Hello Tim and family and friends, it has taken us several days to get the internet working! Welcome to Haitian time 🙂 We will be sending you the blog from the very first day and attaching a few pictures. Later this evening or early tomorrow we will try to add the blog from the other days that have passed. Thank you so much! PS we are having a ball!
Tuesday June 25, 2013
A small storm is brewing over the mountain. Quiet rolls of thunder are combined with noises, smells and visions never experienced before. As we flew in over the tent cities of Port-a-Prince David said to me, “It really is like the movies Mom!” My fingers find Matthew 8:23-27 and God speaks to my soul… Our group has safely but eventfully arrived in Haiti. Regardless of a swollen ankle, multiple sore backs, less than 4 hours of sleep, a 3 hour delay while inside the plane, and a 4 hour van ride including 17 (sometimes 18 when riding on the back or top) we are in excellent spirits! We will have many stories with pictures for our families and friends upon our return to the states. We will try to add some pictures to the blog. This afternoon we are settling in, unpacking and connecting with the beautiful people of Pignon. Two hours in and David is below me in the street playing soccer, a universal language! We are received graciously! For Cheyenne and I the little children grabbing our hands, pulling on our skirts, and wanting to be held is medicine for our souls. I refer to the story of Jesus calming the storm because getting to Haiti has been a storm full of snags with the potential for enormous disaster. In each and every circumstance we called out to Jesus only to find that he was already there… A beautiful woman to play UNO with Cheyenne and Emily for hours while the plane was delayed. A very late bus driver to pick us up at the airport gave us the opportunity to look for lost items. A single father caring for his 6-month-old baby shows us how God loves us and cares for us the same way. For all of you that are praying for us and supporting us know that God continues to calm the storms and we are resting in his peace. Matthew 8:23-27… Alicia
There are many things that I could write about and this is only a few. The first thing that I would like to say is that the reason God wanted me to come to Haiti is because I have a lot of compassion for other people. I think that my best part about being on this trip is seeing the kids and how happy they are with what little they have! – Cheyenne
Our group each gave one word to describe what we thought when we got to Haiti… beautiful, messy, unique, phenomenal, absorbing, tolerant, eager, colorful, smelly, prison-like, tent cities, motorized, damaged, busy, dirty, unkept, wild beauty, crowded, impatient. – David
So glad to finally see your faces! I’m glad you’re enjoying yourselves and (hopefully) experiencing God in a whole new way. I miss Jory like crazy…..but I’m beyond excited and thankful for this experience for him. Any chance we’ll be hearing from any others in the group???? God bless!
Yes Chris, each night a family is in charge of a blog. Tonight it is Jory’s turn!
Chris – yes, we will be posting the blogs as they come to us from Haiti. Just posted a new one from the past couple of days. Blessings.
I saw! I reread my comment and it sounded a bit rude. Sorry. I didn’t know if Alicia was doing all of them or if they were each giving their perceptive. Now I know and I love reading all of them! Alicia, I can tell David and Cheyenne are making lots of new friends! Awesome!!
All the kids have been fantastically insightful! It has been such a blessing to see how they react to the culture around them with patience and love!
Hi…so wonderful to hear from you…are you hot yet? We pray for you every day and know that this is a life changing experience for all. So good to see pictures of your beautiful faces. Dakota, chase and I r at campsite, coralville dam. Love u. Gma.