Road Trip

It started as a caravan to the city to take the group to the airport. It ended with an epic journey. We had a bus with people in it, a truck with all the luggage, and another truck leading the way. It poured down rain 30 mins before we left, leaving us running trying to cover all the stuff in the trucks, however it only rained for about 10 mins. The rain was enough to create a thick layer of mud on the dirt road. We rumbled down the road and slid around in the mud, the bus eventually got stuck and had to be pulled out of the thick layer of sticky clay that had stuck to everything. 

As we continued down the road, we came across a variety of obstacles. There was an accident on the road, where a truck had its tires blown out and we had to get out of the bus so it could drive around the edge of the road at an angle that we surely could have rolled if we had all been in the bus. 

After we bumped along, almost enough to scramble your brains, we came to another stop, where we found a motorcycle that told us he knew a way around the blocked roads. (In Haiti the people often protest, and in order to “control” the city they block the roads so people can’t go in and out of the city). We found a way around it but it involved crossing a river, where our truck got stuck in the water, and had to be pushed out. I also found myself standing on an ant hill and thought I was going to die my legs were on fire. 

After we were getting closer to the city we came to a police stop where the driver didn’t stop fast enough for the officer and he pulled his gun out on us. Thankfully, one of the men in the bus knew the police officer and the situation quickly diffused. 

We made it to the city at about 9 or 10 pm, where we stayed at a hotel owned by another nonprofit that has rooms made from sustainable or recycled materials. I got the pleasure of sleeping in a shipping container and it was quite the experience. 

We were able to then take everyone to the airport the next morning with little trouble. I could definitely see all the things that could have gone wrong but I know God was taking care of us and keeping us safe.