Day 1

The day was long with much of it sitting in airports. Arrived in Port Au Prince with a different Haiti in sight. What used to be a vision of open expanse and desolation at the airport, was now a hustling, bustling organism of international travel. Large airplanes from Canada to America sat side by side along the tarmac. There were private planes, small jets, and cargo planes as well.

The new terminal skyway was complete and without damage. When we were last here, construction had begun, but was at a standsill. Memories of a single room with customs, immigration, baggage and ticket sales all within 1000 sq. ft. has now been expanded to a warehouse size pole building with many lines for each department. It was very clear that the world had found Haiti! As devastating as the earthquake has been, out of the rumble comes hope for a nation that seemed invisible for so long.

The drive to the guest house was much longer than ususal due to being re-routed around the outskirts of Port Au Prince. Even there, destruction was apparent. buidlings tipped sideways, walls collapsed, cracks and shifted plates of concrete here, there, and everywhere along the now hour-long route.

Tent city after tent city grew out of the landscape all along the route. What is amazing is the resilience of the people. People are everywhere selling their wares on the streets as normal. Traffic remains chaos, beeping horns in a symphony of language known only to the locals.

Darkness falls and we soon reach the guest house of the Eglise Methodiste Church De'Haiti. Medical teams from Flint to Cincinnati are waiting there. Dinner was held until we arrived. It is now 7 pm and we have been traveling since 1:30 am. Donnette, the Guest House director welcomes us and shows us our rooms. Then she hurries us back to the community room for dinner. I'm sure the others are glad we finally arrived so they could eat dinner as well.

After dinner we wash up, change sweaty shirts, and gather up to meet with district superintendent Pastor Marco Depestre. He shares our itinerary for the next day of travel and them updates us on how the Methodist church is surviving after the earthquake. A list of priorities has been formed for repair and reconstruction. Churches, district offices, schools, and clinics are all on the list. We say our farewells and then gather for devotions. After sharing what each brings to the team, we pray God's strength and purpose be done. We settle into bed for a good 8 hours sleep. The two hours from the night before are long gone.