Percy and Anita

When they got married, they did not realize that they were getting married on Valentine’s Day in the United States. In fact, they had not yet contemplated moving to the United States. Much less moving with 5 of their children into a country so different from their own. 

Percy was born in the mid-1940s, in a small town in Bolivia. The oldest of many children in a family of ranchers, he carried much responsibility both on the ranch and in the home. 

Ana, fondly known as Anita, was born the same year as Percy, and was the only daughter in a family of 4. A very well-to-do family, splitting time between the city and their large cattle ranch in the countryside. On the surface, these two people could not be more different. Yet their shared faith brought them together and kept them strong together through every challenge and change. 

I asked Anita if she can remember how she met Percy, and she recounted it as if it just happened last weekend. Anita was walking by herself down the road when she saw one of her friends from the church walking in the opposite direction, towards her. Her friend was walking with another young man: tall, handsome, and she had never seen him before. Her friend stopped and began to speak to Anita, asking her about an event the church was doing. Anita knew that this other man was looking at her, but she could not meet his eyes. That young man waking with her friend was Percy. And little did she know, as soon as she walked away Percy turned to their mutual friend and said, “Invite me to her church so I can see her again. The following Sunday, Percy was there, and they were officially introduced. Chaperoned walks and ice cream dates would follow, and they would be married on February 14^th.

In the roughly 13 years that would follow Percy and Anita would have 5 children. Weaved into the every day of school and child care and family life, Percy would make several trips to the United States. These trips could last for months at a time, and Anita would stay with her parents and her growing family. It was difficult, and I am sure there were many long into the night conversations once Percy would come back from another trip. But Percy was insistent. There was another life that they could have in the United States. A life where Percy could give more to Anita than he could in Bolivia as a farm hand. There was education that he could give to his children that he was never even given the opportunity to have. There was a calling to give comfort and share faith to the immigrant community in the United States. To Percy, the United States was the adventure they were being called to. And one day – they would all go as a family. And Anita trusted him. She trusted that one day they would all be together in the United States. 

Finally, Percy and Anita loaded 5 of their children (number 6 would be born in the U.S.) into a plane, and flew from Bolivia, to the United States. In the following decades they would move all over the Southeastern United States. Back and forth across different states and cities. There were multiple instances when Percy would load the family back into the car with a loud, “That’s it! We are going back to Bolivia!” Yet they never made it out of the driveway. Every time that it seemed that the beautiful American dream was ending, something or someone would show up just in time, and they would unpack the car. 

While Percy worked every job he could grab, Anita ran the house like the navy. All children were to give full effort in anything they did. While Percy began ministering, Anita started up the women’s and children’s ministries, just like she did in Bolivia. Step by step, they built the life they had dreamed of when they had gotten married on Valentine’s Day so many decades ago. They were together and giving their children all the opportunities they could. All their children would go on to college. They would build families and continue a legacy of hard work. They would have a total of 21 grandchildren. Each of them utterly loved and cherished. 

In 2015, Percy would go to the Lord after three years of fighting cancer and its health complications. It was a devastating event, with a packed church attending his funeral. Yet through that pain, Anita continues to lead her family. Praying for each of her children, their spouses, and her grandchildren. Praying for their safety and continue to pursue their grandest dreams. Anita just recently celebrated her 80^th birthday, where all her family honored her, her never-ending faith, and the love that kept a family together even across borders.