We faced another new adventure in Guatemala when a handsome young man came to Gib, Joanne, and I and asked for permission to marry our “daughter.” I had mixed emotions when I realized we would soon be seeing the first wedding at Shadow of His Wings Orphanage. My motherly thoughts kicked in, “Is he the right one for her?” “Will he take good care of her with love and respect?” “Will they live close to us?” Then my thoughts went in another direction, and I began wondering about the actual wedding. We had much to learn about the traditions of a Guatemalan wedding, and that is what I wanted to follow. We desired for this young woman to have the best we could give her.

After receiving her teaching certificate, Miriam became a teacher at Liberty Christian School and remained a part of Shadow of His Wings. This followed our plans to provide a home and family for the older girls after they graduated with a career and/or turned eighteen. After becoming engaged, she and her fiance Guilfer decided they wanted to stay in Monjas permanently. I said amen to that with a flutter in my heart. They took the next step of finding an affordable little house close to where we missionaries lived. Giggling like teenagers, Joanne and I discussed what we had in our possessions to help them set up housekeeping, and then we planned our wedding gifts to fill in the bigger items still needed, like a stove and living-room furniture.

A trip to the City provided us with a large selection of gorgeous wedding dresses to choose from. At one particular bridal shop, we were met with much assistance and a multitude of choices for wedding items. In a short time, the perfect dress adorned our bride-to-be, and I marveled at the transformation I saw in her. Her eyes shined with a brightness I’d never seen in her before. The gentle smile didn’t quite match the tears in her eyes as she moved from side-to-side observing every part of the gown on her body. She never dreamed this would happen to her. Her mixture of emotions matched mine. Our girl in all of her beauty would transform from Princess Miriam to Mrs. Miriam.

After finding the right dress, a day with the mamas continued. We laughed, shopped, ate, and laughed some more. We purchased all the paraphernalia a young bride needed for her wedding, making decisions based on tradition and spiritual significance. Totally new to both Joanne and I, we listened to ideas foreign to our own US customs.

We discussed the thirteen coins, called “arras,” and how these coins symbolize Jesus and the twelve apostles as part of the wedding ceremony. I liked the symbolism more commonly represented that the groom promised to provide for his wife and the bride trusted in his ability to do so.

Another common practice uses a cord or “lazo,” which looks like a rosary. During the wedding, a figure-eight shape is formed and then placed around the necks of the bride and the groom after they make their vows. The cord symbolizes lifetime unity of the bride and groom as husband and wife, and the loops represent their love for one another. Miriam wanted a unity candle we all voted that it would be included in the wedding.

This day and the ones to follow are memories embedded in my mind forever. Our adventure with the first wedding had just begun, and I had a lot more to learn about the customs of this country.