Haiti Team Update #1

July 26, 2013

The first day of travel is over. The Chicago team has arrived in Miami where they met the rest of the team. A few came earlier from Las Vegas, and one arrived just a bit ago from Maryland. In all, there are 12 on the team. Several are medical folks, but those who aren't will have a role to play in that ministry, too. There will also be ministry to children as well as teaching and preaching on Sunday by one of our team members. All will be busy!

Tonight is about getting together for the first time, beginning to see themselves as a team, and sharing a late pizza dinner and some prayer time before heading off to rest. Tomorrow will find them heading back to the Miami airport for a flight to Port au Prince that is scheduled to leave at 10:00 EST. It's a two hour flight.

The scene at the PAP airport is chaotic. Getting 24 50 pound duffel bags (each team member carried two) of supplies through customs is daunting. But those supplies are crucial for their ministry this week, and well worth the effort.

A long bus ride follows until they arrive at the Guest House at Cambry, outside of Les Cayes. It is quite nice by Haitian standards and they will be well taken care of and warmly welcomed.

For tonight and tomorrow, please pray for these things:

• Rest and good fellowship together tonight before they start a week with little "downtime" and where the needs will be immense.
• Safe and smooth travel - by bus, plane, and bus again. The drive to Cambry is typically 4 hours. 
• For all of the duffels to arrive safely and move swiftly through customs without delay or disruption. 
• For a good spirit to build among the team members, as they get to know each other in unfamiliar settings.
• For health, for electricity, for resiliency in the heat. Haiti's power grid requires rolling blackouts to work at all, and sometimes it can be out for hours. The team will be in need of a cool place to sleep each night after working in the summer heat of tropical Haiti. The peak daytime temperature could feel like 115 degrees, given the level of humidity. 

The attached picture is of one of the little ones at an orphanage they will be visiting. Although these children don't have much and are greatly benefit from the medical care and attention our teams can provide, they give a lot back to our team, too. Look at that smile!