Trip to Haiti - 1

We have been a part of Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan's Purse for several years, but the past couple of years, we have done a similar Christmas shoebox ministry with Maranatha Children's preschool in Haiti.   Hope had been an intern there for a couple of years and she saw the needs of the children there and began a shoebox ministry for them.

  Here is the Haiti team, which included myself and my granddaughter, Hannah.

It began last fall.   I had thought about taking Hannah to Mexico with our church team who serves at a children's home there.  But then Sophia told me that Hannah really wanted to go to Haiti.  That very evening, Hope posted on FB that she was looking for a team to go to Haiti.  I asked Hannah and she was so very excited about the opportunity!

Preparing sponsor cards for people to make shoeboxes for 

and/or purchase uniforms for.

127 shoeboxes were given and uniforms purchased!  

Thank you, generous people!!  

We had a packing party.  

The contents of the shoeboxes were put in 2 qr. baggies.  

Names were placed on them.  They were vacuum sealed for packing into large suitcases.

Shoeboxes were marked and stacked into suitcases.

I am planning to take Sophia to Japan hopefully one day.  And the Arkansas kids - we must plan a trip too!  Sophia asked Claire, age 4, "Where would you like Nana to take you?"

"Antarctica!" was her reply.

Hannah was counting down the days until it was time to go!

And finally it was time!  We were up at 2AM to make an early flight.

Thank you, sweet husband, for getting up so early to drive us to the airport!

All but one suitcase made it!  (It was found at a later day.)

 Suitcases and people put in the back of the pickup.

Driving through the streets of Port Au Prince.

 Goats, trash, people and cars every where!

  
The homes have walls around them.  There is barbed wire or cut glass at the top to keep thieves out.  Each place has a metal gate.  When we arrived at the compound, the missionary honked his horn and the gate was opened to let us in.

We were shown to our rooms.  Sarah, Jayden, Hannah and I would share this room for the coming week.  Hope and Kayleigh were right next door in an enclosed porch.  6 girls - 1 bathroom.  But at least we didn't have to go to an outside john!

 

more to come....