I’m sorry you can’t get there from here…

In Haiti, there is no such thing as “on time” or “going according to plan.” You almost come to expect it.  It’s probably the reason I love the country so much. It’s always a surprise. However, I have never had a travel day so filled with surprises. If it could have happened, it did. The team member with our 15 bags of soccer supplies over-sleeps the 4am alarm. The team gets docked $360 in extra bag fees before we leave the terminal. The plane gets delayed in Miami twice. When we finally get boarded 2 hours late, the pilot comes on to tell us FAA regulations will not allow the flight crew to fly due to regulations. He continues his declaration of guilt by sharing that no replacements are available, the plane will be delayed until the morning and you must un-board the plane to get your free vouchers for a hotel and dinner. We then fight lines for the vouchers, the hotel shuttle and a hotel without enough rooms.

Don’t get me wrong, the day traveling to Haiti has always been interesting. It never fails. There is always a moment that will live in infamy.  You make a plan and some person, place, thing or event messes with the plan. While this day was way over the top, I can honestly say this was a great first day.

We actually had a lot of fun with some really touching moments. It was great to watch the team bond over a marathon card game of UNO and FORKS (spoons really but we couldn’t find any spoons). It was great to witness our team share our soccer cause with those who couldn’t resist our bright colored t-shirts. It gave me great hope in the next generation as I watched a few on our team chat with another youth mission team from Denver. It was inspiring to witness team members voluntarily give up their seats on the hotel shuttle, not once but twice, for the elderly and a young mother. Finally, it was almost overwhelming to hear one member say she really wished our flight would have taken off so instead of being in the hotel with a comics’ convention, we could have been sweating in Haiti and hanging with our orphan friends.

It’s been one long day and I wouldn’t have traded one moment. God is so good. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings and I won’t have to wait long. The alarm is set for 3:20am to catch the 4am shuttle back to the airport for the 6am flight.