Eddye and Miriam are legally married. They volunteer here with Shofar Ministries. He’s 20; she’s just 16. One trip to the Guatemalan version of a JP and they were official.
Recently, a couple of my team members discovered that, though they are grateful to have been able to legally marry, Eddye and Miriam wish they could have had a ceremony before God, friends and family. They just couldn’t afford one. In further discussion with our contact, it became evident to us that we could help this dream of theirs come true.
It is obvious to us that the Lord is delighted in this couple’s union and wishes for nothing less than to provide for their celebration of it. Already, we have discovered these things:
- Nikki has planned a wedding in the States in two days before. We have about five.
- We have a handful of budding photographers between the two teams here, one violinist and a couple of guitarists between the two teams here.
- A local beverage company has already offered to donate 200 bottled drinks for the ceremony.
- Addie (Team Hineni) had a ring that she’d picked up shortly before the Race that she wore on her ring finger. She felt she should give it to Miriam. It fits her perfectly.
- Lauren (Squad Leader) had a man’s wedding ring that she wore on her thumb. She felt she should give it to Eddye. It fits perfectly.
- And the two rings fit perfectly within each other (hers inside his).
So, on Saturday, we will hold a celebration of their love and marriage in Eddye’s village. I get the distinct privilege of providing music (Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major), as well as, some of the photography. Greg and I hope to do an engagement shoot, as well as, shooting the ceremony itself. Yesterday, some of our ladies were blessed to join Miriam in the search for her “ice blue” wedding dress. I love how the Lord works to bring people from different countries & cultures together to celebrate His union of two hearts.
Pray for us as we get all the little details solidified in the coming days. We want to honor any wishes that Eddye & Miriam have, so we are trying to work through them even with the language barrier. Pray for the Lord to bless their union. Pray for Miriam’s parents’ (particularly her father) hearts to be warmed to not only their marriage, but also to us being a part of it. He’s a pastor at a local church, but – perhaps due to the division of the church (as a whole) that is SO evident here in Guatemala as well as an already hardened heart to their legal marriage – he called us “false prophets” and would not allow Eddye & Miriam to be married in his church.
