Ingenuity

It was about three in the morning when the entire house was suddenly woken up. The peaceful sound of night was interrupted with the chaotic noise of dogs angrily barking. The sound was dismissed as it wasn’t out of the ordinary for the dogs to work themselves into a frenzy at this hour. Seconds after being startled awake, the cry of a thirteen year old Alex rushed through the windows from outside and filled the house, “Get out, get out, get out!”

At this command the dogs’ barking turned into whimpering cries that grew quieter until they were silent. Soon after, footsteps followed by the voice of Robert could be heard. Holding their conversation on the other side of the house the words were difficult to discern, but the tone in Robert’s voice was easily perceived—empathetic and comforting. The situation was calmed and rest returned to the home.

The next morning provided understanding as to what chaos occurred the night before. (This next part ain’t pretty). The dogs in the yard had somehow broken through the fortress where the rabbits were kept. The cry we heard from Alex the night before was his attempt to rescue his pets. For the remainder of the day, Alex carried around a feeling of grief. This was the second time something like this happened this week. He had two rabbits left and was fearful that they would have the same fate as their friend the night before.

Andrew and Grant, two of the RUJA board members, approached Alex with a proposition, “How about you come up with a plan to better fortify your rabbits cage? You decide what you want to use from the yard, come up with a design, and then tell us how we can help you.” The thought that there was hope for his last rabbit filled Alex with a new sense of joy. Almost instantly his attitude took a drastic turn from sorrow to ambition. He began to craft a plan.

Alex filled Andrew and Grant in on his plans for constructing a safer home for his rabbits. They happily allowed him to take the lead and assisted him upon his request. After completing this project, Alex’s rabbits had a new, safe home that was certain to keep them safe.

A few hours later Andrew and Grant returned to the Ruja compound, this time accompanied by a few furry friends. They went into town and purchased four rabbits. Alex ran up to them with excitement and wonder at what could be happening. “We have a proposition for you, Alex.” They went on to inform him that when they returned to the States there would be no one to take care of their rabbits, and they greatly needed help, “We would like to hire you to care for our rabbits while we are gone. Next time we are here we will pay you for your work. At that time you can choose whether you want to spend the money, or you can invest it and buy these rabbits from us.”

Alex happily accept their proposal and began sharing his business plans with them, “I’m going to have them mate and then sell their babies. Then, I’ll put the money I make off the babies away so I can save up for a bike. And once I get a bike, I’m going to get a job so I can keep saving.”

Sounds like a brilliant idea that will actually work, right? This situation is just a microcosm of the grand perspective that Alex has towards life. Sure, his immediate dream to purchase a bike so he can get a job and save is compelling. His life-dream however, will blow you away.

Alex dreams of being a doctor and opening two hospitals. One in the city, and one in the village. His dream is to offer free care to those who can’t afford it in the village, and bring in funding for that hospital from the one in the city. Ingenuity. It is written all over Alex’s life, in the big and small things alike.