The best stories are often the ones told in the dark. Here in Manila by Twilight, we tell stories. Or, in actuality, we retell them. The people who own these stories are people who live in places where we fear to tread. To us, they live in the dark.

Yet the dark isn’t dark at all. Rather, there is a beckoning light that we who are fearful, ignorant, and sheltered learn to avoid. Along the streets of Manila, in the shanties, in the lonely guard posts, and even in the residential areas are people who—despite their closeness—live worlds away from ours.

The stories we retell are about sights that we rarely ever get to see, sounds that we rarely ever get to hear, sensations we rarely ever get to feel, and episodes we rarely ever get to experience. They are the poor, the needy, and the impoverished. But they are also the content, the selfless, and the generous.

What you will read, see, and learn here are not only stories of poverty. But not of the dark. Hopefully they will inspire you to explore out the front door and beyond the gates, because, after all, they are stories of Manila by twilight.