Mission Trip to Haiti: Day 1

I woke up at 3:45am to get to the airport at 5:15am.  As soon as the alarm went off I knew it was going to be a long day.  Getting through airport security was a piece of cake.  We had enough time to get a last minute breakfast from, of all places, TGIF.  Our flight to Miami was delayed a couple of minutes which worried us because we had a close connection, but I guess the pilots opened the throttle because we wound up arriving before than we were scheduled to.  Luckily too, our flight from Miami was delayed 10 minutes, which gave time for our bags to make it to the new plane.  Both flights were smooth and comfortable.

As soon as we landed, the team could tell "we weren't in Kansas" anymore.   The Port-au-Prince airport was badly damaged in the Earthquake from last year.  They have one terminal open.  When you get off the plane, your escorted through a non-airconditioned hallway to a security checkpoint where you wait to be bussed to customs and baggage.  Even though most of the airport is still standing, much of it is uninhabitable, and thus customs and baggage claim are now in an old airplane hanger.

Customs and baggage claim we fairly easy to get through and once we walked out of the old hanger, the fun started.  As soon as we walked out, we were swarmed with people trying to carry our baggage for us talking to us in a language that was foreign to most of us.  We were able to find our driver and blindly followed him to his car.  It was half parked on a sidewalk and we watched as Haitians tried to fit 8 bags of clothing and work materials and 6 people into a 90's Toyota 4runner.  At first the group didn't think it was all going to fit, but we soon found out that Haitians can make anything work.  We got in the car and hung on for dear life as we headed toward "The Villa", the place we would be staying for the next week.

As we were driving, we all rededicated our lives to the Lord, as we learned that Haitian driving laws are merely just a suggestion.  Seatbelts are not used, nor are blinkers, speed limits, stop signs, red lights, and even driving on the correct side of the road.  It was interesting to say the least.  Right out side of the airport sits a decent size tent city with a couple of out houses near it.  The smell is strong, but the sight of it really broke my heart.  Street sellers were everywhere, and people were coming up to the car asking for money.  We passed several similar sights, the destroyed capital, and even a dead guy on the side of the road before arriving at the Villa.  In terms of distance, the Villa is about 10 or so miles away from the airport, but on an average day it takes about an hour to travel to and from because of traffic and road conditions.  Many of the roads were nothing but dirt and large rock/rubble.

When arriving at the Villa, the site of the outside is not much for the taking, but once inside the gate the inside was surprisingly well taken care of.  Luckily the Villa managed to escape the earthquake with not a lot of damage.  We were able to unload our stuff, adjust to the temperature and rest until dinner.  After dinner, we were able the pastor of Portial Leogange Evangelical Church was able to stop by and we were bake to give them the prattle sound system the team brought down for them.  It was fun getting to train them how to use it and see the excitement on their faces. 

The view from the outside gate of the Villa

The view from inside the Villa

When the night was beginning to come to an end, it began to rain.  Haiti is beginning to enter their rainy season, and I was grateful for the rain.  Showers their don't have much water pressure and we could get hot water to come out of any faucet while we were their.  With that knowledge, a fellow team member and I put on our swimsuits and went out side to shower in the rain.  It was the best water pressure and warmest water I showered in all week.  It was refreshing and just what I needed before I went to bed on top of my covers praising the Lord for allowing me safe travel and the chance to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the Haitian people.