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Posts Tagged with Journal

Today, Your Freedom Has Come

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Journal entry from February 17, 2010 – Port-au-Prince, Haiti
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I’m guarding my heart and mind against disappointment, yet I believe we will go home today.
Alex came by today with a note saying he is sure we will go home this week. He seems to think even today for most of us, maybe. We hear that the prosecutor has recommended that we not be released until further investigation can be done on Laura and Charisa. The day unfolds very slowly. Much like every day, only much slower. Even lunch came later than usual. Usually it comes in no later than 2PM, but today it came around 3PM. The fact that it came at all begins to establish that disappointment I am at war with.
Around 1:30PM the US Embassy showed up to begin talking to us about our return home in the event we are released. Silas and I visited with Cathy and about five other people about possible travel plans. They want to know what our plans are to get home. As encouraging as this visit was, I have no idea what kind of travel plans I have to get home. We no longer have texting ability with our families, so I don’t know what to do here but to do what God has clearly been teaching me to do, trust in Him. The visit was encouraging in that it seems more likely we are to be released soon.
Close to 4:15PM, the lawyers begin to show up and gather in the hallway. Then I noticed Alex. I don’t know how he does it? Then I saw Junior in the hallway.
Alex looked to me and gives me his patented smile and hard blinks of his eyes, then gives me a thumbs up. I know that this is good. I praise God for this breakthrough and then Alex just walked into the jailer’s office and up to the barred window we have spoken through many times and says “Today, your freedom has come!”  He is then immediately ushered out by the police as they grab him by the arms. But not without several glances back to make sure that we heard him. Then in the hallway; Junior, with a grin from ear to ear, points to heaven and mouths the words “Praise to God.”

From this point we are cleared to go, all charges dropped on eight to be released today. We are then told that the people from the Oprah show want us to seek refuge at their place. We quickly say we would rather go the the US Embassy. Aviol has wanted us to go with Oprah from the first day we met him, adding to my unrest with him.
The US Embassy met with us at the jail about the possibility of getting on a military flight tonight to Miami. We are all in agreement that this is best. The military is still flying emergency flights and they have eight empty seats, a provision from God.
We are to leave Haiti tonight at 8PM on a US Air Force cargo flight. I can’t shake the faces of the men in the cell we have just spent three weeks with. They all make eye contact and give firm hand shakes. Even though we have had our things stolen from time to time when we go to court, we have become very close. God please bring freedom to these men soon.
    We make several attempts to allow Charisa to be released so she can get medical assistance in the States by letting one of us stay in her place. This was very hard to be refused to do so. Any one of the eight being released were willing to stay in her place.

The walk through the media zoo was as if it were in slow motion. Alex, true to form comes from the midst of the crowd, then Junior and Florance with a hug and a kiss on my cheek.
What has caused this kind of brotherly and sisterly affection? We are virtually strangers. It can only be the blood of the Lamb. We make our way into the US Embassy van and are escourted to the entrance to the Port-au-Prince airport, just less than 1/2 mile from where we have been for the past 19 days. We have heard these planes coming and going every day for the past three weeks. This time we are to be on one.
The media gets nothing from us and Oprah gets even less.
While at the airport we all get phones to call family. We put the battery back into the phone that NBC gave us to use as well.

This is unexplainable at the moment. How at all did I speak to my love without being in shock of hearing that voice? I will see her face and touch her embrace soon, if God will so allow.
I was able to speak to David for a moment and Renee’s dad. I will look forward to my call to my parents when I arrive in Miami.
The flight was packed with brave men and women of the US military causing me to think a lot about David. There are many civilians with the look of despair and joy. The flight was uncomfortable, but most pleasant! I will strive for the remainder of my life to never complain of this flight, ever!
“Today, your freedom has come!”

 

Press On

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The following is from my personal journal dated January 28, 2010. Location, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
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We have contacted Pastor Jean Sainvil, we are lined up with our three [translators], and we are still working on finalizing documentation. The process seems difficult to understand and situations change the process after clarity has been given [to us.] We have been told that the illegal trafficking of children has increased and need to have documentation from director of the orphanage is of greatest importance. We are all in agreement and now press on to give hope from God to the orphans.

We have received 33 children from Haiti Sharing Jesus Ministries, lead by Pastor Jean Sainvil.
The traffic is slow, as it has been everyday, so we will not [attempt] going to the border tonight.
Our hope of a safe place to park the bus and have the children examined by medical personnel has fallen through so we are forced to sleep on a street of Port-au-Prince. We do so with joy to care for the children. As we are preparing to bed down, I notice the care of the older children for the younger. This is precious. The children have been well fed today and have had plenty of water. It has been a hard day but a blessed day. I won’t assume that the hardship is over but the joy in to and from God. I learned Charisa is a diabetic tonight. She has not had enough food today and is in need of proper nutrition. It is good to have Drew and his knowledge to help get her to stay awake to eat and drink. We pray for hours with her and for her.
The street is more like an alley. It smells of urine, is filled with trash, and the non-stop barking of a dog and crowing of a rooster down the street have been announcing their presence most of the night.
We have [not been] approached by anyone on the street until about 3:00 AM. A police truck pulled up the street; they asked if we were alright. We explained what we were doing and why we were on the street. They were understandable and let us remain with no problems.

Prayer: God protect the children, help Charisa, Thank you that there will be people from our churches waiting for us when we arrive in the DR with the children. I am physically spent. My outer man wants to complain, but my spirit refuses him. I count it a joy to be poured out like a drink offering. Please make that dog quit barking.

(* Photo’s from Nikki. Thank you Nikki)

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The following is not in my journal… they are thoughts and observations I made one year later on January 28, 2011

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Here is some information that I think will help in piecing this day together with people and events in the coming days
This day was very exhausting. We had this smaller bus and needed to reserve another bus to handle the number of children now. There is no way we could have driven the larger bus to the orphanage but the larger bus would better handle the number of children. The additional bus eventually created additional confusion as issues of money and security began to pose a threat. With the assistance of the Haitian policeman we had met a few days before, we were able to pay the fee for the second bus and relieve them of any further assistance. This now made the bus very full with 33 children and 12 adults (10 Americans, now one translator and a relative of Pastor Sainvil.)
While meeting with Pastor Sainvil at the Haiti Sharing Jesus Orphanage, I was approached by a young man who introduced himself to me as Alex. He was very kind and thankful to meet me. He spoke English pretty well, I later learned that he is a school teacher.
He asked me if I could walk with him to his neighborhood. I informed Laura that I was going to walk with him to his house while she was working with Pastor Sainvil. I then met a lady name Florance who walked with us to Alex’s house. There Alex explained to me that their neighborhood was taking care of several children. Their parents were all killed during the earthquake. Alex asked me if we could take these children with us. I told him that we were working with the understanding that we could only receive children from an orphanage with authorization from the orphanage director. He understood and was very thankful I had walked with him to see and hear their need for help. I gave him Laura’s phone number and he gave me his so we could communicate in the future about how to help him. He, Florance and another man named Junior walked back with me to the bus. These three individuals will become very important to us in the coming days.
The dog never quit barking.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

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From my journal, Sunday, February 14, 2010

A third day in a row we are wakened to the sound of the faithful in song outside our jail. This morning in the midst of the Creole language comes the familiar tune of a song I have sung many times over. Then as clear as a Sunday morning worship service in my native language is the entire song, sung as though being preached to me…

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conqu’rors we are!
His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Renee continues to take up a healthy space on my thinking today. I’m thankful to You, Lord, to have heard that David has been able to be home some of this time and Renee’s dad. Renee is stronger than I am, yet I’m thankful for those who have been at her side.
     As the day moved slower than all the rest, it became apparent around 2PM that we would not have enough food or water to supply the need for the day. We had only eaten minimally for breakfast and all had drank the last of their water, except two bottles still in the women’s cell. We knew we would receive the one required meal now coming in every day from the mandate of the Geneva Convention rules.
     We prayed about the need. At around 2:30PM our lawyer showed up with two large bottles of water and two pizzas. Within 10 minutes of his leaving our daily supply of rice and chicken showed up.
     Our prayer of thanks for our food was sweet. The supply of food fed not only us but about four other inmates as well who do not get regular visits from family. This provision reminds me of a caring God who is engaged in every part of my life and the life of all people.
     We heard from our lawyer today that news about Jorge is causing trouble for Laura. He expects our release on Wednesday or Thursday but not sure about Laura and maybe even Charisa.
     This evening we spend time in praise again and then the routine dialog as we prepare to go to bed is rich. We talk about many things; favorite foods, jobs, family, but I enjoy the talk about Scripture the most.
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This picture is a picture of some of the song sheets we had to sing with. I call it our Haiti Jail Hymnbook. There were several days that the women had access to the internet while in jail. Some of them had their mobile phones and a laptop computer with internet access in the cell with them.  Until the guards discovered this we primarily used this to look up the words to songs of our faith. We would all decide we wanted to sing a song and so they would look it up; Nikki would then write the song on paper, then pass it through the thin space at the door between our cells, and then we had the words to all of the verses.
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