A Calling, A Commitment, and A Commision : Haiti - Day 1

So as many or most of you know, I was in Haiti for a week. I did manage to journal everyday and figured this would be the best way to share with you my experiences over there.


I stayed at Alison's house on Friday night so I wouldn't have to get up quite as early as if I would have leaving from home. Alison is not only a very special friend to me she was also our team leader for the trip. It was thanks to her my opportunity for this trip was possible through a brief text message during camp that eventually became a plan in motion. Many wonder how God calls on individuals to go to places and I will say I did not feel called to go to Haiti. Yet God has called each and everyone of us to serve, "Jesus came and told his disciples; 'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20. There was no need for any hesitation as an opportunity had been laid out before me that was clear enough evidence of God for me.


Journal Entry Day 1 -


Alison and I woke up around 5:30 and got picked up by Jennie and her husband a little after 6:00. We headed to the airport that was about 50 minutes away. Alison contacted our other team member Monique to ensure that she was on time and going to meet us there without delay. We then arrived at the airport at 7:20 with Monique waiting by just inside the American Airlines section. We then got our plane tickets to Miami and to Port Au Prince. Then Alison, Jennie, and Monique checked a bag before we headed to our gate. I managed to pack everything in two carry on's. On that note I will say I was proud to have packed nothing made of cotton. Not only was it a smart decision for the heat, but also for compact ability. Getting all checked in and through security went fine and that is always a good thing. Waiting in the terminal we met the other team that would be joining us down at the GBC House in Leogane, Haiti. So before I knew it we were on the plane and we departed for Miami at 9:50 A.M. 

Picture of Haiti and it's capital, the land it butts up against is the Dominican Republic

On the plane I happened to get a seat next to Jennie which I thought was good since I didn't know her too well. She was the oldest on our young team at 34, married, and with three children back at home. A very genuine spirited individual that was without a doubt excited for the week ahead. I can't recall much of the conversation that was spoken but I was encouraged getting to know the heart of another individual on our team. The plane landed on time in Miami and we had two hours to get through security and be ready to depart for Port Au Prince at 2:10 P.M. Everything went smoothly again and was noticing a nice trend of fairly uncrowded airports. So on this flight I had another good seat on a row with one empty seat. This time I sat next to Mike, a member of the other team joining us down there. Mike is big guy at about 6'2" and has a good friendly and approachable way about him. It turns out he is the Music Minister at Air Line Baptist Church in Gainesville, GA. We chatted from time to time, but not knowing him too well there wasn't a lot of conversing going on. I mostly enjoyed the sights out the window and retreated to my thoughts as I tend to do on a regular basis.

GBC Badge

So we arrived safely in Port Au Prince safely and the airport was quite small but luckily not very busy. Alison mentioned on her first trip the airport in Haiti was packed out, so I am glad we didn't have to fight through crowds during our entire travel down. Going through customs wasn't too tricky we just had to fill out a green card thing and show our passports. Just beyond customs we got to meet out project coordinator, Doug, for the week. His translator, Junior, was close beside him and they both sport a yellow GBC shirt and hat. We had to wear these green badges at all times, required by the GBC. Our team and the other team combined to make a party of eleven to head out together to our ride out to Leogane. Exiting the airport into a crowded pathway with people trying to ask to carry your luggage or offer you a free a magazine we kept on trucking out to the parking lot. Doug forewarned us about that and just told us to tell them "no mercy"; his southern accent meant to say "non mesi". It was the first comic relief moment of the group and I couldn't help but smile. Finally making it out to the parking lot we find a van and two "tap taps". Our van was loaded up with luggage while the team was split in half going in each of the two "tap taps". To describe the "tap tap" it is basically a small pick up truck with a tall camper shell built on top. It has no tail gate and two benches are built along the sides of the bed. It is one of their taxi systems in Haiti and if you ever want off you just tap the roof or side to get off, hence the name "tap tap". At the openings of our "tap tap" sat one of the translators named Emmanuel and a security guard that didn't speak much English. I might have forgotten to mention that in Haiti the official language is Creole. It shares some similarities in French but is definitely a language all it's own. 

Tap Tap sitting outside the GBC House

We had to travel about 32 kilometers to get to the city of Leogane. That is only about 20 miles away and it took about two hours or so of travel time to get there. The factors that play into that are heavy traffic, rough roads, and a fairly slow speed. The roads are pretty bad to say the least and driving laws are pretty much non-existent. In the couple of hours we drove I can't count the number of times it appeared we would wreck or have a fender bender. Driving through all the streets it amazed me at how many people were around. It was heartbreaking at times to see the condition of everything down there. I noticed some hope as well riding along and seeing the people interact with one another. They seem to show a genuine care for each other and they communicate through physical touch and body language really well. It is something I think America lacks in many ways. Then we made it to the GBC House. 

Another picture I found of Pastor Milot at his church

The GBC house was white and pink and was walled in with a large gate keeping anyone going in or out at their own leisure. We walked into the courtyard and met Pastor Milot (pronounced "meelo") who prayed for us and Emmanuel translated as he prayed. This was the first time we hear his slogan, "In the name of Jesus Christ!", spoken loudly and passionately in a way you wouldn't forget. We then had dinner which was pretty good for sure, since I didn't know what to expect when it came to the food. Following dinner we met with our team of four to discuss our initial thoughts of the day and anything on our mind. From the long travel during the day I think we were all a little tired to say the least. Not long after we decided to retire for the night. I went to my room that was inhabited by Jason, Lance, and Ernie. I crawled up to the top bunk of a rickety bed that would be where I lay my head to rest for the next seven nights. I guess it had a built in rocking system because it felt so unstable being up there. I threw a bed sheet over me, (despite the hot and humid air), to help avoid insects. I lay down and place my head against a lumpy pillow that felt like it had been stuffed with hard cotton balls. Sleep wasn't going to come too easy.

Another team in May took this picture of the GBC House

Tune in tomorrow for day two! 


Oh, also I did not bring a camera but hopefully I might be able to attain some pictures from members of the team sometime this week so you can see a little of what I got to experience.