Ride out to Gaudin

I typed this a couple of nights ago. We haven't had internet so I am just getting it sent. Amazing how much I could write about in just traveling from the mission house to Gaudin. Hope you enjoy the travel with me!


October 28, 2011 It is 7:30 in the morning and our Toyota style tap-tap with it's brightly painted cap has arrived. It is the first time that some of our team will see the beautiful countryside. Only Tracy and I have been to Gaudin before. The rest of the team is excited to see what we have been describing.

There are eleven of us loading into the tap-tap and two more to pick up on the way. Back home, we would say "we were packed in like sardines". The most people that we have ever had in a tap-tap is 16. Our team didn't see how you could possibly fit one more person. Here in Haiti, the question asked is "how many people can you fit in a tap-tap? The answer is always "one more".

The city is already bustling with activity, the street vendors already sitting out in hopes of a prosporous day. Although it had rained alot before we arrived, we have had only one evening with an overnight shower. The vehicles stir up a fine dust that fills the air, covering everything around us. I think of how difficult it would be to breath that in all day long and I pray for those that make their living in those conditions. In about fifteen minutes, we are outside the city. One of my favorite parts is traveling the countryside, taking in the terrain. When first leaving Cap Haitian, you see mountains with much erosion. The trees have been cut to make charcoal leaving the mountainside barren. Some of the mountain paths are narrow and steep but we will see people walking the trail barefoot carrying a load on their head. Truly something for the eyes to see.

It will take about 1 1 /2 hours to arrive in Gaudin. The countryside becomes more lush the as we get closer. The team is really enjoying our journey when all of a sudden the tap-tap stops. The gas line has broken and we are told that we will need to wait for another tap-tap. We are still about twenty minutes away from our destination.

We all unload from the tap-tap greeting the peple standing and sitting beside the road. Tina (a nurse on our team) notices a teenage boy who has his elbow wrapped in a cloth. Next thing you know she has undone the cloth and is caring for a raw, infected wound. She is clensing it with saline and re-dressing it. I thought it was a wonderful example of how God has a purpose in everything.

We had picked up Pastor Degonzague along our way and he promptly called his son, Pastor Herode of Gaudin, to tell him that we were broken down. Within minutes, Pastor Herode arrived and was going to take us two by two to the village with our supplies for the day. He saw that this would take awhile and flagged down another motorcycle. Before we knew it, there were enough motorcycles for the whole team! They had us ride three to a bike. They said that if we were Haitian, they would take four at a time!

Our whole team was excited about traveling the rest of the way with the wind in our faces taking in this wonderful new experence. We have a rule at the mission house that we cannot use motorcycles for transportation because the drivers often travel to fast. In the city it is very dangerous because of traffic weaving in and out. Our drivers were very skillful and drove as if they had on precious cargo. As we started down the mountain we could see the beautiful Bay of Acul!! The road becomes too rough and we need to finish our journey by foot. We thank our escorts for the rescue and continue the short ten minute walk to the school. We then join in the church for prayer before we start our day.