Well, we didn’t bust…with the exception of one of our bags
anyway. But what would a trip like this be without any adventure right. We
decided that we shouldn’t wait until we made it to Haiti to start the adventure
either.
Most of our days started at 3:00 am, perhaps a bit earlier. Rich
was the first to the airport at 4:00, well in advance of our departure of
6:30am. Jerry, Chris and Christy followed shortly thereafter. All of the rest
of us arrived at the planned 4:30am, or so we envisioned. Reality was we made it
to the church at 4:00am and realized that Chuck, Teren and I didn’t know the
code to the garage to pull out the church van. We called at least 15 other
Berean members and no one answered their phones (not really). I called Jerry
and he gave me a few codes that also didn’t work. We tried everything…last 4 of
his social security number, his mom’s birthday, his first date with
Collette…nothing. We decided to go into the church and see what we could find,
but Teren didn’t bring her keys. We decided to start to switch to plan B. Linda
had brought Chuck, we were going to load up our stuff in her car and have Joshua
Doredla drive the Maceno’s van…but we realized we had 12 other large checked
bags. We decided they would not all fit in one minivan and a Ford
Focus!
Joshua arrived a bit later to drive us to the airport…we
scrambled around to track down van keys, finally found the right set and headed
out to move the van to load the baggage (found out the garage key pad didn’t
work). Long story short, we did not pull into the departures at the airport
until 5:35am.
An amazing lady at the outside baggage check-in scrambled hard to
get us checked in and managed to do so (after some weight rearrangement amongst
the bags) just before the 6:00am cutoff. We made it thru security, well, all but
Jerry. A bag he didn’t pack needed to be checked. Jerry and I were the last ones
thru. I asked if he wanted me to wait so that he would have a companion on the
Saturday flight to Haiti. He turned to me, as the canned chicken, pudding packs
and other contraband he had no explanation for were being pulled out of his bag,
arms reaching forward to the closest TSA agent waiting for the handcuffs to
click, and said with conviction, “If I perish, I perish.”
Question for you to consider – have you ever seen 11 Bereans run
thru an airport frantic to make a flight? It was like an O.J. Simpson commercial
– Dashing down the hall, hurtling baggage, knocking aside the weak and elderly
(Chris couldn’t document this in photo form – there was no time). In all
seriousness, I made the gate at 6:20 or later with Jerry still behind
me.
What did we learn? God is still in control! Can you believe that
a check-in agent, with a great attitude worked with us for a half hour straight
to get our bags checked (Rich and Pierre behind the counter throwing bags onto
the conveyer!).Can you believe we ALL made a flight with us arriving to the
gate no earlier that 15min before takeoff (Jerry maybe 5 min before scheduled
takeoff)? Can you believe that all of our bags made it onto the plane and all
the way on To Haiti? Can you believe that Jerry made it thru security with a
bag he didn’t pack (a managing TSA agent had to give him the ok…and did!) Can
you believe that all of our carryon baggage had room overhead? God was kindly
working on our behalf, blazing a trail for us to Haiti. (Pr
16:9)
We made it into Port au Prince to the stark reality of what
physical hardship is really like. People massed in the streets trying to get
thru another day and have food on the table and a roof over their head.
Devastation is still evident throughout the city. Tent cities remain a fixture.
What a contrast to our “difficulties” in suburban Michigan. It seems like no
amount of aid can fix the visible problems in the city.
It is also a place of contrast. Cell phones in tent homes, Coke
ads next to pikes of rubble, a man who lowers his head as a camera is pointed
at him, yet raises it again with a smile to wave at Cloe in the bus window,
well-built Lotto huts (yes there is lottery in Haiti) next to destroyed
buildings.
We made it safely via a bus ride to the MEBSH guest house at
about 8:30pm, having seen so much - so many emotions running through your mind,
it is just hard to describe.
Pray for the people of Haiti. They have many needs, but none
greater than the same need we all have – a need for a relationship with Christ.
As Jerry reminded us last night – pray that God will conform us more and more
into the image of his Son, both the Haitians and us. Pray that our focus will
be to elevate Christ to the rightful position he deserves, preeminence in all
areas of our life
Col 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven
and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or
authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is
before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head
of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that
in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was
pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
making peace by the blood of his cross.
ESV
anyway. But what would a trip like this be without any adventure right. We
decided that we shouldn’t wait until we made it to Haiti to start the adventure
either.
Most of our days started at 3:00 am, perhaps a bit earlier. Rich
was the first to the airport at 4:00, well in advance of our departure of
6:30am. Jerry, Chris and Christy followed shortly thereafter. All of the rest
of us arrived at the planned 4:30am, or so we envisioned. Reality was we made it
to the church at 4:00am and realized that Chuck, Teren and I didn’t know the
code to the garage to pull out the church van. We called at least 15 other
Berean members and no one answered their phones (not really). I called Jerry
and he gave me a few codes that also didn’t work. We tried everything…last 4 of
his social security number, his mom’s birthday, his first date with
Collette…nothing. We decided to go into the church and see what we could find,
but Teren didn’t bring her keys. We decided to start to switch to plan B. Linda
had brought Chuck, we were going to load up our stuff in her car and have Joshua
Doredla drive the Maceno’s van…but we realized we had 12 other large checked
bags. We decided they would not all fit in one minivan and a Ford
Focus!
Joshua arrived a bit later to drive us to the airport…we
scrambled around to track down van keys, finally found the right set and headed
out to move the van to load the baggage (found out the garage key pad didn’t
work). Long story short, we did not pull into the departures at the airport
until 5:35am.
An amazing lady at the outside baggage check-in scrambled hard to
get us checked in and managed to do so (after some weight rearrangement amongst
the bags) just before the 6:00am cutoff. We made it thru security, well, all but
Jerry. A bag he didn’t pack needed to be checked. Jerry and I were the last ones
thru. I asked if he wanted me to wait so that he would have a companion on the
Saturday flight to Haiti. He turned to me, as the canned chicken, pudding packs
and other contraband he had no explanation for were being pulled out of his bag,
arms reaching forward to the closest TSA agent waiting for the handcuffs to
click, and said with conviction, “If I perish, I perish.”
Question for you to consider – have you ever seen 11 Bereans run
thru an airport frantic to make a flight? It was like an O.J. Simpson commercial
– Dashing down the hall, hurtling baggage, knocking aside the weak and elderly
(Chris couldn’t document this in photo form – there was no time). In all
seriousness, I made the gate at 6:20 or later with Jerry still behind
me.
What did we learn? God is still in control! Can you believe that
a check-in agent, with a great attitude worked with us for a half hour straight
to get our bags checked (Rich and Pierre behind the counter throwing bags onto
the conveyer!).Can you believe we ALL made a flight with us arriving to the
gate no earlier that 15min before takeoff (Jerry maybe 5 min before scheduled
takeoff)? Can you believe that all of our bags made it onto the plane and all
the way on To Haiti? Can you believe that Jerry made it thru security with a
bag he didn’t pack (a managing TSA agent had to give him the ok…and did!) Can
you believe that all of our carryon baggage had room overhead? God was kindly
working on our behalf, blazing a trail for us to Haiti. (Pr
16:9)
We made it into Port au Prince to the stark reality of what
physical hardship is really like. People massed in the streets trying to get
thru another day and have food on the table and a roof over their head.
Devastation is still evident throughout the city. Tent cities remain a fixture.
What a contrast to our “difficulties” in suburban Michigan. It seems like no
amount of aid can fix the visible problems in the city.
It is also a place of contrast. Cell phones in tent homes, Coke
ads next to pikes of rubble, a man who lowers his head as a camera is pointed
at him, yet raises it again with a smile to wave at Cloe in the bus window,
well-built Lotto huts (yes there is lottery in Haiti) next to destroyed
buildings.
We made it safely via a bus ride to the MEBSH guest house at
about 8:30pm, having seen so much - so many emotions running through your mind,
it is just hard to describe.
Pray for the people of Haiti. They have many needs, but none
greater than the same need we all have – a need for a relationship with Christ.
As Jerry reminded us last night – pray that God will conform us more and more
into the image of his Son, both the Haitians and us. Pray that our focus will
be to elevate Christ to the rightful position he deserves, preeminence in all
areas of our life
Col 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven
and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or
authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is
before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head
of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that
in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was
pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
making peace by the blood of his cross.
ESV
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