The young woman on the left is decked out at church, letting the congregation know that she is available for a man. The girl at right plays an attending role. PHOTO BY STEVE DAVIS
For the second Sunday in a row, we attended services at a Pentecostal church this past weekend. This one was a 40-minute drive outside Monrovia, right off the Atlantic. (In fact, the final stretch of “road” that carried us there was a bit of hard-packed sand no more than 25 or 30 feet from the crashing waves. (Since I can’t swim, this prompted me to get an early start on my prayers.)
The service was very similar to the first week, though there were two dozen parishioners this time and not nearly 200. Our cab driver for the trip, Joseph Kweku, gave an inspiring sermon on the topic of “without love, there is nothing.” Joseph also took us out the best online casino first Sunday; he is well known at a number of churches.
Early in the service, when I was shooting photos from the back, I noticed two girls outfitted in resplendent dresses. One was probably in her late teens and the other five or six years younger. I’d forgotten about them until late in the service, when they were motioned to the front. There, they stood silently. Joseph indicated that it was OK to take pictures. In fact, it seemed expected. For at least a minute, we circled the pair, shooting away, without a clue what was going on.
As we drove back to the city, Joseph explained that the older girl was letting it be known that she was “available” now for an interested man. The younger girl was an “attendant” of sorts.
Next week. it’s church again with Joseph, this time to his “home” church.
We don’t know what to expect, exactly, though we are certain it will be a warm welcome.
