Hearing Check, by Dana

A lemon tree cheerfully stands guard outside our children's classroom.

Perhaps you have had a season in your life that you would describe as “magical”.  Moving to Helena, Montana in 1996 was that kind of special time for me.  Being a former flatlander of Indiana made me notice all the charming differences of this wonderful town:  the gorgeous hills and mountains ringing the town, the unpretentiousness and unrushed pace of the people, a coffee shop that offers I.O.U slips so you can pay later on your honor.  While my love of Montana has never waned, the dust settles after 15+ years and my eyes and ears no longer noticed the new sights and sounds as they once did.

Like a fresh vacation morning after a night of rain, our senses are heightened in a way that makes us more alive when we are living in a new place.   Each day in Cochabamba has been that way for me.  Sounds alone here are so very different that my quiet home in Helena.  The first morning greetings are downright noisy.  There’s a cacophony of bird noises that assault my “I am still trying to sleep” groggy self.   I could not imagine the jungle to be any louder, and it’s not just because there’s screeching peacocks who live on our street.  Another sound this morning got my attention:  a high ting-ting-ting sound, signaling the arrival of the gas truck.  Apartments and homes here use gas cans to power their stoves, washing machines, and hot water heaters.  While I have no idea how to tell if we are running low on gas, nor any idea how to get the service men to stop, my ears are primed to notice new sounds.

I want my faith to be like this, regardless of where I live. Expectant.  Listening.  Wondering.  Eager.  Alive.  I am thankful for this time in Bolivia to learn about a new culture as I also reflect on my own.  I am hopeful that my faith will grow here as well, as I stretch to learn a new language, a new way to greet people (lean in for a kiss on your right cheek), a new way to cook/travel/shop/parent/wash/ and the list goes on.   An encouraging verse, reminding me to listen is Isaiah 40:28b-31 Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Outside Interpol, Astoria again tries to
entice birds to land on her.