Photo Opportunity

“With many stories like these, He presented His message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity. "

We’re not from around here. We don’t look the same, we don’t dress the same, we don’t talk the same, and we certainly stand out in the crowd. And there seems to always be a crowd.

So much of what we see everyday is totally different from our lives back home; for one, the shops on the side of the road are often just goods and wares on the side of the road. Those that do have “walls” are often named with a Christian slogan: “God Have Mercy Beauty Salon” “Jesus Lives Carburetors” “If Jesus Says Yes Electrical” “There Will be No More Tears Printing”. We have taken great delight in shouting out these shop names and seeing the signs as “SIGNS”.

Amidst the constant commerce are the vendors who actually carry their wares through the traffic – hawking everything from bananas and toilet paper, to fish caught fresh from the sea.

I said things are different here. And to “carry” something here does not mean an armload of goods. Items are placed on platters, in bowls and boxes and then balanced on top of the merchants head. We have seen a wide variety of these top-heavy toters walking through the streets. Head held high, moving confidently and ably ridding themselves of merchandise along the way.

When we stopped and parked on the road for our school program – we had a few minutes to photograph the ocean, the “signs”, the discovery of where in the world the “Happy Spot” was among other snapshots of African life.

Walking up the road, was a woman laboring with a huge stainless steel bowl full of fresh fish parts atop her head. Now, we thought she was a sight to see, but I could venture a guess that as many times as the woman had made her way up the sea road, she had never encountered eight white people in her way. We were as big a curiosity to her as she was to us.

The women easily engaged each other in conversation and curious questions: “Why are you here?” was her biggest inquiry. While ours ranged from “how heavy is that?” (too heavy for us to even lift) and “how far do you have to carry it?”

She laughed, and was pretty good-natured about the inquisition. A quick camaraderie developed and wanting “a remembrance” of the conversation and curiosity – one asked “can I have a picture of you?”

Seeing we had no interest in purchasing any fish heads, but realizing “she” still had something to sell – the woman answered, “give me some money.” Disappointed, the would be photographer replied she didn’t have any cash on her, and she didn’t have much else on her to give the woman in exchange for the photo.

Undaunted, the merchant noticed the woman’s hair clip. “Well, give me your hair clip.” Without hesitation she took the clip out of her own hair, placed it stylishly in the woman’s, and agreeing they had made a fair trade – she posed for the camera.

Of course when our day ended, and we recounted the “photo opportunity” we heard the “real” story, and saw part of “His” picture.

The clip as it turned out was a gift from Russia; given by a loving husband as evidence and a small token of his love and sentiment towards his wife while he had been away on a mission trip. The “giving” had not been casual – but it was immediate. It was easy for us to see the “picture” of Christ’s extravagance towards us in this meaningful exchange between tow strangers who happened to meet on a road in Africa.

One, on her way home – one willing to come this far to share His greatest gift. One, having no idea the “value” of what she had asked for, one, willing to sacrifice as evidence of the value of all people Christ puts in our path.

“We don’t see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us. Knowing Him directly, just as He knows us! But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation. Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, and love extravagantly. And the best of the three is Love.”
1 Corinthians 13