We arrived safely today after a few adventures but mostly a smooth sailing day!
A few highlights so far:
Early morning wake up and arrive to airport by 3:40 a.m. We were through security with all our bags (even a few overweight they let thru!) by 4:30! Flight was at 6:30 so we got some breakfast and had time to get acquainted with some of our travel mates we hadn’t met yet.
A really quick layover in Miami (due to a glitch with the travel agent 15 mins between land and board!) where we grabbed our lunch and got on board and in the end all our bags but a few were tagged for under the plane…that was easy considering what it could have been!
We got to PAP (Port au Prince) in Haiti and after finding our 16- 50# bags. It’s a challenge to fend off the luggage guys who want to put their hand on your cart and try to take your bags for you so they get paid. We were instructed to just keep walking. SUPER PROUD of my son, Nick who led the way and didn’t let anyone in to take his cart. We spilled a few carts which in the end was due to pot holes and crazy stuff sticking up in the road of the “parking lot” where our Healing Haiti “tap tap” (or open air truck) was waiting.
A short but bumpy and visually overwhelming tap tap ride to our guest house. With garbage in the streets, potholes the size of 5 gallon drums and kids washing naked outside their “house” (tents) on the route, we were shocked to drive behind the purple fence to paradise of the Palm Inn Guest House. Healing Haiti owns this slice of heaven and uses it to house the mission trippers or (go-ers) while they are here each week. HH has over 40 trips a year of go-ers!!!
Tom Gacek, co-founder Jeff Gacek’s brother, immediately showed us around, unloaded and bags and headed over to the pool across the street at the hotel with some very eager teenage boys where we are allowed to indulge in a refreshing swim whenever we are able! We were all surprised and amazed that there was a hotel that lovely behind the unassuming walls and wire fence we saw from the street.
The Moms played organize our 14 suitcases and put back together the puzzle of the donations we brought down by organizing and putting them into proper suitcases designated for their final destination this week.
We relished in a swim after that work was complete! On the way to and from, the Moms had our first encounter with the local Haitian children who wanted to sell us their wares. It was heartwrenching to hear them ask in very nice English, “please buy bracelet from me. My family is hungry.” We didn’t buy anything and they were waiting for us after our swim. We walked hand and hand with them back to the guest house where we had to sadly leave them for the evening with empty hands – if we were to begin to give them money or goods at the gate of the guesthouse, it would soon become a “hangout” for kids looking for handouts. Sad, but we remained firm in our resolve to follow the policies so that it doesn’t become a huge problem for all future guests.
After a lovely dinner served buffet style the 16 of us all at one table (I thought of my Moran Family of 14 kids and 2 parents as I sat there perusing the scene)
a few from the group went out for a walk. The boys were anxious to see the “kids” in the streets. They met some of the boys we Moms had met earlier and their hearts broke for them as did ours.
Exhausted, we began our week long tradition of sharing our word of the day – what impacted you summed up in one word, and why. Some of the words: Wow!, Devastated, Chosen, Anticipation, Surreal… to name a few. Powerful stuff. Then we had praise and worship in the “pit” which is a family room area in the guest house. It was awesome to hear all the boys and moms voices together in songs we know from the radio.
It has been a huge day…we’ve been awake for 19 hours now. And we’ve seen enough that it seems like 3 days! Tomorrow we serve on the water truck in the Tent Cities in Cite Soleil. We will really see first hand the devastation and the true poverty of Haiti. Say a prayer for us.