E-mail
Print
COLUMBIA — Marianne Bihomora dreamed of being married in a church ever since she and her husband, Stanislas, who is known as Stani, were wed in a small civil ceremony two decades ago.
Since then, lack of money, turmoil in her homeland of Rwanda, life in a Kenyan refugee camp, resettlement in the United States and raising their six kids put the dream on hold.
- With the help of family and friends, the Bihomora family was able to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary with the church ceremony they never had.
- Members of the Burundi gospel choir, Paz Sauti (Big Voice), broke out in dance and song in the church sanctuary after the service concluded.
- The women prepare before the ceremony in a preschool room of the church. Clementine M'Sengabo, Stani's sister-in-law, looks on as Shirley Colbert fixes her dress in the bathroom and a friend does the bride's makeup. M'Sengabo came from Hazelwood with her husband, daughter and four boys to attend the ceremony. Colbert organized much of the wedding while Moyosola, from Ghana, a good friend of the family and past neighbor, sang during the service.
- Marianne and Stanislas Bihomora leave Christian Fellowship Church after renewing their vows. Members from Christian Fellowship Church, the St.Louis-based Global Christian Church, the International Friends Center, Church Afrique, along with other friends and family of the Bihomoras, all joined for the ceremony and send-off.
- During the service, pastor Phil Schaefer of Christian Fellowship Church spoke some words tailored to both Stani and Marianne about faithfulness and endurance of hardship. While he spoke, Caritas Habimana, a relative of Stani, translated the sermon into Swahili for the diverse audience. Shaefer concluded with a reference to a biblical metaphor saying, "Twenty years of marriage, six children, is rain coming down, streams rising, winds blowing on your relationship and things beating against your house ... but God is going to make you stand together for his glory." Both Marianne and Stani saw the wedding renewal ceremony as a gift from God.
But when Marianne's 70-year-old father, Michel Mumyantarama, came to Columbia from Rwanda in August after the death of her mother and her 20th wedding anniversary approached, it finally seemed like the right time.
"I thank God that I can do this while my daddy's here," Marianne said.
The wedding on Saturday was an event that crossed cultures. Before the ceremony at Christian Fellowship Church, Stani's family members fried plantains and cassava in the kitchen while a team from International Friends Center iced and decorated several multitiered cakes.
The ceremony began with an African chorus while Mumyantarama escorted his daughter down the aisle. Shirley and Craig* Colbert of International Friends Church stood in for Stani's parents, while members from Christian Fellowship, clad in traditional African skirt and wrap, stood as Marianne's bridesmaids. Many had helped raise funds to bring Marianne's father to the United States.
"I thank everybody who helped and everybody who came to the wedding," Stani said. "By ourself, we can do nothing."
Show Me the Errors 
Comments