February 2010
I know you have all forgiven my long hiatus from writing you, the humble excuse being my getting married.
And since I never do things by halves, Mache and I did not get married just once. No, no. There were three ceremonies in total. For legal reasons, Mache and I began with a Bolivian Civil Ceremony, to get our paperwork in order. This ceremony will eventually facilitate me becoming a Bolivian citizen (without losing my American citizenship).
Our second ceremony, the REAL ceremony as we call it, was in Charlotte, my dear home in the US of A. Somehow in the middle of my parents moving, trying to sell their house, celebrating Christmas, and transitioning from 25 years with their mission SIM, they managed to throw me the greatest wedding ever. My dad performed the ceremony, saying, “When we think of marriage, the first thing we should think of is God. Marriage is a reflection of God’s design for this earth.”
Then my mom and Mache’s cousin sang, “Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee. How great thou art, how great thou art!”
After a chilly but wonderful honeymoon in Orlando, Mache and I headed back to Bolivia for our third ceremony, a large celebration with Mache’s hoards of relatives and what seemed like our entire church. The food and decorations, on Mache’s request, were as traditionally Bolivian as it gets; and with no newlywed urgency to head out we were the last people to leave the party.
But three weddings seems to have done the trick, because we are LOVING married life. Our apartment is painted and set up, with only a few random piles in discreet corners. We’ve settled into a rhythm which involves lots of yawning breakfasts together, and many cuddly chats in the evenings. In a few days I finally head back to work rested, happy, and excited for the next steps in Suti Sana.
Mache will continue as Pastoral Assistant at our church for at least the next year, while I continue working for Word Made Flesh, specifically in the educational aspect of Suti Sana (more on that next time). Since we strongly believe that ministry in the church and among the poor are in no way contradictory, and moreover need to be deeply connected, we trust that God will eventually direct our two callings into one that looks more integral. But for now we are content, wildly in love, and perfectly trusting of God’s grace in this new stage of our lives.
We deeply appreciate all of your prayers, gifts, presence, best wishes, and continual support.
In Christ,
Cara Strauss