Haiti Missions Trip...Day One, January 23, 2017

I am back from Haiti! It was an amazing week both for cultivating new friendships and seeing God at work. I am very, very thankful that I had the opportunity to go, and I am already praying about going next year. Remember that I asked for prayer that I would be a special blessing to someone? Well, I don't know that I was a blessing to anyone, but I certainly received a blessing by being a part of this missions team. I journaled while I was in Haiti, and while I certainly couldn't record or remember everything, it's s way for me to catalog my thoughts. I also want to have the opportunity to look back on the trip when I need a reminder of the faithfulness and goodness of my Heavenly Father. I'll be writing the days in chronological order, but they will be over the course of several blog posts. I'm sure some will be more interesting than others, but hopefully you will be encouraged and blessed as well.


January 23, 2017
Monday: 
It was an early morning or a short night depending on how you look at it! We left home about 3:00am., but we did make good time to the Portland airport. Between myself, Hannah, and Josh, we had five bags total. We thought that we would have to pay $25.00 for the first three bags and $35.00 for bags four and five. However, when we went to check-in, we realized that each of us would get one free bag, and we would only need to pay $70.00 for bags four and five. That was a pleasant surprise to start the day! We used every single pound available to us through the airline, which was a total of 250 lbs. We also each had a backpack that was filled to overflowing and not very light on the pounds! 

We flew from Portland to JFK with a layover in JFK before heading to Port-au-Prince. The layover was long enough to get a bite to eat and do a little walking for a few minutes. It's about a four hour flight from JFK to Haiti, so I knew I would be twitching if I didn't do some walking. I also found a place to buy a water bottle...the first expense of my trip! I had a water bottle, and I had left it in the truck when we got to Portland. Oh well, I'm thankful I found one, as that will be a necessity. 

I'm thankful that Roger was able to drive us down to Portland this morning. It's hard to leave my kids and husband for eight days, but Roger is a fantastic dad. My mom will help cook meals, do laundry, and get the kids to and from school. I had a hard time saying good by to the kids last night, but I know that they have been praying for this trip also. Travis has asked me several times if I could bring down some rice in my suitcase for the children that are hungry...oh, if only it was that easy! I made up nine small gift bags for our children, so there is one for each sleep I am away. The gifts aren't big or electorate, but I know it will help them count down the days. I also wrote a personal note to them for each day. I was a busy mama trying to get everything together before I left! 

God orchestrated so many events to come together smoothly for this trip. We will never forget how our local church body supported us in this endeavor. Their finanacial support, love and prayers have been so much above and beyond what I could imagine. God used a small body of believers to provide for the majority of the cost of this trip. It's been amazing to see God at work. We've also had several other dear friends and relatives support us on this trip also, and I'm thankful for each one that contributed towards this missions trip. 

Late Monday ...er, early Tuesday morning! 
It's a few minutes past midnight, so it's actually Tuesday. However, my journal entry is still for Monday, so I'm going to finish this journal date and I'll do Tuesday's journal whenever I get to where I'm going today! 

                                                             

Hannah, Josh, and I arrived in Haiti about one o'clock. We had a little bit of a wait in the airport as we waited for the other part of the team to arrive from the states...they flew in from Fort Lauderdale. About four o'clock,  the other twelve people arrived from the United States. My dad came from Wisconsin along with a man from his church, Lenny. A girl from Montana, Krissy, came as well. There are two nurses from Maryland and Pennsylvania that are friends. A Physicians assistant from Georgia, named Cory, came from the states also. Also Pastor Kevin (the pastor from South Carolina) along with his wife, Emelie, and their son, Micah. Josh's parents also attend the church there in South Carolina,and they came as well. Pastor Kevin's dad came along also...everyone calls him "Grandpa", so I guess I will too. 😀We have a team of fifteen people from various parts of the United States. I can't wait to see how God is going to bring us all together to work for His Kingdom! 

Then it was a mad scramble to get the bags, head through customs and load up the vehicles. Customs went really smoothly for having over nineteen checked bags plus everyone having a carry on. 

 Hannah's best friend, Emelie, is the pastor's wife from a church in South Carolina. When Hannah and Emelie greeted each other with hugs and tears, I was practically in tears myself. I recognize that deep, deep friendship. It was a reminder of a dear friend that I haven't seen in a while and how much 
I miss her! 

After loading up the dump truck and the van, we headed for Jacmel. Jacmel is also on the coast, but it's over the mountains to the other side of the island. I opted to ride on the back o the dump truck with five other American team  (including my dad) and two Haitians. The Haitians kept trying to talk to me but I didn't understand any of it! Maybe by the end of the week, I'll know something. The rest of the team went in the van. It was an eye opening ride as we drove through Port-au-Prince. The trash, the broken down shacks that people live in and the lack of cleanliness is staring  at you from all sides. It can't be comprehended through pictures or an explanation in words, it's truly overwhelming and incomprehensible. It bought tears to my eyes to realize how blessed I am and all that God has given me. 

We left Port au Prince about five pm.,or somewhere around that time ... and arrived  in Jacmel  about nine pm. Although it was dark for a good portion of the ride, the stars  were beautiful! I did get cold as we went over the mountains, but as we came off the mountains the weather warmed right up again. When we arrived in Jacmel, supper was waiting for us. It was a delicious meal of roast chicken, roasted goat, fried plantains, bread and several types of vegetables. I do not normally eat my canned vegetables cold, but I ate them. 😀

After supper some of the men went to try to work on the dump truck as it had started making some funny noises and we have a long ride up the mountain (different mountains than the ones we just came over) tomorrow. The ladies went inside to unload the checked bags and repack them all. Because of all the tools and medical supplies we had brought along, it had been mixed up with clothes and boring stuff to try to help insure that we could arrive with as  much intact as possible. So everything had to be unpacked and reloaded for the travels tomorrow. And since the majority of the team will be riding on the back of the dump truck with the bags, we need to try to pack the stuff so nothing will break. 

So now after a long day, we are getting ready for bed. We have beds here in the mission house next to the church and the use of a shower. The shower is not warm...at all...but I'm told the water up the mountain is even colder! Since it's the last shower I'll probably get for a few days, I better take advantage of the opportunity!