[fb-like-button]
If you gave of your time, money, and resources to support my cause for Haiti, this one is for you. I want you to take a minute—just one minute, sit back in your chair, and take a good look at this picture. Stare long and hard but don’t think too hard about it.
Then consider what those numbers mean. Those aren’t just percentages and dates. Those numbers are an edifice to the power of many in support of one. They are evidence to the long understood truth that when many people band together for a single cause, amazing things happen. That ticker did not move from 0% to 95% within 60 days because I know what I’m doing or I because I have some rich sultan somewhere that paid for my ticket (which would have been nice by the way). In fact, I had exactly only $210 set aside when I made the commitment to go and spend time with orphans in Haiti. The only thing I knew for sure, was that I wouldn’t get anywhere by asking people for money; so how did the funds come? That’s a post for another day; for now, I just want to say a BIG thank you and celebrate the closure of accepting donations towards my trip to Haiti :~)
That said, if you read this post where I mention some of the crazy things that have happened to me, then you are fully aware that I’m one of those people that even if I were to hide under my bed all day, drama would probably find a way of fishing me out. I can’t explain it, but c’est la vie. To cut a long story short, I was scheduled to be on the first American Airlines flight to Haiti yesterday, December 9th but that flight never happened…*insert dramatic music here*
The Drama…oh the Drama!
Why? You ask? Well, just a few hours to our departure, disaster erupted in Port Au Prince. Some Haitians are very unhappy with the election results that were announced and so they started setting things like tires, buildings, and pretty much any combustible item in their paths on fire. Rubber bullet shootings followed, then road barricades and hand grenades–I’m sure your imaginations can fill in the blanks. I’m okay with some drama here and there, but definitely not this kind. To my knowledge, the US Embassy in Port Au Prince was forced to close due to the unrest and American Airlines cancelled all inbound and outbound flights.
I feel absolutely terrible about what’s happening but I would be quite remiss if I don’t acknowledge that I am fortunate to have steps that have been ordered by God. This post would have been a lot different if I had scheduled my flight just 24 hours earlier. I would have been stranded in Haiti with only 1 pair of shoes. Unacceptable!
The Plan Moving Forward…
While I’m trying to keep this post light hearted and positive, the situation in Port Au Prince is dire and all Global Orphan Project (GOP) staff are currently on lock down. It will probably be a few weeks before things calm down so the members of my Haiti-bound team and I are all working patiently with the GOP to set a new date for our trip. I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop as more information becomes available, but for now, we’re hanging tight and hoping that the violence stops!
