It's a Girl!

I slowly walk up the stairs to our front door and then pause for a moment to take a deep breath. Wow, it sure is hot. We had just cooled off in a nearby swimming pool, but by the time we walked back home we were all hot and sweaty again. I could just feel the sweat dripping off of me. It had to be over 40 degrees in the shade for sure.

I wonder how Denise is doing? I thought to myself. The midwife had come earlier this morning, but had returned home again. "I will be back later," she had said and we hadn't seen her since.

"I'm going to hang up our bathing suits and towels on the line", Mom Krul said, as she opened the door to our back courtyard. In the meantime I got juice ready for everybody. Seconds later Mom was back inside. "I hear a baby," she said, "I can hear a little baby crying!". "No, way, that can't be", I responded. I hadn't noticed that the midwife had returned because we had come in the house through the front door. A few minutes later Anoud came out of his house, "Yes, Denise had her baby," he said. "Are they okay?" I asked, I had been worried about her ever since she told me she wanted to have the baby at home. "Yes", he said, and I sighed in relief.

"As soon as everything is cleaned up you can come see them," he said. It seemed like hours later, since we all got very excited, but finally he called us so we could see Denise and the baby. I couldn't help but fall in love when I saw the beautiful little baby girl. God is indeed good!

First Impression - Jason's parents

We arrived safely in Port au Prince on Tuesday, July 21. First impressions in a nutshell; a country and population in need, a population living with a day to day perspective rather than what goals they have for the coming month or years; a population, most of which quite unsure where the future sustenance will come from; and a population in need of the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

In our stay here so far, we have been able to fly with Jason into the small communities that MAF typically serves. MAF flies in teams of missionaries, medical professionals, supplies and people with urgent medical conditions needing hospitalization in Port au Prince in and out of these small and very remote communities.

On Wednesday we flew into La Gonave, a small airstrip along the coast of the island. This island is a twenty minute flight from Port au Prince. We flew out a work team that had been in the community working on a water purification project. Since Jason flies into this village on a regular basis, he was greeted upon his arrival by many children. They gathered on the airstrip as soon as they heard the MAF plane over head. Jason has developed a wonderful friendship with these children.

This runway is in Mole St. Nicholas on the northern tip of Haiti. Here MAF had to fly out a vehicle transmission belonging to a work team that had established a small hospital there. Since there are no mechanics there that could do the job, the only way the transmission could be repaired was to fly it to Port and Prince and from there send it back to Florida.

The runway.

Esther, Jason's sister, enjoying the copilot seat!

On Thursday we had the opportunity of flying into Pignon, the village where Jason, Will, and Jayden spent the first months of their time in Haiti.

Here we were able to distribute some Creole Bibles.

Here we are handing out dolls and pencil cases. Will had mentioned the day before to two little children that we were coming into the village the following day with some gifts. When we arrived the following day, we were greeted by about ONE HUNDRED children.

We went to the local market to purchase a large quantity of rice and beans that we distributed in bags for the children to take home.

We then traveled to a different community in Pignon to distribute gifts of clothing and to serve 120 children a good meal of rice and beans, that was purchased using the funds many friends had donated in Canada. There was sufficient funds for this organization to be able to do this on three other future occasions.

Just a specimen of the wildlife in the place where we were staying for the weekend.

Sunday worship service.

"Our Trip to Port au Prince" by Esther Krul

Hi everyone! We are happy to announce that Jason's parents and sister, Esther, arrived in Port au Prince safely. Since they had quite an experience getting here, I convinced Esther to write a blog and share it with you. Here is her story. She hopes to write more blog posts in the future about her experiences here in Haiti as well.

We left Chilliwack on Monday, July 20 at 4:00 in the afternoon. We crossed the US border with no trouble and from there drove down to the Sea Tac, International Airport. The flight from Seattle to Dallas was a little nerve-wracking since we flew through a thunder storm and experienced strong turbulence, one passenger sitting close to us began to throw up, which made me want to gag too. Needless to say we were happy to finally land at the Dallas International Airport. From Dallas, Texas we flew to Miami and thankfully this flight was nice and smooth. After a relaxing two hour flight and a smooth landing I caught my first glimpse of Miami, Florida.

Wow the endless white sandy beaches, and the turquoise ocean was very beautiful. It didn't take me long to snap back to reality. Our next step was to find our boarding Gate for Port au Prince, Haiti.

When we arrived and sat down we began to feel quite out of place. First of all we were one of the few white people there, and secondly we didn't understand almost anything anyone was saying. As we sat I took some time to discretely study the people around us. The Haitian people smiled, greeted each other and seemed all around quite friendly. One thing I noticed was that if one of them caught you staring they would just stare right back, which got kind of awkward. Another thing we found out was that they had so sense of what it meant to line up! When the attendant called to the first class passengers that they could board everyone stood up at once and rushed and pushed to board the airplane first. Although the attendant repeatedly announced that it was first class boarding only, nobody paid him any mind. Also, instead of forming a line they formed more like a bubble and who ever pushed harder, boarded faster. This seemed very strange to us. Eventually we were able to board as well. As we took off, I couldn't help but get excited. We were almost there, just another hour and half, or so I thought! As we neared Port-a-Prince I peered out the window and noticed dark thunderclouds. This frightened me since we already had experienced what it was like flying through a thunder storm and I didn't want to experience that again! My stomach started to twist up in knots and I started to feel sick. Suddenly I heard a loud bang and out of the corner of my eye I saw lightning flash outside my window narrowly missing the airplane wing. People screamed and that's when I got really scared. All the airplane crash stories flooded through my mind as the airplane began to shake violently. I held on to the seat as tightly as I could. I could hear passengers crying and other begin to vomit. It was horrible. I've never been that frightened in my life. Then through the mayhem, I could hear someone with a clear voice reading the bible. I looked up to see a middle aged, Haitian lady, calmly reading her bible out loud. I felt ashamed, here I was terrified, and that lady, was as calm and peaceful as could be trusting God for her future, being a shining light to the people around her. This brought me a measure of peace inside. God was in control.

Now the airport was in view, or partially so.

Black, threatening clouds hung over the runway, twisting and twirling from the gale force winds. I closed my eyes, then opened them again as our plane circled and tried to land. When we were almost down a strong gust of wind came and pushed us back up, so the pilot had to overshoot. Suddenly all around me Haitian people burst into song. The hymn they began to sing was "Standing on the Promises of God,". Since we knew this song as well we joined them as well. Our airplane had meanwhile pulled back up and was circling the airport for the second time. On the second try they were unable to land our aircraft either. Since the pilots were unsure how long they would have to continue to circle and they only had a limited amount of fuel left, they decided to head over to Santa Domingo, in the Dominican Republic instead. This also was a turbulent flight and I seriously felt like I had to throw up now. I put my head down and this helped some. When the airplane wheels finally touched the ground in Santa Domingo all the passengers sang, waved their hands in the air and said "Praise God" and then burst into applause.

This continued all the way until we taxied into the terminal. However, because we were in a different country we weren't allowed to leave the aircraft. So now we had to sit and wait for an hour and a half. While we waited, I couldn't help but wish that I could speak Creole too. I would have so loved to talk to the people around me and find out more about them. But all I could do was just be friendly and smile and say the few words I knew: Bonjou, (Hello) and Mesi (thank you), while the ground crew inspected the plane following the lightning strike.

After what seemed like hours, we finally take off once again to go to our last and final destination, Port au Prince. This time the flight was a whole lot better. It was still a little bumpy, but nothing like it was before. As you can probably imagine we were very delighted when the plane touched the ground. I thought to myself " ahhh at last we are here!" Thankfully Jason managed to get past security with his pilot badge and was able to help us go through, so called "customs" and whatever else we had to do. As we stepped out of the airport terminal I couldn't help but smile! We were finally here!

Road Conditions in Haiti

I recently received a copy of this map, and thought it would be a great thing to share, to give you a perspective of the conditions of most roads in Haiti!

If you click on the image below, it should take you to our online photo gallery where you can view it at a larger size

Happy Canada Day!

A guard pushes the gate open for us and after thanking him we walk through. We are here for our first visit to the Canadian Embassy to celebrate Canada Day with fellow Canadians here in Haiti. Jason had emailed the Embassy to see if they had any type of celebrations and they invited us to join their barbecue.
As we go through security and step onto "Canadian soil," my eyes grow big. It's very beautiful here. The lawns are well manicured, the cobble stone parking area looks new, and the exotic trees have gorgeous flowers. The Barbecue smells delicious too, so we quickly join the ever growing lineup of guests to get our meal.
On thing I found out is that you don't really realize how "French" Canada is when you live in Western Canada. As I listen to the people around me I hear almost no English. Although most can speak or at least understand English, it seems like they are much more fluent in French.



As I examine the people I notice that some look Haitian, some Iranian, some French, and still others I can't place. Are these people really all Canadians I wonder? I suddenly have to laugh. Here I am questioning whether these people are "real" Canadians when I'm not even a real Canadian myself! Sure, I have a Canadian Passport, but I wasn't born in Canada!
Funny, how you think because you come from the same country people should look like you and act like you and talk like you! As I look around I think that Canada must be one of the most multi-cultural countries in the world.
Well,it was fun getting to know this divers group of people and we really enjoyed the Barbecue. Jayden especially like the swing set and slide that they had and also kept asking if we could go "shimming" since there was a pool there as well. When we finished our meal we enjoyed a piece of delicious Canada Flag cake. It was a fun night! Happy Canada Day!

Extermination!

Did I say they make a mess??? Denise and I clean out all the kitchen cupboards once a week. Here is what we swept out of one cupboard..



Let me see. This bowl will work well for a salad...



Baggy anyone??



10:48 p.m.
I pull the handkerchief tightly around my nose and mouth and edge my way towards the nearest empty cupboard.



All our food has now been packed away in rubber maids and sealed and the cupboards are bare. I take a deep breath and then begin to spray. This stuff is toxic poison and I move as quickly as possible. Minutes later I've sprayed down all the empty cupboards and shelves, and make a dash for the door. I slam it shut and then take a minute to take a few clean breaths of air. When I feel better I find a towel and cover the crack under the kitchen door. I don't want those fumes to invade the rest of our home and I definitely don't want to breath in poison as I sleep.

7:30 a.m. (the following morning)
I open all the kitchen windows and plug in the fans to get the air moving. Then I get to work cleaning up all the dead roaches and ants. Denise and I wipe down all the cupboards and shelves again and then once everything is clean we put everything back in the cupboards. All though we've wiped down the cupboards, apparently the spray is effective for 6 months.
The first battle is won, or is it?? Denise reports that all the remaining cockroaches have migrated to her kitchen which is adjacent to mine. When she is finished making meals for the day we hope to clean her kitchen out and spray it down as well.. I'll keep you posted.

Combat!!!

Warning: Parental guidance recommended. Not for anyone under the age of 13. Also not for those prone to nightmares or those who get the hebegebies (how do you spell that??) Also and especially not for Mom and Dad Krul, or Esther to read. (We really don't want you to cancel your tickets!!).

Okay, I bet you're curious now, well don't say I didn't warn you!

Me: (thinking to myself) A guest for dinner, that should be fun.
" Jaaaay, what should I make?"

Jason: "How about Lasagna, you haven't made that in a while."

Me: (thinking to myself) that's a good idea! I have all the ingredients for it.
Or do I? Let me see, onions, garlic, spaghetti sauce, cheese. Check, check, check, check. How about Lasagna noodles?
Oh good, I still have those too. "What is that?? Why are there all holes in the noodles? What are these black dots? NOOOOOOOOO!!! EWWWWW! COCK ROACH!!! Eww, there' s a dead one still in the box. Probably died of indigestion. All that starch! gross!"

Okay, no Lasagna tonight. Guess I'm going to have to make spaghetti now.
Okay, no need to over react. It really is my own silly fault. Why didn't I put that cardboard box of noodles in a Tupperware container anyway? We are living in a third world county here! A cock roach once in awhile? No big deal right?

Okay, once in awhile, Fine! But this is getting outrages! Not only have they completely taken over my kitchen, they have also taken to traipsing around the living room. Take a look here.

It's gotten so bad that I refuse to open the pantry after dinner. During the day you don't see them that often, but as soon as the sun sets, you'd better watch out! They are here, they are there, they are everywhere! Especially in the pantry. Sometimes I forget, and without thinking open up the pantry cupboard. When I hear the rustle, rustle, rustle of a hundred little cockroach legs, I can't shut it fast enough. If they would just sit there and do nothing, I might be fine with it. But they make a mess, a BIG mess! They chew through cardboard, strew the contents of soup and cereal packages everywhere and then they poop all over the place!

I can't use my dishes, utensils, pots or pans without having to wash them first, because of, if I can put this delicately enough, "cockroach droppings."

Okay, having to rewash the dishes, pots, pans, utensils etc, maybe not be the worst thing in the world, but the nightmares! Let me tell you! For the last two weeks, I've dreamed about cockroaches every single night! Good thing Jason is a deep sleeper, because I'm sure I try to beat them away with my broom and skeeter beeter while I sleep! When I wake up in the morning, my jaw is just stiff from being clenched at night. That's it, the no killing cute little bug theory has now completely gone out the window!

"Jay, we are going shopping!!"

Later at the store:
Okay, lets' see what do they have here. "Combat, quick Kill Formula, bait traps", let's get some of those, "Glue traps for Roaches", we'll take that too, "Zetox crawling insect killer", take that, "Super Suretox", you can't get to much.

Back at home:
Did, I say that you don't see them during the day?? Well, times are changing! I open the kitchen door only to have one fall from the ceiling and narrowly miss my head!!! "AAAAHHH!!".
I'm not taking this anymore. Let's put the traps out, the bait stations, the glue traps, and let's empty the pantry and spray down all the shelves.

I even hired an exterminator.. The great part is that he's free.. I just give him the skeeter beeter, and he hits all those nasty, gross bugs!

Hopefully in the next few days we can exterminate them completely.
We'll keep you posted!

A ride in a Tap Tap!

I wipe the sweat of my forehead as I climb up the steep street from our house to the main road. Although it's only 10:30 a.m. it's already very hot and the dust and pollution is making it hard to breath. I slow down a little so Denise, who is now 7 months pregnant, can keep up. She looks hot too, so I purposely force myself to take small little steps. Some people stare curiously as they see us walk by, you don't see "blan" (white people) walking down the street that often, but I just great them with a friendly "Bon jou". The traffic on Delmas is hectic, but in order to get to the market we need to cross the four-lane road and there's no crosswalk. When we see an opening in traffic, Denise grabs my hand and we make a run for it. In the middle of the road, we pause for a moment till we find another break in traffic and then finally we're on the other side. We're barely on the sidewalk, before a tap tap pulls up alongside us.

Denise climbs in first and I follow suit. I try to look as nonchalant as I can, but I'm really kind of nervous. I've never driven in a tap tap before. On top of it all, this tap tap, in my opinion, is full. There is one bench on each side and each bench has five people on it. However, when in Haiti, do as the Haitians, so I do my best to squeeze in on the end. The guy who is sitting on the end of the bench moves over a couple inches almost onto the lap of the person sitting beside him, so there is exactly three inches between him and the bar that keeps people from sliding off the tap tap, for me to sit. Even with the weight I've lost since coming to Haiti it's still a pretty tight squeeze! Thankfully a few minutes later two people get off and there's an empty seat beside Denise for me to sit. Now I focus on casually holding on for dear life. The good thing about being squished in between people is that you don't have to worry about sliding off the bench. Since these truck were never meant to carry the weight that they do, the back ends are usually sloping down at odd angles and this one is no exception. No one else seems to be holding on, so I try to loosen my death grip on the bench a little and relax. As I sit back, I take a moment to discreetly examine the people around me. Most are nicely dressed and look like they are on their way to work with various briefcases and purses. A man sitting across from me plays with his wedding band as the girl beside me slowly nods off to sleep. Some people openly stare, you don't see "blans" on tap taps very often, while others seem lost in thought. Every minute or so, one of the "passengers" yells "Mesi" (Thank you) and the tap tap pulls over and lets him or her off and new people get on. Since this is not a bus with a scheduled route it can stop wherever and whenever you want on the main road. I can't help but smile when occasionally the passengers make the driver stop in 30 second intervals just so they don't have to walk the few extra steps. Finally Denise yells "Mesi" too, so I know it's time for us to get off. We pay the driver 5 Goudes each, and then step back onto the sidewalk. The nice thing about the tap taps is that it doesn't matter which one you use, they all charge 5 Goudes a ride, and it doesn't matter how long or short you are on it. 5 Goudes is equivalent to 12 cents American, so it's quite cheap. Now we need to cross the road again and walk the last few blocks to the market. An hour later we're finished and make our way back to the main road. A tap tap is already waiting and we climb on again. Since it's almost lunch time there are some school children on this one. I can't help but smile as they practice their English on each other. If it was hot before, it's gotten even hotter now and I try not to breath too much through my nose because there's a lot of people sweating in the tap tap now. Out of the corner of my eye I see the man beside me wiping his brow with a handkerchief. Right now I wish I had one too. Ten minutes later I see the familiar Texaco sign and now it's time to get off. Denise yells "Mesi" again and the tap tap jerks to a halt. I almost fall over but manage to catch myself just in time. Once again we pay the driver and then start walking the ten minute walk home. On the way back Denise and I chatter with each other. I have to admit that I kind of enjoyed the ride. Without a vehicle, it's hard to get around, and it's nice to know that if I want to go to the market with Denise we can go together on the tap tap.

I'm 2!

Hi, my name is Jayden and I turned 2 on Saturday. I woke up very early on the day of my birthday, but Mommy said I had to wait to open my presents because Daddy was still sleeping. It was really hard to wait, but Saturday is his only chance to sleep in a little, so wait I did. To keep me busy Mom made pancakes for me. They were yummy! As soon as Daddy woke up I got my first present. It was in a big white box, I could hardly wait to open it! I was very excited when I saw it was a beautiful red tricycle from Grandma and Grandpa Krul. It is soo nice! I love it! Mommy even let me take a little ride inside before we took it outside. It didn't take me long to figure out that you push the pedals with your feet to move and turn the steering wheel in the direction you want to go! Wee, I was off in no time!




I got other presents too! From my great Grandma, Oma Krul, I got some little cars and planes. I liked those a lot too. I can make all kinds of car and truck noises and it's fun to drive them all around the house.
Mommy and Daddy said they had a present for me too, but we had to go in the car to pick it up, so at 10 o'clock off we went. I was a little tired, because I normally have my nap then, but birthdays are special, Mommy said, so I didn't have to sleep.
After what seemed like forever, the car finally stopped and we got out. I recognized the place right away. We were at the Baptist Mission, a place I love to go!
We visited the petting zoo, bought some yummy bread at the bakery and then had lunch at the little restaurant there. We all shared a big burger, chicken nuggets, fries, a milk shake and pop. It was very good. But the biggest, happiest, surprise came after lunch when Mommy and Daddy took me back to the petting zoo and let me pick out two bunnies. Mommy thought one was just fine, but Daddy said that one might get lonely so I was allowed to pick out two!! I was so excited!! I kept running back and forth and jumping up and down! I couldn't believe we were allowed to take them home! Mommy had brought some celery sticks with her and she even let me feed them. They are so cute and soft! I call them "mimi's", but Mom is teaching me to say "bunnies" because a mimi in Creole actually means "cat". When we got home, we made sure the bunnies were safe and comfortable and then Mommy put me to bed. I was so tired I fell asleep right away. While I slept, I couldn't help but dream about shiny red tricycles, and soft little bunny rabbits.

Road or River?

Here's a short clip from outside our front gate after a 20 minute downpour. This gives you a small idea why MAF is so vital here especially when the roads turn into this! Its hard to imagine how people live on the hillsides and mountains with torrential rain like this (last week 16 people were killed by flooding here in Port au Prince)

A Good Mistake

My eyes are strained with focus; every nerve in my body is alert as I peer through the thick black clouds around me. A sudden flash of lightening to my left jolts my passengers as they too intently gaze outside. Heavy rain pounds the windscreen as I struggle to find my way through the mountain pass, praying that the weather will lift just a little so that I can resume a more comfortable altitude.

Late Wednesday afternoon I set out to pick up several passengers from Pignon. Since we are now in the rainy season, every afternoon thick cumulus clouds build up and quickly turn to large thunderstorms making it difficult to cross the two mountain ranges laying between Port au Prince and the Central Plateau. I request 10 extra gallons for the trip so I would have an extra 30 minute reserve, but discover that they accidentally put 18 gallons extra! I become somewhat annoyed at the fueling personnel since this means that I will be able to carry 60 lbs less cargo. As I take off, I quickly realize that the flight would not be an easy one, and call flight following on the HF radio to confirm weather reports in the Pignon area.

A thick black ceiling of clouds make it impossible to climb over the mountains, and the rain ahead drops the visibility down to a few miles. As I level off at 2000 ft I start planning a route that I will take to get through the mountain pass ahead. As I approach Pignon, I am aware that the weather is rapidly deteriorating behind me, so I call flight following again to ensure that the passengers are ready to leave without delay, and that the weather at Pignon is holding. A few miles out from Pignon, the clouds suddenly break and a small hole of blue sky lingers directly overhead the airport. I quickly land, board the passengers and take off to return to Port au Prince.

As I begin climbing, I look at the dark clouds ahead which are now several hundred feet above the ground. I double check the quantity of my fuel and run a quick calculation to determine how many hours of fuel I have left. My passengers peer nervously over my shoulder as I press forward through the rain pounding on the windscreen. The visibility has now dropped down to close to a mile, and I keep a close eye on the river 1000 ft below to guide me down the valley ahead. I spot another small valley to my left that should take me though the mountain range, but as I head up the valley, the visibility continues to drop and the rain pounds harder on the windscreen making it nearly impossible to see ahead of me. Suddenly, as I enter the clouds, it becomes white all around me. I focus on my instruments an execute a 180 degree turn careful not to lose any altitude since I know that we are low in a narrow mountain pass. Seconds later we pop back out of the clouds, and I begin looking for another route to take back to Port. As I fly along the base of the mountain I quickly realize that the ceilings have now dropped down to ground level in the valley passes. My last option is to fly all of the way out to the coast and follow the coastline back to Port au Prince, but this will take an extra 45 minutes. Again I check my fuel and run some calculations to determine if this is feasible. I call flight following on the radio to give them my position over Gonaives and my intentions of heading back over the coast. As I approach the coastline I begin to feel relieved. As long as I keep my mixture leaned out, and follow the coastline south I should have no problem getting to Port. I maintain 400 feet above the ocean, and switch to my left fuel tank thanking God for that extra fuel. Fifteen minutes later I spot the airport, call tower and land. I praise the Lord for safety on this flight as my wheels touch down on the runway and my passengers begin clapping! After I shut down, I check my fuel and discover that I have a mere 8 gallons remaining. It truly was providential having that extra fuel onboard!

Safety in the storm

I stare out the window as ominous clouds roll in. Although the sun is still out, it now illuminates the world with a strange golden glow. The wind is starting to pick up too. It's 5:00 p.m. and Jason still isn't home. I'm starting to get worried. He's never home this late. Too bad I can't call him. Among the things I left in Canada was my cell phone. I had brought it with me so I could check the time while I was traveling, since I didn't have a watch. When I arrived in Canada I had retired it to my night stand drawer, and had forgotten to check there in my rush to pack. Since we didn't have a home phone, I had no other way of contacting Jason. " A tropical storm is definitely on its way in, I really hope he's not flying", I say to Jayden, who is playing with the Tupperware on the floor as I prepare dinner. He looks up, but doesn't respond, to intent on seeing how many bottle caps fit in Jason's water bottle. I can hear thunder rumbling in the distance. All I can do now is pray. All things are in God's hands and I pray that He will provide safety and protection for Jason. Not even ten minutes later I hear the welcoming honking of a car horn by our gate. Sure enough, Jason is back. Just as he walks through the door the sky opens and torrential rains come down. The sound is almost deafening on our tin roof. Together we walk to the window and gaze in awe at the extreme force of the storm. I silently thank God for bringing Jason home safely before the storm. Our God truly is an Awesome God.

The trip back.

I struggle to stay focused, but black and grey spots keep dancing in front of my eyes in crazy patterns, blurring my vision. It's 2:00 a.m. and I'm on Air Canada flight 905, 35,000 feet up, on route to Montreal. Jayden is sound asleep in my arms, his warm body pressing against mine, but I don't think it's just his warmth that makes me feel like I'm burning up. I close my eyes tightly and hunch over him as much as I can in hopes that the feelings of nausea and dizziness pass. As I close my eyes the events of the last two weeks race like a freight train through my brain. The long flight to Canada, my packed schedule and the late nights. I really loved seeing everyone and doing everything, but it sure was a lot to pack into two weeks. Today had been especially busy, so busy in fact that I had less than an hour to pack two suitcases. With the amount of things I had received and purchased I easily could have packed four suitcases, so it took some time to decide what I wanted to take now and what could wait for two months when Jasons' parents came to visit. In the process I was not nearly as organized as I normally am. I didn't have time to make lists or even double check what I did so I had made some stupid mistakes. I had forgotten to check the bathroom, so now I had left my glasses and contact solution behind. What was even sillier was the fact that I hadn't put any diapers for Jayden in my back pack. 10 minutes before boarding, I smelled something really bad and sure enough he was really dirty. Embarrassed, I had to go on a hunt for someone else with a baby and was finally able to get a diaper. Unfortunately it was only a size 3, Jayden wears size 5, but it was sure better than the other alternative, making a diaper out of the extra T-shirt I had brought for him. I'm sure that wouldn't have been exactly leak proof! Although it was now after 2:00 a.m. I hadn't been able to fall asleep either and I could feel my body starting to rebel.
I open my eyes again in hopes that I can focus now, but the grey and black spots are still clouding my vision. The airplane is dark too, and almost everyone is sleeping. My brain feels fuzzy and it's getting harder and harder to think straight, but I have to do something. The girl across the aisle from me who I'd made friends with earlier is fast asleep, her little baby lying contentedly on her chest. So, instead I turn to the French man beside me. He startles when I tap him on his shoulder. "Can you call a stewardess", I groan, "I feel like I'm going to faint". He doesn't hear me at first, so now frantically I repeat my question. I feel like it won't be long before I completely black out, and I fight the waves of dizziness that try to overcome me. The French man half rises, trying to see if perhaps he can find a stewardess, but none are in sight. "The button", I whisper, "just push the button". I can't stand up to push it, so fortunately he understands and pushes it for me. Two stewardesses are instantly at my side. "I'm going to faint", I whisper. One immediately grabs Jayden off my lap, who instantly wakes up. "Mama baby", he whimpers (which can be translated, Mama , I'm your baby, how could you possibly think of letting some strange people hold me?)(he said this a lot in the last two weeks) "MAMA BABY!" His cries become louder. As soon as he's gone I pull my tray table down, lay my head down and wiggle out of my jacket. I'm so hot. "Water,"I whisper. The stewardess returns seconds later with water and an ice pack, which she places on the back of my neck. Unfortunately, the ice pack has a leak and a minute later I feel ice cold water trickling down my neck. I start to tremble, I'm suddenly freezing . Noticing the drip, the stewardess thankfully goes and gets me a different one. Everyone around me is now awake and I feel many a sympathetic stare. I'm so embarrassed, I almost wish I could just disappear through the floor, but then I'd either be stuck in the freezing cold baggage compartment, or free falling through the sky, without a parachute . Nope, I guess I'd better stay where I am.. Thankfully with the help of the ice pack and the glass of water, I slowly start feeling better. The nausea passes as well. I slowly sit back up, and the stewardess comes back with apples slices and two chocolate chip cookies. "When was the last time you ate?", she asks At first I can't remember, my brain is to fuzzy, but then I remember I did have dinner at 5:30. However I had been busy feeding Jayden, and on the phone figuring out if my flight was on time, so I hadn't eaten much. The apple and the chocolate chip cookies taste good, so I eat all of it. I'm really feeling more like myself now, so I ask for Jayden back. He's happy to see me and holds me tightly, as if to say, I'm not letting you give me away again! I still can't sleep, but at least I feel better now. Two hours later we arrive at the Montreal airport. Although it's only 4:30 a.m. for us, it's 7:30 a.m. local time so Jayden and I go have breakfast at Tim Hortons. Three hours later we board our next flight. Now we are on route to Port-au-Prince. This time the airplane has some empty seats so I move to a different spot with Jayden where he can have a seat too. He instantly falls asleep and I'm able to doze off for a bit too. I use his mimi (a stuffed animal) as my pillow. At 2:20 p.m. local time we arrive in Port-au-Prince. The airplane felt cold, so the warmth feels good. Jason is even able to walk right onto the tarmac to greet us. It's sure nice to see him again. As we drive home and I see all the familiar sights, I can't help but smile. It's nice to be back.

Trip to Canada!

10:00 a.m. Port-au-Prince, Haiti
The house is spotless, the suitcases are packed, and the fridge and freezer are stocked with meals for Jason . I check the clock one last time, and then go through my lists. Yup, I think everything is done. Daniel, the MAF driver should be here any minute so I help Jayden put on his shoes. “Outside?” he asks, oblivious to where we are going. “We are going to the airport, in a BIG broom, broom,” I answer. He looks at me for a second and then points up. “Broom, broom?” he asks. Yes, I say, and he smiles. Just then I hear the beep beep of a car horn, Daniel must be here. Denise and Anoud help me carry the suitcases down the stairs and then it’s time for goodbyes. Anoud shakes my hand and smiles, but Denise fights to keep her composure. I know that I will miss her too and I give her hand a final squeeze before I get into the truck. As we leave the vehicle is surrounded by a group of little boys, I smile and wave and off we go. I no longer brace myself for the deep ruts in the dusty, rocky road, but let my body rise and fall with the flow. Jayden is sitting on my lap, something extremely illegal in Canada but widely done in Haiti. Traffic is so slow, even if we did hit someone or someone hit us it probably wouldn’t cause more than a dent. With my suitcases on the back seat, there is just no room for him there. An hour and fifteen minutes later we finally arrive at the airport. Now we just have to wait.
11:30 Port-au-Prince, Domestic Terminal
We are waiting at the domestic terminal for Jason. Since our flight doesn’t leave till 3:00 he promised to take us out for lunch at a little nearby gas station. Since Daniel had other things to do later that morning and afternoon the only time he could pick us up was 10:00 a.m.
11:45 a.m.
“Dada, Dada” Jayden is pointing to a group of people coming through the doors from the tarmac. Sure enough, there he is. He wipes the sweat from his brow and when he spots us his face lights up. I know I’m going to miss him a lot. Once he’s finished some paperwork we drive to a little nearby gas station and enjoy some sandwiches.
1:00 p.m.
We are back at the Port-au-Prince airport, this time now in the international terminal . I hug Jason goodbye and then he hugs Jayden. Minutes later he’s gone and I’m left all alone. I push Jayden’s buggy to the check in counter and pull my two suitcases behind me.
2:00 p.m.
We are now sitting by the Air Canada gate. Our flight will board in half an hour. Jayden is sitting quietly in his stroller playing with his ball so I strike up a conversation with the guy beside me. He looks about 18 or 19 and says he’s from India. After a few minutes he asks me if I can watch his duffel bag because he needs to ask the attendant something. I eye the big red bag and for a second wonder if there’s a bomb in there! Then I laugh it off and tell myself that’s a terrible thought to think. Thankfully he comes back a minute later!
2:40 p.m.
A heat blast hits me as I push open the glass doors and step onto the tarmac. I can’t help but smile as I see the giant Air Canada aircraft in the distance. As we walk towards it strains of “O Canada” swirl through my head and it takes all my self control to keep myself from singing out loud. I discreetly look around and then not seeing anyone close by I start singing away. Who cares if people think I’m crazy. It just feels good to sing.
2:55 p.m.
Ready for take off. I slip my seatbelt on and hold Jayden securely on my lap. I like the thrill of getting pushed back onto my seat as the plane takes off. Jayden likes it too, and we smile at each other.
8:15 p.m. Montreal, Toronto
“Wow, wow,” Jayden’s nose is pressed against the glass and I lean past him to see what he’s looking at. “Wow, wow” he repeats again. I take a moment to absorb the beauty. It’s 8:15 p.m. and we are just coming in for landing at the Montreal airport. The sun is setting giving the peaceful landscape scene a golden glow. “Wow”, I say. There really is no better word to describe it. Purple, pink clouds tinged with gold dot the iridescent blue sky. Row upon row of perfectly square fields touch the horizon. The traffic on the roads is almost non-existent. What a world of difference. A rush of excitement fills me. “Oh Canada!”
8:40 p.m.
I’m still waiting for my suitcases. Since we need to clear customs I have to collect my suitcases here. Finally, after almost giving up hope I see them coming down the conveyer belt. Since I don’t have much time till my next flight I’m in a rush now. With one hand I push Jaydens’ stroller and the other hand I pull the baggage cart loaded with my two suitcases behind me. It’s quite a sight and everyone stares, but I don’t care. There is just no other way to do it.
10:00 p.m.
We’ve cleared customs and I’ve even been able to quickly buy “real chocolate milk”. Jayden and I enjoy this tasty treat and then it’s time to board. The flight is practically empty so we have lots of room for ourselves.
11:20 p.m.
We’ve just landed and as we landed Jayden has finally fallen asleep. Since the flight was so empty the stewardesses have allowed me to take my stroller on board. I carefully fold it open and then place my sleeping baby into it. He’s so tired he doesn’t even stir. I follow the few other passengers down endless long hallways in hope that someone will be going where I’m supposed to go. The beauty of the sparkling hallways and massive windows hits me, and I can’t help but stare. Has it really been that long since I’ve seen beautiful buildings??
12:01 a.m.
Where to now? I’ve been able to locate my suitcases but I don’t know where to find my next check in point. It’s midnight and the airport is deserted. Even the lights are dimming. Pushing a baggage cart, and a stroller and carrying a heavy backpack on my back is getting tiring, especially when you don’t know where you are going. Finally I find a security guard in a bathroom and ask for directions. “You’re here all by yourself? With a sleeping baby? Pushing a baggage cart and a stroller? And your next flight doesn’t leave till 7:00 a.m.? Where are you going to sleep?” She looks at me in disbelief. “You’re just a little girl,” she says and shakes her head. I almost start feeling sorry for myself too. I’m so tired, I fight back tears and say with the strongest voice I can muster. “I’m 23, I’m married and I’ve traveled lots of times, it's no problem”. She shakes her head again and the takes the baggage cart from my hands. I smile thankfully. The stroller and cart keep wanting to go in opposite directions when I push them, so an extra set of hands is a good thing. “Where are you planning to sleep?” she asks again. “I was just hoping to find a bench somewhere,” I say. She mutters something under her breath, and then points me to the restaurant section. “There are some benches in there,” she says. “Since no one’s there they probably won’t mind if you sleep there. It’s right close to your gate too,” she points. “Thank you, thank you”, I say and then push my stuff towards the bench. Thankfully, Jayden’s still fast asleep, so now it’s time to get organized. I make sure our passports and cash are safely in the pouch that I wear under my T-shirt. Then I surround us and our suitcases with a row of chairs, this way in case anyone moves them I will wake up. Finally I tie Jayden’s ankle to my wrist. I really don’t want to wake up and find him gone! As I try to find a comfortable position, I can’t help but smile. I’ve always wanted to experience what it was like spending a night on a bench.



1:00 a.m.
beep, Beep, BEEEEP. I struggle to open my eyes and try to identify the noise. Lights are flashing and the screeching beep is getting progressively louder. It’s the fire alarm, and I groan. Unless I actually see smoke I’m not moving, I decide. My body is just too tired and how can I possibly move all this stuff? Thankfully seconds later it is announced that they are simply testing the fire alarm. I cover my ears and moan, great timing. Thankfully Jayden hasn’t woken up. I try to get comfortable again and doze off once more.
5:00 a.m.
Jayden and I are both wide awake. I loosen my braid and re-braid it in hopes I’ll look a little more presentable. At least I’m able to check in my baggage now, and then we go on a hunt for a Tim Hortons. Finally we find one and we order our very first bacon breakfast sandwich. It’s been almost 6 months now. “Wow,” Jayden says and I have to agree.
7:00 a.m.
The flight is packed and we are getting ready for takeoff. Jayden doesn’t want to sleep and there are no extra seats so I spend the next four hours trying to keep him entertained.
9:15 a.m.
Vancouver, our final stop. I collect my suitcases once again and then head out to find my sister-in-law Leanne. At first I can’t find her, but finally we spot her and the kids. We hug each other. It’s great to see them again. Soon I’ll get to see all my family and friends as well.
10:30 a.m.
We’re driving back and are in awe of the straight smooth roads, the beautiful green grass, the small amount of traffic and the clear blue skies. The air is so crisp! I take a few big breaths, and it feels good. Everything looks so clean, and organized! It really is great being able to come and visit!
11:15 a.m.
We finally arrive at my parents. In Haiti the time is 1:15 p.m. This means that our total traveling time was 27 hours!

Home Alone

That's right - Wilhelmina and Jayden took off today for Chilliwack, so im on my own for 2 weeks! They are going for my sister, Chantelle's wedding. I hope/pray everything goes well as Will and Jayden have over 27 hours of travelling time including an 8 hour wait tonight in Toronto. It was kinda cool landing at Port au Prince while the Air Canada plane she was on patiently waited for me!

Jason

A Day With Jayden

Hi, my name is Jayden. I’m almost 2 and live with my Mommy and Daddy in Haiti. I’ve visited a lot of places already in my life. I was born in Chilliwack, lived in Langley, traveled to Ontario, New Jersey, Grand Rapids, lived in Idaho, traveled to California, moved back to Chilliwack and then finally moved with my Mommy and Daddy to Haiti. In Haiti we first lived in a village that had lots of nice animals, but now we live in Port-au-Prince and we have our very own home. I like it here. I have my own bedroom, and even a playroom. Daddy built shelves and a little table and I like playing with my toys. Every morning I wake up around 6:30. Mommy really wishes I would sleep longer, but that’s the time Daddy gets up, so I want to get up too. When Daddy hears I’m awake he lifts me out of my crib and brings me to Mommy who’s still sleeping in bed. I found out that the quickest way to wake her up is to go sit on her head! As she moans and slowly rolls out of bed I run down the hall way to the kitchen. I know I like peanut butter on my bread so I carefully open the pantry and pull out the container of butter and the pot of peanut butter and put them carefully on the counter. Then Mommy won’t be confused about what I want on my bread. Usually I get milk with my breakfast, but I always check it before I drink it. Sometimes Mommy forgets to put “chocolate” in it and I have to remind her. Once I’m done breakfast Mommy washes my hands and face and I remind her that it’s time for “potty”. Usually Mommy will give me a toy or book to play with while I sit, but it never takes long. As soon as I’m done I jump up and down and say “Wow, Wow” and clap my hands. I’ve seen Mommy do that when I’m all done, so I guess that’s what you’re supposed to do. Then I run to the cupboard and help myself to one or two or three candies, before Mommy catches me. Once I’m finished with that and changed out of my pajamas, I tell Mommy I want to go “outside”. Then I go look for my “hat” and “shoes”. I know I’ll need those too. Outside I play with my two friends Nicholas and Sabboule. We put rocks in bottles, fill up my little pool with sand, leaves and rocks, chase each other in the grass, or play with the balloons Mommy gives us. At ten o’clock it’s sleepy time and I sleep till lunch time. After lunch I either play outside again, or if it’s to hot I play inside in the playroom with the fan on. I already know how to turn it off and on all by myself! Sometimes we go to Auntie Jen and Uncle Todd’s house (friends from my Mommy and Daddy) and swim in their big pool. I like that! I also like it when Daddy comes home from work and I can play with him. After supper Mommy usually lets me play for a little while and then I have a bath. At night I’m usually very tired from all my playing so it doesn’t take long for me to fall asleep. Before I fall asleep I also pray with Mommy for all the people back in Canada. Mommy says we are going to visit there soon.

Medical Flight

Sunday morning, on the island of La Gonave, a large truck carrying 20 passengers went off the road and crashed killing 2 and injuring 12 others. MAF was called to do an emergency medivac flight to transport the 4 most critically injured patients to Port au Prince. We had just finished church when my phone rang, calling me to go down to the airport to fly 1 of the 2 planes going to La Gonave. I felt like I was working for the Chilliwack Fire Department again as i rushed to get dressed into my pilot uniform, and hurried down to the airport. Once I had landed at La Gonave, I realized that the entire village had come out to the airstrip to help / watch. A huge mob of Haitians surrounded my plane as i struggled to open the door.

Shortly after I landed, a small pickup truck came speeding onto the airstrip carrying the patients in the back. It didn't take me long to realize that this was La Gonave's ambulance.

I helped load the 2 patients into my plane, and then the rest into the 2nd plane

This 18 minute flight is saving these 2 women (along with the others) countless hours of travel by boat across the open ocean to Port au Prince.

Flying back to Port au Prince.

After waiting quite some time for an ambulance, and realizing that it wasn't going to show up, arrangements were made to transport them from the airport to the hospital with a pickup truck. It wasn't until it arrived that i realized how much we take ambulances for granted in North America!

Helping with loading the patients in the back of the truck.

Finally after we loaded them in the back of the "ambulance", they discovered that it wouldn't start. They lifted the hood and tinkered with it for a good 15 minutes before they got it to start, and sped off towards the hospital.

Through this experience, I am once again reminded of how valuable the service of MAF is here in Haiti. Countless Haitians depend on the wings of MAF to provide food, medicine, transportation, and medical evacuations each year, and I praise the Lord that I am able to be apart of this wonderful ministry!