Greetings from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan!

I want to share with you what have already happened and is happening in our church here in Turkmenistan.

One of the outstanding events that have already taken place was our first Turkmen Christian wedding! Who used to live in the Central Asian countries, knows what the national wedding means. Actually it’s sale-and-purchase deed. The young girl is being sold (without any quotation marks!) to her future husband. Yes, it’s still so on the East. It’s not the Old Testament, it’s 2007 year A.D.! Every young Turkmen lady knows her cost literally in terms of money since her young age. Of course, now there aren’t so many facts of groom having never seen his bride untill the wedding, but it’s happening sometimes.

The wedding that took place in our Mary church not so long ago has its background. The groom and the bride have known each other rather well as several years ago the elder brother of the groom got married to the elder sister of the bride . After that there were big changes in those families as the whole family of the groom believed in Jesus Christ, and so did all the woman’s part of the bride’s family. But it was quite difficult to deal with the men’s part – they were convinced followers of Islam.

The news about possible marriage with the Christian didn’t make happy the man’s part of the bride’s family. They were against it. But if God’s for us, then who’d be against us? The decision of wedding was made.

And now the family council of the groom’s family makes an absolutely incomprehensible for all the relatives decision: 1. The wedding will be without alcohol; 2. People from the church will be invited to the wedding; 3. The wedding ceremony will be held by Pastor. This decision was a huge step of faith for all that family members as there wasn’t any support from the side of the relatives. But God’s put even the traditions on Нis people’s side.

The point is that usually at the East the wedding doesn’t pass for one day. The first day is like a parting of the bride with her parents’ house, it’s an informal day. And the second day the wedding is taking place at the groom’s house – it’s a formal day. This day the marriage is being registered officially, but...the relatives from the bride’s side can’t be there at that day. The Lord took care and there wasn’t any who was against of doing just the opposite.

It was decided first to register the marriage officially and to give out the marriage certificates, and then to hold the wedding ceremony, but God did everything in His own way again. The worker of the Registry Office was late to the fixed time and I had to start the wedding ceremony: firstly God has tightened the bonds of marriage, and then when I declared them a husband and a wife, the Registry Office worker appeared with the marriage certificate where the newly-weds put their signs. Everybody thought it was planned in such way!

Over 300 people in the hall were listening with an interest to the words of the couple’s vows, watching the rings and candles ceremonies. Nobody of them have ever seen that in their lives, if only on TV, but here it was just before their eyes.

Many things were marvellous for the large crowd of guests: songs about Christ, verses about our Savior, testimonies, numerous group of guests from Ashagabat church, and fun without alcohol.

There was another wedding (secular) in the same building on the next floor. And people from there called the Christian wedding a “strange wedding”. It was really strange for many people as it showed the very different joy, the joy in Christ.

Our group was coming back to Ashagabt at night, we were overwhelmed with the impressions and encouraged by those steps of faith our brothers & sisters in Christ are making in the city of Mary.

May the Lord bless you,

P. Vladimir Tolmachev

Mail to: heaventm@mail.ru

heavenkg@mail.ru