This is what I left Haiti in. I went there on an "open-ended" ticket that supposedly meant I could return whenever. Of course that worked out how you would think. When I and my 4 fellow travelers got to the airport, we were told that there were no seats for us on any of the outgoing flights. We waited around all day hoping for a flight when we met the owner of this small plane, an oral surgeon from Florida who had flown down a bunch of medical supplies. He offered to fly us back to Florida. His plane had 5 seats and as long as our combined weight was less than 800 pounds, he could do it. Our weight...798 pounds! So, we had to leave our bags in Haiti (we'll probably never see them again.) We had to stop in Exuma, Bahamas to refuel and log the new plan with Homeland Security. Then we flew into Ft. Lauderdale. This morning, I caught a flight back that arrived in Austin at 10:30am - just in time to work my shift in the ER at 11.
One last thought. If you or I learned that a friend or family member was losing a limb or had passed away, we would be grief- stricken. When I read that the number of dead in Haiti may be near 200,000, the numbers are overwhelming. And in the numbers, you lose sight of the fact that each tragedy is it's own story. As we interviewed patients, we heard stories of loss over and over - children, spouses, parents. Those who are still living are facing life with new disabilities even amputations. In this next generation of Haitians, there will be very few who have not been touched by this tragedy. I hope that we will pray for this next generation and consider what we might do to help them through what will be years of healing.
Check back here in a few days for a photo album from my trip. Thanks so much to those of you who prayed and supported my trip.
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