Love is surprising; it can take you very far, it has no boundaries. It took my friend Emmanuel from Sanya Juu – Siha to Mto wa mbu - Arusha region. I wonder what he went looking for! After roaming all over Sanya Juu, he couldn’t find the beauty to match up with. Guess what he did! He went all the way to Mto wa mbu - Arusha region, and that’s where he found the love of his life. I guess it’s true that love is as critical for our mind and body as oxygen, and I it’s really not negotiable.

The journey was long and tiresome, but some of us really enjoyed it, because we got the chance to see some zebras and giraffes along the way as the roads are close and across the national park. One time we had to stop and switch off the car engine to push it across a pool of water, since our car was low on the ground, this had to be done to avoid damage.

The journey took us hours before we could get there, however welcomed with a plate of barbecued beef we arrived at our destination safely and sound around 2pm. We found the welcoming committee waiting for us outside the gate singing and cheering at our arrival, even though we were tired from the long drive, the warm welcome feeling enabled us to easily settle in the comfort and cheerful moment. Accompanied with hugs, smiles, and handshaking the journey that had taken hours seemed to have taken five minutes, because by now everyone was laughing, smiling, and cheering. For just that moment you could see how two souls brought strangers together and surprisingly transformed them to one huge united happy family.

Emmanuel and Martha met at Arise Community School where Martha is grade 2 teacher, and Emanuel being a constructor for the school. Emmanuel has been working as the main constructor for the school since its start. Both of them originates from different tribes whereas one is a chagga from Kilimanjaro region and the other is Msambaa, a tribe from Tanga, however when it comes to love all these differences are set aside. Only God knows how to unite souls in love, and that’s why it might be difficult for us to explain what happens when two people find themselves in love.

You see! In order to first find love, you have to have faith. You have to trust someone else as much as you trust and believe in yourself, and this is what the amazing event portrayed. If he seriously went out and bought that ring, then his love for that girl was serious, and at this day and moment was the right timing and place to prove it to the world.

In our setting, events like this must be honoured and made public, which means the guy gets an opportunity to make a statement to the general public (especially those guys out there) that no other man shall now go after this woman because she belongs to him and he belongs to her, and Emanuel did just that by ensuring that he had placed the ring on Martha’s hand. But before he could do that, the pastor had to explain to them what it meant, and the journey they were about to enter to. Any Christian who is considering marriage needs to realize the depth of this kind of commitment and not jump into it lightly. God intends marriage to be a lifelong commitment, not a temporary arrangement.

After the pastor had spoken and prayed over the ring, then the two pre wedded couples came forward to make their commitment and Emmanuel was now able to place the ring on Martha’s finger, and Martha on the other hand placed a watch on Emmanuel’s hand. O, what a joyful moment in life this is especially for those who have found the person their going to spend the rest of their life with! I tell you, its super awesome.

It is amazing what power there is in love when it is volitional and unconditional. That is, when it is done regardless of whether the person receiving it deserves it or not. The fact of the matter is, God does not give us the choice, He commands us to love one another – John 13:34. And this love is not the selfish love of the world; it is an unconditional love, the same love that Jesus showed in dying for us while we were yet in our sins – Romans 5:8. This is the same love that should lead our relationships, especially for couples looking into marriage.

After the rings session had taken place, now it was time for gifts to start flowing in, people came from all around, some to congratulate them, and others to offer them gifts. Of course in events like this there is always the Kanga thing as it is in our traditions. The girl gets covered with Kangas, and the parents, aunts, and so on it goes.

Joined by these two beautiful souls, it was amazing to see all of the customs, dances and joining of two families. The colours were bright and beautiful, the music and dance were lively and set the pace for the event. Emmanuel’s family originates from Tanga, while on the other hand Martha was a chagga from Kilimanjaro; However on this occasion we celebrated hospitality the Chagga side.
The Yummy, Yummy part of it all...... Where engagement parties are all about celebrating the sanctity of love there are also many other elements that need to be addressed, with food and drink renowned for taking a front seat at any big occasion. Food is one of the most important components to any celebration. In our traditions a meal complements what we call a celebration or party, without it, it would be difficult to describe. There was barbecued beef, Pilau, rice and beef stew, Banana stew as a chagga traditional dish, fruits, and drinks. We ate, we enjoyed, we laughed, and this was because two people had fallen in love and decided that they wanted to make it known. We came all this way to witness the commitment they were about to make.

Around 4pm we were ready to head back home, therefore still in joyful moments we said our good byes, got into our cars and of we were. After driving couple of miles, one of the buses we had hired broke down in the middle of nowhere, we all had to stop and check what was wrong with the car; we realized for this kind of problem we might need a mechanic, and to get that mechanic we needed to drive back to where we started, and that’s what we did. By the time the car was fixed it was around 10pm, it was a long day, but worth it. We arrived back home around 2am in the morning. This is what love can do, it can take you to places you never imagine you will go. Once a couple has either resolved or agreed to accept the big issues in each other's lives, they can make the commitment to work toward marriage. It is a commitment to another person, and such commitments should be honored.

Today these two friends of mine are married and expecting their baby, I just wanted to share with you these photos of their engagement party as a memory and inspiration of what love can make us do when it’s real.

Below are the photos from their engagement party that took place in Mto wa Mbu and don’t miss out on the wedding photos that I will share right here: