Ken Dwyer picked us up at the church parking lot at 3:30 this morning. We loaded my truck & away we went to Dulles Airport. Four of us were travelling, & we had 8 checked bags & 4 carry ons. Kim handled the electric check-in while I loaded the bags on carts. Next thing you know, we’re being handed our boarding passes, we’re through security, & on the flight- AHEAD OF TIME! The flight to Miami was very smooth- clear skies, few clouds, just gorgeous. An hour later, we’re boarding the flight to Port au Prince. Another flawless hop over to the island, with the SMOOTHEST landing I’ve ever experienced. The whole plane burst into spontaneous applause. I leaned over & told Abby, our neophyte international traveller, “That’s not the norm!”
Immigration was smooth as could be. Kim & I decided to check the box on the immigration form that said “pharmaceuticals to declare”, since all the meds were in our luggage. We reasoned that that might signal a red flag to the officials, but we didn’t want to be deceptive, either. We’d rather get all the medical stuff in here through God’s power than through our cleverness, & He blessed us big time!
However, when the customs official checked our fully loaded luggage carts & whispered to me that $5 would make things go smoother, I didn’t argue with him! When I told our host, Dottie, that, she exclaimed, “Well you got off cheap! Last time I brought a large group in, they dinged me for $20!!!” So God was good too in that He didn’t give us a greedy official!
Dottie had her SUV & the Barefoot School’s SUV waiting for us. The school principal, Mr. Nixon, drove (he just married Sophie, Dottie’s cook, in December!) As we exited the airport, of course we were accosted by dozens of “helpful” porters, all of whom wanted a piece of our luggage. Kim & the others were ahead, & I was bringing up the rear, gently waving them away & saying, “Not yet, I’m looking for someone”, when my cart hit a seam in the pavement & toppled over! Like white on rice, they were all over my stuff!! But then I noticed the one armed porter, Jackson, who had met us last time. (Dottie always uses him.) He came to my rescue, & with another porter fought their way through the throng to the parking lot. But I did slip the one big guy who had helped pick up the bags a $1 bill, & he gave me a big smile & said, “Thank you!”
Dottie told me to just give $5 to Jackson & the other guy, but then Jackson sidled up & told me to give him $20, & he’d see to it that the others were paid. I told him, “OK, but I’m telling Dottie, & if you don’t pay up, you’ll be in big trouble with her!” Sure enough, as soon as we were loaded, Jackson shot back toward the terminal & the other gray shirted porter came up & asked for his money. “I gave Jackson $20, & he said he’d split it with you,” I said. “$20??!” he said, & off he went to find Jackson! Then another guy in a plaid shirt showed up at my door wanting paid, too. I told him Jackson had all the money, & he said, “Jackson is inside help, I’m outside. I get paid separate from him.” At that point, Dottie leaned across from the driver’s seat & unloaded on him: (in French) “Shut the door, please!” After a nasty staring showdown, & a few more insistences from this Take No Guff white haired gal, he realized he was not going to win & stomped angrily off for another victim. Said Dottie, “The nerve of that guy- he didn’t even do anything to help load either of the vehicles!!” (And here I was, ready to give him a few bucks just to get rid of him!)
The roads in Port au Prince are worse than I remember. How anyone keeps shocks & front ends on their vehicles is beyond me. But now we’re settled in at the guesthouse. Kim & I have our old room upstairs; Travis has his own room below us, & Abby & Anita are on the other end of the house off of the dining room. Albert greeted us & opened the gate. Amos the mutt is gone- Dottie has had several more burglaries, & Amos wasn’t terrifying enough to robbers. He has been replaced with a pit bull named Brown that I will meet later, but Dottie seems greatly satisfied with his ferocity!
Anita is thrilled at the medicines- turns out there is a Physician’s Assistant named Ed who serves as a doctor in this community, & tomorrow at church we’ll get with him & the other missionaries & plot out our strategy for the rest of the week. But I’m greatly encouraged that it looks like Anita will be kept really busy, getting the lay of the land & seeing what the need is. She’s already talked to Dottie about beginning a medical inventory on all the students at her school!
Travis stayed at the guesthouse for about 10 minutes, then he couldn’t stand it any longer. “I’ve just GOT to see the boys,” he said. Dottie called Dee Dee to inform her (not ask permission- y0u know my philosophy on that!) that Travis was on his way down!
That’s it for now; I promised Jon Bowles I wouldn’t write any more at a time than he could read in one visit to the bathroom. I’m sure he’ll let me know if I could have written more, or if I need to shorten it up a bit! THANKS to everyone who prayed- God heard big time!
Oh, one more thing (sorry, Jon!) When Kim got up into our room, she turned to me & started to cry. “I have missed this place so very much,” she said. “It just really feels like we make a difference here.” To which I said, “Yeah, it does.”
