09/15/2010

It is 7 am, but I have been awake since 6 am, just like almost every morning for the past 2 ½ months. Being back in America is weird. I feel like I’m back in reality. But I also know that being in Haiti is reality. Maybe it’s because I’ve wanted to be in Haiti longer than 10 days for the past 2 ½ years. Leaving was really hard.
Every time I’ve used the bathroom, I’ve looked for the trash can to put the toilet paper in, many times thinking to myself, ‘that’s not a very convenient place to put it. Oh right, I can flush it here.’ Men don’t stare at me and make kissing noises or cat calls. No one calls me ‘Baby’ and no one is trying to get me to buy from them instead of the next guy. I can understand most of the conversations going on around me. Children don’t yell “Hey you! Hey you! Hey you!” in a sing-songy voice or “blan!” (sounds like blah, means white or foreigner in Creole). Although I thought I heard a child yell ‘blan’ and I looked and it was a little Asian boy…not yelling at me. There are no potholes to avoid on the nice roads and highways. We wear seatbelts here and ride inside cars, not in the back of trucks. I slept on a couch, I wasn’t afraid that was sketchy and I couldn’t feel any springs. There were no people yelling, not any roosters crowing or chickens clucking to wake me up. I can’t hear the neighbors banging around pots and pans. I can’t hear anyone sweeping the concrete yard. There are no horns being honked. When I go outside later, I won’t have to take keys to unlock a gate keeping us safe. Although maybe we should gate ourselves in because my friend’s (my old roommates) house got broken into and 2 laptops were stolen recently. I can wash clothes later and not have to hand wash or fill the washing machine with water using buckets. I can use a DRYER!!! Praise the Lord!
God has blessed me so much already! Before I left, Pastor Carlos wanted to pray for me, so he, Pastor Georges, Hannah, Dani, Jude, Vogly and I gathered in the living room. We sang a few songs, then Pastor Carlos prayed for me in Spanish with Hannah and Dani translating [most of it]. Everyone else prayed for me as well. One of the things that was prayed several times is that supporters would come alongside me and support me to go back to Haiti. On my flight from PAP to Miami, in my row, there was a Haitian girl that now lives in New York and a Bishop to a Catholic church, I believe. I had my headphones in and was journaling most of the flight. Toward the end, he asked me what I was writing about and why I had been in Haiti. I told him a little bit about YWAM. He wanted to know how long I had been in Haiti and when I said 2 ½ months, him and the other girl were both like, “Wow!! That’s a long time!” They had been there for 5 days and 8 days. I told them I am going home for 6 weeks to see family and friends and do some support raising so that I can go back long term in November. He then asked me for my information because he wants to send me $100!!!!! I said, “Are you serious? Are you kidding right now!?” He was not kidding. God is SO good to me!! I believe that God was showing me His faithfulness and I believe He is going to blow me away by all the things that happen while I am home.
Hot water and non-canned milk with my cereal… it’s good to be back! =]