And so it begins....

Our Journey to Haiti

We weren't even sure if we would make it to the airport this past Wednesday. Tuesday was a beautiful day, nice cool weather with a breeze. And then the silly cold front hit. It started snowing as soon as we pulled out of my parents driveway where we had been living since moving out of our cozy little apartment. Saying good bye to our "honeymoon home" was an exciting step leading up to our departure, but it was a bit sad too. As we made our way to Denver, the snow got worse, and we hit morning traffic trying to enter the city. 

Finally we made it to Denver International Airport. After saying our goodbyes (one of the hardest things I have ever done) we went through security, found our gate, and boarded our plane, ready to take off... or so we thought. The plane that everyone had just boarded was emptied because of mechanical reasons, but after switching flights, and switching flights back (I totally felt like I was on the Amazing Race for a few minutes because of the anticipation) we were off! The little man did amazing on his first airplane ride! He probably thought it was the best thing ever to be in mom and dad's lap while traveling! 

Our first stop was in Dallas where Jay's brother and sister-in-law had driven up to hang out with us for the afternoon and meet little Isaac. Unfortunately we didn't end up being with them for long because of all the delays at the beginning of our travels, but it was nice to see friendly faces and share a quick meal. It was back through security and off to our next destination!

On our flight to Miami, our poor little guy was not happy. It was bed time and we couldn't go through our usual bed time routine. It was such a blessing to be complimented on his behavior after the flight by understanding passengers. (Apparently they have seen worse?) By this point we were all exhausted. Our flight had gotten in around midnight, and we had not had much sleep the night before. There was no point in getting a hotel room (Our flight to Haiti was only seven hours away) so we bunked in the terminal for slightly restful evening. (Did you know that CNN pretty much runs the same stories over and over all night? Did you know that MIA doesn't turn the volume down on their TVs at night? Now you know.) There are times when I wish I could sleep like a baby.... this was one of those times. 

Finally we were on our way out of the country! Little man was fast asleep before and during the flight, which was amazing because we both caught some shut eye in the plane.  It was exciting hearing people around us speak Creole, a good reminder that our journey was close to its end.

We landed in Port-au-Prince and easily breezed through immigration gathered our bags (All seven of them!!!) and was waved through customs. As we hit the heat of the Caribbean, I saw me first friendly face, my good friend Claudy who was in my Discipleship Training School with me two years ago. He, Freeman, and another YWAM Haitian loaded our bag up in the van, and we we off for our first Haitian adventure, the grocery store. It was interesting trying to remember how to handle Haitian currency and exchange rates, but I think we did pretty good for ourselves on our first trip. (I think I will explain currency a bit in another post, it is quite confusing)  After loading everything up, we started the drive to our new home....

Almost ready for Isaac's first plane ride!

Whoa dad! This is weird!

Sleeping in MIA

Happy to be in Haiti.... but still so sleepy

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After arriving here in Haiti, I have made a decision. I am going to start another blog within this website (in addition to this ministry one).... "How-To Haiti, A Foreigners guide to living in Haiti". The hope is to post all the ins and outs of living here from figuring out how to put up a mosquito net, to preparing Haitian cuisine and understanding the culture. Having said this, if there is anything you are curious about, let Jay or I know! We would love to satisfy your curiosity! 

Thank you for all the support! We are so immensely blessed by you!

-Kate