dirt.

Lately I have been realizing how much dirt is a part of life here. It doesn’t matter if you shower in the morning you end up with so much dirt on you. The kids are covered in it. The cars are covered in it. Oh my goodness you can sweep the whole tile house and within hours there is a layer of dirt again. I wash it out of my hair, shake it out of my shoes, and just let it reside in my nails.

I'm starting to see the symbolism with the dirt, though. It's a pretty thick layer that covers this life, but when you take the time to get beneath the dirt and brush some of it away you can fully see the beauty here. I think we all have these dirt layers over us, but amidst the suffering here, the dirt is literal.

I'm beginning to think that there is no way that the people here could learn as much from me as I have learned from them. People at home think of me coming here as something so noble, but the truth is that I benefit the most from it. When you take the time to get beneath the surface you see this deep rooted faith and richness of life that is experienced despite the grave circumstances. I've learned more from these people and friends than I could have ever imagined. It just takes brushing off some dirt and you've got some real treasure.