(July 28, 2012)
Last night I slept pretty well. I woke up several times, though. One time was because Mom needed my headlight. Another time there was drumming outside. It was around 3:30 a.m., so I have a feeling it was related to voodoo. I woke up around 5:30 a.m. because a group of dogs was constantly barking.
I got up and changed. Miss I (one of the Haitian ladies who works at the compound) asked me to unlock the door for her. She is so sweet! I’m going to miss her a lot!
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| Stopping for a picture with Miss I. |
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| Dad, Roma, and I went up to the roof to do devotions and journal. I’m really going to miss doing this! Everyone else was busy packing. I finished most of that yesterday so that I could enjoy today. |
For breakfast we had pancakes and eggs and then finished packing. Then we went outside to play with the kids before our trucks came. We sang songs, looked at photos, and had lots of hugs and kisses.
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| Waiting for the trucks outside the compound. |
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| Most of our family with Mr. L and Mr. A. In just one week, they feel like our family! We miss them both a lot. Photo Credit: Betsy. |
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| Little F wouldn’t let go of me, turning down nearly everyone else. Saying goodbye to her was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. |
Saying goodbye to everyone was incredibly difficult. I kissed F goodbye before getting in the luggage truck. Some of the kids surrounded her and started teasing her because she was so upset. (She has a reputation for being a very tough little girl.) She got very angry and I started crying. One of the older Haitian ladies used a plastic hanger to shove back the kids.
As I turned away to hide the tears, someone put F up in the tap-tap. I gave her one last hug. She looked like she was going to burst into tears. It broke my heart. I want to come back so badly, it hurts!
We had been driving about 10 minutes, when we ran across the driver who was supposed to take us down the mountain. (We were supposed to ride in two pick-up trucks while our luggage went in the tap-tap. But since he didn’t show up on time, half of us went in one pick-up truck while the rest of us piled in with the luggage in the tap-tap.) He was upset that we didn’t want to pay him full price, even though he showed up an hour late. He came squeezing by our bus and parked in front of us so that we couldn’t move.
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| Trapped. Photo Credit: Roma. |
Mr. L (the missionary) argued with the man and gave him the money for the gas. He still wasn’t satisfied and we were starting to attract a crowd of people. Mr. L didn’t want to get violent or angry, but he eventually got out of the bus. We had been stalled for 10 or 15 minutes when Mr. P got out. Within one minute, we were on our way again! That’s why Mr. P. is lovingly called the mayor of the mountain. J
I sat on the floor of the bus and tried to sleep on some luggage. It didn’t work all that well, but at least it wasn’t as bumpy as sitting on the bench. I got so dirty from all the dust and dirt!
Almost as soon as we entered Jacmel, Mr. P left. We all stopped at a little shop to buy gifts. I just browsed while others haggled and argued (very literally.)
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| The little shop we stopped at to buy souvenirs. |
Then we continued on to the hotel. We unloaded all the luggage and then the tap-tap had to go back for the others because their truck had its tie-rod break.
When we got to the hotel,. I felt like I was going to pass out. I think I was dehydrated. We got into our spacious, air-conditioned rooms and then went down to lunch in the courtyard. Dad demanded that I drink a bottle of Pepsi and eat a bag of pretzels. After that I started to feel better.
Our lunch took about an hour after we ordered our food. I had an amazing cheeseburger with fries. While I waited for the food to arrive, I went swimming. The water was as warm as a bath! The view from the hotel is amazing. We can see the ocean, framed by the mountains.
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| The view from our hotel room balcony. Photo Credit: Roma. |
When we finished our lunch we started showering. It felt good, but if I had a choice I would have skipped the hotel and stayed another night on the mountain. I already miss it so much! It’s like culture shock all over again being at the hotel.
We all met downstairs for dinner at 5:30 p.m. After ordering fried pork, I chatted with the others. The dinner was so good despite the “Haitian time.” During dinner, J and JC arrived. I’m going to miss both of them a lot!
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| The fried pork (a traditional Haitian food) was amazing! Since our lunch hadn’t arrived until nearly 3:00 p.m., Roma and I split this dinner together. |
We were going to walk down to the water front, but we were told that it wasn’t safe at night. As we came up to the lobby, Miss I and her husband R arrived with their kids. The children were adorable! We bought some of Miss I’s homemade jewelry as souvenirs. Saying goodbye to her was hard. I don’t know why, but we had a special connection. If it wasn’t for the language and distance barrier, I think we’d be best friends.
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| R and I’s family. |
We were going to play cards, but Mom wanted to relax and go to bed. I went into the room and saw a tiny lizard run across our bed. I was just going to grab it and throw it outside, but I accidentally dismembered it in the process. :-P There was a larger green lizard on one of our windows, but thankfully that one was outside.
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| Trying to catch the lizard. Photo Credit: Roma. |
I went out on the balcony to listen to the music playing outside. As I looked across the water to the mountain, I couldn’t hold back the tears and sobs any longer. The thoughts of little children like F being out there in the dark, all alone, just broke my heart.
I cried and prayed out on the balcony for about 20 minutes before going in. I cried even harder when Mom told me F’s full story (Mr. L had shared it with her during dinner.) Her Mom is out of the picture, and her father practices Voodoo. He takes care of her brother, but gave her to an older woman who cares for her. This woman can’t keep up with F, so she basically runs wild. She puts up a tough front to keep from being hurt, but I believe it’s a cover-up to hide the pain that is in her heart.
I cried for over an hour thinking about all these things. Mom asked Mr. L if F’s Dad would give her up for adoption. Mr. L said “in a heartbeat.” Unfortunately, we were told it’s very difficult to adopt a child outside of an orphanage in Haiti. I told Mom that if F went up for adoption tomorrow, I would give up anything to bring her home. I have never felt that way about a child before.
I have a burning desire to see an orphanage started in La Montagne. It’s something I’m really going to pray about fervently.
We went to bed around 10:30 p.m. I hope I’ll sleep well in our cozy bed and air-conditioned room. I would honestly forgo this luxury if it meant being on the mountain one more night. I want to go back there so badly!
To be continued. . .
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