While out on the field, Real Life participants learn the true meaning of love. As this semester’s participants enter the second month, they begin to learn what being called to love really looks like, whether that means loving a teammate, an orphan or even the man on the street who is buying a prostitute for the night.
Hannah Walsh, who is in Phuket, Thailand, right now
recounts what it’s like to walk down Bangla Road, this city’s hub for prostitutes and tourists.
“As you begin walking down, lights are flashing and people are either
brushing by you in a hurry or are stopping in your path and staring at
amazement of the sights around them, and you begin to notice a few more
details. One being the women selling themselves look as young as
fourteen. The next being the group of lady boys that have lined
themselves up and are avoiding eye contact with us, as we are females
and unlikely business. Then you look down a side street where you see
behaviors going on that should never be seen by anyone, let alone
families that are pushing strollers. As you wonder to yourself why on
earth anyone would come here with a significant other let alone a family
with CHILDREN, we approach our street and it becomes time to block out
the things around us and do the work we were called to do : Love these
people. ALL OF THEM.”
In another part of the world other Real Life participants encountered Miriam, a young orphan in need of love herself. Chelsea Powell, who is in Uganda, shares her
story.
“Miriam is a young girl, about 7 years old, with her whole life ahead of
her. She was lying on a small square foam pad under the shade. We were
told she usually lies inside all day, but today she wanted to be out
with the other kids. The lovingly persistent woman told us her mother
abandoned her and their community has been raising her. To make things
more intense, Miriam has been sick since last June. She was taken to the
doctor months ago and they said she does not have enough blood. Because
of this her immune system is down and she had developed some sickness
in her chest. Because of the language barrier we do not know the exact
condition she is in… but it is not good. This child has been
abandoned, left in a poor community, and is deathly sick.”
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