Although I do not know who assigned me to the group, it was not the lady who was over the group and its mission in Africa entirely. She was not aware of my assignment, and was not to me notified of it in any way. This was because she had a legalistic mindset, and would not understand my purpose. So I worked in secret.
At first I went from person to person, or family, in the group, making sure they were completing their assignments as well as the journey. It came to a point though where the stress of what they were having to do was taking its toll on everyone. Worried about the people, I began to switch them with each other temporarily. For example, I switched one lady who was traveling with her husband and baby with a single college-aged man. The lady had become very stressed trying to complete her assignment, travel, and also take care of her baby. When I had them switch temporarily, it allowed the lady to be relieved of the stress and clear her head before switching back.
I traveled all through Africa, sometimes reversing my steps in order to help people. I found that the best way to help the group travel faster and produce high quality work ethics in their assignments was to keep them switching roles, back and forth, amongst each other.
By the time I reached the bottom of Africa I had grown to love the people so much that it made me cry to think of how I would soon have to leave them. But I knew that I had to leave so that the lady in charge would not known what I had done to help them finish. It was for the safety of the group.
I returned to the top of Africa and was able to see all of the group finishing their assignments and journey. I watched the single college-aged man carrying a baby carrier and walking beside the father. The man could not see me watching, but I saw that he had started crying also as he watched the lady he had switched roles with. I looked at the rest of the group, and saw numerous people start crying or be overcome with strong emotion. I was able to hear what they were thinking, and they too were overwhelmed with the love that had grown between all of them throughout the journey. It was only because they started switching roles with one another that this love was able to be planted and grow, because before they had been consumed with their singular assignments, and had not been extending the hand to help each other. They had learned and truly experienced empathy, and realized how precious it is to recognize the stress in each other lives. Once they switched roles and experienced it for themselves, they realized how real the cause of the stress was. This made them admire the strength the other had for enduring the trials it took to complete the assignments and the journey. It was incredible to behold the entire group being unified at such a deep level with such unbreakable bonds.
I did not even notice my tears anymore as I watched them love each other so openly and without shame. We all now realized that this journey was not about completing the assignments. It was not about being in Africa and getting to travel down it. It was about learning and getting to empathize with each other. It was about looking around and recognizing what the person beside us was going through and getting to help them through it.
It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen and had the privilege to be a part.
But then I woke up and realized that it was just a dream, and had to wonder how I could begin to see that happen.
And tonight I realize that it starts with me.
"Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity." Colossians 3:14
"Bear one anothers' burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2
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