And So It Begins

Sunday, August 11 2019.  'o dark thirty:

We showed up at the airport with one carry-on, one personal item, and one checked bag for everyone who had a seat.  Plus one more checked bag, plus two car seats.  (One car seat was already down here waiting for us.)  Not too bad compared to some who make a big move and don't have the luxury of sea containers!

Summer was my seat mate from Ft. Wayne to Atlanta.  She did great!  She got over her awe filled wonder about airplanes and flying and promptly fell asleep.  And so did I.

Sawyer's (loud and hyper) awe filled wonder continued on through Atlanta and didn't stop until we were in baggage claim in Port-au-Prince.  It was then that he finally decided to fall asleep.

I just got such a kick out of him!  He pulled Danny's carry on suitcase behind him for most of the Atlanta airport.  And he did pretty good with it too!

He and Tucker loved watching all the activity going on outside during our layover.  And I didn't even get any pictures of Tucker on the plane!  He was in the seat ahead of us with Danny's parents.  He did great for as little sleep as he had.  He survived on a couple short naps and then crashed finally on the van ride from PAP to Bonne Finn.

We made it to Port, through a fairly stressful baggage claim, customs and immigration, and finally to the van.  We had about a 4 1/2 hour drive then where we learned that Summer gets carsick on winding, bumpy roads:(  Of course I had packed some children's dramamine.  In the sea container.  So it was already at our house in Haiti and not with me!  The drivers we had took us to the bottom of the mountain we live on where we met up with some people from the hospital who took us the rest of the way.  While we were waiting for that trade off, the kids decided they were DONE.  I mean, I felt the same way but I didn't plop down on the ground at least:)

And that's where my pictures end.  I have more on my phone that haven't made it to my computer yet.

Danny's parents stayed with us through Thursday and then left early Friday morning.  We were so glad to have them here while we got unpacked and tried to settle in.  Especially for the travelling.  It would have been a complete nightmare without them!

Our first week was mostly spent just unpacking and organizing.  And trying to start learning how to live here.  Everything takes longer, plain and simple.  For example, I went grocery shopping for the first time.  We left at 7:15 in the morning and got home around 12:30 in the afternoon.  It won't always take that long though.  Once it's more familiar and I can drive and do it myself it should cut down to a three or four hour trip instead of 5!  We've also enjoyed starting to get to know the other missionaries here a little better.  We had met most of them, but not all.  Summer has really enjoyed playing with some of the other girls that are here.  They are all a little bit older than her but have been great about letting her play.  Sawyer has been okay- he needs his routine and the last few weeks have been anything but that.  He seems to be doing better though now that he isn't being shuffled around everywhere and is able to sleep in the same place for more than a few nights at a time.  Tucker has been his normal, easy going self for the most part.  He slept a whole bunch the first few days.  Probably a combination of being tired and hot.

In the next week we will hopefully begin language training, though I'm really not for sure on that.  Danny will be going to the hospital to start learning a few things down there, and we will be looking to hire our house help.  All of those things are kind of scary and daunting in their own ways so any prayers are appreciated!

I will try to post more regularly than I have been.  It will help us feel more connected when we're living so far apart and in a very different world.  Plus if I post more often, you won't forget about us, right? :)  So until next time...