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*Last edited by pattijo on Sat Jan 24, 2009 11:13 am; edited 2 times in total*

Sorry this is so long!

PJ

On January 2, I flew to Ft. Lauderdale, FL and met up with Kristie, Kelly, Sharon, and Alycia. The driver that picked me up at the airport to take me to the hotel was Haitian, so we talked a little about where I was going. Once I arrived at the hotel, we discovered that there’s a free trolley that makes the rounds, so we boarded and road for a while before we got off to look for a place to eat. We found a place that had some decent Mexican food, and then we got back on the trolley and headed back to the hotel. Next we walked across the street to a store to stock up on groceries. Over $300 later we divied up the bags and walked back to our room, where we loaded our food into the extra duffel bags we’d brought. One of Sharon’s sponsors had given her $200 to apply toward our food, so it was very cool that we only had a little left to split up among us.

Our ride to the airport showed up bright and early at 5:30 the next morning. Now that we all had 2 heavily loaded suitcases each, it was a blessing that American Airlines is no longer charging for baggage. After the long delay we had last year, we were thankful that our flight was on time. Just before boarding we prayed over our coming travel and the week ahead. As I handed the attendant my boarding pass, she said “Bless you for doing the Lord’s work.” Maybe she’d seen us praying…I don’t know, but it was just such an encouragement! We arrived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti where we were to be picked up by a driver named Franz. The scene at the airport was total chaos. Kristie hired a guy to help us load all our bags on carts to get them out to the van. He stayed with us until we got past customs, and then he disappeared. At that point we were bombarded on all sides by guys that wanted to help us. 4 of them grabbed the cart vacated by the original man, and it was impossible to get any of them to let go, and very difficult to keep them from going off in the wrong direction. Then when we finally got to the van, they kept insisting that we had to pay them, even though we’d tried to tell them we didn’t want their help. They began to scream at us, but Franz got the van started and we headed out.

Since I already knew what to expect from the trip last year, the ride through the city wasn’t as shocking an experience as the first time. Which is not a good thing, because the conditions there are so horrendous they should be shocking. Last year the abject poverty was so appalling the shock stayed with me for a very long time. But now I passed through it without really even registering it. *sigh* Then we made it out of the heat, noise, dust, smoke, smells, and masses of people and headed up into the cool, beautiful mountains. The views are spectacular, and I kept trying to take pictures as we drove by, but almost every time I snapped a shot, I got a very nice photo of the trees by the side of the road. Driving through the mountains is quite an adventure. The road is wide enough for 2 cars to pass each other, but that doesn’t take into account the rock slides that have blocked lanes in numerous places. At one of those spots we nearly had a head-on with a bus coming the other way. Franz muttered about them going full steam ahead knowing full well that the blockage was there. He just managed to stop in time. Thank goodness there wasn’t another vehicle behind us, or it could have been a disaster.

So we came down out of the mountains to the southern coastal town of Cyvadier and arrived at The Hands and Feet Project Children’s Village around mid-afternoon. Kristie had already told me that Drex and Jo were vacationing in the States, so in their absence the 2 other full-time missionaries, Michelle and Larry, are in charge. Another team of short-term missionaries had arrived a few days before us. They’re some really nice folks from PA, and when we got there shots were in progress. As in vaccinations. I didn’t even see Kristie leave the room, but the next thing I knew she was walking in holding the cutest little boy ever. Wait a minute! That’s my boy! She handed Cadet over to me without a fight. The last time I’d seen him was the day his aunts brought him in to the orphanage. He was just 3 months old and malnourished…his tiny little body probably only weighed about 10 pounds. From the moment I held him that day, I knew he was mine. As soon as I got home from that trip, I started the paperwork to become his sponsor. Now he’s a happy, healthy 15-month-old. Words can’t really express the joy it gave me to be holding him. Then they wanted to know if I wanted to hold him while he got his shot. I don’t think so! Not that he’d remember it, but that’s not how I want him to think of me. He was so brave! He cried for just a minute, more in shock I think than in pain. Then I took him back and held him until it was time for him to go back to his room.

Our group was pretty tired from a long day of traveling, so they didn’t expect much of us that first day. When we were here last year, our main task was setting up a room called the Depot. We painted and we sanded and we organized. It was rewarding to contribute to such a good cause. It caused me a lot of grief when I heard about the extensive damage the hurricanes of last year left behind. Now seeing the results first hand was pretty depressing. These many months later nothing had been done. All the mud was still there, and all the ruined clothes and toys and supplies. And the rocks! Rock, rocks, and more rocks. The flooding had caused an avalanche of rocks to descend from the mountain behind them. It truly is a miracle that there was no loss of life. Unless you count Larry’s truck, which still isn’t running. It was buried up to the roof in a huge heap of rocks. Anyway, after dinner and some fellowship, we turned in early.

The next day was Sunday, so of course we went to church. We got there late, so chairs were put in the aisle, and a church lady very emphatically sat me down. I think I was the only one in our group that didn’t have a child in my lap. Since it was pretty hot, maybe that was a good thing, but it didn’t feel like it at the time. The music was sung with gusto…I just wish I could understand the words. I really think I’d like to learn Haitian Creole. There was an interpreter for the sermon this time…it was about the wise men and following the star. Afterwards we loaded up the smallest kids with the nannies in the van while the rest of us walked back.

Later on that afternoon Michelle and Larry took the 2 teams out for a hike. They showed us the work that’s being done building a retaining wall in back of the property. This will hopefully prevent the kind of damage that the hurricanes caused last year. We continued our walk up to a point where we could look back and see the ocean. Then we turned around and hiked down to a scenic overlook where we watched the tide coming in on the rocks. Beautiful!

On Monday morning, the other team started right in where they’d left off. The messy, muddy depot. I was just about to join in, but Michelle sent out a request for somebody that hadn’t gotten dirty yet. Whew! Saved by the bell! That stuff not only looked terrible, it smelled to high heaven, too. So I went in to see what I could do to help Michelle. They have a monthly feeding program, and it was time for that to begin. Sunday night we’d filled bags with rice (with protein and other nutrients), and we’d printed and laminated cards to be given to those who’d already signed up for the program. Local mothers with children who are having trouble feeding themselves and their babies can come to the orphanage and get food. Each one was given a bag of rice and a can of powdered baby formula. The kind of formula they received depended on the age of the baby, so Michelle showed me what to do, and I marked each one off a list as the food was handed out. They were also collecting information about the babies for future reference. It took most of the morning. That afternoon our team went to the cove. It’s a pretty area that’s within walking distance from the orphanage. We walked around enjoying walking in the cool ocean water, and just relaxed for a while. Some of the kids from the other team thought they knew the way to get there and headed off by themselves…I don’t know where they ended up, but they never showed up at the cove. Thankfully they had already returned to the orphanage by the time we got back.

The next day, after a trip into town for supplies, it was time for the trip to the beach with the kids. It’s so much fun to watch them play in the surf and splash each other and chase beach balls around. And I got to play with Cadet in the ocean. Way cool! He loved it! After an hour or so frolicking in the waves the kids were lined up to have at least some of the excess sand washed off before loading up into the van and pickup and heading back. We all had a chance to clean up, and then we had the birthday celebration. Several of the kids and one of the nannies had January birthdays, and they had 1 big celebration for all of them. I was holding Cadet when someone handed him half a cupcake. I’m not sure which one of us ended up wearing more of it. Later on the 2 teams had our dinner night out at a local hotel. I still haven’t been brave enough to try the goat, even though Alycia said it was very good. Last year I had the Haitian chicken, and this time I tried a fish filet. Both yummy! The beach trip and dinner night out are part of what The Hands and Feet Project always try to include in a week’s plans when short-term missionaries are on site.

Wednesday was back-to-school day…first day back after Christmas break. All the school aged kids don their uniforms, come get their snack from Michelle or Larry, and walk just down the street to school. Some of us hold hands with whatever kid is nearest and walk over with them. While the other team continued the clean-up effort in the Depot, our group got to work moving rocks. Carlos is one of the handymen who work full-time at the orphanage. We’d already seen him working at the task of moving rocks out of the driveway, so now we stepped in and began to help him. It was already possible to maneuver a vehicle through the driveway, but so many rocks made it quite the bumpy ride. Kristie and Alycia determined that we needed to clear a way to a better dump site, so we did that, and then we constructed a ramp to make it possible to push a wheelbarrow in. We had 2 wheelbarrows, and the rest of us were armed with shovels. The idea was to swap out the wheelbarrow pushers with the shovelers…I started out with a shovel. When Kelly was ready to swap, I gave the wheelbarrow a try. How hard can it be? Wow! It proved to be more than this old woman could handle. After only 3 trips I had to concede defeat, so I took up the shovel again. Kristie stayed with the wheelbarrow the whole time. What a woman!

Thursday morning we said a fond farewell to the other team. It was time for them to leave us and return to the States. Then we got back to work on the driveway. In 2 days we moved a total of 125 wheelbarrow loads of rocks out of the driveway. During a break Kristie asked “Same time next year?” We all said yes…we all want to come back again. When we discovered there was another task we could work on we were glad to put the rock moving effort on hold. We took a ride into town with Michelle to pick up some things at the store and stop on the way back to get some diesel for the pickup. It was at the Texaco station that we came across a situation that I’ll try to describe, but you really had to be there. There’s a gas shortage in Haiti, and hundreds of motorcycle drivers were all at the station trying to buy some gas. It was total mayhem! For many of these people, their motorcycles are part of their livelihood…it’s not unusual to see 2, 3, even 4 people riding one. There was shouting and pushing and shoving…one guy went too far and got himself arrested. Michelle’s patience was tested as she tried to work her way to the diesel pump. Unfortunately none of us had brought our cameras…we didn’t think a trip to the store would require it, so we did not capture that image on disc (haha…almost said film…showing my age). Meanwhile, back at the ranch…finally all the mud and debris had been removed from the Depot, and Larry had power-washed it. We took a bucket of soapy water with bleach added and scrubbed down the walls. While not as labor-intensive as the rock moving, it still was no walk in the park, and we were all worn out by the end of the day. After dinner we played a couple of rousing games of Clue before turning in early.

My first waking thought Friday morning was that this is my last day here. How sad! My muscles are aching, and I miss my cats, so in a way, I’ll be glad to be home. But how can I go a whole year without seeing Cadet?!?! Anyway, our job for the day was to paint the Depot. What a sense of dejavu! Been there, done that. But it was good to see it being put back into shape again. That afternoon I was sitting on a front porch rocker with Cadet when Alycia came up and wanted to try to get a picture of him smiling…he’s such a serious baby. So I started tickling him under his chin, and it didn’t take long before he was giggling and smiling. She took some pics with my camera, but she got the best shot with her own. I hope she’ll email it to me like I asked. We ended that night with a fun game of Phase 10 that lasted until almost midnight…very late considering we had to be up and ready to leave the next morning at 6:30.

Saturday…up very early. By the time I was dressed, Michelle was already in the kitchen preparing the breakfast I’d requested…pancakes and bacon. She suggested that I not wait for everybody else, that I should go visit Cadet until it was time to leave. So I did. Thinking back on how sad I was to be leaving him is bringing tears to my eyes all over again. I sure do love that little guy! So I put him down, and we loaded my suitcases for the trip to the airport. Kelly was supposed to be going home, too, but she’d decided a few days ago that she wanted to stay the second week with the others. The whole team was making the trip into Port-au-Prince, since Michelle needed to pick up some things there that can’t be obtained at the store in Jacmel. I was a little nervous about having to fend for myself at a foreign airport, but after hugs all around, I ventured in alone. I prayed…I told God I knew He would take care of me, and immediately I felt a sense of peace. I’d barely gotten in line to check in when an airport employee (I assume) asked me what time my flight was. When I told him, he took me out of that line and moved me into a much shorter one. See? Prayer works! I got through that line in time to have a bite to eat and a quick run through the duty-free store. I made it home safe and sound.
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Jesus has prayed nothing less for us than absolute oneness with Himself as He was one with the Father. Some of us are far off it, and yet God will not leave us alone until we are one with Him, because Jesus has prayed that we may be. Oswald Chambers

pattijo,
Thanks for sharing. What a blessing.

Prayers,
KlynnA =^..^=

Likes Grape Nuts Joined: 22 May 2006 Posts: 633

Pj, I just saw this, sorry I didn't respond sooner.

Thank you so much for sharing that experience with us. I have never been on a mission trip like that and I've often wondered what they were really like. I suppose they all are different and unique, but it was really interesting to read what you and the others did day by day like that.

I admire your hard work - wow, that must have been tough! And so disheartening to have to do some of the same things over that you already did last year. That seems to be the way it goes sometimes though - even in our own lives.

Cadet is adorable and my heart broke as you described how you felt when you had to leave him. I know that must be so hard and my heart goes out to you. I know you can't wait to get back to see him next year - and who knows, maybe one day he will be coming to visit you here! (?) We never know what the future might hold. Very Happy

God bless you and everyone who gives of themselves like that for others.

Sharon