The above pictures are NOT in the right order! You’ll have to read the blog to figure out what picture came when...I’m sorry about that!
Hurry up and wait! We thought that the dump truck to take us down the mountain would arrive around 7:00am. Hannah and I were up at 5:30am, to finish counting and sorting meds and supplies. We drank some tea, and Garett was up already also. Emily woke up a little later and made coffee, and by 6:30 everyone was up. By 7:30am we were just waiting around, and my stomach was starting to feel a bit of “Haitian Happiness” (upset stomach from something eaten). I took some Pepto Bismal and tried to just be still for a while. Since we were still waiting, I laid down on Moriah and Becca’s bed to take a nap. Eventually I felt a little better, but apparently I’m not the only one whose not feeling so great. Josh, my dad, and Kevin also are not feeling fabulous. After taking a little nap, I helped Hannah, Moriah, Beccy and Emelie clean the bathrooms. It’s interesting to clean bathrooms with a small brush and some laundry soap, but at least the bathrooms are smelling and looking better!
After cleaning the bathrooms, we did some laundry. You know, the kind of laundry where you soak the clothes and the wring out the water?! I’m pretty sure Garett was almost as wet as the laundry!
By 12:30, some of us were digging snacks out of the snack suitcase....not me! However, it was nice to have dry cereal, peanut butter tortillas and other snacks to eat while we waited!
Finally, around 1:00pm, the dump truck arrived! But before we could head down the mountain, the cement blocks had to be unloaded, and then our stuff and people. Garett had originally planned to go down the mountain on the motorcycle with Josiah and Josef, but that didn’t work out for Garett. I know he was kinda disappointed, but Garett generally has a good attitude about many things that he doesn’t like (except maybe things involving his siblings!). We had 26 of us that needed to head down the mountain, including a man with a hernia. Some rode in the Falde’s SUV and some in the dump truck. It was a much longer than anticipated trip down the mountain as our driver liked to hit the brakes abruptly, then he stopped to take a bath in the river, and then he bumped into another vehicle (and kept on going). The Falde’s vehicle made it down the mountain an whole hour and one-half before us!
We finally arrived in Cay Jacmel, and we unloaded all of our stuff at the hotel. Then we promptly put our feet in the pool. It felt like it should be about 7:00pm, but it was actually only about 4:45pm. I was feeling much better so whatever bug I might’ve caught seems to be over. Around 5:30pm, some of us went to see the Falde’s house. We didn’t stay there tonight as the water and power are not working. It was nice to see their house though as I haven’t seen it since 2019. It’s going to be a great place for their family, and for teams that come to Haiti to help. By the time we arrived back at the hotel, it was dark and about 7:00pm. I could’ve fallen asleep right then, but instead I stayed up to visit with the Falde’s and Hannah and Josh. Around 9:00pm. my eyes couldn’t stay open any longer, so I headed off to bed. Moriah, Becca, Nan and I are sharing a room. It was a warm night, and unfortunately our air conditioner wasn’t working. Oh well! Around 10:30pm, Becca woke up saying that she was cold, and I think she caught whatever bug I caught earlier. Apparently, Haitian happiness is going around. This is the first trip in four years that I’ve ever felt sick. It might have been a hot night, but tonight we are thankful for beds!
Day #8 Divine Appointment
We had an MAF flight to Port-au-Prince this morning. One group was supposed to leave around 7:00am, and the second group at 8:00am. But then of course, things tend to run a bit late sometimes! The first group left at around 7:30, and the second group had to wait for the vehicle to come back and pick us up. Garett was supposed to be in the second group, but Jackie wasn’t feeling well so Garett went with the first group. In the second group it we Moriah, Hannah, Josh, Micah, Jackie and myself. We left for our MAF flight around 8:40am, with ten of us in the SUV. When we arrived at the airport in Jacmel, we noticed a helicopter ambulance landing and an ambulance van waiting. Simply by the nature of seeing a helicopter ambulance, our curiosities were aroused! A life-flight helicopter is not something that is seen in Haiti! Hannah and Kevin went over to talk to the pilots as they were also light-skinned people. Come to find out, this particular helicopter is run by a non-profit group, and they run an ambulance service all over Haiti! The pilots are Americans and trained EMTs that fly to Haiti in three week rotations. They said that their group is relatively new to Haiti, and that they are looking for areas to expand. All they need is landing pads for the helicopter! Hannah was excited when she heard about what they do as this is the type of service that would’ve been ideal for several of the situations over the past few days! It sounds like Pastor Kevin is going to be looking into places to build some helicopter landing pads. This is so exciting! If we had been “on time” we might’ve missed this opportunity to speak to these pilots. This could be an amazing resource for those patients that need immediate medical attention and a three hour trip down the mountain could kill them. It’s exciting to know that these are trained pilots and EMTs...WOW!
As we were saying our final goodbyes to the Falde’s, Becca began to feel very sick. We started boarding the MAF flight and Becca headed to side of the tarmac to lose her stomach contents. It was so, so hard for Moriah to leave her sister and hard on Hannah too. However, the EMTs noticed Becca on the side of the tarmac and came over to offer their assistance. Pastor Kevin poked his head in the plane to tell us that the EMTs were going to give Becca a shot of Zofran to help her so stomach and dizziness. It was a relief to hear that Becca was going to get some medicine and that God had put all the right people in place at the right time. God directed the time table so that Hannah and Kevin would have the opportunity to meet these helicopter pilots. Kevin was able to get their contact information, and perhaps with prayers and hard work, a helicopter pad will be built to better meet the needs of the people in the mountains of Haiti.
It was a long day as we were at the airport around 11:00am, and our flight left at 2:00pm for Miami. Then it was a quick trip through customs and a longer wait until around 9:30 for our flight to Charlotte. However, it was nice to sit still for a while and visit with others. It was nice to be able to call Roger as I haven’t heard from him for seven days...all is well.
God is good! I have a few more highlights from the trip that I want to write about but for now that wraps up another two days of journaling. Tomorrow is home to Maine....to God be the Glory!
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