Read Oral History #215. Available in Spanish.
My dad, he did not think the husband I got married to was actually the right person for me. So it was really, really hard for us to get married. I met William in 2010 when I returned from mission here at the area office, here in Self Reliance…. He’s a good man. He served in Zimbabwe Harare mission. He is originally from Democratic Republic of Congo…. The war—that’s hard. How he struggled!…. [My parents] wanted him to have more financial stability. Deciding to marry him anyway, it wasn’t easy. But for me, I always believe, like, you know, God is there. I mean, there’ll be a way for them to understand, you know, and accept it. It was hard, so hard for us. And they started demanding from him a lobola [bride wealth].
And he did not have savings. He did not have a good job and it was hard. But he told them, “It’s fine. I’ll try to save as much as I can. And it doesn’t matter how long, because I really want to marry your daughter.” Yeah, that’s what mattered to him. We prayed a lot together. We fasted. And I felt good about it…. Things with my parents are not really really good even now. Because he’s Congolese he’s struggling to get a job. He’s struggling to get a permit or permanent resident. Even now he’s still struggling. That’s why my parents, they’re still not happy with it.