Sex, Singleness, and Marriage
July 30, 2026Image Isn’t Everything, But It’s Something
August 2, 2026
Baltazar and his team are doing a fantastic job of running our father-daughter events! Thanks to their vigorous publicity, this year’s banquet, held on August 1, attracted 39 men with 75 daughters. Included were veterans who haven’t missed an annual banquet since we started in 2022, as well as 23 new families who hadn’t participated in any previous banquet. Eighteen men brought one daughter; nine brought two daughters; nine brought three; and three brought four. Two beaming dads toted babies less than a year old! Others brought grown-up girls, since we accept any age as long as she hasn’t yet married.
Months in advance, I provided Baltazar with a detailed to-do list based on my experience in running our first four banquets. After reviewing his budget, I then provided $1,350 to supplement the $100 gained from the token contributions required of the fathers to attend. In the past, the ticket cost has been based on the number of daughters the men bring. This year, though, to encourage robust participation in the rest of our year-round program, we charged a fixed, slightly higher, price, and discounted it by a dollar for each event in the last twelve months to which the father brought his daughter. Two men paid nothing to enjoy the banquet because they sported a 100% attendance record!
Promptly at 6:00 that Saturday morning, I picked up our crew of waiters at the market on the edge of town and drove them out to the beautiful banquet location: Boniface’s Christian school. They spent the morning cleaning, setting up, and decorating. Meanwhile, the cooks labored over open fires to produce rice, spaghetti, fried shrimp, chicken, beef, potatoes, salads, and other delectable fare.
My friend Ancha and I were on-site to welcome the clients by the time a large bus brought the first group around 1:00 pm. Others trickled in, with a second large busload arriving at 1:30. Many fathers strolled with their daughters about the spacious grounds. Others sat on benches and conversed using the questions I’d prepared: “If you were the principal of your school, what would you change?” “What’s an experience in which you felt very scared?” “When you have children, how can I be a good grandfather for them?” We also suggested what the girls could ask their dads: “How did you feel when I was born?” “What was the worst thing you did when you were a child?” “How should I approach you when I need emotional support?”
By 2:30, lunch was ready. The guests sat at tables spaced out in two pavilions and under various trees. Ancha and I distributed menus. The waiters, dressed sharply in black and white with bowties, arrived to take the clients’ orders and returned with full plates to set before them. I circulated among the diners, taking photos and asking if they were enjoying their food. They all said it was delicious, which is no surprise since we always hire a master chef to provide five-star cuisine for our fathers and daughters. Stephanie’s cakes also received rave reviews.
After all had eaten their fill, and many had returned to walk about the premises, Baltazar called everyone into the main pavilion. He introduced the men who assist him in coordinating the father-daughter program; explained its mission; and led a discussion of the logistics for the beach trip planned for November. I publicly thanked him and his team for their hard work which enables me to financially support the father-daughter activities without having to spend much time organizing them. Addressing all the dads, I challenged each one to guard his daughter’s purity until he gives her to her husband at her wedding, referencing Paul’s analogy in II Corinthians 11:2.
With praise to God for the growth of our father-daughter program and its apparent success, please continue to pray that He will turn the hearts of local men towards their daughters and vice versa. May He enable the dads to fulfill their Biblical role in their girls’ lives, rising up out of the family brokenness which is common here. May the closeness developed through our events be a vehicle for Christians to impart their faith to their children, and may the unbelievers who participate be attracted to Christ through our lives.
