Things are getting little topsy tourvy around here. Earlier in the day I felt overwhelmed, worthless and extremely unmotivated. Not to mention depressed too. So I went outside and sat on top of the look out tower and sat very still. Stillness is hard for me but tremendously rewarding. The joy of stillness is remarkable. You get to continuously partake in the natural world surrounding you. Whether it be noticing the vivid contrast between the warm green mountain and the eternal blue sky filled with artistic clouds, hearing the orchestra of wind blown branches and trees or just breathing aware that a trillion thing are going on in my body that I have no control of.
When there is the constant renewable batch of obstacles here in Haiti, it is easy to see how little I am in control. ("We have no car at our disposal thus are down to our last gallon of clean water and have no gas to fill the generator because we cannot get more. The rain is making the mud around the septic tank some how collapse downward. I really don't know how to communicate this in Creole to anyone besides pointing," - A journal entry). This aint no pity party though, cause secretly I love it! I love being taken on a good whirlwind adventure. I also get the opportunity to trust and depend on a Savior other than myself. I can try my best to save myself here but Haiti will swallow me whole every time. It is sooo refreshing to know and believe that God is my actual provider. I trust in that, in Him. It is a trust that grows stronger by the day as my body grows weaker (no one needs to panic either, we got more water and gas and everything is fine now)
Quick Note: There are now 10 boys and 1 girl in the orphanage, the kids are real good, except one- he bites...
It started off with a 6 am soccer game into learning Creole before the big adventure of the day- getting groceries.
So we take off to Port-au-Prince to get our first groceries. This included the 4 of us, 4 Haitian high schoolers and 1 driver in a pickup truck. The one hour ride in the bed of the pick up on rocky terrain gave me a semi raw butt. First we stop to exchange our American money into Haitian Goods which ended up being a fat stack of 73,000 Goods then head to a premier Haitian grocery store guarded by security strapped with shotguns.
We grab and pay for our groceries to return outside to basically a monsoon. Lightening cracks seemingly 10 feet from my ear jolting me to the truck then realizing that the groceries take up almost the entire back seat so almost all the boys have to hop in the bed of the truck (5 of us). Stuck with an ocean falling from the sky on top of me, we take off and I never thought I'd say this in Haiti but IT WAS FREEZING. Drenched and shivering, all of us had our knees pulled to our chest in tight little human balls clumped together in a back of a pick up truck to try and find warmth. I think I saw about half of Port-au-Prince start instantly laughing and pointing at the site of 3 white dudes and 2 Haitians clumped together in the back of the truck.
As we headed back and stars filled the sky, we pick up another 5 Haitians workers so now 10 people stuffed in the truck bed freezing and someone pulls out a clear tarp. We all get under it and instantly start laughing, I don't know why- maybe delusional from hypothermia shock or something. We are finally almost home then BOOM goes the dynamite? nope, the back right tire... 14 people, one truck, stranded on the side of the road- cold and tired.
After about 20 minutes the tire is fixed, we squeeze back into the truck bed and make our way back home dropping our Haitian worker friends along the way. This simple trip that turned into an extraordinary event is a fresh reminder that we have to constantly observe and adapt to the ever changing obstacles that permeate in Haiti.
It was pretty common and simple- a 35 minute plane ride to Miami, a 4 hour lay over then a 2 hour plane ride to Port-au-Prince. Done. But in the details before, during and after lies the adventure…
In Orlando Tuesday night at our “last supper” 2 tables over sat Carrot Top (he is on steroids and looked like he hadnt slept in a week- not a good showing by our buddy carrot top). We ate sushi and celebrated to the monetary sum I do not wish to disclose (thanks pops!). Slept in a nice hotel, sat in a hot tub and laughed about childhood memories and Wink aka dude rapper.
Wednesday morning I arose groggy and headed to the airport. The Cherries prayed for us and Reina shed some tears. Walked through security and hopped on the plane. We took off on a journey from the richest country in the western hemisphere heading to the poorest. We met Zack in Miami and proceeded to Haiti.
We landed in Port-au-Prince, walked out of our plane on to the airstrip, past the traditional Haitian band jamming away, through customs, around baggage claim and out the front door to see Charles comfortably leaning on a rail looking over the top of his glasses calmly smiling that we were finally there.
As usual, we get mobbed by people forcefully grabbing our luggage trying to take it to our car. I feel fine and safe because I know Charles is in control. We make it to the truck, throw our luggage in the back and drive to the site of Charles’ new house. The foundation, gate and wall look great but nothing compares to the view. Charles is working with people in Canada to build his house and asked for the bedrooms to be on the second floor so everyone can look out whenever they please at the amazing view.
We drive to our place, see some friends, check out our new pad and eat some spaghetti. It’s official, minus this computer I am writing on (powered by a generator we buy gas for), we are living in the early 1900’s. I feel like a materialistic addict going through the early stages of withdrawal cold turkey style. I got a feeling its only going to get worse but I am excited to see what type of person lies within my truest self away from all my idols and comforts.
Anyway, I am in the jungle. The real jungle. Way further away than a 2 hour plane ride might indicate. I am perplexed, a little scared, but mostly excited about the unknown. I laid in bed last night thinking about how short my time here on earth is. It made my stomach drop. Then I thought I have a choice. I can live as comfortably and as in control as I did in my last day in America or I give my comfort, fears and future to Jesus. It is my choice. As Andy Dufresne once said, “Get busy living , or get busy dying.” I wanna get busy living. I want to see and touch and feel the unknown. I want an adventure where I know my final destination but have no idea what the path looks like getting there.
I am ready. Day 1 on this new path: complete.
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