So for those who follow our travels from year to year, you will not be surprised to learn that once again Mother Nature threw us a curve ball. Months of planning and preparation and all it took was about 12hrs of snow and ice to shut down Greensboro and cancel our flight. Sounding familiar to you 2010 travelers? Well this time it happened during the day as people were already on their way to check in to our overnight hotel (NOT the Roach Motel of last year but a Hampton Inn no less). We were to have our now traditional team dinner, one last hot shower, a good night’s rest and awaken excited for the week ahead in our “little piece of heaven”….yeah, not so much!
The team stopped in their tracks as Angel Missions frantically attempted to reschedule the flight and repeatedly came up empty. Once we expanded our search, it became apparent that the only way we would be getting to our destination was to leave from Atlanta at 6:30AM….today! It was 8:30PM Friday night and “The Greensboro Seven” was on the road to Atlanta-among us, our new member Sarah…again the family grows. At 3:00AM we pulled in to a deserted ATL airport exhausted, but still full of anticipation….we had arrived with time to spare! We had wonderful assistance from a ticket agent at 4:30AM and got all luggage checked without incident…a very pleasant surprise as we were competing with a busload of Spring Breakers headed for Miami and destinations further on.
I think we all collapsed once in our seats and were snoozing before the safety video got started….best power nap ever! Once in Miami airport we united with 2 of our new members, Melisa who had arrived from Jacksonville an hour earlier and then Chelsea who arrived from Boston at about the same time as our flight. We all enjoyed breakfast, which included a healthy mix of fruit and vegetables in a spicy red sauce, and waited for the next leg of our journey…and moreso, the arrival at St Joseph’s, the reunion with some cherished friends and yes, the anticipated nap on the roof!
Our flight to Haiti was mostly uneventful, although Melisa nearly had to perform resuscitation on a man sitting next to her who sounded like he was trying to inhale his tongue. Our passage through immigration and customs was relatively smooth and we could hear the rooftop calling…but no….once we arrived there was more box sorting to do, a wonderful road trip to see progress on Josi’s home….oh yeah, I nearly forgot, we were greeted as usual by the always grinning Josi at the airport and I spent the ride to St Joseph’s catching up. He is doing well in school and working as hard as ever. Same Josi. We also met a new friend, Bob, who will be joining us to Jolivert tomorrow to help Vanessa with the school. The family continues to grow.
Now we have finished a fine meal at the dining table of St. Joseph’s and are exhausted, but yes…we will make it to the roof for some cooling breezes and winding down before bed. We have another long ride tomorrow and the hope of catching up with Kez and Christine before continuing on to Jolivert to start our work.
As I close this “tome”, I find myself missing my great friend Peter and praying for his complete and speedy recovery. I know you all share in this sentiment. I also find myself feeling so honored to be associated with all the fine people who I have traveled and worked with on these trips. As I started off, this trip like the others had it’s hurdles and curve balls and the team showed it’s true mettle once again. I realize there were no unexpected visits to Detroit this time and no lost bags for days and days, but a 7 hour road trip starting at 8:30 PM definitely ranks up there.
Just know we are all well and surrounded by friends. We look forward to the week ahead and also to reuniting with family to share our experiences. We love you all and will surely miss you!
Adam