In Bicol, as part of the Ag team, we’ve been helping build a house for a family who are in language school right now. It’s been a mix of sweat, sun, laughter, and a lot of dirt—so much dirt. At this point, we’ve become one with the ground.
Laurel recalled her time, “I felt so good, I loved building the house.” And honestly, you could tell. She was all in—shoveling dirt and gravel with this kind of joy that made it feel like more than just construction. “I think they’re gonna have a great house,” she said. “We all put love into making that house.” And she’s right. Every scoop of dirt and every layer of gravel felt like something we were giving, not just doing.
We’ve been painting the outside wall a vibrant red (which, yes, did end up on our clothes more than the wall at times), dumping dirt by the side of the house to fill in the giant trench, and breaking up rock-hard clumps of earth that do not want to cooperate. At one point, Mia may or may not have dumped the gravel onto the road instead of the trench... but hey, it happens. It's all part of the memory now.
Some days we’re rewarded with fresh bread brought by the workers, which somehow makes the heat and dirt feel less exhausting. There’s something about sitting on a pile of dirt, dusty from head to toe, eating warm bread with your teammates that just feels... right.
The best part? It’s not about getting everything perfect—it’s about showing up, laughing when the wheelbarrow falls the wrong way, and remembering who we’re building this for. The house is coming together little by little, and so are we.
And as Mia said it— "We feel exhilarated!"
