The last day

We have been blessed with a day of smooth sailing today—no real problems to speak of. As I write, at 9:40 p.m. using in-flight wifi, we are on the last leg of our journey, a Delta flight from Atlanta to Detroit.

This morning we arose leisurely; some of us up early, and some opting to sleep in a bit more today. At 9:30 we enjoyed a meal Mary Jane had prepared for us so we wouldn't have to try to eat at the airport, and this meal featured "Haitian pizza" — a very good creation with lots of vegetables as toppings. Then we made our way down to the church, where the van was packed, with our driver Felix, and said emotional goodbye to the children who were surrounding us with smiles, shy waves, and lots of high fives and fist bumps.

We took a group photo (enlisting the assistance of a Haitian man so that we could all get in the picture) in the bright sunshine that had it well up into the eighties at 10 a.m., and joined hands in a circle to pray, and then said our difficult farewells to Mary Jane and Andris. By 10:20 we were beginning to roll ... very slowly for the first few bumpy miles down the hill to the city, and then with increasing speed and good progress. We arrived at the airport a bit before noon, in plenty of time for our 3:30 flight, even with the need to go through the departure protocol of customs. We got down to our gate with plenty of time, and sat down to wait.

Soon we were boarding our plane, and then beginning to roll towards a smooth and timely takeoff. The flight to Atlanta was flawless, and we managed to get through the airport there (including incoming customs) and most of us found time for a stop at the food court, too. Then it was time to board our connecting flight to Detroit, which was delayed slightly beyond the original schedule.

Somehow, two members of our party—Eric and Mari Veenstra—got onto a different flight than the rest of us. They should be following not too far behind, however.

We come back with gratitude for the hospitality of our Haitian hosts, rejoicing in the glory of God as we have been privileged to see it in a foreign land, and thankful that we could play a part this week in serving Him. As J.S. Bach signed his compositions, Soli Deo gloria—to God alone be the glory!