saturday night in haiti

It is Saturday night in Cap Haitien. Our team is here, 16 of us, mostly medical people, from various places: Wisconsin, St.Louis, Charlottesville, Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem, Charlotte, San Antonio. We arrived today on Lynx airlines. I was seated upfront in the 20 passenger plane, when a man with a bad toothache asked me if I had anything to drink. I didn't. He then laid down in the center aisle of the plane, and asked for a roll of towels, which I gave him. One of the pilots came back (actually about three steps from where he was sitting) and said we would turn the plane around and go back to Fort Lauderdale. None of wanted this. Then Alice gave him some aspirin, someone else some water and he continued to lay in the middle of the airplane, until the pilot announced, in french, that we would land in 12 minutes. He got up and took his seat.

We were met at the small airport in Cap Haitien by some of the Haiti Mission staff who are haitiens and live here. I was especially looking for Bernard, who makes everything run here and there he was. We embraced and he said "you came back". There were also others whom I remembered. We made our way through customs---I had some pretty habit-forming cancer drugs in my suitcase, but it didn't seem to matter. We piled into the trucks (this is a place where there is actually a need for suvs) and drove through town to the Mont Joli, our hotel. We had brunch---a mix of eggs, haitian spaghetti with diced hot dogs in it, i think, pancakes, which i didn't eat, and some fruit which was very good.

Then I showered and took a nap.

I have been reading The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down, which is excellent.

Then we had a team meeting related mostly to medical care, some of which I comprehended. Then we had a good dinner. Tomorrow morning I preach at the Methodist Church. Prior to that I will see the children/senior adult feeding program that Providence helps to fund.

More later. Our hotel is wireless, but we didn't know that. And so I am typing on something that reminds me of an old 286. Those of you at mid-life will know what that means.

Take care; pray for our mission. We feel safe among the Haiti people and in the care of God.