Safe & Sound

We arrived in Haiti late this afternoon safe & sound after an uneventful trip down. That was a huge blessing after the nightmare trip home we had last month. It was difficult to leave home & family- we were in the US a little longer than usual due to our Haiti time being cut short last month.
Sarah stayed behind and is taking a "for credit" photography class- something she enjoys and has quite a talent for. She will be staying with Kelley, our older daughter. We've never left her for this long- ever- so it was a little bit difficult to say goodbye. Even little 3 year old Ethan, put on a big old pout this morning when we kissed him goodbye at the airport. He was mad that we either didn't stay with him or take him along!
Haiti was both majestic and miserable... just as it always is. It is truly the best & the worst here. It will take your breath away at its sights- the beautiful turquoise blue Caribbean, the velvet covered mountains, tropical foliage & flowers, friendly exotic looking folk..... and it will take your breath away at its sights- the unbelievable poverty, people living in squalor one on top of the other, the extreme lack of everything- the exorbitantly high prices for everything- today cooking oil in town cost $18 US/ gallon (we didn't buy it), gasoline was more than $7/gallon (we did buy it).
The children met us at the gate as usual, singing, screaming & dancing. Barely able to contain their excitement. Then everyone had a story they had to tell. Most important were the ones of who was sick- who I needed to "come & see". Most are fine, a couple are sick & have fevers, one has a stomach ailment, several have some sort of rash. I guess that's to be expected if you have 40 kids!! I've already been on the phone with Dr. Mike, who is leading our medical mission next week. It's great to have so many willing to help.
Rusty was met with a rash of reports at the gate, too. Only his weren't who needed fixing, but what. The well pump, the generator, some wiring, our little ice machine- he's already got things taken all apart.
I'll report more as I get a chance to sort it all out. Gotta go get a quick shower and catch some zzzz's before it really hits in the morning.