Beautiful Sounds

When I hear excessive car horns, I think of cycling through the streets of Beijing, China.
When I hear babies crying, I think of AGC Baby Centre in Nakuru, Kenya.
When I hear dogs barking in the middle of the night, well, I think of a lot of places all over the world!
When I hear the loud hum of semi trucks, I think of Salgaa, Kenya at night.
When I hear the words "Jesus Cristo", I think of it being chanted loudly in the Andes mountains of Huallanca, Peru as we worshiped Jesus with fellow believers.
When I hear the song "Free Falling", I think of singing karaoke loud and off key with friends in Vietnam.

It's funny the sounds we connect with - some sounds are encouraging, some inspiring, some  annoying (fingernails on a chalkboard), some funny, some disheartening.

Living here in Thailand, I'm beginning to learn the daily sounds and appreciate each one.  Bicycle bells, motorbikes zooming past, dogs barking, the nasally greeting of "Swadikah" echoing through the streets as I ride past.  All are sounds I'm growing accustomed to and identifying with this place I now live.

Waking up this morning and heading downstairs to begin getting ready for the day, my ears were greeted by a beautiful sound.  Weekly we have a house helper who comes on Wednesdays.  She is Burmese and speaks no English, which makes for some pretty great hand motion conversations between the two of us since I'm only just beginning to pick up some Burmese words.  And by only just, I think I know two!  Just today she was trying to ask me something about the upstairs rooms, and since neither of us were really understanding, she grabbed my hand with a big smile and led me upstairs, pointing out what she was trying to communicate.  Together we both laughed and smiled as we finally understood one another.  A beautiful sound, for sure, but off topic from where I was headed.

As I walked down the stairs this morning, I heard the faintest sound of a familiar song.  There in the kitchen singing in Burmese, our house help was singing the tune of "Blessed Assurance" - a song that is a beautiful sound to me on so many levels.  It's a familiar hymn that I know - beautiful.  It's one that reminds me of my grandmother and hearing her sing hymns as she walked around the house or sat at the table with a song in her heart - beautiful.  Its words are a powerful declaration of who Jesus is..."mine" - beautiful.

My heart and ears were so blessed in that moment of recognition.  What a truly beautiful sound.

I continued on with my morning, getting ready for a full day of work.  I had my journal and Bible spread out across the pallet couch in the living room.  As I continued gathering items up, our house help had also made her way out to the living room and over near my pile of stuff.  I watched as she looked at the Bible sitting there, picked it up, turned to me and said with questioning eyes, "Jesus?"  I said yes and repeated the name, and with a big smile, she pointed at her heart, held up the Bible and nodded "Jesus".  What a beautiful sound!  We may not speak the same language, but we both could understand that each had Jesus in our hearts!

I'm honestly moved to tears just thinking about it.  Life in another country can be overwhelming - especially when you're first starting off.  Everything, and I do mean everything, feels different, looks different, sounds different, and is just unfamiliar.  And that's not all bad - in fact, I've come to truly appreciate that about the places I go.  It's a beautiful different and a beautiful struggle to understand and appreciate the different.  It's filled with good days, bad days, and confusing days.  Trust me, that last one is a thing - there are days that are neither identifiable as good or bad, just confusing!  But to have moments like what I was able to experience this morning, those are blessed times.  My heart was deeply moved in that moment and I was reminded of what I value more than anything in this world - to hear the name of Jesus coming from the lips of His people.  That's my heart.  I want to hear Him praised, honored, spoken of with such high regard, and I long to hear it all across the world - in every corner.

There's a verse the Lord has burned on my heart and that I've made my prayer and truly a proclamation and promise that I'm believing the Lord is about to do...

"Look at the nations and watch - and be utterly amazed.  For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told."  -Habakkuk 1:5

I believe that.  I'm praying for that.  I'm longing for that.  I believe that what Jesus wants to do around the world, among the nations, is greater than anything we could ask or imagine - something we wouldn't even believe possible, even if He told us He was going to do it.  I long to be utterly amazed by what God is doing around the world.  I am utterly amazed by what I see Him doing.  And I long desperately to be a part of the beautiful sound of His renown echoing from every corner of the earth!

"Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts."  -Isaiah 26:8

My hope and prayer for each one who reads this today is that you may be reminded of the beautiful sounds that surround you as well.  And my prayer is that you will add to the beautiful sounds a collection of praise to the Father for all that He has done and all that He has given you!