A Second Visit to Haiti in 2010!

Sak pase? (That's what you say to people on the street as an informal greeting, meaning, "What's up?") Abby and I had a lot of fun asking this of people, and then watching their reaction as they started prattling on in Kreyol, with a blank stare washing over OUR faces. We don't speak Kreyol! We just know a few words, enough to greet children.

I arrived on a hot, sunny afternoon in early May. As I exited the plane, the reality of what I was going to live in for a week hit me full in the face - hot and humid. The airport was the calm before the storm...soon I was leaving the sauna of a temporary customs building with my baggage cart piled high with heavy trunks, hands 'resting' on them as many porters laid claim to my belongings. How would I pay all these guys? I had to put on my tough girl and tell them all "no," as I desperately searched the sea of dark faces for a familiar one. Finally Pastor Val's toothless grin peeped out from between some elbows, and I saw that familiar cap he was wearing the last time I saw him. A wash of relief that now, he would take care of everything (everything meaning all the superfluous porters I was fending off!).

He raised an umbrella over my head to shield the brutal noon sun, as he guided me through the maze of people to the street. I was expecting Abby and Junior to be there to pick me up, but oh well, Pastor Val could call them and we would connect. Sure enough, they were there, but I couldn't see them. We just met up at Junior's church a mile or so away. (Of course, it took about an hour to get loaded up, and get to the church!) Driving through the streets was a strange feeling: the last time I was here, the whole country was in shock of what had just happened a few days before. Everyone was just started to dig out, to locate the dead, and rescue the trapped and wounded. I remember thinking it was hard to leave them behind and go back to a normal and abundant life. Being back in Haiti now provided some closure personally. Life has gone on here, I thought. Four months later, and life is back to normal to some degree.

The part of Port au Prince between the airport and the church seemed very normal. Street vendors, dust, nasty puddles, dogs, goats, traffic - all the sights and sounds of an average afternoon on a city street. There hadn't been much damage, and if there was, it was cleared away to some degree. The only indication that something was amiss was the ubiquitous blue tarp. Tent cities, large and small were erected on every available empty lot. Some of the ones with larger tents, were occupied by a community in its own right. But many small 'makeshift' tents, constructed of sheets and branches and concrete blocks spotted the city, and were empty. Junior told me later, and Pastor Val confirmed the same thing, that many leave these eyesores standing so that when the aid workers come around, they can get back inside and receive all kinds of things.

We arrived at the church, and I greeted my daughter, Abby with hugs and kisses. She is living in Seattle now, I in NC. I miss her terribly, and it's funny to have to meet up in Haiti! We sat down with Pastor Val in the sanctuary and talked for an hour or so. We agreed to meet again on Tuesday, when he would take us to the orphanage for a few days there with the kids.

The rest of the day was spent meeting the others that had come to help run a medical clinic. One thing that struck me on this trip: an American must leave their values of orderliness and productivity at home and be willing to spend time talking and waiting with people. Theirs is a highly relational culture, and the fact that you are standing around doing nothing is not a negative; it's an opportunity to get to know someone better!

The heat was unrelenting and although Junior had provided us a bedroom with its own bath, we rushed back to the church as dusk was approaching and rounded up our tent and air mattresses. The rooftop was flat and the other members of the team were camped up there because of the heat of the indoors. I am so glad I set the tent up at home once before I came - we were rushing to get it up before dark, but by the time we were pumping the air mattresses, our flashlights were in full use!

So much better...the night was tolerable, although those confused roosters were at it all night again. (I really don't believe that there will be roosters in Heaven.)