Haiti: Part 1

In August I had the opportunity to travel to Port-au-Prince, Haiti to minister at an orphanage, and an outreach with their church.  My team consisted of Dr. Mark Renner, his daughter Sarah, and myself.  I kept a journal during our trip, and rather than rewrite my whole trip, I will share it with you.

American Airlines Minneapolis to Miami                            Tuesday, August 7th 2012

The day has finally come! I am on my way to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Back in February it just seemed like a vague possibility or a "someday" idea. But at last the day is here.
Dr. Renner, Sarah, and I are flying to Port-au-Prince to teach Bible School at a children's home, and their outreach at the Dumas Feeding Center. [Dumas is the area of town it is in] We are going to use Child Evangelism Fellowship's "Wordless Book" as our lesson material.  Dr. Renner will also be speaking at their Bible Institute.

I am so excited to be flying. I love flying.  And I am very happy to have a window seat, because I love looking out. Unfortunately, I am over a wing, so I can't see much.
I should probably sleep on this flight. We left South Dakota at midnight, and drove all the way to Minneapolis, arriving about 4am. I could not sleep most of the drive, so I've been awake for 32 hours.   Yikes! I'm going to wear myself out from the start!  Okay, time to sleep.



Miami Dade Airport

We have safely arrived in Miami. I am so thankful my ears did not plug. When I flew down to Bogota the landing in Miami was horrible. My right ear didn't pop for half an hour after landing.  This time, my left ear had some problems, but it didn't plug and once we landed I was fine.   Now we are waiting at our gate.  It is a little after 12:00, and we board at 1:40.
The reality that I am going to Haiti is becoming more real as we sit here. Most of the people here are Haitian. And the flight attendant made some announcements in French.  It's always daunting to enter a different culture.
The first phrase I want to learn in Creole is "May I take your picture?"  I have a feeling I'll need that a lot.



AA Flight 803 over the Caribbean Sea

We are in the air and out of the country. Woohoo! Just had to fill out some immigration forms for entry into Haiti. And once again I have a window seat. This time I am behind the wing enough that I can see the water below. The ocean is so beautiful from this high up.
The clouds are also spectacular from above.  When you're down on the ground you don't get to see their beautiful formations. Some just tower and billow into the sky.  Have I mentioned how much I love flying?


We are now over Haiti. Port-au-Prince is on the southern end of the island. The country looks brown, and dry, and hilly from up here. It's kind of a small country.   I think we are beginning our descent.

No Place Like Home orphanage, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

We made it safely! I am exhausted so I will only make a few notes and plan to elaborate tomorrow.
1. Airport Bag guys are persistant.
2. Waiting a long time even in the shade is hot.
3. Brother Jacques Alexandre is a good Haitian driver.
4. When it rains, it pours.
5. I am thankful for my big umbrella.
6. This house is swanky.
7. I am so nervous about tomorrow.