The Other Side of the Wall

You could say this side of the wall is the side where the grass is a little greener. The field where
soccer balls fly freely and smiles are a little easier to give. The classrooms where safety is felt in
ways many never dream of needing to feel safe, with the teacher who sees behind the tired eyes
and refusal to do work. The side where, Romanians and Americans alike hold out open arms to
children who run into them and never want to let go. This side? This is the side children are trying
so hard to escape to.

The other side, though, is the side they are trying to escape from, if only for a few moments. The
side that staked its claim at birth, calls its children back, and is deeming itself responsible to hold
onto them forever.

On the other side of the wall, the life of possibility is something that takes every breath from within
to fight for. Once one foot steps through the gate, or lands on the other side of the wall, dreams get
buried and sent a billion miles away. This side of the wall draws its family in, trapping them in the
lives of ancestors and in the midst of a caste like system.

On the other side of the wall, little girls carry siblings almost as tall as themselves down steep hills.
They carry them with skill, for they’ve made this trek a thousand times. With the strength of Goliath
and Mary combined, these small girls act as mini mothers. Little boys walk on top of the wall as if
they are spies, but instead of being hidden by Rahab, they are out in the open. The guards will
notice, and they will not be able to sneak over to the school to kick around the soccer balls. They
must go home. They must work hard. There is no time for play right now.

If you look a little harder, though, you will also see a special light on the other side, its dim light
growing ever brighter. For there is a new hope on the other side. A hope for a better life, for a
future. A newfound faith that is lighting the fires of dreams and sparking flames in hearts. This
special light started with some teachers, Americans, and Romanians and its infectious nature is
slowly and miraculously being caught by the Roma children and their families.

A special hope is growing there. Based on faith in God and His truth and goodness and a
community of believers willing to share the good news and their lives with each other, this community
is becoming a more hope filled place. Someday there will be no wall. No other side. Just community,
hope, and faith.

I’m so very grateful for the opportunities I have had to see glimpses of both sides of the wall. The
people I have met there are extraordinary and have changed my life and heart in ways that I can
never fully put into words. Join me in my prayer that someday, someday soon, there will be no
“other side of the wall,” that there will only be a community of brothers and sisters in Christ coming
together to rejoice in God’s love.