We've arrived!

We arrived safely on two different flights yesterday. The Atlanta group arrived first and were lounging by the Visa Lodge pool in Port au Prince when the rest of the group arrived. Terry and Stevie had traveled to Minneapolis on Thursday, where they flew with the Mn group to Newark Friday morning. There, they met up with Bob who had flown to Newark from DC. The logistics of getting us all together in one place to begin our adventure together are daunting!

Our priest, Pere Kerwin, his wife  Rholcie, daughter Kercie (age 4),son  Rholker (age 9 mos), and Kerwin's brother Roosnel joined us for a festive dinner, during which Jessica taught Kercie "Little Bunny Fru-fru", a perrenial favorite sure to get a laugh.

This morning, after a great breakfast to fortify us for the day, we traveled from PAP to Leogane, with people and luggage loaded into the back of the "big" truck. Every trip to Haiti is different and this one has been no exception. Traveling through PAP in the back of a truck was a first.

We got to see the city from a new perspective. It's amazing how much cleaner the city is than in the past. Many of the camps have been disassembled and the people moved elsewhere. Where, we do not know. New plants and Haitian flags adorn many of the medians on the main highway out of PAP.

Similarly, the Hopital Ste.Croix guesthouse has been completely renovated. Every room has air conditioning, but the rumor of hot water, was, in fact,a rumor. Everything is newly painted, and all the windows have been replaced with modern windows, with screens which eliminate the need for mosquito nets in our rooms. We are all comfortably situated in "Jack and Jill" rooms, single rooms, with a connecting bath. We're in the lap of luxury!

Everyone always wants to know about the food. Janine and her staff are awesome cooks, and we are all glad that is one thing which has not changed.

We spent this afternoon and this evening orgainzing the meds, stuffing bagswith toothbrushes, and now we're counting pills and packing them for our first clinic. We were just joined by a group from Knoxville who arrived having been driven through PAP in the back of the truck from the airport in the dark. They are here to help build a church up in the mountains. It's always fun to meet new people with similar passions.

Another new event for most of us today was seeing acupuncture live! Our RN Cynthia, is an acupuncturist and treated Terry S. for his bad shoulder. He pronounced it a great success! This treatment was not recorded for publication on the web!

Those of us who are returning to Haiti have been reflecting today on the peace which we feel as soon as we get out of the airport, and especially as we travel on the Leogane road. The thin places in Haiti are reflected in the faces of those we've encountered along the way, strangers that we'll never know and those we joyfully greeted as we renewed old friendships. We are blessed to be here with and among friends.