Haiti Trip: Day One

The team arrived safely in Haiti this morning. Unfortunately, due to delays, we were not able to attend church in Duplan. We were able to get settled at the Guest House, meet our hosts for the week, Tom and Sarah, and then head out for lunch and sightseeting. For those of you who have traveled to Haiti before, you'll be happy to know that Epidor has expanded, has new food counters, lots more seating and AIR CONDITIONING! We had a fantastic lunch as a team, and with our driver (Spana) and interpreter (Kissmir). Two new friends who took great care of us.

Following lunch, we went to the Presidential Palace. For many of us, this was a first trip deep into Port au Prince, and is quite different than Petionville. Work on clearing the rubble around the Palace has begun, and from what we heard today, a new one will be built. The tent city across from the Palace remains with 2800 occupants. What disparity! Our next stop was the Catholic Cathedral, and all that remains is a shell and lots of dust. It was truly a devastating sight, not only the loss of a beaufitul building, but the people we encountered seemed truly lost. Our last stop was the Lookout, which gives a perfect view of Port au Prince and the harbor.

While the recovery work continues, it seems that many are beginning the work of community development. Very exciting since that's the effort we've undertaken in Duplan...and it's working.

The best part of the day was being greeted by Johnny. Big smile, warm hugs. It was like we just saw him yesterday.

VBS begins tomorrow. We are all anxious to get to Duplan to find out what we can do to be the hands and feet of Christ.