Travel in Haiti

Haiti has been unstable this year.  My trip home in October was up in the air until the last minutes.  Our church was enjoying its annual week of evening services as my travel day approached. Our theme was from Joshua chapter 6 where the wall of Jericho fell after six days of walking in silent obedience. The trip home seemed impossible with road blocks every day.  BUT, as happens sometimes, the protesters take a few days off.  It's true.  They need to move around and get some things done as well.  SO, on the day I was scheduled to go to Port, the country was calm. Vehicles were everywhere taking care of business...quickly.  My driver skirted one situation (two storage containers blocking the road) that would have made me turn around and come home, but I have learned to trust other people.  We went down dirt roads and came out on the other side of the containers.  From there, it was all good.  The 25-foot wall of Jericho was reduced to dust.  

Coming back was equally as tenuous. WEC was obliged to travel back to Haiti on November 11, otherwise he overstayed his VISA and would have trouble ever coming back to the USA.  Our tickets were for Monday, the worst day to travel.  Sundays tend to be the calm before the Monday storm.  We spent the night on the floor of Miami's airport not really knowing what we would do upon arrival.  I have two drivers I use.  Both were hesitant.  We investigated a flight with a small plane, but details seemed to not line up for a Monday flight. WEC remained confident, but I know that things seldom go smoothly in Haiti.

We landed ahead of schedule on the American Airlines flight. That is rare. Flights into Haiti are usually late. I received a message on my phone from a missionary in Fondeblan saying we could make the flight to his town if we RUSH through the airport and customs.  We deplaned and sped through immigration.  No questions. We got our luggage without delay.  We made it through customs with only a tiny pause.  WEC's cousin was waiting for WEC (for a document exchange).  We had him line up a taxi while he waited.  We took that taxi next door to the little airport where the MAF agent was smiling. He was waiting for us.  They weighed our bags (and our bodies) and put us on the Cessna plane headed for Fondeblan.  After that flight, it was a 30 minute drive down safe dirt roads to Pasbwadom.  

I am thankful that God arranged things we couldn't. I am living these days as extra blessings knowing God placed us safely here while the country is locked up.  (On the day of our flight, the highway was completely blocked two different places.)