From Hans, Saturday evening:
Short update tonight as we are all exhausted and ready for some sleep. The layover in Fort Lauderdale was short as we checked in to our CAP flight at 3:00 am (we arrived at FLL at 12:30 am) – so not much sleep. It was a smooth flight to CAP, and we all marveled at the new runway and upgrades in the airport (including AC!). Gersan, Elizabeth, Deborah, and Peter Marc met us and we all loaded onto the tap tap minus our checked baggage – the ~1200 lbs of bags was on the flight behind us. Unfortunately the big tap tap had imbibed a load of bad diesel and we stalled multiple times on the way to camp, finally coming to a full stop just on the CAP side of the mountain. God provided another big truck that was flagged down because the driver was from Tse Guinea, and we all loaded up and continued the journey, arriving at camp at 10:30. The campground has turned into a major construction zone as a new eating pavilion and a new road are being built to expand facilities. We were really excited about the pavilion, complete with 12 new round tables and chairs for an un-cramped eating arrangement under shade outdoors. Wow! We ate lunch and took a short nap prior to going on a camp tour, ending up at the new church building for some fun and games with the village kids. The team veterans were pleased that the kids remembered their names, and the new team members quickly made friends. Opa Meinardus was an instant hit when they figured out that there were three generations of Hanses there. Counselors were being trained in the church building and some of our group played soccer while others led in “duck duck goose” and “across the river”. One other big change is that the Voodoo temple at the turnoff into the camp road is gone – the priest got tired of competing with the Lord!
In the meantime, our bags at the airport had become a battle ground with customs officers, who demanded $6000 US in taxes. Cooler heads prevailed after a good long and heated negotiation and finally a price of ~100 US settled the matter. The van transporting the bags broke down while we were eating dinner (Haitian spaghetti!) and so a truck was sent after the bags, and we finally got our luggage at 8:00. We hastily unpacked personal gear and headed for bed after a short devo. It’s off to church tomorrow and then to organize ourselves. Pray for the staff training that is continuing tomorrow, and the work projects that we will start to get the camp ready. Thanks for your prayer and support! Satan tried to derail our transport today, but God was faithful…
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