My Trip to Haiti

I was in Haiti last week, Monday through Friday. I went down with a group from our orphanage. It was a really quick trip. I didn't get into Haiti until late afternoon on Monday and left first thing Friday morning.

It was a challenging trip for me because I didn't get my luggage until Thursday afternoon. It just so happened that I had packed my clothing and four baby toys in my carry on bag. I had NOTHING for the boys. No diapers, no clothing, no meds, nothing. It was tough, but it was a huge lesson in how God provides. The people on my team really rallied around me and shared their resources. It was so completely humbling. I was given diapers, wipes, medicine, clothing, and even a sippy cup. God truly does provide. I have had dreams where I go to Haiti last minute and forget to pack, so the luggage thing was truly a nightmare come true. I'm an ultra-prepared person. I'm the one you come to for Motrin when you have a headache. Chuck makes fun of me because I usually leave the house with at least one bag in tow. But I survived and I'm alive to blog about it!

The boys are great. They were delivered to the hotel after dark on Monday night. They were a little dazed and confused when they arrived, probably because they had been asleep. They both had a nasty cough and runny noses. We had dinner and went to bed.

This first night was rough. My roommate, Courtney, and her two girls and me and the boys were in a really small room. We had a full size bed. We were able to get a twin mattress as well. So, me and the boys slept on the mattress on the floor and Courtney and her girls slept on the bed. We were totally cramped. I didn't sleep much because I was hearing every little noise.

Tuesday we spent the day at the orphanage. I spent a lot of time holding and playing with babies. After a late lunch we went back to the hotel. Courtney and the girls went swimming and the boys and I rested in the hotel room. Noah napped, but Samuel never went to sleep. He did lay quietly next to his brother and rest, but never fell asleep. We had dinner with the group that night - the boys and I shared Creole Chicken. We ended up sharing the same fork, which is probably why I've been sick. The boys coughed a lot that night. Luckily Courtney had medicine. It was not a very restful night for me.

Wednesday we were planning to stay at the hotel and just hang out with our kids. However, when I woke up I knew the boys needed medicine that we didn't have. At breakfast it was suggested that I go with the work team to the orphanage so that the boys could be looked at by the nurse. I went to the orphanage with 3 guys from our team and the boys got medicine. Much to our surprise, the boys' birth father was there at the orphanage. We were able to visit with him for quite some time with a translator. It was really nice. He held Samuel for most of the time. Noah won't let him hold him. He's been that way the last two times we saw their birth father. He cries if we try to hand him over. It must be so hard for the boys' birth father, but I'm glad he sees that Noah desires to be held by me. I hope that gives him peace about putting the boys up for adoption. After our visit I returned to the hotel and we hung out in our room the rest of the afternoon with Courtney and the girls. It was a nice, relaxing time. The boys took a good long nap. Courtney and I got to chat a lot. She's an amazing person. She has 7 kids and is adopting two more. And she's younger than me!! I was so blessed to have her as my roommate. She was such an encouragement to me. We had dinner that evening with the group and then headed back to our room. After our kids were asleep we took turns going to check email.

Thursday was an excursion day to Fort Jacques and the Baptist Mission. I wasn't planning to go, but at breakfast I was encouraged to go. Someone lent me a stroller and another person offered me a sling. I was so glad I went. I love to get out and see Haiti while I'm there. It was challenging getting around with the boys at Fort Jacques, but I had people helping me. We enjoyed having lunch at the Baptist Mission, but I didn't shop. There were just too many breakables and I wasn't comfortable walking around with the boys. We drove back to the hotel and learned that my luggage was finally available. Someone went to get it and I cheered when they rolled the bags to my room. I had just enough time to sort donations and gifts for peoples' kids before we headed back to the orphanage to return our children.

As we drove down the bumpy road to the orphanage I held the boys close and thought of the irony of the drive. When I get to Haiti I can't get to the orphanage fast enough. But when it's time to leave, the drive there couldn't be long enough. We got to the orphanage and had a little over an hour to spend with our kids. It was just Courtney and I, as the rest of the team was leaving the day after us. I delivered my donations to the office and gave gifts to some kids from their parents and got pictures. Then I spent time with my boys. Samuel was running a fever so they gave him some medicine and wrapped a wet cloth aroung his head. He looked so funny! I hung out with the boys on a couch and then fed them before it was time to go. I hadn't finished feeding them when it was time to go, so I brough their food to the nannies. They finished feeding Noah before I left, so I had to actually place him in a nannies arms. He screamed and cried for me. It was horrible. Samuel was eating, so he was distracted and didn't realize I was leaving. Oh, how I hate to leave them there. It is gut-wrenching. No mom should have to do that repeatedly. That's the fourth time I've had to say goodbye. It gets harder, not easier. Courtney and I cried and held each other on the way back to the hotel. We got to our room and quietly began packing. We knew it was time to go up to dinner, but we weren't ready to face the other families who still had their children. Finally they called us to tell us our dinner was getting cold and we went up to dinner. I couldn't eat. And if you know me, you know that's not usually a problem for me. Courtney and I shared our testimonies with the group. I shared about how hard it is to leave the boys and how it gets harder each time I do it. I told them that I suspect God is breaking my heart each time because it's out of that utter brokenness that we are better able to do His work. I guess I needed a lot of breaking. We stayed up late that night, talking with others and catching up on email. We took advantage of not having our kids with us. Finally, at about 11 I returned to the room to finish packing and go to bed.

Friday morning we woke up bright and early and headed to the aiport. We got checked in with no problems and our flight was thankfully on time. Courtney and I said goodbye in Ft. Lauderdale, as she lives not far from there. I flew home later that day and my luggage made it.

On Thursday night I began to lose my voice. Friday morning I felt horrible, but God sustained me through the long day of travel and through a BBQ the next afternoon. After that I crashed. I have been pretty sick all week long, and I'm not 100% yet. Nights are the worst because that's when the coughing begins. I saw a Dr. on Tuesday and learned that this is just a nasty upper respiratory infection. I've never been sick for this many days in a row before. I finally got out of the house today, and that was nice.

I took a lot of pictures, and hopefully I will add some to the blog soon. I do have a Snapfish Album that I can share if you're interested. Just shoot me an email at ittybitties@msn.com for the link.