Haiti Experience Days One & Two

"And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8

We safely arrived at Port-Au-Prince as scheduled and after some confusion at the airport collecting our bags, we boarded a bus to head to Cayes and then on to Bonne Fin, the hospital where we plan to work for the week. Going through PAP was an experience like none I've ever had. The emptiness in people's faces, the devastation and destruction all around was like nothing we have ever experienced before. After a while, all 26 occupants on the bus just got quiet, internalizing what we were seeing.

As we travelled toward Cayes, it started to rain - and it poured! and poured! again like nothing we have ever seen. We came pretty close to spending the night on the bus because there were so many vehicles stuck in the mud and water over the road. U.N. trucks were at a place where we didn't think that we would get through and they used their heavy equipment to get us through. We had so many close calls and were it not for God's protection and His almighty hand guiding us, we never would have made it through.

Because of the flood, we have been unable to go up to Bonne Fin as planned, but instead spent the night at the guesthouse at the complex where the Reinhards and the Gutweins live. We went this morning to a Haitian church, where the service was interpreted for us. A service which focused on serving God with sincerity, beautiful singing - you could certainly feel God's spirit among the people, who were praising God for all that they have - which is almost nothing.

After church, we visited a foster home operated by Loving Shepard Ministries, 12 or 14 beautiful little girls, ranging in age from 4 to 14. We all ate lunch together at a Chinese restaurant in downtown Cayes. Then we went to visit and sing at a nursing home. That was a wonderful experience, blending our voices in hymns that we know, sung both in Creole and English. In the evening, we had a short exhortation and sang hymns together up on Tim & Joan's rooftop. The moon was full and the stars were fabulous.

Seven Safely in Miami

Left to right: Vickie, Alice, Margaret, Steve & Dorothy, Linnea, Talie

"The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us nor forsake us." I Kings 8:57


Seven of the eleven of us have arrived in Miami and had dinner together at the hotel. Karen & Ben should be here shortly. The two docs are taking a red-eye flight, arriving in the a.m. just prior to our departure to Port-au-Prince. We left nasty weather in PA, OH & CT and are thankful for a safe arrival here. When Steve & I got to baggage claim in Miami, we got a cell phone call from Tali, who was looking for us (she was standing only about 10 feet from us, but we didn't know who she was) and we shared a shuttle to the hotel. On the shuttle, one of the other passengers, Margaret, introduced herself and we realized that she was a team member also. Linnea had checked in already when we got here and Vickie and Alice arrived about a half hour after we did.

Trip starts 02/26/10

We have set up this page as a way for all of our friends and families to hear of our up coming trip. We are now hoping the Lord will allow us to go! It is raining very heavily here in CT and flights are being delayed because of this. We will wait on the Lord.

So all of you who have an interest will join us as we make our Haiti trip. They are a lovely people who need the help of those who have won in life's lottery. We in the USA have been blessed beyond what we deserve or earned. It is our hope and prayer that God will allow us make a little difference in the lives of our friends in Haiti.

The Lord is at the helm.