what’s the worst that could happen

03/16/2007

I got to the church a little past 2 pm. It was a very hot Friday afternoon. The people involved with this wedding prayed that it would not rain today; it did not seem right to complain to God about the sun. Good thing I had a bottle of cool tea in my hand and an extra shirt in my bag.

The preparations were under way. Tables and chairs were already arranged in the church garden, covered with white and yellow cloths. People from the catering company were arranging the flower centerpiece on each table, laying out the buffet table and drinks stations, checking the plates, spoons, knives and forks. The light and sound system people already had their speakers, spotlights, console and wires all laid down. They were doing sound checks. Some of our friends from church were fixing the cloth backdrop over the stage. I went over to help.

Guests began to arrive at around 3:30 pm. By then, everything was in place. All the tables had labels already, chocolate labels because the couple had chocolate as their theme. So there was a KitKat table, a Hershey’s Kisses table, a Chocnut table. Ruth and the registration people had their lists; the ushers were ready.

The groom arrived with his family. We exchanged handshakes and hugs, wishing him God’s best. Then the rest of us hurriedly changed into wedding guests’ clothes.

Just before the wedding was supposed to start, 4 pm, the electricity went out.

The bride, in her bridal car, had not arrived yet. Good thing. We milled around talking and praying silently that the lights would come back soon. The bridal car, with the bride, arrived and still there was no electricity. It was probably around 5 pm, that a Ninong volunteered his SUV’s battery. He parked the vehicle as close as possible to the church building, left the engine on, and rigged the battery with wires connecting it to the church. It was enough to allow for the use of the microphones, not enough to include the lights and electric fans. The officiating minister, seasoned pastor of that church, quipped that this was a very memorable wedding. That had everyone either laughing or smiling.

I turned to look at the garden outside. I noticed a pretty strong wind blowing through the trees. Frowning, I stepped outside to the front of the church. The wind was really blowing. It was starting to get uncharacteristically dark. I moved to the garden, where Ruth and others were already gathering. As if losing the electricity was not enough, now it looked like it was going to rain. We began to pray, pleading God to stop the rain from falling.

It began as a light shower, then turned into a drizzle. It was raining all right. As if on cue, we moved. Spreading out all over the place, we began to clear the garden—tablecloths, chairs and their cover, flowers, food. I went straight to one end of the garden, stopping beside the couple’s table and lifted the wedding cake. Hurriedly, I carried it to the covered registration area. A friend rushed for an umbrella, and together we moved the cake inside a Sunday school room.

Bayanihan never fails to amaze me. I had a glimpse of people rushing in to help: the couple’s friends and our cell group mates, church friends, relatives, lights and sounds people, the people from the caterer. It was a mad, cohesive scramble for the nearest flower, tablecloth, table napkins and whatever. Everything was brought into the Sunday school room. Even the doves were brought in.

Now what? The church has a conference room but it was going to be a tight reception if we cram everyone inside. Some of us started preparing the conference room. But it had stopped raining and the final decision was made to hold the reception back at the garden. It was trusting-God-again time. So we moved everything back, and managed to finish the preparations as the ceremony was closing.

The rain had stopped but there were still no lights. The church secretary called Meralco, inquired, and placed a request to prioritize electricity in that area. But the guests began to move to the garden. Ruth and her registration team started directing them to their tables. Two of our cell group mates went out to buy additional candles to light the tables. We had our flashlights out. As everyone settled in their chairs, the wedding coordinator went out to the middle and began to shout apologies, comfort and instructions. He led the opening prayer then directed the people to the buffet table.

The same Ninong who volunteered his SUV’s battery, together with another church member, were connecting wires from a generator to the main electric meter to provide electricity for the whole garden. Several lights flickered. Then suddenly the electricity was back! Everyone started clapping and cheering wildly as all the lights and sounds went on. From then on, everything went along smoothly.

Haay. It was a memorable wedding simply because some of the things that could go wrong did go wrong. What made it special was the effort everyone put in to make it work. I was on my way home when it struck me. Days before the wedding, I prayed that our cell group would be able to show love and support to our marrying friends. And that we would be able to give our best on their wedding day. Guess what? God answered my prayer.