March 5, 2010

"Now I'm on the plane to Haiti. Last night was pretty event-less. We got to the hotel and pretty much crashed. 'P' and 'K' were in bed by 830, but I stayed up until about 930. I didn't sleep well at all.
John is so wonderful and supportive. He's been texting and calling so much since I left. Man, I love him!
We got together with the whole group at the airport and had about 2 hours before the flight. Everyone was laughing until we cried. Holly Wood, from Kentucky, is pretty much the funniest person I've ever met. She was telling us about finding out that her uncle was really her father, and told us so many other eyebrow raising things about her life. She's had it rough, but her faith is so strong. She's awesome.
The plane is packed full and all the employees of American Airlines are uptight. I bet since the earthquakes, the number of flights going to PAP have been outrageous!
I wonder what the rest of my day will be like....


As we were landing, we saw military barracks set up all around the airport. As we landed "Time of my Life" by David Cook played....everyone was silent in thought and prayer. What a moment!
Since there was damage to the airport, luggage claim was chaotic. They literally threw luggage off the back of a truck and everyone pushed and shoved until they got their bags and totes. It was hot, loud, and crazy! Luckily, most of us just laughed at the whole scene. We never imagined an airport being so lax.


We just got back from the first orphanage. It wasn't at all what I expected. There was what used to be a building, but now looked more like a shelter and storage area. The kids sleep in tents underneath big blue tarps. The entire property was dirt, stone, and broken cinder blocks....about the size of a subdivision yard. There was nothing for them to do. I guess they race, or play imaginative games or something. Many of the smaller kids had tshirts with no pants or underwear on. The little girls with dresses had no panties, and I noticed that boys wore no underwear either. Most of the clothes didn't fit, so a lot of bare bottoms were flashed. They all had on crocs, which were beginning to wear out. As we approached in our packed truck, a lot of us wanted to cry. I reminded everyone that there is a time and a place to cry.The kids all came running up to us as we pulled in. Some of the greeted us with hugs. It seemed like SO many kids flocked to Joel, the only guy in our group. He's a big, friendly-looking guy! For the first hour, we just went around and played, held, and hugged the kids. Then we got out bubbles, glow bracelets, tooth brushes, and toothpaste and handed them out. They all flocked to us and weren't waiting patiently at all. I noticed some kids had several items, so I'm pretty sure there is a hierarchy structure where some kids just bully others. Just as we finished handing things out, it was time for their worship session. Rebecca said that this orphanage is very structured, which is wonderful. She said a lot of orphanages have no structure at all. I can't imagine how they pass the time....I would thing it would be SO BORING!
It took about 45 minutes to get to the orphanage, and it's only 4 miles away. The roads are made to be 2-way, but everyone drives however he wants. When we went through the "main street," people were EVERYWHERE! No one really has a job, there's no electricity yet, so they just gather together! There were lots of food stands and such. Similar to Taiwan, but dirtier and sadder-looking. The most shocking sight so far was when we went over a bridge. The river was mostly dried up, garbage was replacing where water used to be...and a slum town was set up. It looks absolutely wretched! We saw pigs and goats eating garbage and wading in the gray, merky water. We also saw a big dead pig in a field, rotting. There were cows and chickens grazing all around in open fields. Not all buildings were broken down...some were ceompletely crumbles, some were standing but about to crumble. Many of them were standing but completely gutted out...I didn't understand that. Most people are sleeping outside because they are afraid of more earthquakes.
It's only 830pm, but since electricity is very limited, we're all ready for bed. Once it's dark, there's not much to do. We had dinner after resting a bit. It was pretty good. There was a simple lettuce salad, baked chicken, and red beans with rice. Spicy and tasty, actually! After dinner, I took a "shower." I had a basin of water to rinse off, then I dipped my head in to wash my hair. Very primitive, but it worked and felt good after a hot day!