Trip Home for Jim, Ken and Don

February 21, 2010 Posted by Jim Steer

The trip home for the three musketeers, like the trip in, was interesting. They left the compound before daylight Tuesday and arrived home late on Friday. Jim kindly wrote about the trip for today’s blog. As you read it you could get the idea they just might be missing our kids a tad. Perhaps??

We left the compound about 4:30 am and picked up Luckner then went on to Pont Sonde to pick up Daniel (our policeman) and drove to PaP. We needed to be at the airport for 0830 but left early to have a brief tour of PaP. We got to PaP about 0645 and drove through some of the badly collapsed areas. Now more than a month after the quake and many buildings still show no signs of anyone starting to clean up the rubble and collect the many thousands of bodies that must still be in there. We saw collapsed hotels, churches and government buildings, a nursing training college that was completely flat. The devastation is not possible for me to convey with words and pictures. It is just too vast to imagine unless you see it with your own eyes.

We then headed for the airport and along the way got a nice surprise as Luckner’s daughter Baby was waiting for us to say goodbye. She had spent the previous few days with her mother. There was great joy from all at seeing her there. We all took turns giving and receiving hugs and pictures and rejoicing with our new sister.

They then dropped us at the airport that they had picked up Dickie and Carol at when they flew in via MFI, but instead of just dropping us and running Karen decided to make sure of where we needed to be while we were going through security screening. It’s a good thing she did as they had moved MFI to the main terminal so we grabbed our bags and headed back to the truck. We went over to the main terminal, grabbed another round of hugs and handshakes but this time our crew (Luckner, Karen, Baby and Daniel) left us to go on our own. It was about 0800 when we got through security and found our way to where we would check in with MFI. We were first in line and I thought that would be the end of our delays.

Missing the kids already. The MAF crew (who do the bookings for MFI) showed up about 0815 and told us all to find a seat somewhere and they would get to us shortly. Because of the damage to the airport we weren’t inside but sitting outside facing the runways. We had shade from the terminal and a nice breeze so it was pretty comfortable. They started to call people in order of booking so I started to get a little nervous as by now there must have been 50 people sitting there for 19 seats. However soon I heard them call Sandra MacDonald so I had to get Ken and Don’s attention as they weren’t paying any (they both live in their own little worlds) and get them to the front where they took our passports which we later found out meant we were on the plane. A little while later they called everyone back up one at a time where they weighed us and all of our luggage. The number of passengers they take depends as much on weight as it does on number of people. After a few hours of sitting by the runway we were getting a bit peckish so Ken went rummaging through his pack for some snacks and came out with a bag of rocks which he kindly released back into the wild.

We had been told by someone that there was 2 flights that day 11:00 and 16:00 and weren’t sure which one we would get on. As the day dragged on and on and on and 1100 came and went one of our fellow passengers told us that the flight left Florida at 1100 and wouldn’t be to PaP before 1330. As the day passed we watched many planes and troops from different countries pass by us and all in all the day went fairly quickly. The fellow in charge of booking the flight started calling us in order to line up as they had a plane on the ground. None of us had seen it yet but I guess it had landed at the other part of the airport and refueled and was taxiing over to where we were waiting. Still missing the kids.

We flew in a Douglas DC3 that was built in 1944. While we were sitting in the plane on the runway in PaP, looking like I had just stepped out of the shower with all my clothes on, the pilot came out and apologized
that the heater was broken but there was lots of blankets if we were cold. I thought he was quite funny but by the time we were on the second leg of the flight I was looking for the blankets. We had stopped in the
Bahamas for fuel at a small airport (Exuma I think) on one of the many islands. After about 20 minutes we were back on the plane headed for Fort Pierce airport. A trip that could have been made with a flying time
of about 90 minutes in a modern jet had taken us about 6 hours on the DC3. The MFI staff were great to deal with and they even gave us a ride from the airport to our motel. The next morning after a hearty breakfast we hired a car to drive us from Ft Pierce to Ft Lauderdale for another night in a motel before our early flights home the next morning. The rest of the trip was uneventful as all went smoothly and I made it back to Lytton about 2pm yesterday.

In case I forgot to mention it we are really missing the kids.

~Jim

About Jim Steer

I first visited Haiti in 1989 and felt God drawing me back there in 2009. After speaking with Karen I was added to a team for 2010 and have been returning regularly since. I felt I had something to offer the mission but soon discovered that I received much more than I could ever give. God has blessed me so much through all the people I have met there, especially the children. The country is beautiful, the people a delight and the time at the mission flies by.

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Testimonials

I had anticipated that I would enjoy spending time getting to know the children and being a part of Karen’s daily life in Haiti but I had not anticipated that it would capture my heart like it did. I will miss spending time with the children and Karen but I am hopeful that I’ll be able to see them all again in the not too distant future.

Sara-May Cardy
HATS Visitor
This is my first time traveling outside of Canada and I am proud to say it was for a mission trip. I have always wanted to go on one and see what it like in other parts of the world and do what I can to help out. Haiti is a terminus life change for me and how I look at things. Seeing these kids and how they have such a passion for each other and for us is truly inspiring. I look back to what I was like at that age and I don’t think I was half as kind or generous as they are. This morning we did devotions and as I was speaking about what an impact they had on me only in one day I started to tear up…it was very emotional to talk about.

Isaiah Henderson
HATS Visitor
After years of thinking about it and months of planning for it, it seems strange that our time in Haiti is over. We have been asked by a few if it was like we expected. Well, no. I’m not sure what we expected, but our minds could not have fathomed what we have experienced, and we can hardly believe that our 3 month stay has come to an end. HATS really became home away from home for us. We knew we would enjoy getting to know and spending time with the kids but we had no idea how difficult it would be to leave them. They sneak in and steal your heart without you even knowing it. We have left a piece of our hearts in Haiti and can’t wait for the day when we can return.

Mike & Nicki White
HATS Visitors
It’s going to be impossible to put my thoughts into words about this experience, so I’d say this – if you can get here – do. I think most people probably think they’re coming to help others. To some extent, that’s true (at least this temporary blogger thought so). To a larger extent, you’ll leave Haiti a better person than when you arrived. Nelson Mandela once said something like “Everywhere I go, I wear you”. It means that none of us is our own person entirely. Rather, we’re the culmination of the people and experiences we have had. I leave Haiti wearing 16 HATS children, 10(ish) Haitian staff members, a Calgarian, 2 Winnipegian’s, and a Newfie. And I couldn’t be happier about it. Until we meet again my friends.

Rick
HATS Visitor
They call Karen “the helicopter ” and after spending three days by her side I know why. She propels through life!!! If you want to get on the ride you better start running. It is an amazing work that the Lord is doing here through so many many dedicated workers…literally hundreds of children impacted every day with the love of Christ…but the task to do so is enormous. The dedication of staff is invaluable…they NEED US ALL!!

Barbara & Louis
HATS Visitors
I have learned much about Haiti in my short stay here, much about generational, entrenched poverty, and much about hope. We can only be part of the bringing of hope if we become one small actor on the huge stage that is poverty. Thank you, Lynn Clark, for inviting me to share this life changing experience with you, and thank-you, Karen Huxter, for investing so much of your life in a work designed to bring hope to those who need it more than any Canadian could ever imagine.

Linda
HATS Visitor
This is my first trip to Haiti and I’m hoping that it will not be my last! I could start by telling you all about my experiences however I’ll start by saying that Haiti DOES hit you in your heart! Not a day goes by when I’m not fighting back tears. Hands Across the Sea is an amazing place! Our team has been assembled of different men that all who all felt God calling them to do his bidding. Since I have been here I was quick to realize that we are just helpers here. Karen and her team of workers are, what I believe to be, the real workers of God! Each child presents their own challenges and Karen and her staff make sure that all of the children, not one child, are seen to!

Bernie Melanson
HATS Visitor
I am going to try to explain why a trip to Haiti is life-changing. No-one can be thrown into a group of people who have the common purpose of doing something for someone less fortunate and not be changed in many ways. As with those I joined in each of the first four trips I made to HATS, my respect and affection for each of the team members grows daily. To those who wonder if your donations and prayers are actually making a difference, I will answer you in this way…there are about 300 children in front of me right now and some or many of them God will use in a great way to change the future face of Haiti and its people. YOU have helped make that possible — AND THAT, FOLKS — is a fact!

Brian En
HATS Visitor
It’s my hope that I manage to touch their hearts in some small way, the way that they have touched mine – in a major way.

Cherie MacDonald
HATS Visitor
This morning, we woke up as the sun came up and as we all began to trickle downstairs; we were met with warm welcomes from the precious children. As the children arrived, we were deeply touched and came to the realization of how important the HATS organization is to this country. Many children who would not have had any opportunities are now well nourished, educated and have a loving home and a mother who loves them more than we could ever comprehend, Karen Huxter.

Nicole Boudreau & Marcia Muise
HATS Visitors