A 41-year-old mother of six shocked Kenyans last week when she left her 20-year marriage to “marry” the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth Nalema, a town council officer from Makutano town in West Pokot County, was bound in holy matrimony with the Holy Spirit on Tuesday, May 25, in a ‘lavish’ ceremony at the Chelang’a Gardens, a hotel in Makutano.
The ceremony was attended by her colleagues and some businesswomen including her husband, Joshua Nalem. Shocked and confused, Joshua watched as her wife, dressed in a wedding gown, said “I do” to the Holy Spirit in a ceremony that was officiated by Pastor Albert Rumaita of the Makutano Anglican Church of Kenya.
“I have served the world for all my years, but now the Holy Spirit has directed me to serve the almighty God. The holy spirit drove me to Pastor Rumaita, who bought the wedding dress, organised this ceremony and even hired cars to escort me here,” Nalem said at the ceremony.
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She said even though her husband was against her decision, she would want him to know that she is done with serving the world and will now dedicate her life to God and the church.
Nalemi announced after the ceremony that she had closed her business and is heading for a honeymoon in Uganda. Her honeymoon however doubles up as a crusade, The Standard reported. “God has shown me signs to travel to the United States when am done with Uganda. He told me to travel the world but I told him I won’t be able and requested him to recruit other members to help me in spreading the gospel,” she said.
Her husband, Joshua, told reporters after Tuesday’s ceremony that he tried on so many occasions to stop his wife from leaving but she refused. “I am perturbed. I paid 22 cows and 15 goats for my wife and right now she is having a wedding with the Holy Spirit. This is unbelievable,” he said.
He added that he started having troubles with his wife recently following her new prayer habits. “She went to church one day, and when she returned, she started waking up at 3 am to go and pray. I asked her why she was braving the chilly weather just to pray, but instead, she decided to move out to a neighboring homestead.”
Nalem had wanted to organize the ceremony in her church, but officials at the church refused her request to be married to the Holy Spirit.
“Because I am her neighbor, she came to me and explained herself, which is why I took the bold step and did what she requested me to do,” said Pastor Rumaita, who officiated the wedding and funded it. “I made the decision to preside over, plan and fund the wedding because the world might just be coming to an end and because I’m her neighbor,” he explained.
Christianity says the Holy Spirit is the third “person” in the Holy Trinity of God. The other two are God and Jesus Christ.
