Pastor Steve asked that we consider giving up all electronic devices and communication during our mission trip. Things such as Facebook, email, text messages, Twitter, smartphones, computers, etc. He asked that we “de-clutter” our lives while in Haiti; the only exception was this blog. Honestly, it’s been an excellent exercise. There have been few distractions allowing an opportunity to grow our relationship with others on this trip. And it has helped us meld together as a group. It has been a wonderful opportunity to listen…not only to God’s words and direction, but to everything else we encounter. My sense of hearing has increased on this trip along with all my other senses. Below is a list of things that I have HEARD while in Haiti:
1) The sound of 125 cc motor scooters whining thru the streets and on the back roads. Many of these scooters sound like they need a quart of oil.
2) Horns beeping….all the time for any apparent reason. We are all from Chicago, so the horns are not uncommon. But the Haitians use their horns many times each minute behind the wheel.
3) Animals are everywhere. Cows, goats, and roosters all get up very early in the morning and make a lot of noise.
4) Every evening and every morning, you can hear taps and reveille played. The sounds come from the Korean U.N. facility.
5) Haitians singing. Not only at church, but during the day as well. They know many English Christian songs. While working on a church reconstruction project the Haitians sang in English to us. But we were unprepared to sing the words to every verse of the songs we joined them in singing.
6) Clans chanting in the morning in beautiful unison at 5:30 a.m.
7) Rain on the tin roof. The guys all sleep in an open aired bunk house with a tin roof. We have had plenty of rain and the sound on the tin roof starts out loud and then becomes a sleep aid. That is until a mango falls from the tree above the tin roof. Can anyone say “bombs away”?!!
8) Speaking of the bunk house, an open air bunk house is no place to store seeds. Late at night, little grey animals get hungry…they even fight viciously and loudly for food. No…..these grey animals were not squirrels!
9) Hey You. Bon soir. This mean hi and “what’s up”. Creole is a difficult language, but fun to listen to and learn.
10) Ten 8-10 year old boys in the orphanage yelling “I want to be next” as they were begging me to dump water from my water bottle into their mouths.
So there you have it…ten new sounds from Haiti! I’m listening better without the electronic clutter in my life. Now if I could just learn how to hear God better and follow His direction in my life in total obedience. This was great exercise in eliminating clutter in my life.
J.P.