Haiti: day 1 ...

I didn’t think it was possible, but the airport was even more chaotic than before. There was a Haitian band playing in the entryway like last time, which I didn’t expect and came as a welcome surprise. It took quite a while to get all 30+ of our bags, but thank God none were lost, and with just a little bit of hassle we made it out of the airport. Bags were loaded into one van and 15 of us + carry-ons were crammed into another for the 3hr trip over the mountain. Once on our way, things were actually not as bad as I thought they would be. Of course, much work has been done in the past 2 ½ months, so I know it’s not as bad as it once was. That’s also not to say that there is not much that remains to be done, but when a situation is already awful, making it worse is not as noticeable. There were tents everywhere, as people have either lost their homes or are still afraid to sleep in them. The capital building was a dilapidated shell of its former glory. The crumbled buildings were random … one still standing but poorly built next to one that looked sturdy but completely collapsed, and there was more as we made our way out of the city and closer to the epicenter. All I could say was “wow” … and I said it a lot. But the thing that had the most impact was the increase in people begging and hawking their goods … somehow continuing with their lives, but the desperation evident in their eyes. About halfway up the mountain, just before darkness fell, we passed what was clearly the fault line where the earth had literally split in two. A short time later, we were pulling up in front of the ‘Loving Light’ hotel … home, sweet home! Truly, I can’t believe it’s been nearly two years since I was last here … seems just like yesterday. We got settled in our rooms, enjoyed a dinner of yummy Haitian chicken & beef stew on the roof, briefed for the week, prepped for church, caught up on Facebook, took the best cold showers ever, and crashed into bed. Big day and week ahead of us … so many more stories to share!

See Day 1 pics here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=215549&id=583499324&l=54a6624c86