We saw a place on the map called "Jim's Beach Place", so we kept asking the locals where it was. When we finally got there, we saw a guy named Joel, who was working on construction of this little hut. He said if we wanted we could put our hammocks up on the posts in his hut, and we could even use the C.R. He was so inviting and hospitable, I was really struck by the generosity he taught us.
Joel not only let us sleep for free on the property right by the ocean, he also slept near us in the hut to "bantay" for us (keep watch). Then when he saw us eating chips for panihapon (dinner) he was surprised that we had no better food to eat. His wife came out from the house and invited us to their front porch for homemade dinner!
It was so peaceful listening to the waves on the shore, eating dinner by kerosene lamp. They brought us a huge plate of rice, the staple food here in the Philippines. They also showed their incredible generosity when they offered us this fish soup. I tell you, I looked at the soup with the two little fish staring at me from under the water and I knew I had to ask Nate once more to be my fish-eating hero. When Joel kept telling us that this "isda" (fish) was fresh we knew that he had gone out to sea just to catch it for us. What sweet hospitality, offering us everything they had. I learned that I don't have to wait for everything to be perfect before I have someone over for dinner or for the night; I just need to offer what I do have with a generous heart of love.
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