Night of Drums

Tonight beyond the song of cicadas and tree frogs there is drumming and chanting loud and long into the night -- clapping, whoops, and frenzied beats. To be honest, I feel unnerved by it and it makes me a little jittery behind my shuttered screens. When a heavy green coconut bounces off the roof and falls to the ground behind me, I jump.

Today there were disgruntled neighbors upset that a goat that had wandered onto the property. It had been cut free from the rope that tangled it in the brush, and sent out the gate. The villagers wanted to know what had happened to the rope and wanted it back, never mind that their goat had been on the property and endangered my laundry.

Personal property is held in a different regard in the sense that if something wanders onto your yard or even out in traffic in front of you, it is your responsibility to keep it from harm. You hit a chicken, you owe some lady for it. A goat comes on your yard and gets hung up from it's long rope catching in the thorny bushes and dies of thirst, well, you just bought yourself a goat for not releasing it sooner. This notion may take some time for me to integrate in any meaningful way! Meanwhile I am watching and trying to learn how to resolve conflicts, Haitian style. Mostly a lot of yelling and gesturing and then negotiating in loud voices.

So even as I type these words, I pray in my heart, for the Lord of Lords and God of all Gods to reign over Haiti tonight. Pray for the peace of Haiti, for true worship to live in her heart, and for the people to be blessed in the worship of Jehovah! I pray for protection of not simply gates and a thorny fence, but the hedge of protection brought by the angels of the Most High! Come, Prince of Peace and claim the heart of Haiti as yours! May your blood make foolish the blood of foul and the waters of your baptism wash cleaner than the waters of the rivers and oceans!

After the pace built and built, the drums stopped and voices rose in ritual chorus until the drums and percussion joined again. Noah and Elijah have slept through it all which is best given my own feelings of uncertainty. Eventually the ceremony concludes and the music ends, and I allow myself light sleep.

Please remember to pray for peace for Haiti, and safety for us when the darkness feels near.