This was actually written on March 29, 2009, I just haven't been able to upload it until today.
I woke up this morning to thunder, booming somewhere in the distance. The sound was dulled by the miles so that it was a soft rumble by the time it reached my ears. In those first few seconds of wakefulness, still clinging to my dreams, the thunder was a familiar sound. Not one accompanied by lightening, but one I heard every Tuesday back home. One of wheels turning on pavement as the garbage can was pulled along the driveway. The thunder came again, this time a little louder and much more nature like. I turned over; remembering I was in Africa and at the same time remembering the sounds of home.
(A plant outside my window in the rain)
Who would have thought a person would miss the sound of the trash being hauled out, and yet I do. More so, I miss the sounds surrounding the act, harmonizing with it in a way I never noticed or appreciated. My dad’s cowboy boots hitting the ground with a little tap as he completed the task. Inside there would be a different tap, the clicking of my mom’s knitting needles as she worked diligently on a pair of socks. I miss the sound of the heater turning on and the sound of my cat, sitting in front of the vent, echoing it with his purr. The refrigerator door being opened and closed, the garage door too.
I turned over again and for the moment thoughtfully closed the door on reminiscing and looked ahead.
Africa has it’s own sounds, sounds I love. The thunder I heard this morning, the pitter patter of rain on the dirt road. The voices of people stopping as they walk to greet each other, birds singing in trees high above. The sound of a wheel, rolling in such a different way than at home. The sound of a wheel directed by a stick, held in the hand of a running boy, with a smile on his face.
These are a few of the sounds of Africa, the first few lines of the song of Rwanda. So far I have been here two months and I still have two more years to go. Sometimes I feel homesick, but mostly I feel content. I am content knowing that among all the sounds I hear, or don’t hear, and among all that is before me, God is faithful. Psalm 29:2-4 “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in holy array. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful, the voice of the Lord is majestic.” His voice truly is the sound that matters most.
