Plan Change

We are at the Port au Prince airport, waiting for our flight to Miami and on to Michigan later today, Lord willing.

The past couple months have been hard, it is hard watching the country you have lived in for years fall apart.

We haven't been to a grocery store since the end of July, no mail for 3 months, no internet indoors for 3 months [not related to the political crisis but still hard]. Some of our friends in cities can dash out during a calm moment for supplies and their friends let them know if they should rapidly return home because trouble is starting.

Our remote rural location is peaceful but makes it even harder to travel for supplies. So with huge uncertainties about the future and increasing danger, Cory decided it would be best to return to Michigan for a needed break and family time. Also the idea that if the phones and or internet stopped working we would be totally isolated.

We had hoped to go to LaGonave, see friends there, and do some banking there before continuing on to Port au Prince on an MAF flight.

However starting last week the road to the wharf was mostly blocked so we delayed the plan to drive Saturday.  The police have worked to open the road but even last night there were barricades with people shooting at cars to turn them back.

Saturday evening, with council from several people, we knew the roads to Port-au-Prince should be good Sunday (Monday/today would not be good) so we had a mission employee meet us at the bottom of the mountain yesterday and drive us to a hotel next to the airport, arriving before noon.

We are very thankful for a safe place to park our truck while we are gone, that the drive was uneventful, and that there was traffic but it was light traffic and no road blocks.

Also thankful for Golden Rule Travel who changed our tickets last night from Wednesday to Monday so we don't have to wait a couple extra days at the hotel.

Most of all, thank you for the prayers and please continue praying for Haiti. There is no end in sight for the political problems without the Lords help.

As we sat at the hotel pool I, (Cory) was reading "Promises in the Dark" by Eric McLaughlin. The Missionary doctor to Africa was telling about J.R.R. Tolkien's term "eucatastrophes". He describes them as "victory snatched out of the jaws of defeat...  Out of the deepest defeat explodes a shock of victory... It happens in a way that makes sense of the rest of the story. It is the best kind of ending." So some examples are the Lord of the Rings story and Christmas and the resurrection of Jesus.

Praying for His victory! Praising Him even in the middle of this political storm that is and will continue to cause much suffering in Haiti. God loves the Haitian people.  Praying and hoping to return soon once things stabilize. Thank you for your prayers.