flowers over Port au Prince, (c) Colleen Briggs, 2014

When I visit another country, it is the terrain of the heart I most long to explore. What do people value, fear, hope? It is the majesty of the human soul in its myriad global expressions that captivates me.

The first time I visited a culture far from home, I felt like I was watching shadows through a thick pane of glass. I struggled to unravel accents, motives, subtleties of humor. But soon I realized it was only my own fear that created the barrier. As presumptions fell away in real flesh-and-blood interactions, I realized our tears carried the same salt and our deepest longings for love and belonging reverberated from one heart to another.

Six months after visiting Haiti, it is the simple moments of peoples’ day-to-day lives that echo in my memories – the all-consuming daily pursuit of water, textures of crumbling walls, stalks of corn glittering in late day sun, the shy smile of a child. It is the glimpses of peoples’ hearts amidst their ordinary pursuits that haunts me, and calls me back for further exploration.

Below are some of favorite images from Haiti not included in other posts (click images to view larger):

Child in Nepal, 2014. (c) Colleen Briggs