There are many days were things go as normal here, especially on sabbath. We go to church, experience another level of hot, have potluck, then sit around talking. But a couple of Sabbaths ago was a little different. There is a new family that moved here from North Carolina the Wednesday before. The husband had been here twice, but not the rest of the family. Thus everything was new, interesting, and yet scary for them. Dr. Deane wanted to make this first weekend enjoyable for them, so she organized a treasure hunt. We were split into three groups, which represented people from here, Bendelay, and Mondou. The challenge was to take pictures of the items on the list and be in the photo as well. We were given an hour to complete it and the one who accomplished the most won. The teams went scurrying off of the compound.
The challenge got us all out there in the real world past the compounds walls. It got us out there were people live and interact daily. We looked like a bunch of crazy foreigners taking pictures of things that were apart of their everyday life. Everyone was looking at us side eyed, but we didn't care. In order to win all shyness had to be thrown out the window. Some of the things that were had to do were: take a photo with a baby goat, old man, carrying child on back, kids doing head stand, and people dancing.
What I enjoyed about it was the silliness of it all, which united us. We were running after animals, asking someone to write Arabic, and trying to get a group of scarred kids to do head stands. We were just having fun. Even though it was a simple game, it got me thinking about some things. I think this game was good for those who hardly leave the walls of the compound. It's easy for us to stay in our safe bubbles away from others, while still being among them. It's easy to get busy living our own lives, while passing others along the way. It's easy to forget about the bigger picture in life, which includes other people. We have to take those challenges in life that make us step out on a limb and do something different. We have to get out of our bubbles and see those around us crying for help or who just want a hug. We have to befriend the friendless, orphans, and elderly. There are many times when I would rather stay complacent and be in my corner, but when I step out of it I can see a world that's bigger than my corner. It makes me realize that the world isn't as scary as I thought. Also life isn't all about me, but meeting the needs of others. As I spend the rest of my time here, I will have to make this a challenge for me. We weren't made to live on an island alone, so get out there with everyone in the real world.
~ Break your bubble in order to reach people where they are ~
