling you to do it, that will be fine.” Then I proceeded to tell her about the wedding. She was the first person who thought it sounded like a great idea! She said she would look into the possibilities and let me know. A day or two later, Diane called back to say that God had given her enough money to buy two cases of the large cans of FriChik, and she would ship it immediately. If everything went well, it should arrive just in time.
Other boxes that had been sent a month earlier have still not arrived, but the FriChik arrived on the exact day it was needed. Not a day earlier or later.
The wedding took place, and it was a wonderful occasion. From the 200 guests, all I ever heard was how great the food was. Typically Palawanos complain about the quantity and the quality of food served at weddings, but not one person asked us why we had not killed an animal like we were supposed to. It was gratifying to hear the positive comments about the first Palawano wedding that in every aspect was meant to uplift Christ and glorify Him.
Probably the most moving thing was when one of the older women, an inveterate troublemaker who has caused us no end of heartache, told Leonda, “Even though you have gone to school and learned many things, still you come here and show us how much you care for the Palawano people.” With a hug, she thanked Leonda that we are here for them.
Looking back, I know it was a God thing, because I knew I could not do it. It is certainly nice to be reminded Who truly is in control.
