Haitian Rain Ain't All that Different than American Rain

So we made it to Terrier Rouge... a little wet, but at least it's not snow like in good old Fauquier County. I'll tell you, open border day is an interesting experience in Haiti. People are everywhere, the outdoor market is full of everything from rice to diapers, sugarcane to sytrofoam take out containers and even good old used American tennis shoes for a mere $45. The smell is something like a mixture of cow manure, human sweat and suffering with a whole lot of humidity and the constant backdrop of burning charcoal. People are piled on tap tap trucks loaded to the brim with supplies to last them for the week. By far the most telling sight is that of the trucks. They go into Haiti filled with supplies, literally toppling over the sides and they come out empty. The number one trucker rule is always drive with a full load... but what is there to bring out of Haiti. Much like our overstuffed suitcases full of colored pencils, computers, children's underwear, candy and so much more, we too will come home pounds lighter in weight but hopefully the sights, sounds, smells and experiences here will weigh us down so that we must respond in love.

The only real way to travel in Haiti is in the back of the old Daihatsu truck, that's the way it's done. So picture this: 8 whiter than white Amerians in the back of the truck traveling at about 50 mph when the clouds decide to let loose for the day. We were a sight to see. Sopping wet, covering our eyes from the stinging rain, wearing our hats backwards so they didn't fly off and desperately trying to hold the tarps over our precious suitcases. We earned the name "Crazy Blanco" today. As Matt and Renard videotaped the experience from the back of the truck, we all agreed... we wouldn't want to be anywhere else - including the nice, safe and dry interior of the Toyota 4Runner from which Stan and Tony were no doubt laughing. This is it. Haitian rain ain't all that different from American rain... just like Haitian people aren't all that different from Amerian people. This is where we not only need to be but want to be....and I told Isabelle before I left that we all play under the same sun and sleep under the same moon (even though ours is clouded by rain.) So look up into the sky my dear friends, say a prayer for me and I'll look up into the same dark sky and say a prayer for you.

And don't forget... each one of us is called in a dfferent way to do a different thing be it in Haiti, the Appalachian Mountains or downtown Warrenton.

Let's all Love More. Give More. Serve More.