March 22, 2024
Chao & Nicole’s Wedding
Our Wedding Story – shared by Nicole
Dear Friends and Family,
Thank you so much for your encouragement, support, and prayers during this season as I embarked on my journey to Kenya to marry the man of my dreams. The trip began with my parents and I flying 33+ hours and over 10,000 miles to Nairobi where Chao met us at the airport. After a rest day and some wedding errands, we traveled to the village in Western Kenya to spend a few days with Chao’s mom at her home. She welcomed us with so much love and hospitality. We learned that in Kenyan culture it is very significant and highly valued if the bride’s parents visit the groom’s home so they know what kind of community and home their daughter will be joining. Chao’s mom felt very honored and blessed that my parents would be willing and able to travel so far to meet her. My parents enjoyed eating delicious home cooked Kenyan meals, resting under the mango tree, and watching the sunset. (scroll through the pictures below)
My dad works in construction and so both my parents were eager to help with projects around Chao’s mom’s home. Chao’s mom and I share the same favorite color - green! After some sanding, primer, and fresh paint, Mama Chao’s gate has a fresh new look!
We visited Chao’s grandmother and his relatives in the community nearby. There are some powerfully redemptive stories woven throughout Chao’s family line. Hopefully you will get to hear them one day.
We then traveled back to Nairobi to meet my sisters, cousin, and friend at the airport. Chao and I rotated driving, I have gotten a lot more confident and comfortable driving on the busy roads (on the left side and with roundabouts) and am enjoying it! Kenyan traffic is a whole other level of driving LOL. We took a day trip to Crescent Island and walked amidst the animals! We saw baby hippos, a baby zebra, and a baby giraffe. It was a breathtaking adventure I will never forget!
Over the next several days more family and friends flew in from around the world totaling about 25 people! Chao and I took airport trips at all hours (9pm, 11pm, 3am, 5am) so we could personally greet everyone coming in. We were so blessed by everyone who traveled such a long way to be with us for this special occasion. We fed giraffes, visited a tea farm, watched cultural dances (joining in on the dancing of course LOL) and ate exotic foods like crocodile and ostrich meatballs. Chao bowled for the first time ever and beat Nicole!
We then flew to Diani on the east coast of Kenya where the wedding would be held. Getting 20+ people through airport security and check-in was an accomplishment in itself LOL and our group was seriously the best group to travel with - such fun and joyful people. Diani is known to be very very hot (yes, hotter than Hawaii) and so we had been praying for cooler weather and were so thankful that for the 6 days we were there the weather was delightful!
One of the greatest gifts about our wedding experience was that 50 of our closest family and friends could all stay together for 5 days in the same place! There were 12 villas encircling a beautiful pool and the staff treated us with such love and care - it felt like a retreat center and a home. The night before the wedding we had a powerful time of prayer and worship and felt extremely blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people who love Jesus. We then finished the night with a pool party!!!
March 22 - Wedding Day! Chao and I got to start our morning with praying and thanking the Lord for the day ahead. We had a delicious brunch and a very peaceful day leading into the ceremony at 3pm. To add a touch of Hawaii, Joanna made me a beautiful haku and my cousin Lauren made plumeria leis for Chao’s mom and my mom. Ever since Chao and I reconnected a few years ago I knew if God made a way for us to be married that I would want to walk down the aisle to the song “Love Like This” by Hope Darst. Those lyrics really encompass our journey together. We were married by Chao’s mentor and spiritual father, Pastor Chris, and within the ceremony we were blessed to have all the pastors present pray over us. It was a beautiful ceremony.
After the ceremony there were refreshments as we took pictures with the wedding party. As we reentered for the reception we were ushered in with the Isikuti, musicians from Chao’s tribe, and their tribal dancing. Joyful exuberance radiated from the ensemble! I have always wanted to be a part of a Kenyan wedding because I heard how much dancing and joyful celebration there is and now I know firsthand the amount of joy and fun there can be at a wedding, to me it feels like a glimpse of what Heaven will be like. Chao’s relatives presented their gifts accompanied with dancing and an explanation of what each traditional item was used for, it was a creative interaction that I will always cherish. As a surprise, the Villa staff made us a cake and presented it with singing and dancing. My heart was overwhelmed by the love and celebration that continued throughout the whole day and everything I ever desired for my wedding was outmatched by God’s extravagant love that washed over the whole celebration. Enjoy some video captured moments!
Ceremony Entrance
Reception Dance Part 2
Reception Dance Part 1
Gifts from the village
Couple’s Dance
Surprise cake dance from the villa staff
While Chao and I went away for a 2 day honeymoon, my family went on the Wasini tour and got to snorkel amidst beautiful reef and fish. Then we joined our family for our first time jet skiing! I have discovered I like going fast LOL.
We then traveled back to Nairobi and went on a day safari in Nairobi National Park. We prayed we would have fun delighting in what God would show us and lo and behold God has some wonderful sights for us to see! In all my trips to Kenya I have never seen cheetahs (they are rare to see in Nairobi National Park) and that day we were blessed to have a mother cheetah showing her cub how to hunt right by our car! They were so close we thought we could touch them! We then saw 6 rhinos (again a rare site!). Four rhinos decided to hang out by our cars and so close that we could not leave until they decided to move out of the way LOL. It was such a special day that we will all treasure for years to come!
We went shopping at the Maasai market and my family found many beautifully crafted treasures to take home. We then went to visit a school our friend built in the slums and a children’s home (an orphanage) where the children welcomed us with open arms and wanted to be carried and played with. There were tears as we left, from both the children and our group. It was a powerful reminder of the impact loving interactions can have on touching hearts! We then visited Word of Life, where Choa grew up in the ministry since he was a teen. There he shared his testimony with my family and it was such a tender moment of seeing God’s faithfulness and hand upon Chao’s life since he was very young.
We finished our trip with a visit to Camp Ohana’s music and arts program. Prisma has supported this program for several years and the proceeds from our Seasons show in 2022 went to support this wonderful program. It was wonderful to interact with the children as they sang, danced, and played ukeleles and drums for us. They prepared a delicious meal for us that left our hearts and bellies full!
The hardest part of the trip came when I had to temporarily say goodbye to my husband after being a wife for just one week. Oh, the heartache for both of us! We are resting in the comfort and truth that God’s grace gives us the strength to pour into what God has put before us in Hawaii and in Kenya as we eagerly wait to be reunited in 2 months time! Thank you for taking the time to read through some of the highlights of our journey in celebrating our long-awaited marriage! We are excited for all that God has ahead for us as husband and wife!
