48 hours in Haiti
I had intended to be in Haiti Thursday through Monday, but from the time I got on the plane in Wilmington Thursday morning, it seemed nothing was going right.
The flight out of Wilmington was delayed. Then there was a problem with the jet bridge in Charlotte. Combining those two things, I missed my connection to Miami, which meant I would miss my connection to Port-au-Prince. American Airlines automatically rebooked me for Friday.
However, once I got to Miami, I found that the PAP flight was delayed, and I was offered a seat on the flight - even though boarding was complete.
As I was processing this information, I looked at my phone and saw two photos - photos showing a bullet hole in a window at the regional airport in PAP and a bullet hole in a seat in the waiting area. I looked at the gate agent and said, “This flight is going to be canceled.” And it was. I never boarded AA 819 on Thursday.
However, on Friday, AA 819 proceeded to PAP on a normal schedule. I got up Friday morning, contacted several people whose opinions I value, and with Steeve’s permission, I went to Haiti.
There was a definite tension in the air at the airport and outside as we departed. Though not empty, the streets weren’t as busy as usual. Though we had been warned about possible threats in proximity to the airport, we did not encounter anything of concern.
When I arrived at the house, it was time for music class, and we spent the rest of the evening unpacking and enjoying time together.
Saturday morning all CCS activities were cancelled due to the condition of the streets. The main road by the community center has been blocked for a week or so. However, one of the English teachers, Job, came to our place and taught the boys. He ended up staying for a good portion of the day, and we enjoyed having his presence as a distraction - in addition to working on (and completing!) a 1000 piece puzzle.
Hudson and I always worked on a few things for Mission Made in the afternoon.
We said goodnight as usual and reminded each other “We will see what tomorrow will bring.”
Sunday morning we woke up to news of a large prison break and increasingly violent, threatening gang activity. Because of the attack on the airport on Thursday, many were speculating (and still are) that a full scale attack on the airport could be imminent. As I talked through it all with a few trusted friends, I came to the realization that if I waited until my flight on Monday, I might not be leaving. For many reasons (including not having enough medication with me), not leaving wasn’t a great option.
I called American Airlines to see about changing my flight from Monday to Sunday, but I was told there were no seats available. (Later that same flight was canceled.) Chatting via Whatsapp with a friend, she told me that she had just found three seats on Spirit for the early afternoon, and those seats weren’t crazy expensive. I thought it was a good idea to book one for myself as “insurance” 1) in case they sold out and 2) in case indicators increased that AA would not fly on Monday.
I called Rick and asked him to help me book it because 1) Steeve and I were wanting to have a prayer time with the boys and 2) the Spirit website wasn’t cooperating with me. By the time we had finished our prayer time, Rick had booked the ticket.
I reached out to a few people whose discernment I trust. Stay? Wait until tomorrow? But the truth is, I knew what I needed to do. It was time to go - as much as I hated to do that, as much as I wanted just a little more time.
I hurriedly packed a few items in my carry-on, then showered while Handy and Davensky played Duolingo on my tablet. Dieusait brought me food. And then it was time to go. It happened so quickly.
I said goodbye to the boys and Dieusait. I didn’t have the opportunity to say goodbye to anyone else - including Vorb.
The streets were eerily quiet and empty. We were stopped just once at a police checkpoint. The trip to the airport was quick and easy.
There I said goodbye to Steeve and Hudson.
Obviously there’s a great deal more to tell, but that will come in time. Thank you to those have reached out in concern. I apologize for not having the emotional bandwidth to be able to answer you each personally. Please do not be offended when I send a link to this blog in response to your kind messages.
The following song has been on repeat since I left Haiti.
