View of Port-au-Prince from the Schandorff’s balcony

As parents yell good-bye to their children and school staff welcome the last few stragglers to school, I watch and listen to the daily parade from my balcony, two stories above street-level.

Soon, the gate is closed and the chanting of the students practicing their lessons begins.

Haitian schoolchildren on their way to school

In the quiet, I ponder that although I sense the Lord’s presence most in tranquil, still, serene places, I have learned to find Him in the bustling, noisy, dirty city, too. He is in the giggles of the schoolchildren, the care of the parents who walk with their kids to school, the dignity of the school staff. He is in the breeze blowing across the balcony, the birds cheeping, the abundance of fruits on my neighbor’s trees, and yes, even the rooster crowing! I thank the Lord for being ever-present in every setting and head inside to start my day.