My Trip to Haiti: Part 1 (Day 1-2)

So, I am going to do my best to sum up my trip in a few blog posts, I don't think I can do it in just one, but I will say this. I don't think you can really put into words all that you experience, all that you see, all that you feel emotionally, and all the hope and despair you see all at one time. My heart is forever changed and there are many times when I am doing something that I do in my everyday life and think of one of those little kids. I wish little Jazmine could be here with me, or I could see her again, but I trust that God is in control and looking after all of the kids at Cambry. We started our trip on Saturday morning, October 1, 2011 at 4:00 AM. The Charlotte airport is pretty dead, but we got on our plane to Miami with no problems:) I could already tell we were going to have a great time, and our five younger girls were already providing lots of entertainment. We landed in Miami and had a few minutes to get some breakfast, so Kevin, Kristen, and I headed to an all you can eat buffet:) So, our last meal was fantastic and we were set for Port au Prince. We arrived in Haiti, and customs/immigrations was a little chaotic. Praise the Lord they didn't go through our medical bags, so once we got outside, we were bombarded with men trying to help us. They all want to help you, so they can make the money. Ted, who helps with the orphanage and is a translator somewhat, helped us and we got on our bus with all of our bags and we started on our bus ride to the orphanage. After about 4.5 hours and one bathroom break, we made it Cambry. The kids were SOOO excited to see us. We first had to unload the bus and get settled into the guest house, but after that and dinner, we headed down the hill to meet the kiddos for the first time. I was a little overwhelmed, but at the same time, so excited for the week ahead.

The next morning we woke up around 5:00 AM (yes, this girl, the non-morning person) was up in this hour almost every day. We had two church services to attend. We went to the church that Pastor Lewis preaches at in the community of Les Cayes. It was definitely one of those moments where you put things in perspective. It was SO hot in that service, but all of the people were so joyful and ready to praise God. They could have worshiped God all day long, regardless of the conditions. I felt horrible as I knew in that moment how spoiled we are. I thought, what if we showed up at church and it was nearly 100 degress outside and we had no AC and no fans, would we stay and praise our Lord and Savior? Although we didn't understand a word that was being said, it was a good experience to see all praising God. After this two hour service, we returned to the orphanage for breakfast. After breakfast, we walked down to attend church with all the kids at the orphanage:) It was this day that I met little Jazmine:) If any of you saw any of the pictures that Blessback posted, she was the little girl that I was always holding. She stole my heart:) She fell asleep on my lap at church. To hear the children singing and praising God in Creole and we were singing in English, was just a glimpse of maybe what Heaven will be like:) I could have listened to the singing all day long. After church we went to the clinic to get ready for the week... LET THE FUN BEGIN.

Many of you know that one of my gifts is organization, so the pharmacy definitely needed it. Melissa and I were happy to get to work, but we could not have finished without Jaques, Patrick and Jackson. Such team work:) We cleared off two whole countertops/tables and that made my day. If I could work in an organized place, that would help me tremendously. I think the pictures show it best. They are in my photo albums on FB, but here are just a few. I will post Days 2-4 tomorrow, hopefully.

To be continued...