Haiti seems always waiting for the casual visitor to return; and year after year I return. Friends who live and teach there, who have raised and are raising their kids there draw me time after time. I can not stay away. An island in the middle of the Caribbean the tropical geography and laid back way of life are magnets. The people happy amidst the greatest poverty in the hemisphere.

What is it about Haiti?

It is the young boy who sells little bags of fried plantains from a basket he balances on his head. It's the sound of donkeys refusing to go a step further under their burden and the sound of the tree switch hitting stubborn flanks. It is the laughter of hundreds of children, blue and white uniforms cleaned and pressed and their standing in line singing the national anthem of Haiti hands outstretched in homage. It's the electricity that is turned off at day break and back on at dusk, the sound of United Nation peacekeeping vans on the street and the whine of mo-pends bringing kids to and then from school.

It's the brilliant sunset over the far peninsula and the sail boats heading home with their catch of red snapper or shrimp, or one with human cargo of workers clinging precariously to the sides. It's the rocky beach where one might see a pig taking a short cut home. It's the siren of the water truck and the bark of dogs, the crow of roosters all day and the drums of dancing late at night.

All this is Haiti.

It is Son Center, being built on the ocean front which will house the church which is bursting at the seams and the Bible college. Sturdy beams now span the meeting area. A dream is becoming a reality.

It's the national pride you see in students, their parents believing that education equals hope. It does...and their education is the hope for Haiti. Educated young people who love their country. They will make a difference.

Each time I return to Haiti I see the inroads being made on the north coast. Having nothing of value to offer, I lend a hand here and there, hold a child, hug a student, read to some, encourage others, and just watch in amazement as little by little Light is replacing darkness.

And that's what I'm thinking about.