Do you hear what I hear?

Besides the name of this post being one of my favorite Christmas songs, I honestly want to post about what I hear. I've been struck by the meaningfulness of sounds recently and wanted to share my thoughts.

I hear children reciting scripture in Spanish and English. Never underestimate the importance of memorizing scripture. We teach them the meaning of the verses too. God is present in our school.

I hear motorcycles and taxis race past my house. I live in a city. It's a small city, but this is a first for me (except for a few months spent in London). I'm surrounded by people all the time, I see at least 5 people I know every time I walk to the Centro. It can be hard to find time alone. Time with God. But I make a point to do that.

I hear Christmas music. This season of celebrating Christ's birth has been different in many ways that I would typically celebrate. I mean, you should see our crazy decoration. :D I'm filled with thankfulness though. Starting new traditions with friends, teaching the true meaning of Christmas, having the chance to go to the US for Christmas.

I hear laughter. From small children. From my friends. Laughter is hugely important to me. I love to laugh hysterically with my friends over silly things. I love to hear my students laugh when I say and do ridiculous things.

I hear the voices of my friends and family on Skype. Keeping in contact with my friends and family is important to me. It can be really hard at time, but Skype call is always worth my time. I am content where I am and I don't desire to be home more that I desire to be serving God here, but man, is it good to hear their voices and see their faces. Living so far from home has certainly brought it's challenges.

I hear water running very slowly. That is my washing machine. I fill it with buckets of water. It's one of many appliances that only sort of works. The list is long, so I won't bore you, but trust me when I say flexibility is one of those things you learn fast and are constantly challenged in as missionary.

I hear dogs barking and men working. These are the two most annoying sounds to me. No joke. First of all, we have about a million dogs that live in a 1 block radius of our house. They love to howl at night and bark all day! The auto body shop that is just over our back wall is run by the most hardworking men in Honduras. They work from 6am to 8pm sometimes. ESPECIALLY ON SATURDAY. Guys, just stop.

I hear rain on the roof at night. I love to sleep when it's raining. We have actually had fantastically sunny and warm weather that last 2 weeks (odd for december here). Making it through the 2 months of cold and rainy before that tested my patience. you expect to always be warm in a tropical country, even when taking a cold shower, but that is jut not the case here for November and December here. You can go weeks without seeing the sun and without feeling warm.

I hear children yelling "Teacher! Teacher!". This alternates between annoying and adorable. When my 1st graders run at me in a pack for a group hug while yelling "Teacher!", it's adorable and I love it. If my 2nd graders are working on an assignment and are yelling "Teacher!" when they need help instead of raising their hands....that's annoying. My response to that is "Don't "teacher" me right now!" I love my job and I love my students. I am blessed and thankful to have the chance to teach here this year.

I know this is a short post for me, but that's all I have to say for now. Check out my face book page for some recent adventures and Christmas pictures. I wish you a great Christmas filled with family, friend and Jesus.

"Said the shepard boy to the mighty kingDo you know what I know?In your palace warm mighty king.Do you know what I know?A child, a childShivers in the cold.Let us bring him silver and gold!"