Hello my friend, hola mi amigo, bon jour zanmi m! As we cross the border and cross lines of conversation with ourselves in English, the Dominican people in Spanish, and the Haitians in Creole, I have begun to notice that words aren't really important. Being verbose often gets in the way of listening, and of being present with others.
In the quiet, I have realized that love transcends language. I do not need to understand or even be understood to show and know that bonds are being formed. I was sitting on a bench sharpening pencils for a later activity when a Haitian man at Sadhana Forest sat beside me, didn't say a word, gently took the pencils and began to sharpen with me. It was a moment of beautiful simplicity.
Yesterday, while visiting the beach, a young girl came up to me whom I realized was deaf. She could not speak, could not hear, and even if lip reading, it would have been difficult with my less than stellar Spanish skill. Despite all of these obstacles, we bonded. We spent quite awhile playing in the water and just being joyous with each other.
Even being at church yesterday stirred my heart. I could not understand a single word of the sermon but was moved by the palpable spirit in the room. You could feel the spirit, you could feel the joy. Each day, each hour brings new opportunities to love on others and it has been the most blessed experience.
Although short, my time here has already shown me the power of allowing God's love to flow through you. Of opening your heart and loving; loving completely, loving without judgement, and loving without abandon.
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