Adventures in community

People have asked me what it is like here, and until now I have not been able to explain it. I'll start with what I thought it might be like...a hut, bad food, fingers falling off from frostbite, and a few others crazy enough to move to the coldest continent on the face of the earth. I do not live in a little hut, the food to pretty good, my fingers get really cold working outside but frostbite is not a normal occurance here, and there are many other people here. Many people here seem very normal, and they are here working very ordinary jobs. Lawyers and business men and women have quit their well established and high-paying jobs to come and be part of this community...and community is what keeps people coming back to Antarctica. I can't help but think this is somewhat like college with a greater age range and instead of going to class we go to work. We work hard and play hard. We eat meals together, live in dorms together, go to town meetings together, and face the cold together. Many people have come here to change something in their life, to get a new start and forget the call that corporate America has been screaming in their ear. People are not focused on status or money at McMurdo, no one really cares too much about that when you're down here. This station is all about people. It is fun to be part of, and after less than a week here I feel immersed in it. I believe the Christian community can learn much from what I have experienced here. It must be about relationships if we are to truly experience life in Christ. It is about loving people face to face and not caring about status, money, or the side of town we live on. If we understood the value of relationships we would live differently. No one wants to be a number, a project, or a profession. It is not about what we do, and we must get to the heart of it. I simply love being known for who I am.