Note from John

Saturday, Janurary 23

Well, I have to say this has been a chaotic experience so far. Our departure from LA was delayed because of high winds. We sat of the runway 1.5 hrs, with only one engine running waiting the weather to clear. Due to the delay, our transfer in Dallas was very close.

The TSA forgot to give Dr. Combs his passport back, after a thorough searching. He didn’t realize this until he was on the flight. Fortunately AA was able to locate it and give it to the next group.

Because of the need to evacuate a plane load of sick babies, the Lynx air crew had to delay out flight out this AM. This actually allowed us to go to a hotel and sleep for 5 hrs. After rushing back to the Airport at 07:00, we were delayed to about 10:00.

As there is no fuel in Haiti, the plane had to land in Bermuda to refuel enroute to Haiti. This was about another 2.5 hr flight.

The airport at Cap Haitian is small and congested with small aircraft. It is chaotic here. Although the UN escort was awaiting us (after being put off several times because of our delay), we will not be able to leave until around 17:30. This is because the cargo craft that was to accompany our flight with supplies, was delay out of Florida until around 13:00.

The minister here did not want us to leave Cap Haitian at night to traverse the 3.5 hrs of dirt roads over two rivers. We did not want to split up and send one group now at 14:00 and the other tomorrow AM, nor did we want to delay until tomorrow AM.. The minister feels it is dangerous at night. Our local staff and Temecula staff with the UN feel comfortable. So as of now, at 14:00, we will depart Cap Haitian after 17:30 – in the dark and arrive Hinche around 23:00.

“I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you; plans for hope and a future.” Yeah, I know, but I wish He would just let us know in advance. We are now following our plan D or E

we again went through decision to go and now to wait and overnight in Cap Haitian. We waited at the airport until sunset, but our cargo plane did not arrive and we have been unable to communicate with the staff.

Plan to pull out of here to Hinche in early AM

Christine, you know we have been all over the third world, including Istanbul, Cairo, Peru, Equador, Mexico, but I have never seen such squalor, dirt, garbage stacked on the streets and masses of humanity doing nothing than here! There are no jobs, the folks are poor, and the conditions dismal.

We are anxious to start doing something productive!

John