Germán Romero, in his younger years, had a son out of wedlock…something not uncommon for young, reckless Colombian men. A few years later he settled down with a young lady named Fanny. There were two girls born from that common-law union. He was a paint and body mechanic and should have been able to provide well for his family but, in his own words, he spent all his money on booze and women. So, he and his family were living in a shack on the outskirts of Bogotá. By the time I met Germán he was a tired middle-aged man.

I was invited to teach on the family at a small church in Bogotá where one member was the owner of a radio station called Ecos del Palmar. The station’s specialty was tropical music — just the type of music you would hear blaring in every mechanic shop in town. Ecos del Palmar ran several spots announcing the church meeting, and Germán heard them. The Spirit of God pricked his heart, so he and Fanny attended the meeting and both accepted Christ as Savior. Subsequently their daughters were saved and grew up in our youth group.

It is common for couples to live together without being married. In fact, 40 percent of all unions in Colombia are common-law. But, not long after Germán was saved, he began getting all of the papers together to formalize his and Fanny’s relationship. It was a wonderful day when Germán and Fanny stood before the church to be married, in a regular Sunday service, with their two grown daughters as bridesmaids. His face was beaming when I pronounced them husband and wife!

-by Craig Lingo, missionary to Colombia