Craig reflects:
The day begins with mixed emotions as this is our last full day in Haiti. We are saying goodbye to Petit Goave and the place that has been home for five days. As Emanuel said yesterday as we left Fond Douxe, we are not friends, we are family - brothers and sisters in Christ - and we will always share that connection. So we are saying goodbye to family yet beginning to transition back to our families back home in the U.S. We have missed them very much, but we have been loved and supported by our wonderful Christian family in Haiti.
Following our most sumptuous breakfast, we shared our devotion time. Pastor Maude then joined us to thank us and present us with certificates of appreciation and gifts. The van and truck from Petionville we found out would be a little later than expected due to a flat tire. We spent the time in conversation and final packing while Pastor Maude and some of her staff dealt with the coloring books, crayons, toys, painting supplies, and clothes that we brought for distribution. Once the vehicles arrived, we made the trek down the long driveway to the road because they had cut off access in order to put in sidewalks.
Thus began the typical (if there is ever such a thing) ride back to Port au Prince. We asked for a tour of sorts of the city. Our first stop was the Presidential Palace which still stands in ruins. My first impression is how ironic that the symbol of government in Haiti is in ruins and in front a stage and bleachers are being set up for the inauguration of a new president on Saturday. He brings with him the hope of a nation and perhaps a new beginning.
Next stop was at the National Cathedral - the church where despite the collapse of the walls, the large crucifix remained standing, unadorned. I was pleasantly surprised to see large machinery present beginning to tear down walls and clean out the rubble. Perhaps this will be the symbol of Haiti's resurrection.
From the National Cathedral, we traveled up the mountain to the Hotel Montana - the site where we lost the head of UMCOR in the earthquake. We stopped and had a prayer in the garden set aside to remember all who perished that day. We took in the view from around the hotel grounds - a view of contrasts. You could see out into the Bay of Port au Prince. There were fine houses, some with swimming pools and then there was rubble. We could see the airport and houses with tin and tarped roofs. Looking the other way, there were hundreds of houses on the hillside, many collapsed, many with tarps for roofs, and some sections of the hillside that were washed away. This was truly a scene of contrasts.
To our surprise, the hotel was open and they were serving lunch out on this beautiful patio even as construction on the collapsed portions of the hotel were continuing. We decided to begin the transition by indulging a bit with a nice lunch with a great view of a beautiful land. No translation necessary because the menu was also printed in English. As we prepared to leave to return to the Guest House in Petionville, we met a doctor and her husband, a retired doctor from Bronxville, NY. They were native Haitians who came back at least twice a year on medical missions. They had come back for the inauguration. After a pleasant conversation, we parted company and took the short ride to the Guest House.
A fine dinner awaited us and a time of debriefing with Tom Vencuss. We spend the rest of the evening trying to figure out how we are going to be able to relate the powerful experience we have just had and what we might do to continue the mission we have been called to. I guess we will have to leave that in God's hand and be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit as to what is next for each of us.
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