Staring in the mirror, Marie* saw an ugly, bruised scar above her mouth that swelled over her entire cheek. The throbbing pain was unbearable. Tears slid down her face.

For the sake of her children, she couldn’t live with him anymore.

Her mind raced back to her own father who used to beat her for talking back to him. Staying with her parents was miserable and often violent. Then, at 17, Marie found solace and comfort in her boyfriend whom she ran away with, thinking life would be better.

I've often heard people say they would have loved to have served as a missionary; if only they didn’t have so much student debt, or weren’t in such a hurry to build their careers or buy a house, they would have traveled overseas to serve.

Historia por Andre Hastick

Elmer Herrera y su familia se mudaron a Frederick, MD, a principios de la década de 2000. Él y su esposa, Olivia, ya habían ayudado a establecer iglesias en Hyattsville y Laurel, Maryland, y estaban ansiosos por volver a hacerlo cerca de su nuevo hogar.

Se unieron a un pequeño grupo que nalmente surgió como la iglesia hispana de Frederick en la Conferencia de Chesapeake. Pero Elmer, que dirige un pequeño negocio de pintura, dice que la iglesia estaba demasiado lejos de la comunidad hispana y quería comenzar otro grupo.

Elmer Herrera and his family moved to Frederick, Md., in the early 2000s. He and his wife, Olivia, had already helped to establish churches in Hyattsville and Laurel, Md., and were eager to do it again near their new home.