More than KFC

I recently turned 31, which means I'm the new 21. Right?

I decided to do something different on my birthday. Instead of the same ole' same ole' of birthday parties and receiving iTunes gift cards, I wanted to make my birthday an opportunity to give to others. Be a gift, instead of receive the gift.

So, I decided to fly to Manila and work with an organization called, Mahal. A non-profit started by a friend and big bear of a man, Del Augusta. Del has dedicated his life to feeding the hungry and tending to the needs of the underprivileged in the Philippines. He's a big man both in stature and in heart. That king sized heart has led him to give his life to help people in need, in a country very far from the place he calls home.

We stayed at an orphanage in an area known as Pasig, a small city outside of Manila. Our home for the next 5 days was a far cry from the streets of Silver Lake. Our new neighborhood was littered with shoeless kids scampering about and nefarious looking characters holding up the street corners.

One of my favorite moments on this trip was when we ventured off into a small village in the city of Pampanga.

Our group went in to support a program called, "Books for the Barrios", an organization whose goal is to provide books and education where it's needed. We visited the classrooms and read stories, taught them the "word of the day", painted faces, played games and hung out.

Then came time to grub.

Today's special: Chicken and Spaghetti. (Roscoe couldn't come so we left the waffles on the west coast)

As kids lined up with their plates and spoons I couldn't help but notice the way their faces lit up, it was like Christmas morning for them. What they were about to receive wasn't ordinary, it wasn't every day. It was something that they could get excited about, something they might have even dreamt about. Their eyes bulged and their smiles grew as they lined up to the smell of fresh fried chicken that would bring Colonel Sanders to shame.

Each spaghetti and chicken filled plate was received with a very polite, yet enthusiastic, "Thank you sir". We filled plate after plate and the "Thank you's" kept coming. Each child filled with excitement and anticipation for what they were about to indulge in.

It's amazing how something as simple as a piece of chicken can illicit such excitement and joy.

My day in Pampanga was very meaningful to me.

There's the obvious: gratitude for the things I have and opportunity to serve and give to those that are in need.

Then there's the not so obvious.

As I reflected on the faces of the kids, the smiles, their voices, the way they patiently waited in line, the way they stared anxiously and lovingly. I asked myself, when was the last time I felt this way? When was the last time I was filled with wonder and awe? What would it look like to live life like each one of these kids did? Am I living a life in delightful anticipation and excitement over the things that I long to experience? Or am I merely creating a life that doesn't allow for the beauty of hope and fulfilled longings?

It's easy to allow our lives to become predictable and rote. To slip into our routines and patterns, to never be surprised or excited, to create lives that we control instead of lives that require faith and risk. Lives that demand the best of us, at all times. Life can be manageable and unsurprising or it can be all that God intended it to be. Full of wonder and excitement, replete with the moments that we will never forget, packed with laughter and desire. Every day brimming with hope and dreams that we doggedly pursue and yet calmly wait for.

I don't know about you. But, I want to be more like my young friends in Pampanga. Ready to line up, waiting for the moment I've craved and hoped for. Knowing that, it's just a matter of time before my plate is full.