Heading Home

Our trip originally was to be from Friday, April 16 to Friday, April 23. However, Regions Bank changed their flight schedules and we were the transition team. We would be heading home a day earlier than anticipated. It was a blessing to me to have the opportunity to come and serve the people of Haiti, but I am ready to get back to the comforts of my home and the security of my family, friends, and community.

We got up at 5:45 am. The sun was well up in the sky, a few roosters were crowing, cows were mooing, birds were chirping, and doves cooing. Ezekiel, the hired man, was outside washing the trucks for our trip to the airport. For a country with such water issues, there is a tremendous amout of car washing that goes on here. There isn't a shortage of water, but there is a shortage of potable water. Either people buy water in little bags, jugs of water like for a water cooler or go to a community pump station and carry it to their homes in gallon or five gallon buckets. The pump station water is "clean", but still may not be safe from bacteria. Others are seen dipping water from streams of free flowing water that runs down the hillside - over trash piles and land where animals scavenge for food and also leave behind their waste products.

Driving through the streets to the airport was saddening. No one on our team spoke Creole, so navigating through the airport was somewhat of a challenge. Once through all the security we were told to stand at a window and wait. What a disparity between our luxury corprate jet with all it's amenities and what we have seen this past week. From an out house with no seat to a toilet with a leather seat. All men may be created equeal, but not all men have the opportunity to live equal.