The Sweetest Journey...10 years later (Baptism Anniversary)

Last Sabbath, Saturday 26^th November 2016 marked my 10 year baptism anniversary. In other words 10 year ago that day I gave my life to Christ publicly through baptism. That Sabbath was so busy that I didn’t really get a change to reflect, but thankfully I spent most of the previous week just thinking and thanking God for such a wonderful 10 years. Granted these 10 years have come with ups and downs but even when I look at the downs, I can smile and thank him for even the hard times.

 These 10 years have covered my sixth-form college days, university days, passing my driving test, moving away from home, my 18^th, 21^st and 25^th Birthdays…I have literally  gone through many of my lifetime changes and turning points during these years.

*Quick Memory!* I got some wonderful gifts and study resources on that day, but the greatest gift of all was the King James Version (KJV) Bible. Before then I owned the Good News Translation (GNT) Bible. At the time, I just wanted a bible which I could understand but looking back the GNT Bible probably wasn’t the best for any sort of deep bible study. As soon as I got the KJV Bible, I lost my GNT bible (probably left it in the church hall or on the train: / ), which is very interesting because before then I just couldn’t understand the language of the KJV bible, however 10 years later, using this bible, I can say that the Lord has enabled me to understand his word in ways that I could never have imagined!

I have a habit of asking married couples who have been married for 10 years or more, if it feels like they’ve been married that long. They always say no, and express that they haven’t felt the lapse of time. In some ways I can relate, it doesn’t feel like 10 years, it still feels like I’m in 2006 enjoying those sweet beginnings with my Lord.

I’m thankful for this beautiful journey and the promise that it will never end.  My heart still overflows for you Lord…

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore

Psalms 16: 11 

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥

Cry now, rather than later

A few weeks ago I was talking to a friend on the phone, and during our conversation she briefly mentioned that she had broken up with her boyfriend as it was becoming more evident to her that God was not leading them together.She said that she didn’t want to talk about it but asked if I would keep her in my prayers.

Later that day, she sent me a text message saying that she had been breaking down in tears all day. I remember looking at her message and thinking “What should I say?” “What do I tell her?” “What response would best help someone whose heart is breaking?” I didn’t respond directly to her message but this thought came to me - “cry now, rather than later”. By this I mean, it is better to bear the pain and the brunt of a hard but right decision than to cry harder and longer as a result of following through with the wrong decision.

I remember when I was living on campus in my final year of university and during that time I was in the process of severing a friendship. I remember waking up one day and rushing around to get to my early morning lecture, and while I was brushing my teeth I looked into the mirror and, to my surprise, I burst into tears. Now, I’m not talking about a few tear drops down my cheeks; I was literally weeping, almost uncontrollably! Some of my friends and family may find this part quite interesting as those who know me really well know I rarely ever cry. I can't actually remember the last time I cried, I think it may have been about 3 years ago but I think the last time I cried before then was probably about...SORRY!!!! Let me get back to the story! So I was crying in my little ensuite bathroom, feeling like my life was over and that I would never be happy again. The whole situation was so painful but I knew that I had to swallow the bitter pill, resting in the fact that I had made the right decision and God’s grace would be sufficient for me.

Now in 2016, am I still hurting over the situation? No, because the hurt was only temporary and the Lord truly gave me beauty for ashes and a joyful song. During that time, the Lord specifically taught me how to accept with joy whatever His providence ordains and to embrace every gift from God, including loss (I spoke about this really briefly here in my very first blog post J)

Looking back at the situation in light of what God has done in my life since then, I can honestly say that I didn’t make the right decision but the best decision. Back then I didn’t appreciate it that much but now I am truly happy that I chose to fully embrace the beauty of God’s ways.

So my dear friend, my advice to you and to anyone else who has had to make a painful but right decision is this - Cry on…let it all out, knowing that your tears are honourable before the Lord and are precious tokens of your strength and courage. It may be painful but you have chosen Him over your own ways, the Lord will draw near to you with comfort and healing and will allow you to see the fruits of unyielding obedience and the joy of walking in paths of righteousness.

…. For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. Job 5:18 


Cry now rather than later.

Love, your girl forever

♥ Miss Daisy ♥

Travel Diaries: Arkansas, USA

Ahhh this post is disgracefully late, especially since I traveled to Arkansas last September! Nevertheless I thought I would share some of the highlight from my trip J

1)  Flying solo

It’s been a while since I’ve been on a long haul flight that I actually forgot how much I enjoy flying alone. I absolutely love flying on my own, everything from checking in, finding my terminal, departure gate, boarding the plane and flying! I would actually love to go on a full blown lone holiday but I don’t think I’m brave enough for that yet!

Ready for take off

2) Making friends

The main reason I was in Arkansas was to attend an annual camp meeting/bible prophecy school. I met a lot of people at the camp meeting from all over America and I found it strangely interesting how it felt like I had known them for years, having only just met them a few days prior. We all got on so well, I honestly felt like I was around family. Making friends in Arkansas reinforced to me that in Christ, His children share such deep and meaningful commonalities and are bound together with cords that go beyond age, nationality, culture, distance, life circumstance etc

Blessed be the tides that bind...

3) Hot Springs

…or should I say boiling springs. I visited the Hot Springs National Park and thought I could put my whole arm into the water! Never again!!!! What I did was equivalent to putting my arm into a pot of boiling hot water on a stove…very silly, I know!  :-\ Other than that, I did enjoy the warmth of the water, the steam coming from the flowing streams and the beauty of the actual park.

Hot Springs National Park

4) The Weather

We didn’t get much of a summer in the UK, so I was so thankful for the super-hot summer weather and the extra vitamin D of course J

5) Singing

During song service I always manage to request a hymn that no one knows, and then  end up having to sing a solo (I really hate singing solos...I just don’t do them L) in order to teach the congregation the song.  This awkward moment proved to be a blessing as I was approached to help lead out in song service during the camp meeting. I haven’t lead out in music in such a long time and it was such a blessing to serve and minister for the Lord in this capacity especially in a foreign land.

Singing with wonderful people

6) Mousegate

Now this wasn’t a highlight but I thought I would mention it since I can actually laugh about it now. I live in the countryside so it’s not uncommon for me to have some field mice come in as the weather begins to turn. I usually catch and get rid of them quite quickly as they come in and stay downstairs and only ever come out at night when I am asleep and it’s completely quiet. I’m writing about this so casually and calmly but I absolutely loathe the fact that I get mice; I am completely petrified of them! Even knowing of their presence in my house freaks me out. I was so happy to be away from home knowing that I wouldn’t have to deal with them for a while….you could probably imagine my great distress when I saw mouse traps in the room I was staying in! Where I was staying is very country and I had a very brave and daring American mouse who not only came out to play while I was making noise in the kitchen, but who managed to wrestle itself off a sticky trap  and also eat the  bait clean off a carefully laid snap trap. My most memorable moment of “mousegate” is when the mouse had the audacity to enter my room, get into the closet and chew through items in my handbag. To conclude this tale the mouse never got caught and is probably still on the loose, let’s just say that I left America with a new found respect for the rather sophisticated, reserved and quiet British mouse.

7) Gardening

There’s something about cultivating the ground that leaves deep impressions on the heart and character. I don’t know how to describe it; I don’t know whether to describe it as therapeutic but the more I worked in the greenhouse and spent time selecting and planting seeds the more it awakened a great sense of carefulness, love, humility, tenderness and attention to detail. At first I hated it, I was so hot and bothered while gardening but after getting past the first hurdle of keeping myself from passing out in the green house I actually really enjoyed it.  I planted 3 quarters of the greenhouse and felt so sad when I realised that I would never get to see what would come of the seeds that I had planted but God reminded me of this scripture:  1 Corinthians 3: 4- 10 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon…” Though I planted the seeds, I am happy to know that the Lord has someone else there to follow the process through to the end. So looking forward to growing session in the UK this year!

In the green house 

8) The Camp Meeting

The camp meeting was such a blessing! I was truly convicted of my duty before God. It was such a joy to spend endless hours listening to the word of God from the lips of men and women who have given their lives to serve Him. It was also a blessing to spend much time with like-minded people discussing the message and to see such deep dedication manifested towards the study of God's word. I was deeply moved and humbled to see that the spirit of God is moving all over the world, to know that there are people separated by sea and land and yet we all come to the same conclusions when we study the bible. What a privilege it is to have the bible so readily available to us, that we might have the opportunity to understand truths that angels desire to look into (1 Peter 1:12)! God has given us such a great work to do for him in these last days, and it’s so humbling to know that I can be a part of that should I choose to follow his appointed way. O to be faithful to Him, and to avail myself fully to His service! This has been my hope and prayer since leaving Arkansas.

Elder Jeff and I 

Not sure if I will be travelling in 2016, but you never know!  Thanks for reading my travel diary, till next time J

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥

Till we meet again...

Travel Diaries: Cologne, Germany

This month my mother and I traveled to Germany for a little respite from work and to visit my sister Rona and niece Malaika. I was literally living between London and Germany for most of 2011 so I was excited to go back after almost 4 years.

Interestingly enough there was almost no holiday as we missed our early morning flight, which left me in a very rotten mood and I vowed to go back to Wales. The situation was a complete disaster - the cab driver came really late, the self service bag drop wouldn't register our bags so we had to take them as hand luggage, I had almost all my liquids thrown in the bin at security, as we rushed to the gate we forgot one bag at security and had to turn back and then my mother and I ended up going to two completely different departure gates...it was awful! But I guess you live and you learn. That day I learnt the true meaning of the phrase "Character is not formed in a crisis but rather revealed". Running late, missing our flight and being extremely stressed really showed me how dreadful I can be when under huge amounts of pressure...hmmm this is probably a discussion for another blog post so let's get back to the holiday. 

So we finally arrived in Germany and were greeted by Rona, Stephan and Malaika. When I saw my sister I realised that I hasn't seen her in almost two years but it felt like I just saw her the other day. My niece on the other hand didn't remember me at all, even after showing her pictures of us having fun times together. Despite forgetting who I was she greeted me which such affection and warmth. I realised how important it is to be active in a young child's life and to make an effort to be there as children will forget who you are if they hardly or never see you. It's nothing personal, I guess so much happens in a young child's life and they are constantly making new memories who those around them. 

Malaika and I - Creating new memories

When I was last in Germany my sister was living in a modern apartment in Bonn but since moved to a house in a small village in Cologne. The village isn't too far from an apple farm so we spent most of the trip in the house enjoying the sunshine with freshly squeezed organic apple juice.

Mum, Niece and Sister

On Sunday we visited the historic town of Aachen which is still in Germany but borders Belgium. Almost everything is closed in Germany on a Sunday, but the town's main attraction, Aachen Cathedral, was open. I only managed to get one decent picture of the outside (the cathedral is much bigger than pictured) and I wasn't too sure if I was allowed to take photos of the inside, but definitely look it up on the internet as it is quite an interesting building. The outside of the Cathedral had a very gothic and medieval feel but the inside was quite bright and had some very detailed artwork - especially on the ceiling. Overall I would describe the interior as being quite spectacular. It's strange because even though I found some parts of the Cathedral very  beautiful, I couldn't help but think how much money was spent on the interior and the ornaments and wondered whether it could have been put towards a more needy cause. 

Aachen Cathedral 

Well, that pretty much sums up my trip to Germany, I think this short holiday really ignited my love for travelling. I want to do a lot more traveling in the future and explore the world that God created. One thing is for certain, I will definitely be making trips to Germany more often than not. 

Be ready for more travel diaries.

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥

A Letter to a Bride to Be

Last December my close friend Anike got married. I was so overwhelmed when she asked me to be her Chief Bridesmaid and to travel with her to Nigeria for the wedding. I was so excited and couldn't wait to share the experience with her!  With that said, you could probably imagine how utterly devastated I was when plans for me to go to Nigeria didn't work out. I was so upset but nevertheless I wanted to be there for her so as a special token (and as part of a group bridal shower gift) I decided to write her a letter before she left for Nigeria.

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Dear Miss Anike Akinrinlade,

Wow this is the last time I will be writing your name in this way as you are soon to be known as Mrs Anike Igunnu. Congratulations sweetie!!!!

We have known each other since we were 11/12 years old and I have seen you grow into a beautiful, intelligent and God fearing woman. Anike, you have truly come a long way in your journey with the Lord and I am so thankful that he has allowed you to enter into this wonderful new season. It feels like only yesterday we were talking about our desire for God to bless us with a Godly man and, for you my dear Anike, that time has come and God has truly provided.

Anike, choose to love Tope daily even when your feelings tell you otherwise. Remember that love is a high and holy principle, it is not a feeling, it remains steadfast, immovable and doesn’t die when severely tested. When test and trials come, meet them together in the strength of Christ with fortitude and courage.

Do all you can to make your home a little heaven where Tope can find rest and refreshment in your love and God willing one day in the love of your children. Seek daily to be a husband and wife that please God, forsaking all rude, harsh, angry and unpleasant words and choosing to speak loving, kind, pure and affectionate words to each other. Keep Christ as the central pillar of your home remembering that He is the cord that binds your hearts together in love.

I’m so happy for you Anike and I pray that all the blessings that God intends to bestow on the marriage union will be yours as you both walk faithfully with the Lord bringing Him into your home and hearts daily.

I would like to leave you with two of my favourite quotes:

“Love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened.” The Desire of Ages pg 22

“The Presence of Christ alone can make men and women happy. All the common waters of life Christ can turn into the wine of heaven. The home then become as an Eden of bliss; the family, a beautiful symbol of the family in heaven”. The Adventist Home pg 28

May your married life be a foretaste of heaven.

With Overflowing Love

♥ Miss Daisy ♥

Anike and I at Heathrow Airport at 5am. Bidding the bride to be goodbye.

The Hidden Work

Ok, this could just be me, but sometimes when I see people preaching, teaching, singing or just generally sharing the word of God, I gain a wonderful blessing from it but at the same time I start to feel extremely discouraged. I often think to myself “Daisy, what exactly are YOU doing for the Lord?” “People are out there and you’re just…there.”

I had one of those moments this month and God had to remind me of The Hidden Work.

I think it was towards the end of 2011 when I watched a YouTube video of some young people that I knew who were preaching across the “mean” streets of London. I remember calling a friend and describing what I had seen and how guilty I felt because it seemed like I wasn’t doing anything. At the time I was one of the main teachers within a medium sized bible study group. We met every Friday night and Sunday afternoon to study bible history, prophecy and a variety of topics concerning the life and character of Jesus Christ. To me, the work I was doing with the bible study group couldn’t compare to what I was seeing on YouTube.

My friend listened very carefully to what I was saying and replied “You may look at that and think wow and then feel really bad and useless, but you do know that there is a great work that goes on that isn’t captured on camera?”

Hmmm, that comment made me think – maybe my understanding of the gospel work was all wrong. Should I really be looking at God’s work in that way?

Let us consider this - God does have a great work for us to do, that’s a fact. However, it might not be for you (at the moment) to be seen of men and to be out there and visible to hundreds or thousands via media or through foreign missions. Maybe your great work is to be committed to your weekly bible studies teaching 2 people for the next 3 years. Let us remember that the work of the gospel is more than our finite minds can fathom and often God works contrary to our own human ideals and imagination. You may look at the above scenario and think it is of little value as its only 2 people not knowing that under your influence, guidance and mentorship those 2 people will impact so many others, people perhaps that you could never reach. Did you do a great work? Yes. Were you seen? No.

For some of us that work may be for us to be still before the Lord doing nothing but sitting at His feet daily, studying His word and allowing Him to break the stony part of our hearts. Being visibly active may look all glamorous but even those who are out there will tell you that it isn’t always easy and they often have to face much discouragement and disappointment. You want to be active and out there but are you ready for the tests and trial that come with it?

Another thing to consider is Matthew 20:1 – 10. It doesn’t fit the situation we are talking about like for like but it brings out a very good lesson. In this parable some labour in the vineyard from the morning, others come in the afternoon and some come at the 11^th hour but at the end of the day all receive the same wage. This is an illustration of the gospel work, naturally some will do “more” than others but ultimately all will receive the same reward. So there is no reason for us to feel like we need to compete with or compare ourselves to others.

Let’s not be discouraged people, if we avail ourselves God will do a great work in us but let us not think doing a great work automatically means we will be out there for all to see. It isn’t about us so let’s allow God to lead us to do His work, while we continue to study the bible and make good use of the opportunities he has already put before us.

I often forget the lessons that God has shown me in the past…so thankful for gentle reminders.

Be encouraged!

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥

 

Maid of Honour

When Kimberley asked me to be her maid of honour, I was super excited and felt very privileged.  I had a vague idea of what being a maid of honour was all about but as the months of wedding planning went by I got a much clearer idea.

A great commission 

Maid: a woman or girl employed to do domestic work, an unmarried girl or woman especially when young

Honour: hold in great respect, hold in high esteem, have a high regard for, look up to, think highly of;

Kimberley was asking me to take up a role of great love and service. Thank you for that privilege *wait, it’s a privilege to be a servant???* Yes, there is no greater privilege than to serve –the time and hard labour is nothing compared to the great love you have for the one you are serving.

I want to share with you the speech that I gave at Kimberley’s wedding, I was extremely nervous and was almost too scared to share it but I am glad I did :)

Maid of Honour Speech

Good Afternoon all, for those that don’t know me my name is Daisy and I have known Kimberley and Chiawuotu since 2009 I met them both at the Advanced Centre of Evangelism (ACE) (I actually met Chiawuotu first and Kimberley later on). However today I stand here as Kimberley’s maid of honour so the words I will share today will be directed towards Kimberley. When I first met Kimberley I didn’t speak to her much but I noticed straight away that she had a very close relationship with God and I remember she used to always refer to God in the second person. She would say things like “…When I was speaking to Him this morning…” or “I think so but I need to ask Him first”. To me it was quite remarkable to see a young person relate to God in such a close way.

Walking in happiness

Our friendship has grown tremendously over the years and Kimberley has become more than a friend to me, even more than a sister. She has always challenged me unto good works and has been one of the most influential characters in my walk with God. God has definitely given her a heart of service and love for her fellowmen. I remember during ACE, I asked Kimberley to wake me up every morning at 5am as at that time I wasn’t a morning person, and she committed to that every morning even when I didn’t want to get up. She taught me how to play guitar, she also taught me how to cook -I knew how to cook already but she taught me the science of cooking e.g how to develop recipes, how to experiment with ingredients, how to preserve food and stop wastage and also how to recover a failing recipe. Both Kimberley and Chiawuotu love cooking and are very gifted in this area so I pray that this is something they can work together on in order to help teach and minister to others. God has given Kimberley a passion for helping those she loves to grow and develop and those one to one sessions that I had with her I will always treasure.

It’s interesting because one of my most treasured memories was when Kimberley and Tara Marie came to visit me and somehow ended up living in my house for some time. It literally was the three of us in my room rotating between 2 single beds. And at night we would talk and talk and Kimberley would always be the one to say (in her sweet voice) “Ok can we go to sleep now and talk in the morning”. I remember going to get each of them a key cut and till this day my parents are still like “how did we let you get away with that”?!?!?! Nevertheless that was such a precious time in our friendship. 

Maid of Honour

But on a more serious note –

I have committed to pray for Kimberley every day during this wedding season and one of the things that God keeps bringing to my mind when I am praying for her union with Chiawuotu is Kimberley’s service as a missionary. Now when we think of missionaries we imagine someone who travels to foreign lands, who helps build schools and teach the bible to those who don’t have access to it; And Kimberley has definitely been involved in these things. However I think Kimberley’s biggest mission field, whether she realises it or not, has been the home.

I remember when Kimberley decided to look after a lady called Camille, who was quite ill, and she stayed in her house and helped her with the running of the home and also worked with her children. Shortly after that she decided to move to Leicester to look after her Grandfather. It’s interesting because I remember you  telling me the story of when you and your  family went to visit him and how you  felt when you all were waving him Goodbye and how your heart was touched and how you knew that God was calling you to move to Leicester to be with your Granddad. God has been very faithful to you Kimberley and we thank him for giving you the opportunity and the grace to make those sacrifices, to give of yourself and to put your wants and perhaps needs aside for the sake of someone else. I know that in both situations it wasn’t always easy and you met some challenges but I definitely believe that you learnt some enduring lessons on how to bring Christ into the home not only for your joy but for the joy of others. Often we want to do a big work with the masses and the most humblest work is often slighted, but Kimberley you have been faithful in the least and now God has blessed you with much. He has given you an even greater mission field, your own home with your husband Chiawuotu. I pray that you remember and implement everything that God has taught you while labouring for Camille and your granddad. All those lessons of kindness, forbearance, meekness, humility, patience, compassion and love - that they will be principle pillars of your home. Nothing is by chance Kimberley, God has been preparing you for this moment for a long time and we thank him so much for he provides for us even before we even think or ask. 

A precious gift and a promise from a special friend

Kimberley, my dearest, I love you. I praise God for this union and for this journey that you have begun I pray that all the blessings that God intends to bestow on the marriage union will be yours as you faithful walk together with the Lord bringing him into your home and your hearts daily. [Speech ends]

Kimberley it was such a blessing to serve you for these few months and not only to serve you as a dear friend and sister but to plan with you, talk with you, rush around with you, stress with you, pray with you…it was truly an honour. 

Forever Friends

Love you forever Kimberley Ham-Ying, oops I mean, Anyanwu :)

♥ Miss Daisy ♥

The voice of the Bridegroom and of the Bride: Mr and Mrs Anyanwu

A few weeks ago, I posted the courtship story of my friends Chiawuotu and Kimberley (click here to read); well they wedded on the 15^th of August in a beautiful ceremony in Cattrerick, North Yorkshire. Like most eventful days months or even years of planning is required however  the day itself with all its fun, happiness and excitement seems to just come and swiftly go. This event on the other hand was different; something about this day left an impression on the mind as it provided a glimpse of a much greater and more anticipated future event – the marriage supper of the lamb.

The Bride and Groom

The theme of the wedding was the parable of the 10 virgins found in Matthew 25: 1-13. A very fitting theme for a wedding as marriage in the bible is more than just the union of man and woman before God but it is a symbol or illustration of Christ’s relationship with the church.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself…This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:22-28,32

Happy are all who fear the Lord

The same illustration of the marriage relation is seen in the Old Testament where God is likened to the husband/bridegroom and His people/church are likened to the bride.

For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. Isaiah 62:5 

For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. Isaiah 54:5

The Wait 

Chiawuotu was waiting patiently at the front of the church for his bride to arrive. The groomsmen entered followed by the flower girls and the bridesmaids, but where was his bride? All guests were seated and finally the church doors opened and there Kimberley was dressed in pure white ready to meet her groom. Chiawuotu declared his love for Kimberley and called her forth with a song that they had written together, the opening line of the song was “Happy are all who fear the Lord, they shall live by his will”. Hand in hand with her father Kimberley joined him in song as she gracefully made her way forward to meet Chiawuotu. They ended the song with the words “It’s the cry of midnight” which brought to mind the theme of the wedding and the words of the parable found in Matthew 25.

The bridegroom waiteth

The bride comes forth 

Chiawuotu and Kimberley made use of the symbols found in the parable of the ten virgins with a white and midnight blue colour scheme (blue representing God’s commandments – Numbers 15:38-40), the groomsmen were carrying white bibles and the bridesmaids were carrying small lanterns. Even the wedding date was symbolical of the parable (I’ll let you Adventist historians figure that one out J)

The Bridal Party

The parable reads - Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom…And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him…the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut…Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Matthew 25: 1, 6, 10,13

It would be good to read through the whole parable when you get a chance as there is a lot more to this parable than what is being discussed here, but this parable basically tells a story of waiting virgins /brides who are preparing to meet the bridegroom so that they may enter into the marriage supper with him. A call goes out at midnight to signify the coming of the bridegroom and the brides who were faithfully waiting and who had prepared for him were ready to enter with him into the wedding. Likewise with us we are waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ, and as a bride prepares for her wedding day by making herself ready to meet the groom and keeping her dress white. We too are to wait patiently for the coming of our Lord, keeping our garments white (Revelation 19:8) and being ready to meet Jesus when he comes.

As we wait for Christ he is also waiting for us – James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 

The Wedding Ceremony 

Before Kimberley was given away, her father gave a touching speech about Kimberley’s family life, her personality, her foreign mission service and her love for God and Chiawuotu. The two came together at the marriage altar and stood as an emblem of purity and fidelity. Their lives and their conduct during their season of courtship served as a witness of God’s faithfulness and a demonstration that God’s ways are truly perfect , and His ideals are higher than what the human mind or the world can tell.

They shared their own personal vows such as: “I promise to stay close to Christ through daily communion, the study of God’s word and daily surrender that the love that I give may come from God and that we may work together intelligently for the salvation of souls.”, “I promise to be pure in thought, action and feelings ever being faithful to the seventh commandment.”, I promise to forgive always and not to coldly draw away when mistakes are made but to instead draw closer to each other during those times.” And “I promise to become intelligent in regards to disease, it’s prevention and its treatment that I may do all in my power to restore and preserve our health, and that we may work together to make our home and our marriage a ministry of healing for others.” These precious promises were sealed with a kiss (their very first kiss J).

Entering into a precious covenant 

This day was extra special to me because even though it was Chiawuotu and Kimberley’s wedding they moved the focus from themselves and pointed us to Christ, the real bridegroom who first loved us and emptied himself completely that he may gain us - His bride. More precious than the covenant and commitment they made to each other before God, was the deep impressions of the spirt of God on the hearts of all guests and witnesses that awakened a deeper desire to walk faithfully before God and to receive him – the bridegroom - as our great reward. 

Mr and Mrs Anyanwu

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready… Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.

 Revelation 19: 7, 9

My picture with the newly weds

Congratulations Chiawuotu and Kimberley Anyanwu, may your married life have an influence for time and for eternity. 

With overflowing love,

 ♥ Miss Daisy  ♥

p.s The wedding ceremony was recorded via live stream to watch this special event please click here.