Real life is…
Coffee and quiet time on the balcony, watching the sunrise through the mist swirling around our mountain-top paradise.
Real life is…
Being welcomed into an incredible, loving host family.
Real life is…
Spending all day on the roof hanging gutters and painting on sealant, wondering if we’re more likely to get struck by lightning, washed away by rain when a storm comes out of nowhere, or fall off the roof while running from one of the giant spiders that live here.
Real life is…
Losing consistently at Rock Paper Scissors, trying (unsuccessfully) to play chess, failing miserably to learn new dance moves, and laughing through the humbling moments.
Real life is…
Having the honor of being named a godmother for spunky, smiley little Marga, our host’s beautiful baby girl.
Real life is…
Fifteen teenage boys crashing into my life and showing me how much it hurts to love hard.
Real life is…
Waiting out two typhoons in one week, and being glad for our mountain sanctuary as six feet of floodwater rages through the city near us.
Real life is…
Being reunited with my Halas family after over a month apart.
Real life is…
Packing a jeepney with 13 teenagers and 16 adults on a spur-of-the-moment field trip to the park.
Real life is…
Catching a few minutes of sleep in the park in the middle of the night, stretched out under the trees with exhausted kids curled up all around me.
Real life is…
Getting dive-bombed at dinner by some of the freakiest bugs I’ve seen anywhere around the world.
Real life is…
That moment when I realize I’m not sure whose baby I’ve been holding for an hour.
Real life is…
Hiking two hours through breathtaking scenery, then swimming in a beautiful river swollen by typhoon rains.
Real life is…
Taking my clothes on and off the line 3 times before realizing it’s never going to stop raining long enough for them to dry.
Real life is…
Sharing daily life with our amazing hosts, and learning about family and daily ministry from the quiet ways they served their community.
Real life is…
Stretching out on the grass counting stars with the younger kids, and trying not to be nervous that the older ones are leaping and doing backflips over us.
Real life is…
Living in one of the most peaceful environments I’ve ever experienced.
Real life is…
Wandering the streets at night with our young friends.
Real life is…
Waking up at dawn to a beautiful sunrise, in a hammock looking out over the mountains.
Real life is…
Two hour jeepney rides, crammed in with 25 other people, while rap is blasted so hard my whole body shook with the bass.
Real life is…
Accepting that hard goodbyes are the inevitable flip side of loving wholeheartedly.
