So much has happened in the last two hours. It's impossible to describe but I will try.
We arrived in Port-au-Prince with a turbulent entrance. Butch told Dana and I stories to bide the rocky decent. As we passed over the Haitian terraine I noted the beauty of the mountains, I also compared this airial view tm,o the only other one I know in the US. The land was browner than I had seen water was so blue, that beautiful aqua-marine Ive only seen in movies. It was , a unique sight that can only be described in pictures. When we touched downour whimsical flight attendant echoed our relief by saying "We made it!"
There was a stark difference immediately perceptible between the airports we traversed. For instance, The Haitian airport used a truck with stairs in the trunk to let us off the plane. This was unique and pretty innovative if I do say so.
Customs, Immigration, and the whole airport process was already explained as an overwhelming endevor, however, it is one thing to be warned and and another to experience exactly what they were talking about. It wasnt too crazy until we got to the baggage claim. There was an ugency with every person in this space. An ugency from the folks who were desperately trying to spot their personal items and an urgency from the Haitian baggage men to find a group to assist for a few dollars profit. We saw many Haitian men argue to see who was going to help us, but with a little bit of effort we found our bags and the men that were going to help us outside and we were off to our truck.
The next part of our journey is especially hard to describe. I hate to cop out as the journalist , but it's something that you truly have to experience first hand to understand. There is a part of the American metality (or at least my mentality) that supresses the images that we see on television or that a missionary shows us, but when you are put right smack dab in the middle of poverty, it is inescapable. You almost welcome this first hand experience though. I was glad I was able to see this first hand. I kept thinking, "Thank God we (or anyone willing to help) are here" and I finally understood exactly how much help is needed. We loaded up into a secure truck where we stood and looked out at the Haitian streets as we traveled towards the Villa Momika. Many faces stared back at us as we moved through the streets. There were people at every corner trying to make a buck, setting up their own shops with a make shift tent. Temporary shaded area and a house were mostly syonymous and we noticed the development of a tent village being made once again in the same spot where it once was right after the earthquake. The streets were mad with potholes to make the trip exciting and a "biggest car wins" type of deal to add to the traffic. There are colors everywhere as tap-taps raced by mixed with the brightly colored establishments. A little boy played with a toy car in the dusty floor under a canopy. A man washed his overheated head in a ditch with a bucket of water. A motorist honked his horn as he scurried to his next destination. A card game with paper in place of cards transpire. And we roll along. Fast andslow. On the road and off the road. Honking and rocking. So much for one set of eyes to take in. I'm glad I am the journalist and not the photographer.
We finally arrived at Villa Momika, which is guarded and quite an oasis of serenity. I feel so blessed and thankful that we are able to serve here and yet live with the wonderful accomidations provided by this establishment. We have all the amenities any person could wish for, from a pool right outside to A/C (yes, they even cut us a deal on that) for our rooms. We spent the later portion of our evening louging by the pool, making a few new friends (with interesting perceptions on our ages), and resting after a long day of travel. Oh, and the food! I am a food lover, so excuse my gushing, but we are getting the best food in Haiti (okay, so I'm a little biased, so what)! We were given vegetables (fresh avocado people!) and rice and beans (a staple), and beef tips with mushrooms (delicious).
We ended the evening with a lovely devotional by Marilyn where she spoke about service. As we sat on the breezy roof of the Villa Momika, we were reminded that this week is all about providing for the Haitian people with every fiber of our being because that is what God taught us to do. "When I was thirsty you gave me something to drink, when I was hungry you fed me"
So, this is where I leave you for today. I'll check back in tomorrow!
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