There is something about a closet…or a closet like room that is influential, at least for me. I realize that this makes no sense, but last month… and now this month, sitting in a small room crammed with stuff seems to bring people together.
Last month in Thailand I worked in a hostel in Chiang Mai along side a now close friend of mine. We swept, mopped, and scrubbed toilets. We laughed, sang, and chatted. And eventually, everyday, we worked our way up to the roof where there was a small supply closet. We spent a lot of time there. We revealed parts of our hearts to one another and encouraged one another in the beauty God formed us in. We cried, prayed and laid on one another’s laps. We talked about dreams, took selfies, and folded warm sheets out of the dryer. I realized there was something special about the time spent in that closet, though I didn’t expect it to be a theme.
This month in Malaysia we are working with the organization Dignity for Children. It is on the northern side of Kuala Lumpur. This organization has a lot of facets and provides quality education for kids all the way from toddlers to 18 year olds. They learn many things, including marketable skills like hairdressing, carpentry, hotel management, coffee shop, etc.
I personally have been working with the toddlers. I was, and still am stoked.
The first day was a handful. I came out of it exhausted and in a horrible attitude. Yesterday was better, but it still felt like work. I had gotten to have some conversation with the other teachers, when the kids aren’t demanding our attention, but I still felt unsettled.
Then today, I left ministry at 4:30 beaming.
Around 12:30 everyday the kids go down for a nap. I, personally, am a big fan of this chunk of time. Its extremely quiet, and we all get to take a breather.
On the far end of the classroom there is an office… a very small office, crammed with literally everything. Today, while our supervisor was out at meetings, we started pulling things out and cleaning. All six of us started going through boxes and throwing things away. But eventually, we all ended up on the floor and this closet of an office facilitated something we hadn’t had yet; a time to laugh.
I walked back into the small space after depositing a box outside and one of the women whipped something my direction. I struggled to catch it, and they all laughed as I noticed they were all holding a similar package.
“Marshmallow!” she exclaimed.
I sat down and opened the treat of white and purple swirled marshmallow as they all looked at me expectantly. I took a bite.
“Mmmhmmm”
They all giggled and we continued as we pulled out more random snacks that had been stuffed in the back of the “closet”.
We tried strange baby food, weird teddy grams, and belly laughed as we continued to find things that should have been thrown out years ago.
As I sat with this diverse group of women (two women from Myanmar, a Malay women, an Indian woman, and a woman from Pakistan) laughing, joking, and poking fun at things flavored like beets and blueberries; we formed a connection.
In that closet we became a community rather that six individuals trying to conquer the toddler realm. I sat and thought about this group of people and how we came together here; all of our vastly different stories melding. And how we all ended up sitting in a confined space laughing over shoes and expired milk powder.
I didn’t expect something as simple as sitting in a closet to foster the relationships I’m most excited about. I look forward to the rest of this month and will remember the unexpected way God has chosen to bring people together.
And maybe, at some point, I’ll form a relationship outside of a closet. Though it seems to be working for me.
