I walked the perimeter slowly with one of our host contacts, Lynette, taking in the vast view of our grounds.
There is a lot to see if I could just stop and soak it all in.
Upon closer look, I noticed that our fences were high metal bars lined with barbed wire…
And then I saw the little yellow placards.
When I asked my contact why we had an electric fence her answer was quite simple: safety.
I looked all around and noticed that all the neighbors had them in place too. Each property has a front gated entrance, either solid high walls lined across with coils of barbed wire or the electric fence.
Clearly, people want to keep intruders out. I believe there are two schools in the nearby area, which make this neighborhood particularly at risk. (I have yet to confirm this as true.)
We’re not even allowed off the grounds. I cannot leave where I am at, not even to go beyond the gate let alone down the road.
From my fenced in perspective, I stood and observed my neighbors through the bars.
I saw a line of shanty houses made of tin with ropes streaming between units and colorful laundry fluttering in the wind. No indoor plumbing. No electricity. Just homes for the families of the people who work on the property.
I saw two roosters running freely. I saw a man on a roof plucking something from branches overhead and a woman seated in the mounds of dirt also picking from some bushes. I saw heaps of trash.
A view through bars changed my perspective. Was I being kept in or where they being kept out?
Safety. Definitely something to be praying about. I’d like to get to know my neighbors.
