Have You Ever Wondered about the Night Sounds?
Have you ever wondered what the night sounds are in other places around the world?  Just the other night while lying in bed getting ready to fall asleep, I was reminded of the night sounds of Tegucigalpa.  I was ready to dose off when suddenly an alarm on a house behind where we live decided to sound off. It wasn’t the kind of sound you can just shrug off and forget about but rather one that sits you straight up in bed wondering if the world is coming to an end and this is the final roll call to get ready!
As I was formulating a plan as to how to wrap my head in two pillows to fall asleep the alarm on the truck outside the neighbor’s house began to sound off. This symphony was becoming more interesting by the minute as you can well imagine! Suddenly the house alarm ended like I suppose one day the world will end…not as a gradual thing over millions of years but rather a onetime instant event that will usher in God’s Eternal Kingdom.
Well when the house alarm went silent I thought my sleep would return as the truck alarm was not that loud and here in Latin America they all seem to sound the same. I imagined 300 neighbors running out to see if it was their car or truck being robbed or maybe once again the alarm making a false alarm. This is where the story starts getting interesting…as this truck alarm then set off the yippy dog next door that I think was probably worse than all the sounds combined. As the dog continued his/her song out of tune, the truck alarm shut off suddenly as I imagine one of the 300 neighbors came out and turned it off. However the yipping continued until I thought that sleep wasn’t going to be something that I was going to enjoy that night.
The yipping went on for maybe an eternity but then again in the late night hours minutes can seem like hours as you’re just laying there listening and thinking. Anyway the yipping continued until someone out there shot off about 12-15 rounds from an AK-47 which is an automatic rifle that is found unfortunately here in Honduras far too commonly. The funny part of the humor from a missionaries standpoint is that the yipping stopped and I just forgot that someone nearby could have been shooting at someone or maybe they had the intent as I has thought…who in the world is going to quiet that little yipping dog! Silence returned to our barrio and sleep came and I obtained a good night’s rest. I’m not sure what happened to the yipper as I haven’t seen it since.
Best regards from your missionary!
Mateo
