Sounds

Last night while visiting with the boys, I was struck by all the sounds. Honestly, I haven't experienced many quiet moments since coming to Haiti.  Especially when I'm home with the boys, things are always loud.  Dogs are barking, roosters crowing, little boys are making all kinds of noises, and then there are the near and far sounds of the city which seems to be always awake.  I was joking that we should take a synthesizer and record all of the sounds of this place and make it into music.  This arrangement would have to include some pretty strange noises and would likely not draw a great following, with the exception of all the friends of this place who feel homesick for their Haiti home when they are away.  These are the sounds that you miss when you leave this place...

The smacking of lips as the kernels pop on the stove top followed by lots of crunching and giggling during Friday night movie nights with the boys.

The early morning hours filled with crowing roosters and the soft squeak of swings full of sleepy-eyed little boys.

Guard dogs (and puppies) barking as feisty little boys tease and play with them.

Splashing water during bath time and laundry time.

The crashing metal spoons on metal bowls during meal time.

Whispered schemes during creative planning sessions when the boys have found a new form of entertainment.  Followed by shouts of delight or disappointment when their plans succeed, or fail.

The constant whisper of the not-too-distant ocean breezes through the bright blue skies bringing a bit of relief from the tropical heat.

Each summer when I leave Haiti, my heart breaks a little at the loss.  For now, I'm praying for ears to listen more closely and savor each sound... to store these sounds in my mind and play them over and over again as the soundtrack to a very different life from my own, but a life where God's truth is still heard by those who will listen.

Many thanks for the words you have spoken into my life and the ways you are supporting and following along on this summer's adventures in Haiti! 

With much love in Christ, Jessie