Lingering sounds.

These are the sounds that linger since January 12th:

Creak. Creak. Creak.

Vibrating furniture has never been so disturbing. When will it ever stop!?

Last night I was awoken by my mattress shaking and my bedside table creaking. It took a few moments to register, but once again I relived my exasperation with aftershocks.

Of course it's severity isn't enough to make me dash outside, but it is enough to make me doubt the peace I have about the worst being over with... I stared into the blackness of my ceiling last night after the shaking ended and wondered how many more aftershocks our guesthouse could endure before the walls will give out. The middle of the night is certainly not the ideal time for an aftershock to hit, as my mind is much more prone to wander. It's a wonder I managed to fall back asleep.

Again this afternoon another aftershock caused most of those inside to flee outdoors for safety. Fortunately, the kids and I were outside doing a volcano eruption experiment, so we did not sense it to the extreme of those indoors.

I think I can speak of most of us in the country when I say that we are all more alert this afternoon of the ground beneath our feet.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The guesthouse had minimal damage after the original earthquake compared to the village homes. Nevertheless, the closer we look around the corners and edges of our walls, the more we find the small cracks and lines that were formed months earlier. In addition, since the earthquake, I have had a significant amount of water leaking through my ceiling - A leak that was there prior to January 12th, but has become a lot worse since. Usually after about 15 minutes of rain outside, the water begins to filter through the roof in 5 different spots and collects on my bedroom floor.

Fortunately, when my Opa came to visit me last month, he brought with him a gallon of tar to seal the leak. Last night after a heavy downpour, I was overjoyed to discover that the tar he and Broc had applied on the roof 2 weeks ago had sealed the majority of the crack (just one small leak remains, but it's nothing compared to what I had before).

I feel so grateful that their repair was a success, especially as we merge into the rainy season, however there is a lingering pit in my stomach as I think about the thousands of families who have yet to have proper shelter. I can see one of the tent cities from my balcony view into Titanyen, and it is a sobering reminder of how many people are still suffering the effects of the first earthquake. As the evening rains begin their daily routine in the coming months, there will be a very large population who will be struggling to stay dry and clean as the thunder rolls and the water pours down.

Tents and shelters are still being distributed, but there is only so much water they can withstand.

Please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers, along with all of us as we continue to press on despite the sounds, sights and vivid memories of January 12th.