Where He leads...: Haiti... An adventure 'til the end!

Haiti... An adventure 'til the end!

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I've been back from Haiti for a little over a week now. It's been a smooth transition coming home. I took the first week or so to rest and recover from being under the weather. I've had a great time visiting with family and friends. I checked out our new movie theater, went on a beautiful hike, and even spent a day at Dollywood. East Tennessee is a wonderful place to call home!

I still have a few more photos and stories to share from my last several days in Haiti. So let's get to it!

I made my rounds during my last week to say bye to all my special friends. Of course I had to get a couple more play times in with NeNe's family. The three amigos, Naiday, Jobens, and Krystelle were all there.

Bath time with Jeff, Naiday and Jobens. I was amazed they could all fit in that tub.

I had told Josien I would visit her church before I left Haiti. That's Josien in the pink on the left. Many Haitian women wear a head covering when they attend church.

I took this photo with my camera phone while riding a motorcycle through the outdoor market. This photo doesn't even do justice in showing how crazy packed it is. Riding a motorcycle through the market is one thing I definitely will not miss!

One of Haiti's cemeteries. This one is right by where we buy eggs at the market.

On the way to the beach you pass by these mountains with thousands of tiny houses strewn throughout. It reminds me so much of Katutura, Namibia. Anyone who has been to Katutura can see the resemblance I'm sure.

If you're driving around Haiti, you will see little stands like this on the side of the road. As a visitor, you'd probably pass them by without hesitation. I've learned that they are home to some of the most delicious meals you'll find! This is NiNi's food hut. She makes some of the best rice and beans dishes I've ever had. I can't tell you how many times NeNe and I bought our lunch here. $1.25 will get you a huge plate including a yummy fried chicken leg.

Here's another feast. This one was prepared for us by the crew at the Eyes Wide Open construction site. Greg and his team hosted us one night for dinner and it was delicious!

I spent my last week in Haiti at Sarah's orphanage. I always love spending time with her kids. Here's Jimmy and Gerlanda playing Angry Birds on my Kindle.

Right before I left, Sarah received a HUGE donation! Christ's Community Church in middle TN donated this van filled with all kinds of goodies. It was quite a process getting the van out of the port, but it will be a wonderful blessing to Sarah's ministry.

I set NeNe up with a Facebook account a couple weeks ago. Now he can keep in touch with me and all of the other friends he's made through the volunteer teams that have come down. He was so excited! He's still taking his English classes and learning a little more every day.

Of course I'd have to slide in a couple photos of Fibi. :) Here she is giving a silent protest to my leaving... sleeping in my suitcase. I will say, leaving her behind was very difficult. She and I were big buds!

But I'm thankful that Sarah was willing to take her in. She and Gracie were fast friends. They spend 99% of the time acting like they are in a WWF ring, but I think that means they like each other!?

My schedule at home is a lot more relaxed than when I was waking up before the sun to prepare breakfast and spending the evenings cooking dinner for 15-25 people! It was a challenge and a crazy schedule, but I enjoyed it!

Wednesday night, March 7th, Haiti had a 4.6 earthquake. I was already asleep and didn't even feel it! Everyone who was awake said it shook the entire house. The community was revved up for the rest of the night. NeNe said, "Every Haitian will sleep outside tonight." He slept in the bread truck. The photo above shows damage in the guest house from the January 2010 earthquake that rocked the whole country.

Speaking of guest houses... this is the Georgia House in Leogane. It's run by an organization called Baptists 4 Haiti. In a previous blog entry I mentioned meeting a missionary named Roland who serves with Baptists 4 Haiti. It was definitely a divine appointment while I was visiting House of Hope orphanage. There is a chance that I may have the opportunity to partner with Baptists 4 Haiti in the near future. Please pray with me as decisions are made to determine whether or not this could be my next home!

Let me close with a story that inspired the title for this entry. On my departure day, I left Sarah's for the airport around 9:30am. Yves' car wasn't working so we called his friend David who has a taptap (Haitian taxi truck). NeNe and I set off for the airport and soon found ourselves in some of the worst traffic I'd seen my entire time in Haiti. After about 45 minutes of going maybe 2 miles, I asked NeNe if we needed to take a motorcycle taxi in order to make it to the airport on time. I didn't really love the idea of having to take motorcycles with my suitcase and bags, but we didn't really have another choice! He flagged down a couple motorcycles. He hopped on one with the driver and my suitcase. I hopped on another and sandwiched myself between the driver and a random man who was already on it. I guess that driver really wanted the extra money because we had planned to take one without a passenger already on it! Truth was, we were doing all of this in the middle of all the traffic so it's not like we had a lot of time or options! I held my laptop bag and camera bag and we were off! We made it to the airport with time to spare and probably a full hour before we would have made it otherwise.

Though I don't have a photo from that event, or all the other times I took a moto taxi with NeNe to the store or market, here's a pic of NeNe and Lee to give you an idea of what we would've looked like. And for the record, I've seen as many as 6 people on a moto taxi!

Thank you all for praying throughout my time in Haiti. I am thankful for God's provision and protection. Even with the challenges that come with living in and operating a ministry in a third-world country, it was a wonderful experience and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat! I made many new friends and enjoyed getting to know even better the ones I met last year. It was great meeting all of the volunteers and seeing how God used them in all of the projects they were involved in. I hope you'll continue to follow along with my journey as I seek out whatever God has next for me. And I look forward to seeing many of you during my time back home. :)