Unbelievable! These pictures are from August 2011 when we were working with ADRA. That was five years ago! Mimi hasn’t aged a bit. Well, maybe she has, underneath all the makeup!
We were working with ADRA and Save the Children for a few days. We accepted (almost!) every invitation to clown at the camps. This was at Choucha, one of the biggest refugee camps in Tunisia. The refugees were sub-Saharan Africans escaping the problems in Libya.
That is my husband clowning around with me! The fun multiplies the more clowns there are! Good thing he is a fast learner!
I loved the atmosphere in the tents. No, not the heat and sand! I liked the closeness. Mimi is playful, and always finds kids to play with. We even made a pinata beforehand and brought it.
That was new and exciting for everyone! We had to be really careful when we handed the big stick over to these enthusiastic kids! I think we did too good of a job making the pinata; it took quite a while for them to break it open.
Then we had a nice, quiet bubble gum blowing contest. It was our pleasure to not only entertain the children, but treat them to some sweets.
Mimi may not be aware of it while clowning, but she is speaking many of the ‘love languages’. She is spending time with the kids, noticing each one, and Mimi loves to hand out candy and balloons. She takes opportunities to touch hands and heads, because that can touch hearts. Even out of costume, I am aware of the five love languages and desire to speak love to everyone in ways that they receive it. I aim to be helpful as often as I can, and to speak words of encouragement and love to the best of my ability.
The thing I remember most about this day at the camps was that I sweated my nose off! Yes, the first and only time it happened in all the times I clowned in Tunisia’s heat! It was a long day. We clowned with the younger children in the morning, and were scheduled to clown with the older children afterwards. I was sweating so much, my little heart nose just would not stay on! I had to wear a big, red, clown nose! Boy, did Mimi look funny!