Open Door Policy

While we were sitting outside just before dinner time, the kids (my daughter, niece and nephew) were playing in front of the condo.  The condos are in a little alcove that is gated and quite safe. At one point Leah asked me, "Have you seen Calen and Lena?"  "Ummm, they were right here a moment ago," I replied.  So Leah went inside and to see if they had slipped past us.  Nope.  I check our place which shares a with our Travis and Alicia's.  No sign of them.  It was interesting the Travis and Alicia didn't seem too concerned that there son wasn't around. 

It turns out that a little girl that they like to play with lives in the house at the end of the alcove.  Apparently Calen and Lena decided to walk right in and head upstairs to play with their little friend.  When I went to the open door and poked my head in, the parents and grandparents were seated at the table eating.  They greeted me as if everything was perfectly okay. After a couple seconds Calen came down the stairs and Lena came following after him.  I said good-bye to the family and the two children wandered back home.

I can't say that this kind of situation would go over very well in our neighborhood back home in Regina. We are so independent and the first thing on this dad's mind would be, "Call the cops!  My daughter is missing."  I'm learning.  In Ecuador, community is simply the way things happen.  It is nice to know that neighbors still talk to each other and in fact literally keep their doors open to each other!  What a cool experience.  Maybe we as Christians might learn something from this...hmmm...