So yesterday my adventure started out at 3:45 AM when I left for the airport. I left Cleveland at 6 AM and was in Miami by about 9:15. It was a huge airport but I had a little bit of time to kill before I met up with my team at 12:30 at our gate. After stopping to grab two corndogs (yes two) and an orange soda since I haven't had any pop the last 40 days, it was time to meet my team I would be traveling with. Everyone was wearing their matching Soles4Souls shirts so they were easy to find! We boarded our plane thinking the trip would be about an hour and 55 minutes. Little did we know, once we started to head for Haiti, that we would be back in Miami an hour later. Here's the story. I suddenly woke up on the plane to my team members telling me that the plane is having mechanical problems with the wing and that they are circling around in the air to try and see if they fix themselves. Ummm seriously?!? But it only got worse. The pilot came across the intercom telling us that they decided after an hour into our flight over the ocean that we would be returning to Miami so they could fix the problem and that most likely the flaps on the wing would not work so we would come in at a rapid speed and the breaks could burn out. Then he told us not to worry, firetrucks and safety would be waiting on the ground for us. Yes, because knowing firetrucks were there is our plane could not stop made me feel better when I'm thousands of feet in the air!! haha We actually landed pretty smoothly and they had lunch vouchers ready for us as we waited for our new plane.
A few hours later we arrived in Haiti. Stepping outside of the building was much more humid and muggy and hot that I thought it would be at 8 o clock at night. After going through customs and be overwhelmed with men wanting to help us "carry" our bags, we were kindly greeted outside with police in helmets and holding riffles. ( Kind of scary). We boarded an old school bus and began our two hour ride to our hotel. The bus driver felt the need to drive about 75-80 miles an hour on roads filled with monstrous pot holes and did not think it was necessary to slow down for turns. We went airborne at one point...IN A SCHOOL BUS!!! lol. Once we got to our hotel we had a Haitian dinner and got ready for bed. Our hotel is fabulous. Right along the beach and the rooms have air conditioning!!! Being up since 3 AM, and after a long day of travel, I slept like a baby!
Today we started our morning at 7 AM, anyone who knows my sleeping habits knows that that was almost a miracle for me to be up and ready before 7. We had a Haitian breakfast and then made our way to the first distribution. It was in the fishing village and one of the poorest parts of the city we are in right now. It was just infants and toddlers this morning, and most of the infants were asleep in their mothers arms as we put their new shoes on. We were able to distribute over 70 pairs in that distribution. We spent the middle part of the day at the mission watching kids sing and dance for us, we painted girls nails, and this is also where we were served lunch. Lots of beans and rice around here ( You would appreciate that Dad). One of our team members made tu tu's and another group at the mission had brought dance shoes. Neither knowing this, that was definitely the Lord at work. It was then time for our second distribution. This one was with older children and teenagers. This one we started by getting to wash each child's feet and then place shoes on them! My favorite was when a girl was trying to teach me how to say things in French and Creole. At this distribution we were able to give away 150 or so pairs.After heading back to the hotel we had some free time to rest and shower. Ironically though, none of the water was working in anyone's hotel room! haha. So the amazing pool was the next resort. Were served another Haitian dinner with tons of fresh fruit and vegetables, and you guessed it, more rice! Today was a very successful but very tiring day so I am off to bed! More to come tomorrow night!!
Pictures are up on Facebook!
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