Wonderful and Strange

By the time I get home to Haiti on Tuesday I will have been on seven planes in ten days and had nine speaking appointments. It has been wonderful and strange all at the same time. Being in the States can be overwhelming. When you live in a third world you don't always have the ability to make so many choices. Going someplace may involve waiting until everyone who needs a ride is ready and dropping off several others along the way. You are almost never alone. It is almost never quite. When you go to the store you are very limited in the things available to buy. Many times you never come home with what you had planned to get simply because it wasn't available or the quality was very poor. So, going to Costco almost took my breath away. I wanted to cry when I saw the huge pile of beautiful Granny Smith apples. My mom said, why didn't you buy some? I don't really know? I had it in my mind to get some, but at that point I just wanted to get my things and leave. It was very strange....

I still can't get over going to a restaurant for dinner the other night that had a wheelbarrow just inside the front door. I didn't get it at first, but I finally made the connection when I began to look at the all the photographs on the wall. Each photo was of a person who had eaten too much. The deal was, if you ate too much you would sit in the wheelbarrow, they took your picture, posted it on the wall of fame and escorted you to the front door via the wheelbarrow since you would be too full to walk by yourself. I don't want to be critical of the blessings this country has but it just seemed so wrong to be able to have so much food you could really do something like that and find it funny.
It too was very strange....

On the wonderful part...my grandfather, who is 90 years old took his very first air plane ride from Minnesota to Georgia while I was here. He said, it was fantastic and he loved every minute of it. I thought he might be scared. Nope! He is still talking about it. He has come to stay for the winter since he can't afford his heating bill any longer and the winter is too cold and long now that my grandmother is gone.

My dad's operation was on Friday - he is doing well! Thank you to all of you who have been praying for him. It has been so good to be here with my family and to see so many of my friends. Yes, I am homesick for Haiti, but I am so grateful for the people that God has placed in my life to make what we are doing in Haiti easier.

Thanks Robert, Tammy, Meri, Pam, Laura, Claudia, Lynda, Mom and Dad!!