The Beginning of a Love Haiti Relationship

So it’s Friday morning and we meet at the airport at 8:30 a.m. We met early so that we could check our 77 supply bags — bags full of shoes, clothes, purses, books, school supplies, craft supplies, toiletry items among other items. We were very blessed because Delta allowed each person to check a total of three bags with a waived fee. (I’d like to pause to mention that I was able to check three supply bags because all of my personal bags fit in two carry-on bags, because, you know, I am a packing champion.) In the end, we made it just in time to the gate for boarding.
Up, up and away we went. I even had a window seat — thanks, Wesley.

When we arrived in Port Au Prince, Haiti, the capital city, we could exit the plane from the back door and had to take the stairs down (Obama style). There was a live band in the airport to greet visitors as we made our way to customs. It cost $10 to enter into the country. I don’t think I’ve ever paid to enter a country before. However, I think the worst part, for me, was the fact that they squeezed the stamp into a small corner on the page of my passport instead of turning to a new page, but whatever. We made our way to baggage claim to get all of our supply bags, load the bags onto carts and head out of the airport. Unfortunately, we were stopped and all of our supply bags were searched. Afterwards, they tried to tax us for about $300 for the bags. Thankfully, we bargained the price down, but wow!

Sister Betty, the founder of Haitian Christian Mission (HCM), was there to greet us at the airport. We loaded our luggage and supply bags on a truck and hopped on a school bus. It was definitely hot outside, but not too bad, and the bus had A/C. Next, we headed to the Giant grocery store. Port Au Prince traffic is the worst. I’d like to say it was a mixture between Paris and New York, minus any stop lights or street signs. Needless to say, it took a while for us to get to the store.

The store was nice and new. I bought Nutella, some Haitian coffee, Haitian vanilla, tea, and batteries. All of this for a total of 1944.00 Haitian Goudes. Jesus be some funds! But we apparently received a global discount and we were able to pay in USD, so I’m glad for that.

We left the store to head to HCM in Fonds-Parisien, Ouest, Haiti. This meant that we had to travel back through the Port Au Prince traffic. Just as we got outside of the city, we were going around the corner on a rocky, muddy dirt road, and our bus breaks down. We ended up having to wait for two vans to come pick us up. During the wait, three little girls carrying water on their heads walked by us — they definitely talked about us and laughed, but who could blame them. I’m sure it was quite an interesting site.There was also plenty of livestock that walked by — pigs, goats, chickens, cows.

By the time we arrived in Fonds-Parisien, it was nearly dark. Outside of Port Au Prince, the traffic was much better. Many of the roads have potholes or are dirt and rocky. There were more wild chickens and goats walking the streets; it was almost like being in Lake City. The streets were also lined with market vendors selling a variety of merchandise. The nicer buildings were in Port Au Prince, the nicest being the U.S. Embassy building — surprise, surprise. Many people are still recovering from the 2010 earthquake. Most homes are small, stone structures with tin roofs. The U.N. also has a high presence throughout the country. There were several buildings with the logo on them behind barbed wire fences. Outside of every store, government building, compound and several other properties stand guards dressed in fatigues with huge guns.

After arriving at HCM, we settled in and then had dinner. Lasagna, beans and rice and salad with fresh fruit juice. Perfect for the end of a long day!

At the end of each day, we get together to discuss where we have seen God. Today I saw God in the opportunity to meet and work with new people. I am thankful for my fellow team members.