We were indeed blessed with fans all night, but the air was so close, it was still the warmest night on the island. I don’t wish to imagine how much warmer without the fans! The generator did cut off at 6:00 and the team began stirring. There was still some question about our expected departure time from the island, but in fairly short order Timizou informed Leon that we would be wise to depart right after breakfast to avoid heavy winds and rough seas, so the team ate quickly, loaded the truck with luggage and reluctantly set off down the familiar path to the boat launch. It was time to go but it gets no easier to say goodbye…
Our friends joined us, as most would be returning to Les Cayes with us. I am told there may be a Carnival celebration in Cayes tonight but I am not certain we will see them. They are an important part of our mission, but more importantly, they are our friends and we will miss them until the next time!
Turns out the earlier departure time was a very wise move as we made the crossing in just over 1 hour with fair winds and following seas the whole way! Once all were unloaded it took a few trips to get all the team and luggage to Nora and Leon’s home, which is very lovely and situated to catch the cooling sea breezes…so welcoming.
After everyone had the chance to cool off on the terrace, we had lunch and then loaded up a truck to go into town. We visited the general hospital, where we walked through the children’s ward – open ward, some children unattended and some likely abandoned…conditions that we would never accept for our families, and this is more expensive than many can afford in this community. We must do everything we can on Ile a Vache to care for the people there and hopefully prevent the need for hospital admissions!
There was a very interesting site on the hospital grounds which will most certainly warrant further investigation, if we are ever able to consider remote clinics on the even smaller islands between Les Cayes and Ile a Vache. I am very intrigued!
Once we returned from our “field trip”, most lounged on the terrace to once again cool off. I took a shower to wash away the day’s dust and perspiration, and immediately found my way to the rooftop…NO surprise. Best breeze in the house, and even some large trees for shade…JACKPOT! If we do not visit Carnival tonight, this where I will be with a cold beverage before lights out!
It will likely be an early night as we have plans to depart for Port au Prince by 6:30am to avoid the kind of traffic and demonstrations we encountered on the way down. Right now the smells of dinner are finding there way to the roof and it is sure to be delicious…best 3 words spoken on these trips are: “Food is ready.” And I am hungry! Thank you Adeline and Gislene…and even Neal, who was getting some Creole cooking lessons this week!!
So that will be all for today. I will add to our story once we are back in Port au Prince tomorrow. Please pray for our safe travels as we are now turning our thoughts to reuniting with our loved ones. We miss you all and cannot wait to see you soon.
Love to All,
The Team
Abandoned babies and no care in sight is too grim! It’s easy to see why you return. Can the tide be turned? Probably not, but I’m sure the motivation is to minimize the harm as best you can. All the very best, to all concerned, Budd Adams