A Bumpy Beginning...
Trip Start
Jun 19, 2009
1
6
17
Trip End
Jun 27, 2009
Miami,
Florida,
United States
Friday, June 19, 2009
unique. You were not made from a common mold."
Our group is wonderful, all different but all family as well! So much talent, kindness, and love is in each person! I'm grateful to share this experience with them. Today is the first day of our journey, although months have been spent preparing. Ben graciously drives me up to SJV at 5:00. Sleep has eluded me the night before between giddy nervousness and a thunderstorm which has brought two children into my already cramped bed! Father Mike is up, looking a little bleary-eyed himself, and sends us off with a wonderful prayer service and blessing. The twenty-two, fifty pound bags are jammed into a mini bus which we take to the airport (courtesy of our chauffeur, Chris Nye)
Just some of our bags....
. All goes smoothly at check in and soon we are on the plane, and on the plane, and on the plane (did I mention that it is a little plane at that). Laurie entertains us with complicated nursing stories using words like perseverate! It's a little too early to think that hard! We are not taking off due to a broken button. Maintenance issues are not what I want to hear! When we finally take off there is lots of turbulence due to passing storms. The plane actually does a dip and people gasp loudly! I have flown quite a bit and I have to say this is the only time I have ever been filled with such anxiety. Of course it's not helpful when your travel buddy continuously asks "what do you think that noise was"! I put on my Ipod, shut the window cover, and pray the rosary for the first hour. We are spending our first night in Miami. The good news is one last sleep in a comfy bed and one last quality meal! The bad news is we have to haul all 22 bags to our hotel and cram them in our rooms. We finally make it to the hotel with all our items and head out to the pool for a little relaxation (this mission stuff is tough I tell you)! As Bill, our fearless leader will tell you, group bonding is very important! We have our last meal at a Cuban restaurant and it is outstanding plus the mojitos, with ice, turn my stressful beginning into a blissful ending. I call home to chat and am greeted with arguing over who lost Will's DS game. Hundreds of miles away and I'm still needed to referee. Thank goodness there is no cell phone service in Haiti! It's nice to go to bed clean and cool as I know it will be over a week till I can say that again!
