Haiti Travel Day- June 9, 2012

I took a journal I have had for a while with me, totally determined to write about everything as I went.  I did a pretty standup job if I say so myself.  I have a book of memories that I love and I am going to share with you.  :)

I only had a few entry journals before I started this journal and this one caught my attention as I started reading today, getting ready to type this up...

I wrote  "Things to do in Heaven" --  Paul clearly states in Romans to "Delight in the Lord's work-- NOTHING matters about this world except preparing for God's Work" ...  I thought that was just a perfect way to start this.

Just Doing God's Work.....

(written)

Haiti- Flight In

Got up at 4:20.  Hadn't gone to bed until after 1 am, looking at Lacey's 10 year reunion pictures with her.  Felt like I had JUST closed my eyes and it was time to go.  Totally knocked over Lacey's front room table hopping off of couch.  Flight out of OKC to DFW, and DFW to Miami easy and pretty much walked straight on.
We had our thunder gear on, so with Kellie yelling "Thunder UP" pretty much through the entire Miami airport (zoinks) we took a picture with some Heat gear we found in a shop ...

Flight from Miami to Haiti, FIRST CLASS BABY.  Talk about spoiled.  For the love.  Nothing like going to a third world country to serve on a mission trip and go there with FIRST class accomodations  (Thank you Shanna Tigner, you rocked our faces off with that deal)...  I had never been behind the "Curtain of Luxury", and after experiencing it, coach will never be the same.  I will always gaze longingly at that curtain, knowing what is happening behind it.

Warm nuts??  Oh yes, please.

Chicken quesadillas or chef salad?  

Fresh warm amazing cookies, why yes, I believe I will.

Yep, spoiled American Turds.  Very Very fun. 

But then, we landed in Haiti.  I needed to go to the bathroom, and I thought, No biggie, I'll go in the airport.  Uhm, negative.  We were pretty much herded like sheep right out the door onto what looked like a cattle trailer, and driven over to customs.  That bathroom gave me a dose of what was yet to come.  No toilet seats, no warm water.  Signs that said "No flush toilet paper", and heat, everywhere, heat.  

Austin said my face said a million words as I walked out of there.  We found our luggage, and headed for our driver..waiting outside.  They had warned us NOT to let anyone "assist" us, as they would expect money.  Well, for the love.  About 20 people ran up and just almost took all our stuff out of our hands.  It was ridiculous.  It was hot.  Have I mentioned that?  And we had Haitian men crawling all up in our grill, and we were just trying to find the out door.  And we had some stuff now.  We had checked 10 bags.  BIG bags.  (We took a ton of donation stuff), and our cart was FULL.  Lacey had laid her backpack with her computer and camera on the cart and it went to fall off and as she lunged for it, her flip flop hit the haitian dirt and she did a back gainer straight onto the ground and cracked her head.  I suffered Post Traumatic Stress disorder from when I had fallen in Cancun (a WHOLE nother story), and poor Hallie cried out, "Can I NOT go to another country and someone NOT fall and hit their head?"   So scary.  (That was just the beginning of the Lacey drama/Haiti style, to come)

We piled our bags in a truck and jumped in a van, and then holy cow, it was almost like riding in Batman's Batmobile, it was sooooo fast and ridiculous.  HONK, HONK, HONK...it's a honking contest in Haiti.  THere seems to be a honk for EVERYTHING.  and people?  We arrived on a Saturday, which is market day, and for the love of people, they were everywhere.  And stuff, and animals, and dirt, and people, and honking, and heat.  To say I wasn't overwhelmed to the breaking point in those first few minutes is a huge understatement.  

I was moved to tears driving to the mission.  The broken down tents made of jeans, tarps, sacks, anything people can get their hands on, and box houses, and heat, and dust and honking.  I am without words that first night. 

The walk to the truck with the buggy (before Lacey fell)

Makeshift houses on a hill, one of the many sights we saw on the way to Mission of Hope that first night.

This was to be our Bunk for the week.  Held 12 girls.  1 bathroom.  Oh yeah.

Lacey gets organized (see the mosquito netting, that's what I'm talking about)

Coke was the only thing cold in the place (the ice melted too fast to keep the water ice cold), so I was thankful for the Coke (It wasn't DP, but it was COLD)

Lacey found a buddy at the orphanage right away.

There we were "Life Warriors" arrive.  Oh yea.  The FUN has arrived. 

Kellie immediately shows her mad skills at soccer.  Wow that girl is amazing.

It looks like he is totally wanting me?  Naw, just my stuff.  He was ADORABLE.

Anyway, we had a quick welcome, went over expectations and rules and then broke for the evening.  Went to our beds and did our best to sleep in the heat.  All I know is I was just overwhelmed and didn't know what to think or feel at this point.  Little did I know how this experience was going to shape us all..

Continued tomorrow....Day 2.....  

God is good.... all the time.