Well if I claimed that Lorraine and I were not nervous beyond all measure the day before and the day we flew to Haiti, I would have been lying. There is something sobering about reality setting in, and smacking you across the face. This in no way reflected a lack of calling or a lack of faith, but a realization that what we were about to embark on was much bigger than any normal decision. This decision required that Lorraine and I give up all the comforts and freedoms of the US, and enter into the third-world where freedom does not reign, and discomfort is a necessity.

As we woke up on the 16th, exceedingly early, to drive to the airport we felt a little bit overwhelmed, and this feeling continued steadily until we hopped onto the plane in Miami. Our flight from Miami to Port-au-Prince was in many ways the scariest, because we knew that when we landed everything would be different. However, somehow we found ourselves in first-class on our flight from Miami to Port-au-Prince – how I do not know, but nevertheless we gladly accepted this. In first class we were treated to a meal, movie, and all sorts of good things that helped us relax and focus on what we were doing and what we needed to do once we landed.

When we landed in PAP we saw a surprisingly small and unmaintained airport, which in many ways was shocking considering this was the best Haiti has to offer. After we picked up our luggage we sought to find the people that we were connecting with, which in this case did not go so well. As you exit the airport a mob of people surround you and try to take your bag for you, so that you will give them money. Saying that it is like a mosh-pit would be an understatement. We missed the first guy we were trying to connect with, but found the second, which was fine until we were driven to the smaller terminal, because the first guy had our tickets and he was not there. If this is confusing you just think how we felt. Finally, though, the first guy (Marc) shows up and we get on an earlier flight to our ultimate destination Port-de-Paix.

While we were flying into both places, Lorraine took some pictures of the sights. I am going to try and post them on here, so hopefully you will be able to tell what we saw. In Port-de-Paix we landed on a half dirt half gravel runway with donkeys, dogs, goats, and children playing all-around. (not exactly Sky Harbor) In fact, many times they have to move the donkeys and other animals off the runway before they land. This was a priceless sight, which help us truly realize that we were not in Kansas anymore.

Our first week of school (last week) was really us observing and taking everything in, which in our case was very much needed. Nothing, though, happened out of the ordinary, but this last weekend Lorraine and I were able to get out into the city a little bit, which was very fun. (I will put a nice post about this in the future)

Well for now I believe that is all I have to say, but there will be more; trust me, there will be more.