February 7-8, 2014….Last two days of our Haitian trip:
Caroline and I are home and are trying to put together our final thoughts
and reflections. We want to thank all of you for the prayers that kept us
focused on this mission and its call.
Friday we said our goodbyes to our super Haitian partners who I think
took as many notes and pictures as we did. All of us will be putting together
reports telling our final thoughts and where/ how we will go from this
experience. We hope to have pictures available soon.
Caroline and I bounced down and over the hills from the school in Matenwa
to the coast where we were to take the little puddle jumper back to the
mainland. Around 12:30, we arrived at the Lagonav “airport” with a 10x10
concrete block “terminal”. We were hoping to see some activity in preparation
for our flight, but the only thing we saw were cows heading for the dirt
runway. An attendant came from a house across the way, greeted us, put up the
Haitian flag and then went back home. A few others arrived looking for
passengers. The attendant returned giving us hope that the plane due at 1:30,
was in flight. He chatted with everyone around and then returned home. Finally
an MAF (Missionary Aviation Flights) employer opened the office door, weighed
our things and said it would be soon.....we waited……around 2:00, the attendant
came back running as cows wandered onto the runway.....plane in sight and cows
on the runway....great!. As the flight did its approach the cows were herded
off into the surrounding grasses and it landed safely. We were ready to go. As
soon as the arriving passengers exited, we boarded, had prayers and got Caroline
suited up…..helmet and head phones...as co-pilot. She looked great, just like a
pro. Twenty minutes later we arrived in
Port au Prince but we had to circle another ten minutes waiting for an American
Airlines plane to come in and one to go out. It was a great flight after a
super week.
My hair was just like wire from all the dust and dirt we encountered and
I was just hoping I could soften it in some way at Heartline Guest House where
we stayed in Port au Prince so that we could catch our plane the next morning.
The Heartline Van picked us up at the airport but had some stops to make so we
did not get to the guest house until 5:30 where we were greeted by Pere
Goursse. Neither of us had met him so we were glad to have this opportunity and
we were able to share thoughts about our experience with him right away.
It was hard for me to eat my delicious dinner of rice, beans and salad
(lasagna for the rest) because I had just spent a week with dinners being bread,
occasionally peanut butter and ginger tea. The contrast weighed on my heart. We
were told that Lagonav was the poorest area in Haiti. With only one real meal
midday plus scant extras for breakfast and dinner, I believe it.
Showers at the guest house after dinner were with cold water, but it was
our first real bath....yea for REI towel wipes that saved us while we were in
Lagonav. We would have extra time on Saturday morning to tackle the hair. We
repacked and got organized so we could head to Delta for a direct flight to
Atlanta in the afternoon. Our 7:00 p.m. arrival flight touched down early in
the new International Terminal in Atlanta, wow! We grabbed a bite and met David
Stevens who got us to Macon about 9:00 p.m.
Thanks be to God!
Love,
Gail and Caroline
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