August 20, 2004

Dear Friends:

For Mari and me, Raul had always been the smiling kid in the new suit who appears in our wedding photo. That was fifteen years ago. Raul, then, was living with my mother-in-law, María Luisa. Raul’s stepfather hated him, so to protect Raul from frequent beatings his mother had asked María Luisa to take him in for a couple of years. He had become a part of the family.

María Luisa sells used clothing at a sidewalk stall in a rough part of Guatemala City. Her astute business sense and ceaseless labor had put Mari and her three sisters through school. Raul benefited from the same largesse and successfully completed primary school.

From a very early age, Raul had learned to survive on the streets of Guatemala City. By God’s grace, Raul transcended the violence of his early childhood, completing vocational school and opening a small TV repair shop. He found strength and discipline in his local church, a congregation of the Assemblies of God. With dignity, he refused to fall victim to the life of addiction and crime that beckons to all young men who grow up in similar circumstances.

Raul, now 25, had fallen in love with Brenda, three years his junior. It was a match that raised some eyebrows: Raul was poor, Mayan, with a limited education; Brenda was middle-class, Hispanic, a schoolteacher. What brought them together was their faith; they worshipped in the same Pentecostal congregation.

Brenda’s mother was furious that her daughter had become serious about someone of Raul’s class and ethnic background. She had long threatened to kick Brenda out of the house if she didn’t break with Raul.

They had been engaged for three years, common for young couples in Guatemala. They planned to wait to be married until they had put together a nest egg to ascertain their future. But a couple of weeks ago Brenda’s mother finally made good on her threat and kicked Brenda out of the house. Finding his beloved Brenda on the street, Raul proposed that they marry immediately. Brenda accepted.

They decided on a civil ceremony. An evangelical school related to their church gave them permission to hold the ceremony in their assembly hall. María Luisa helped prepare the tamales.

The ceremony was arranged in less than a week. Yet, the day of the wedding the hall was full. More than a hundred people showed up to bestow their blessing on a couple trying to make the best of a difficult situation.

It was a civil ceremony, but Brenda wore a beautiful wedding gown and entered to the traditional wedding march over a carpet of pine needles. It was a civil ceremony, but two preachers approached the mike to offer words of advice to the young couple. Gospel choruses were sung. The spirit was one of joy and heartfelt support and sincere commitment. This assembly hall became a sacred space, a sacramental space.

This little Pentecostal congregation pronounced their confidence in this young couple. With God’s help, and against great odds, Raul and Brenda have declared their intent to build a future. Please remember them in prayer.

New phone numbers in Guatemala

On September 18, 2004 an eighth digit will be added to all phone numbers in Guatemala. Our new numbers are as follows:

Home: (+502) 2473-8946
Mobile: (+502) 5200-1127
Cedepca: (+502) 2254-1093
Coverco: (+502) 2254-2444

Intepretation assignment this fall

A final reminder that we will be in the United States from October 21, 2004 to January 12, 2005. I already have commitments in Maryland, Florida, New York, Oregon, and Missouri and would be delighted to be able to spend some time with you. As usual, we will be using my parents’ home in Coquille, Oregon, as our base. While we’re in the United States you can contact us on the following cell phone: (305) 495-3955.

Under the Mercy,

Dennis A. Smith
daspascom@netzero.net

The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 133