GOOD LIGHT

Today I got a few good photos and a couple of marriage proposals. 

I stayed in town today to tour with a loan officer named Samuel and his secretary, Maria. 

Our last of three meetings was held at 3:30 in a half-finished house being used as a parsonage/Sunday school classroom.

And the lighting was perfect! I only wish I could have taken more photos, but I was afraid of disrupting the serious business at hand. 

This was an all-female loan group and they were a hardworking bunch of ladies. You could see the weariness in their faces. 

But the same faces also displayed a quiet determination.

The lady below, Coco, is a fishmonger, buying direct from the Atlantic fishermen, smoking the fish over a wood fire for preservation, and then selling them on the street. 

She starts at 6:30 am and works until sunset. She says sometimes a batch of fish will sell in a day. Sometimes it takes all week. 

You never know.

Coco was left alone with her 8 children after her husband died. 

Can you imagine? Bringing up 8 kids on your own is tough. 

Which is why she asked me for help.

But she didn't ask for money - she had in mind a longer term commitment. She told the other women that she was going to take me as her husband.

(It turned out she is much more playful than she looks in the photo above.)

When I pointed out my wedding ring and told her I already had a wife, she thought for a moment, then said she could tolerate me having another wife! 

At this point one of the other ladies threw her hat in the ring as well.

But Coco said she would cook me a big meal tomorrow to prove she is good wife material and that I should ask my "first" wife for permission in the meantime.

What do you say, Melissa?

I should add that when Samuel asked me to close the meeting in prayer, I took the opportunity to explain that I am a man blessed to have a wife I love and the only wife I could ever want. But that I did admire them all and knew that God was smiling over their hard work on behalf of their families. 

Amen?