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The Rubik's Cube
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved worldwide.
Guy was terrified. He did not want to move to
Ghana. He did not want go to a far away African country and leave his friends
behind in Calgary. It wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't an only child. He didn't
want to hang out with kids that spoke a strange language and he didn't want to
eat their yucky food.
Guy's parents were missionaries. During the last
twelve months they had been preparing to go to Ghana to share Jesus with the
people who lived there.
Guy could not convince them to leave him behind
in Canada with his Uncle Harry and Aunt Sylvia. His parents insisted that a
twelve-year-old boy belonged with his parents, no matter where they lived.
When they arrived at their new home, everything
Guy was afraid of turned out to be true. He hated everything. Instead of staying
in a posh hotel room like they did when they were on vacation, his family lived
in a mud hut. The food was weird and hard to eat and made of things most North
American kids don’t eat, like the Tuo Zanfi that was made from millet. Guy
didn’t mind the fried plantains, which were served with a spicy bean sauce, as
much.
Guy was used to being with people of different
cultures and skin colors. After all, Calgary had a very diverse population. But
here he was the minority. He was the only white boy.
Everything felt very strange to him. None of the
other kids spoke English. He couldn't talk with them, even if he had wanted to.
And they smelled different then his friends back home.
Guy felt sick most of the time because his body
wasn't adjusting to his new diet and he didn't sleep well at night. The noises
in the night were so different here; they kept him awake. Sometimes it sounded
like the birds and bigger animals were right outside his open window, which was
covered only with a loose hanging screen.
Guy worried that the scorpions and tarantulas in
the bushes outside would invade the hut and his bed. At least the ants couldn't
climb into his bed. He had a raised bed and each of its four legs stood immersed
in a pail of water to discourage the ants from joining him as they marched
across the dirt floor.
Guy stayed in the hut every day as his parents
went out and taught the people of the village. Even though he heard them talking
and laughing as they told the stories about Jesus, Guy remained stubborn and
would not leave the hut.
He just sat there every day for a week and played
with his Rubik's cube, his favorite possession. Trying to solve the puzzle was
the one thing that made him happy. He tried so hard to solve it. No matter what
he tried he just couldn't figure it out. But it kept his mind off Ghana and
everything he had left behind in Calgary.
On Thursday morning, just like every other
morning, Guy got up and ate breakfast with his parents. But today the plantains
tasted good. He actually liked them and ate more than usual. His stomach didn't
hurt. He realized his body must be getting used to the Ghanaian food.
At seven, his parents left for work. They told
him they were going to the church site to see how the building was coming along.
Later they would be teaching the people more Bible stories and then working on
Bible translations.
Guy watched Marta, their hired maid, clear the
table and sweep the floor. After she went outside to wash the dishes by the
well, Guy got ready for his day. He went to the shelf by his bed to get his
Rubik's cube. He couldn't see it.
He pulled his books and trophies off the shelf.
He thought maybe the Rubik's cube had slipped behind them. He looked longingly
at the largest trophy. He remembered how proud he felt when his team won it at
the provincial soccer tournament. Since Guy had been the captain, his teammates
let him bring it to Africa with him.
But where was his Rubik's cube? Right now it was
his best friend. Playing with it kept him from feeling lonely. He looked in his
suitcase in case he had put it in there absent-mindedly last night before he
went to bed. It wasn't there. He pulled the sheets and pillows off his bed and
even checked under the mattress. But the Rubik's cube was no where to be found.
Guy felt frantic. He looked everywhere in the
hut. Then he looked out the window and out the door in case someone had thrown
it out. He thought Marta might have tried solving it and thrown it away.
Suddenly he remembered. The night before, his mom
has asked him to go outdoors for awhile to get some fresh air. He had found a
tree stump down the hill from the hut. It got dark quickly and he couldn't see
the cube clearly enough to play with it. The sounds of monkeys in the trees
nearby had startled him and he had run home. He must have left the Rubik's cube
on the stump. He hoped the monkeys hadn't picked it up.
Guy decided he would have to go find it.
Cautiously he peeked out the door. The village seemed quiet. He left the hut and
walked down the hill toward the stump. Then he stopped. He saw a boy about his
size, sitting on the stump playing with something in his hands.
As Guy came closer the boy looked up. He was
holding Guy's Rubik's cube. The Ghanaian youth grinned at him and held out the
cube. Guy liked his friendly smile and grinned back.
Slowly Guy walked up to him. The boy twisted the
Rubik's cube skillfully and looked at him for approval. Guy watched the patterns
the boy was making.
"No not that way, this way," he heard himself
saying and before he knew it, he had sat down beside his new friend. The two
boys became engrossed in trying to solve the Rubik's cube together. Guy couldn't
resist helping the boy. It was clear that he loved the Rubik's cube just as much
as Guy did and that made him just like Guy, not a foreign person at all.
The boys played for hours. Guy thought he was
teaching his friend the logic of the Rubik's cube, but suddenly the boy laughed.
He had solved the puzzle. He spoke excitedly to Guy in his own language, jumping
up and down. Guy grabbed the Rubik's cube.
"You solved it!" he shouted with amazement. "I
never saw anyone solve it before! That’s amazing!" Guy said excitedly. He
slapped his new friend on the back, showing his sincere admiration for what he
had done. Then Guy mixed up the cube again.
"Let’s see if you can do it again," he challenged
the other boy.
Right away his new friend set to work. Guy
watched tensely, cheering in his heart for his new friend to finish the puzzle.
He didn't see his dad and Andrew, the missionary he worked with, approach them.
"What are you two doing?" his dad asked.
"Hi Dad! Hi Andrew. It’s amazing! He solved it!
He solved the Rubik's cube. He’s awesome! I’ve never seen anyone solve it
before." Guy stopped talking. Now his friend was jumping up and down shrieking
with laughter too.
"He solved it again!" Guy shouted and slapped his
friend's back even harder this time. "You're amazing, you know that! You're
smarter than anyone I know. How did you do that?"
His new friend didn't understand a word Guy said
but he knew Guy was pleased with him. Both boys did 'hi fives' and rolled on the
ground, laughing.
When they calmed down, Andrew introduced Guy to
his new friend, whose name was Ramda. Andrew interpreted for them as they talked
to each other about the things they each enjoyed. Guy told Ramda about his
soccer team and hockey games while Ramda told Guy about his love of baseball and
tennis. After a while, Andrew excused himself to get back to work but not before
Ramda promised Guy he could join him and his friends in playing baseball on
Saturday.
As Andrew walked him back to his hut, Guy asked,
"What did Ramda say to you as he was leaving?"
"Well Guy," Andrew said, "he told me to thank you
for playing with him and he made an observation about the Rubik's cube."
"Oh, what did he say?" Guy asked with excitement.
"He’s so good at it. I want to know his secret."
"It’s not a secret. He said it isn’t as hard as
it looks," Andrew replied and winked. "And you know Guy; the same is true of
sharing your faith. By just being a friend, as you are being with Ramda, even if
you are enjoying it and it seems natural, you are sharing your faith. All you
have to do is not hide what you know about Jesus and let God guide you in acts
of kindness and doing things with Ramda."
"Well I want that for sure. Thanks Andrew. I'll
let God show me how to share Jesus with Ramda. I want Ramda in heaven too. One
reason is because I want him to be happy," Guy said, meaning every word.
Looking at him askance, Andrew asked, "What is
the other reason?"
"Well, so I will have him there to play with me."
Guy laughed.
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