Yep, got called out in the middle of a wedding

I went to my first Catholic wedding a few months ago. I was already super nervous about going, yet the bride kept calling me the week of her wedding to make sure I was going to be there. I really wanted Nicchola to be there because he used to be very Catholic, and I needed emotional support for the wedding. Of course, he decided last minute that he needed to buy new clothes for the wedding and missed the whole wedding buying clothes for the wedding.

The priest had everyone stand up and sing a praise song to the saints, and of course I didn't do that. I felt really awkward, but I obviously knew it was not the right thing to do to stand up. I was the only one sitting down in the entire church. Then the priest had everyone stand up for the communion. Except communion in the Catholic church is different, they are worshiping the bread and wine because they think that is Jesus. They have made communion into idol worship, so I didn't stand up for that. By then the priest was in a different area, and noticed that I wasn't standing. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, while the photographer was taking photos of the wedding, the priest called him out, and said I will wait until you are done. Basically saying, the photographer could not take any more photos of the wedding. Everyone kind of gasped and was basically thinking that was so crazy. So then, I hear the priest call out and say are you too tired to stand. At first my first initial reaction in the wedding was to act like I didn't understand (since I am a gringa), but then seconds later, I was like I can't act like don't understand, I have to stand up for my beliefs. It was a very hard situation though because it wasn't a church service where I would have said out loud the reason why I wasn't, it was in the middle of someone's wedding. He then repeated it again, and everyone around me was telling me to stand. The only option I seemed to have was to leave the wedding. I stood up quietly, said sorry, and walked down the main aisle out the churches door. It is an understatement to say that that experience tore me apart.

First of all, the wedding was filled with people who already strongly dislike me because I am a Christian, and then just to be called out in the middle of a wedding just made me so upset. I called Nicchola sobbing, and I was so upset with him for not being there with me to experience that with me and to help me through it. I told him I did not want to go to the reception. He said that would be the coward thing to do, and I shouldn't give into it. Sure enough right after the wedding (it only lasted about 10 more minutes) the bride made sure to invite me to the reception. I am not sure she knew what happened because her back was to the audience. I went to the reception, and then the Lord put me to another test. One of the people at my table was basically telling me whatever religion as long as you believe it works etc. Once again, I had to have another very upfront conversation about the gospel. I was like Jesus, really, how much more of this can I handle?

It looked like I was having fun, but I wasn't at all. 

Receptions here are like all night parties. We stayed till' 2:30 am and the food had still not been served. As we were leaving, the bride tried to convince us to stay longer, but I just couldn't. Sunday was the following day, and Sundays are one of our biggest days of the week. Anyway, that experience really made me think about my boldness of my faith, and how bold Shadrac, Meshack, and Abendego were.  They were literally going to get thrown into a furnace for their faith, yet they did not compromise. If doing the right thing in a wedding was so hard for me, how would I really react in a situation of true persecution? All that I had going against me was "shame" in a wedding. They had their lives. I hope that I would be faithful to the Lord in all circumstances. It sure did give me a new perspective to that story and the stories of so many other Christian martyrs around the world. Lord, help me to be stronger and never be ashamed or scared to stand up for You!