Real life is…
Camping out near the Burmese border and loving on kids from the Karen tribe for two days.
Real life is…
Being irritated that the shower is warm instead of cold.
Real life is…
Finding out you’re attending a church service 15 minutes before it starts. Finding out your team is leading worship for the service 5 minutes before it starts. Finding out you’re singing 5 or 6 songs – not 1 or 2 – as you’re stepping on the stage.
Real life is…
Family dinners, backyard barbeques, and laughing right through the language barrier.
Real life is…
Teaching English to over 200 children in one day.
Real life is…
Feeling accomplished after successfully counting to 100 in Thai.
Real life is…
Holding babies in prison.
Real life is…
That moment when I realize I’m locked out of my room, all my stuff is inside it, and there’s no key.
Real life is…
Confidently standing at the front of a classroom, and having a ton of fun with it.
Real life is…
Really seeing how God can redeem a life.
Real life is…
Trying a new strategy every time I have to use a squatty potty.
Real life is…
Growing into a teacher. Growing into a worship leader. Growing out of my comfort zone.
Real life is…
Learning to cook amazing Thai food. Or at least how to stir it really well and check the taste.
Real life is…
Playing games with university students, and chatting about their favorite foods and activities.
Real life is…
Dancing in the rain with my new team.
Real life is…
Singing joyfully for a local radio station, and not worrying if we sounded like accomplished singers or not.
Real life is…
Sitting on the balcony watching lightning storms with my nephew via Skype.
Real life is…
Late night, spontaneous worship sessions in English and Thai, making memories with new friends.
Real life is…
Finally accepting that I’m going to fall hard for every country, and mourn when I leave it.
Real life is…
The privilege of living and serving with men and women who have lived in darkness but chosen to follow God out of it, and seeing the servant’s hearts and gentle spirits they now have.
Real life is…
Making connections through music that weren’t possible through language.
Real life is…
Showering at least twice every day, spending every possible minute in front of a fan, and sweating a lot anyway.
Real life is…
Finding more joy and freedom in a Thai prison than I’ve seen in daily life back home.
Real life is…
Doing hip and knee stretches every day to counteract a month of sitting properly on the floor.
Real life is…
Writing out worship songs in English as a way of sharing language and God at the same time.
Real life is…
Letting kids stick food in my mouth, only to find out it’s squid flavored something-or-other.
Real life is…
Learning what generosity really looks like, and accepting it graciously.
Real life is…
Being humbled by the simple love of little kids, and experiencing the joy of including them in what we’re doing.
Real life is…
Figuring out how to arrange our legs so that we all fit in the back of the ministry car for 2 hours.
Real life is…
Doing yoga on the roof while the birds sing and the sun rises over Thailand.
Real life is…
Unexpected friendships and unlikely bonds.
Real life is…
Learning to say Jesus loves you, Thailand is so hot, we are family, and I like to climb mountains in Thai, because what else do you really need to know?
Real life is…
Elephants, tigers, and monkeys. Oh my!
Real life is…
Experiencing worship as a lifestyle, not an activity.
