Isiah 57:14

It has been quite the day...and I am about to give every little detail so I'm sorry if this is long and mundane.  Hokay, here we go...

We woke up at 6 am (and I didn't get to bed till 1 because of the heat, stickiness and stink of PAP) so needless to say, we're pretty tired.  Clayton came to get us around 7ish and when he did, we had quite a bit of work to do.  We had to pack the truck full of the materials with which to build the composting toilets, and didn't have enough room.  Luckily, the press to make the blocks won't be here till next week and Clayton is by happenstance going back down next weekend.  Crisis averted, some supplies left till Friday. 

So, leaving PAP wasn't a huge deal, but we had some mountains to conquer, and considering my motion sickness, I wasn't agreeing with it much.  We stopped on the way up the mountain to buy some produce.  There was a new type of fruit which they called an apricot, but it isn't like the one in the states.  The Haitian women were insistent upon us trying this fruit.  Clayton had already dug in, Brandi was going at it, Jill had taken a bite, and I would have rather died.  My stomach was in knots, but they were persistent, and I took a bite...and spit it out as no one was looking.  Praise God Clayton can speak Creole because he explained my rudeness (I think that I made a horrid face upon taking a bite).

We finally made it to Jacmel where Clayton had to run a few errands.  We met Bill, Brian, and some woman (whom I loved!!!) and I can't remember her name, but she gave us cake (I didn't eat that either because I was still feeling a little on the "bl-eh" side. 

Clayton was checking things off his to-do list, and we were ready to head up the mountain!  We had some troubles though.  I know that I might have already said that Haitians are terrible drivers, but if I didn't, let me reiterate, they suck!!!  So this fellow (obviously in a hurry) passed us.  A little bit later, and a few yards ahead, he veered right.  I saw something in front of him, but didn't think much of it till we got closer and saw a motorbike underneath the man's car.  We basically watched this man on a motorbike get hit head-on by some idiot barreling down the road (these crazy people don't wear helmets either). Clayton, being the wonderful doctor and person that he is, stopped to help out.  He thought that the man might have some spinal cord injuries so we drove to the clinic in the next town (aka...forward progression), but apparently, that clinic just wouldn't cut it so we had to drive back to Jacmel (lack of progress this time...about 40-mins-total-driving-time lack of progress) to some other clinic.  Needless to say, we were delayed a good hour and a half to two hours by that act alone.  Oh yeah, and the guy is fine, just a gash in the head.  We were all really surprised that he came out with a mere gash; he seriously got nailed...hard.  Clayton then added and checked off of his to-do list "save man's life." 

Finally, we were on our way!  Here's the thing though, once you get to a certain point going up the mountain, there are no more paved roads...there are rock, not gravel, boulders making up the streets.  With that and the incline taken into consideration, our food and supplies fell out of the back of the truck.  Yet another delay.  It only took about 20-30 minutes though.  Not much happens in Haiti (especially on the mountain) so we were the form of entertainment this evening.  Every Haitian within hearing-distance was standing, watching, and (of course) laughing at our expense. 

Okay, that was the last of the crazy happenings.  When we got to the clinic, the children saw Clayton coming and ran.  They wanted to play with us, to help carry our bags, to see the foreigners who would be visiting for a while.  I fell in love instantly, not just because it is about 20-30 degrees cooler here than in PAP.  :)  Also, the cook retired last week, and now I am in charge of the kitchen, and only have fresh ingredients!! 

Needless to say, I can't even express how much happier I am here than in the capitol.  I saw those children running to help, and my heart melted.  God's about to do some serious work here.  Bring it on.