A Mexican Wedding!!!

Aaah!!!  There's so much I want to say, life is busy!!!  So I'm planning on going back later to tell more stories, but the last 48 hours were crazy but awesome.

 So, you know how real life is worse and more unbelieveable than the movies?  So, it started last night, when set-up went from an expected two hours to nine.  About six or seven hours in, the maid of honour showed up and undid the last hour of work we had done.  This was made funnier today because she has an attitude, and I gave it back cuz I was mad at her, but it ended up being goofy rather than angry.

So, after driving back to the house to get the programs, I arrive at the wedding of Adrian and Vero, two of the other four staff here at Refuge Ranch.   The best man asks me, as the tallest guy around, to put the bride and groom in the cake.  They tip backwards precariously, but I reposition them and go back outside.  I told the *grr* maid of honour that I needed two mic stands, but they never showed.  So we wait for the late bride and her father, I grab a pointy stick, some twine, and some tape and, stabbing the stick into the dirt, create a mic stand for myself.  Mic stand, complete, I am told that the bride and groom have fallen off the cake, beheading them both.  Dulce, who lead worship with me on our recent Missions trip, suggests that we hot glue the heads back on.  So I dig the gun out  of the truck, and am in the back of the empty reception tent trying to hot glue heads as the Zaragoza girls, bridesmaids all, and then the bride walks down the aisle.  Which is my cue to lead worship, so I run outside to help Julie with songs we only practiced together once.  It was okay.  Hit some wrong notes and flubbed some lines, but used my voice well.  Then I run back to the tent to the heads, but the glue gun still isn't hot.  I replug, move it, replug, checking periodically and taking pictures as Victor gives the sermon.  (Some ten people said they accepted Jesus)  Finally, at the end of the formal wedding, I burn my hand.  The gun is hot!  But I have to move the sound equipment inside, so after filling the bride's head with glue, I hand it off to Dulce, who manages to fix it, such that the real bride and groom don't notice, except to laugh that the bride's head is at a funny angle.

Vero even wanted me to play a couple songs in Russian, some Spanish worship and love songs, and some in English as well while everyone ate.  So I played for an hour.  I sang Stand by Me and You won't Relent with my sister Elizabeth who's down here visiting, and a translated version of the "May the Lord" version of Edelweiss with Diana (one of the girls at the house).  I like this song I played.   The songs went well, with the usual sound problems and occasional blow-outs.  

Then, after eating yummy tacos, there was the cake, and then music and some dancing.  Most of the guests left by this point, but I like dancing!  So, since nobody else was dancing, I grabbed the nearest Zaragozas, and started some things.  I was the only person dancing for five songs, but 6-year old Carolina is a suprisingly good dance partner (honestly, was on the same wavelength as me more than anyone else I danced with), and David (2), is fun to carry/dance with as well.  Then we got a crowd going and things got really fun.  Josías (10) was doing the robot and the shopping cart with me.  Miguel (8) was busting out his usual shakira shakes and lazy leg moves.  But the show-stopper was David.  He froze in the middle of one song in the middle of a move--and stayed still until everyone had stopped dancing to see what was going on.  And then, once everyone was watching, continued to dance.  I was an absolute klutz, I ran into like 6 people, and the floor wasn't even that crowded.  The *grr* maid of honor thought I was trying to run into her on purpose, which wasn't true, although I had felt like punching her earlier.  Poor Miguel got a knee to the face.  Fail.  But it was really fun.  I don't know if volunteering at the weddings of other missionaries counts as missions work, but I hope the songs I chose, and the Zaragozas that I made dance, added something of value.

As I was at the last wedding I was at, I was proud to be a M-t-lak, as my sister was right there serving and helping with everything.  :)

So today was crazy.  I can't wait for tomorrow!   *snooze*  Hopefully I'll get caught up and be able to send an update soon!  :)  But my sister's here!