If there’s any truth to the time-honored expression that “a son is a son till he takes a wife, and a daughter is a daughter the rest of her life” Samoan pastor, Frank Seve, has little to worry about. Saturday, November 2018, marked the fourth time the long-time, Youth for Christ supporter has escorted one of his six daughters down the aisle, offering her hand in marriage to a young Samoan man. This time, it was his daughter Losa —a recent college graduate. Her husband? A young man named, Elijah Paaga.
The occasion was a happy and fun-filled one, packed with family members and friends from both families. Following his wife Ruth’s heartfelt advice to the new couple, Frank added he didn’t quite get why his wife thinks Losa was moving away with Elijah. “She’s staying with me,” he said, prompting laughter from the more than 200 guests.
But anyone who knows the pastor and his wife and their family would understand it was all in good fun. Ruth shared she and Frank prayed constantly for caring and God-fearing husbands for their daughters. Were their prayers answered? No question about it. Their first three daughters tied the knot with young men who are, in one way or another, involved in the community and church ministry. A few years ago, Kiano Misa, the event’s emcee and Frank’s eldest daughter Salina’s husband, continued the Youth for Christ ministry.
Given the high divorce rate even among Christians, it’s encouraging to see that prayers do make a difference. Indeed, the tone of the celebration from beginning to end was one of thankfulness. Were one to sum up Losa and Elijah’s wedding day with an expression, it would be: “A family that prays together stays together.”
Congratulations Losa and Elijah. God bless you and the new family.