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Wednesday October 15th, 2008: Day 7

This morning was totally different than the rest. When I woke up, I had no clue where I was! I quickly realized that I was at the Hotel Montana. It was so weird to not be woken up by goats bleating, cows mooing, and roosters crowing. It was very quiet. Oddly quiet. I actually felt out of place, like things were not right for some reason. I guess I felt more at ease or myself when I was in La Gonave! Who would have thunk it!?

Laura and I got to sleep in! We woke up at 6am! The team agreed to meet down in the Lobby at 7am to check out and then head to the airport. We got dressed and packed our last minute items. We got to the Lobby at 6:45am, we thought we were early. We were almost the last people to get there! I guess everyone else was still on Lotore time, waking up at 5am!

Check out was smooth. Pere Soner arrived with his truck to haul all of our luggage and supplies. We were carrying a much lighter load home than what we came with, so it was easier. Gary came to pick us up with his van and we all loaded up, for the final time. We were not sure how bad the traffic would be, so we wanted to allow plenty of time to get the airport.

We left the Hotel Montana and made our way through the city streets of PAP.

Tap-Tap

All of the women carry HUGE loads on their heads! It is amazing! They must have very good posture!

We made it to the airport by 8am with no problems. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 10am. When we were unloading at the airport, it seemed very hurried. There were many people around and I didn't really know what to do or where to go. There were a lot of Haitian airport employees (I guess they are called Stewards?) that were gathering our bags. Of course Dave aka "Big Boss" was in charge of handling the money to pay the guys for carrying our bags. I am so glad that we had one person in charge of all the money and I am so thankful that he took on the position! He did great and made it much easier for the rest of us. I am sure it was a little stressful for him though. Thanks again Dave!

Once we were inside the airport, we went through the metal detector. We then got in line at our ticket counter to check our bags and get our tickets. We then headed through yet another line of security/customs (passports stamped, metal detectors, x-ray bags, etc.).

Matt going through security.

I had forgotten how exhausting traveling can be! Everyone got through all of the security check points with no problems! We had a little time to spare, so we shopped around. I found some great items! If you ever go to Haiti, go shopping at the airport! You will find great souvenirs.

Before I knew it, it was time for us to board our plane to Ft. Lauderdale.

Loading onto the plane. Goodbye Haiti!

When we loaded onto the plane I realized that I was sitting in first class! What! It was very nice and it made me feel special. Even better, Brewster was sitting next to me!

Once we were in the air, Brewster took out his lap top so we could look at pictures and video footage he took while we were in Lotore. It was nice to see all of the pictures, but it also broke my heart. It was hard knowing and seeing what we were leaving behind in Haiti. It was a bittersweet moment though because we were heading home to see our families and friends! How could you not be excited about that!

We landed in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. U.S. soil. God Bless America! It is good to be home!

We got all of our luggage at the international baggage claim and then had to go through U.S. Customs. Now, they do not play around (which is a good thing). They are very serious about their jobs and you want to make sure you mind your P's and Q's when going through customs in America! Everything went fine, no one was detained or arrested (not that they should have been), yeah!

We now had to cross the airport to change terminals for our next flight. Once we got to the correct terminal, we tried to go ahead and check our bags and get our tickets for the next flight. We had a six hour lay-over and did not want to have to lug all of our bags and boxes around the airport, ugh. Of course, the devil immediately started messing with us as we ran into some extremely unpleasant people. I will not go into details, but it was not pretty. I had to walk away because I did not want to get caught up in the drama, plus I wanted to stay in my Haitian state of mind.

Thank goodness a supervisor heard that we had just returned from a mission trip to Haiti, and she was Haitian! She helped us get everything straightened out and I don't think she charged us for the extra bag! She even thanked us for serving her brothers and sisters in Haiti, wow! When the devil tries to get in the way and hinder us, the LORD comes to our rescue every time! Praise God!

Once that burden was off of our shoulders, it was time for us to find something to eat. Our first American meal! We found a sit down restaurant, Chili's. Everyone was so excited choosing what they were going to eat. When the waitress asked me what I wanted to drink, I asked if they had Dr. Pepper (my favorite drink). She said, "No, but we have Mr. Pibb". I screamed! I actually screamed ( I know I am a moron) because they had Mr. Pibb (Dr. Pepper's brother)! Of course I said yes, if my scream didn't give it away already. I bet no one could tell I was excited about that (sarcasm)!

After downing my ice cold Mr. Pibb, I ate cheese dip and chips. Yum! Then I ate a huge cheeseburger with french fries! AHHHH! It was soooo good!

Everyone enjoyed their meals and just relaxed. There was a sense of excitement amongst all of us because we knew we were not too far from home. I tried to take it all in, because I knew that this was probably the last time we would all be together as a team. It was a little sad for me, but we still enjoyed each others company laughing and telling stories.

I had the opportunity to call my family and let them know that I was in the US and I was fine. It was so good to hear their voices and know that they were okay.

We then walked to our gate to wait. We still had about 4 hours to kill. We walked around, looked in the stores, ate ice cream, read, listened to music, called family and friends, and talked with each other.

Some of us slept.

I sat for awhile by myself. I was watching all of the people around us. People rushing from one place to the other, talking on their cell phones, yelling at the airline employees, watching TV, etc. It was stimulus overload for me. It was hard to remember that we had just come from such a peaceful and rewarding experience. Now were were being thrown back into the real world again. I quickly realized that this was the world we lived in. A world where most people are ungrateful, rude, selfish, and too busy to care.

I wanted to scream out to people and let them know that there were worse things in life than being late for a flight or mad because someone messed up their coffee order. I wanted to tell them about the people in Haiti and what I had just experienced this past week . I was very frustrated. It was so good to be home, but hard to be in such a negative environment. I had to really focus on the Lord and pray for some clarity.

After some quiet time to myself, I began talking with other team members, mainly the veterans. I wanted some insight on how they had coped with their "re-entries" in the past. From what I gathered, it was different for everyone. For some, it hit them immediately. For others, it may have taken a few weeks. Mine was already slapping me in the face. I knew that I had to keep my eyes on the Lord and focus on him. I had to remember our experience in Haiti and not get jaded by the real world.

Before I knew it, it was time for us to board the plane for our final leg home! I was so excited to get home and see my family! I sat in a regular seat this time (being even more thankful for my first class seat on my last flight). The flight was uneventful and peaceful for me. A time to reflect on the past week and realize how my life was changed. I have been blessed in so many ways! I thank the Lord for revealing my call and purpose in this world. I cannot wait for the next chapter of my life and where the Lord will lead me!

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