A country overwhelmed with poverty

Here are my journal entries from the first 2 days of my trip to Haiti:

DAY 1: Sat, March 13, 2010 8:11pm
The journey begins...

The plane just took off. I am officially on my way. It still feels surreal to me that in less than 24 hours I will be in Haiti. I don't know at what point it will all hit me. But I'm ready! No fear, no anxiety, no hesitation. Just excitement, peace, and thankfulness. I'm ready for everything that lies ahead. God is going to do wonderful things this week, and I get the opportunity to be a part of it. I didn't expect to get this amazing opportunity so just being a part of it and seeing how God has ochestrated this trip so far has been a blessing. God's hand has definitely been in our preparations from each of our team members that were chosen to now.

I am confident that the Lord has prepared me for His work. At times I feel ill-equipped for such a chance to show the Lord's love to the hurting people of Haiti, but I know the Holy Spirit is in me. With a humble attitude and a servant's heart the Lord can work through me.

"This is my command - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Our team is great, and I'm looking forward to getting to know each of them better. Poor Rachel has been throwing up on the plane as a side effect to her malaria medication. I hope and pray that the Lord restores her health & strength quickly.

Well that's all for now. Tonight we are staying at a hotel in Miami and then flying out tomorrow afternoon for Haiti. Until tomorrow - Orevoua!

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DAY 2: Sun, March 14, 2010 6:54pm
A country overwhelmed with poverty

Today has surely been a long day! Last night our plane landed in Miami around 11:45pm, and it took an hour and a half before the first bag from our flight appeared on the baggage belt. After all was said & done we arrived to our hotel at 2am. Just to our luck, last night was the “spring forward” daylight savings time so we actually arrived to the hotel at 3am and were in bed by 3:30. After a short 3 ½ hours of sleep we awoke to begin our day and continue on our journey to Haiti. Needless to say, after arriving back to Miami International Airport we were all still tired so about half of our team grabbed a bag as a pillow and laid down on the floor of the airport to rest. I was lucky enough to get almost 2 hours of rest while we waited for out flight.

As we all anxiously awaited our flight time, our team met a young man named Woody who began talking to us. He is from Haiti but moved to the U.S. many years ago. He was returning to Haiti to visit his mother who he hasn’t seen in 9 years. He asked us questions about our trip, and come to find our he is a Christian. Long story short, we talked with him for at least a good hour and listened as he encouraged us in our work for Christ and shared with us more about Haitian culture. Before it was time to board the plane we asked if we could pray for him. We all gathered around him, and Jon Dean prayed for his safety, courageous heart, and reuniting with his family.

The plane ride was filled with anxiety and excitement, but I wasn’t prepared for what I would face once we left the airport. We de-boarded the plane and were shuttled over to a portable annex building where we would go through immigration and baggage claim. After searching out all of our 14 checked bags of supplies, the boys loaded them onto 4 baggage carts. We were then instructed to stay close together and refuse to let anyone help with our bags. As soon as we exited baggage claim we were immediately face-to-face with the devastation and poverty of Haiti.

There were Haitian men lined up all outside the makeshift airport waiting to try to take our bags for us in return for money. Jen, Jeff, and Dan had told us to politely & sternly say “No, merci” and continue on. So I wasn’t incredibly surprised when we were confronted by the men. What I was totally taken back by were all the little Haitian boys that came to us as we were waiting for the bags to be loaded into the truck. A little boy probably about 6 years old came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder begging me for money. I knew that I had to say no despite the fact that I carried $80 in my wallet. Having to turn that little boy away broke something inside me, and it only got worse. Before I knew what was going on there were small boys all around us asking for money. My heart broke for them as I thought of the conditions they must be living in. The mob of boys followed us & grew bigger as Dan, me, and 3 other girls on the team followed John Alix Paul to his truck down the road. John Alix is a Haitian pastor in Guibert and the director of Hope for the Hungry’s boys’ home. Even as we got in the truck and shut the door there were boys knocking on the windows with their desperate expressions. I couldn’t help but think of the stark contrast between those skinny, filthy little Haitian boys begging for money and the well-groomed, care-free American children I see every day with all the toys they could dream of and not a single thought of where their food will come from. I asked Dan if he thought those boys had families. He told me that some probably have parents that sent them to beg for money, but some are orphaned from the earthquake or other circumstances & have nowhere to go.

We pulled away from the crowd of young boys and the trip up the mountain to Guibert began. That trip was…heart-wrenching. To see such natural beauty in the mountains and then find the most horrendous cases of poverty, need, and destruction in its midst raises so many thoughts, emotions, and convictions. To see pictures of all the destruction is nothing like driving through it and being confronted by it in such a abrupt, personal way.

John Alix drove us to his home where we will be staying for the week. His home is beautiful. It is 2 stories with decorative tile & wood flooring. The architecture and layout of the house are so unique from any home in the U.S. The room where the girls will be staying is upstairs, and the boys are staying downstairs in an open room.

We met Mi Lynn (John Alix’s wife), Lori (his 10-yr-o daughter), and Marklee (his 7-yr-o son). Junior, John Alix’s brother, lives next door with his wife & 4 kids (Victoria, Gregory, Cedric, and Jhiel). We played with the kids outside for hours until we were called inside for dinner. Dinner was wonderful! Everything was naturally grown, homemade, and had its own unique flavor. By homemade I mean buy a live chicken, break its neck, chop its head off, gut it, season it, and cook it. Good stuff! As gross as it sounds, I think it would be a fun adventure to learn how to do that.

Well like I said, today has been a long day, and tomorrow may very well be more exhausting so I think it’s about time I get some sleep.