July Newsletter, pics to come!

Greetings from the Qaranivalu's

We would like to take this time to thank everyone for the recent
words of congratulations and financial blessings during this season
of two becoming one.  We want to use this time to give an overview of how our wedding went. We had beautiful Fijian weather, with no rain. We were honored to have family surround us during out day.
Alissa's father, mother and best friend were able to travel from
America. Manasa's family was reunited in one place (three brothers and one sister, and their families) after 12 years.  

Our wedding location was a nearby resort, held in a traditional Fijian "bure" (hut) that overlooked the mountains on the left, and the ocean on the right. Our heart was to give God the honor, while publicly declaring our vows to each other.  We were blessed with many YWAM members and church representatives in attendance also.  

After the pastor pronounced us as Mr and Mrs Qaranivalu, we honored our parents in washing their
feet as the first thing we did as a married couple. It was a blessed, emotional and joyous morning. 

We held a Fijian 'tevutevu' (homecoming) in which each family declared their blessing, and we
received mats, pillows etc from family members. After this tradition, we held a reception that
included traditional dances, a live band, father speeches and lots of food. We were thankful for the
church and YWAM volunteers who allowed us to host such an event. We are thankful to God that
we were able to take a few days out for honeymoon at a nearby resort.

We look forward to a new chapter, returning to the mission field  (Mongolia) as a married couple
(hoping to leave Fiji on August 8th). We will start the end of August by staffing a YWAM school
called "Titus" (Manasa will be doing teaching, worship leading, small groups etc and Alissa will
support with hospitality etc). The school is primarily being held in the Mongolian language, with
translation into Russian for a few Russian students. Students who have completed the SBS (School
of Biblical Studies- 9 months program) are eligible to take "Titus" which has a focus of teaching
students how to present the bible with different teaching methods, keeping in mind the differences
of learning styles in different cultures. After staffing this school, we plan on returning to the town
of Darhan and continuing to work part time with the YWAM base, focusing on English as a second
language outreach ministries, our community night, and various other events/outreaches. We will
learn as we go as we are sensitive to the fact that this is our first year of marriage and will be taking
time to set up our apartment, and building the foundations of our family etc. 

We want you to know we include you in our prayers and look forward to continuing to send you
our updates. We would love to hear from you!
Please continue to pray with us in the next few weeks as we are waiting for our Mongolia Visa, air
ticket and adjusting back to Mongolia.

 
Vinaka,
Mr and Mrs Qaranivalu 


http://www.kingdomnomads.blogspot.com
Emails: skillet25@gmail.com (Alissa), mahnsrq@gmail.com (Manasa)
Skype: alissa.kennedy, mahns.qaranivalu

TWO days till wedding time!

With two more days until the wedding here is an outtake from Manasa's recent prayer point letter to a support church in Korea. I am thankful that my parents could fly in for the wedding and a nice vacation time here in Fiji. Also thankful that my best friend from Chicago, Jenny, was able to also make the trip. Am enjoying my 'family' and watching Manasa fit right in. Like any wedding there have been some stressful last minute changes but God is still faithful and we are excited about the celebration day and even more so about the life to come together :) Vinaka!

"

WEDDING PREPARATIONS

Our wedding day will be two weeks from today on July 7^th, 2012. We have decided to hold our celebrations in Lautoka Fiji, so that our friends and family can easily visit from all over. Alissa's parents and best friend will be joining us from the USA for ten days. My family will travel from all over Fiji and New Zealand to join the celebration. YWAM is hosting a new base opening the weekend before the wedding so we are excited to also host guests from our YWAM family as well. We will be having a small ceremony in a local Fijian "bure" (hut) located at Anchorage Beach resort. My mentor, Pastor Mike, will be the officiant and we are honored to have several pastors in attendance. Our family is hosting a traditional Fijian "tevutevu" (homecoming celebration) before our reception to introduce Alissa's family into my culture. Our reception will be at a local hall and we are so thankful for the support of family, church, and our YWAM community in helping us cater and entertain at this event. We couldn't do this wedding without their blessings.

The items we still have left to consider in the next few weeks include:

·       Funds for wedding rings

·       Wedding suit (we have given a down payment only)

·       Coordinating transportation (renting a vehicle for the week of the wedding)

·       Getting my Fijian drivers license completed

·       Funds for honeymoon

·       Signing up for marriage license

·       Completing our vows

·       Preparing for out of town guests (coordinating housing, transportation and food)

PRAYER POINTS

In preparing for the future we have been daily in prayer seeking God's wisdom. The following includes our current prayer points:

·       General health

·       Rent for the month of July (God has blessed me with a two bedroom apartment during this time in Fiji)

·       Ticket from Fiji returning to Mongolia (leaving on August 8)

·       Mongolian visas

Thank you so much for the great support in both prayer and finances. We have truly seen the hand of God move in our lives during the past few months, and we strongly believe this could not be possible without the power of prayer partners in our lives. We look forward to sharing with you further details about our future in our next newsletter.

For more information about our wedding celebration please visit the webpage: www.alissamanasa.com.

Vinaka Vakalevu

Manasa Qaranivalu"