Yesterday, Friday, I returned to Haiti after longer than my usual absence. I've been enjoying my new grandbaby (and doting on the slightly bigger grandkids) as well as helping my daughter while she recovers from her surgery. I also caught up on a few long neglected projects- it's really hard to get to some things when you're only there a couple of weeks or so- (so, did you buy that excuse?)- Anyway, I was exhausted but loved every second =)
Maybe that's part of the reason I was such an emotional TRAIN WRECK yesterday. I had forgotten how devastating Haiti can be. I had gotten used to what I see here, not that you ever really get used to it- but at least you're not in a constant state of shock after a while. But yesterday it was shocking, it was devastating, it was depressing & dismal. Even when I got home to he orphanage, it didn't immediately feel like home to me this time. Rusty had made an extra effort to paint the floor in our bedroom and do some other "honey-do" chores that were easier done when I was away, but still I was overwhelmed. Several months with hardly any rain has made Haiti into a dirty dustbowl and it seems much of it had settled on everything in the house! EVERYTHING had to be washed! It didn't help that Rusty had fired my helper last month! So, all my little angels pitched in and we've been scrubbing like crazy. Sarah takes a couple at a time and does some training and gets them started on a project- a bathroom or sorting or sweeping. I had a group helping me take everything off shelves in the kitchen, wipe down & wash, then replace & re-organize. They were tickled to get to help and ate up all the attention. I feel much better now that I'm on the other side of it.
In all of the craziness, we were able to see the hand of God guiding & guarding yesterday. Even though the airport in Jax was crazy due to all the cancelled flights Thurs. night, we didn't know about the tornadoes or how horribly Florida had been affected til we got into PAP and saw a TV monitor. My parents live in The Villages & my sister in Deland, but all are safe! Praise God for his protection.
Also, while in the airport in Miami, we met another missionary family from Haiti. They were easy to spot, they were the 1 other white family on the plane to Haiti ;-) They have lived in Haiti many years and were able to fill us in on some things we'd been trying to figure out- about our school & medical teams. We have a Dr. & a nurse coming on a team arriving Monday. We were still trying to make sure we could get through the airport with the meds for next weeks medical clinic. These smart folks told us we needed a letter of invitation & authorization from the Minister of Health for our district.They assured us without it our precious antibiotics would be snagged at the airport and commented on how it's becoming more & more difficult to get medicine into Haiti! We needed what ? from who ? Well, we spent the next few hours scratching our heads over that one! It was now Friday afternoon and we needed a document from an unknown official in another town! That would be impossible even in the US ! But later when he heard us talking Claude, our friend and tap-tap driver, said this man was his friend and he could take Rusty to see him. OK, why not?! Rusty went with Claude to the man's house and as told to come back today, Sat, for the letter.
Rusty got the letter this afternoon... and it is official... on official stationary & everything!! WooHoo !! How good is God ? He thanked Rusty over and over for coming and when Rusty asked if we needed to bring Dr. to his office or meet him next week, he was only interested in Rusty coming to his clinic to fix his broken water pump next week! We are so pumped! What an orchestration by Almighty God! Only He could make something like that happen in Haiti ! Rusty is feeling so blessed, he said if anybody tried to take the meds, he would tell them that he'll take them to the judge- just like they always threaten him! I think God has it all under control and there will be no problems at the airport! Thank you Jesus.