June 1

As I arrived at the airport yesterday at 7:30 p.m., I was met with craze and confusion. The airport was so damaged in the earthquake that we were taken to a warehouse to go thru customs and collect our luggage. Words cannot describe the complete and utter devastation that is still here. Imagine collapsed buildings, rubble, garbage and so many people living in tent cities. The human suffering seems unbearable, yet I am humbled beyond belief.

We have a brief stop at the hotel to drop off our luggage and we will drive about 20 miles outside of Port au Prince to see the construction of a new school, where the tools to build the school are being powered by one of our generators. It is a long, hard drive and the roads are so chaotic. So many people, so much destruction. I saw the collapsed palace that used to house government officials. The 20 mile drive takes 2 hours.

We arrive at the construction site, which happens to be at the epicenter of the earthquake. There are about 30 children in a 3-sided tent. There is one blackboard and no chairs or desks. There is just a tree branch that some may have had an opportunity to sit on. The children are happy. About 300' away is the new school construction. One of our generators sits in the middle and powers welding equipment. It is inspiring to me. The Haitians are proud, good working people. The Haitians do not call it the earthquake, they call it the event.

I met with the principal of the school, who is so thankful for our donation. He invites us to the tent to meet the children. They are all different ages and completely adorable. They gathered together and sang 3 songs for us. My eyes well with pride that we could help them have a new school.

After the long drive back to Port au Prince we met with the Minister of Interior and a representative of the Pan American Development Foundation. Since the palace is rubble, they are in a makeshift office down a busy side street. They wanted to meet with us to thank us for our generosity. We had a very nice meeting, whcih had to be translated from Haitian Creole just for me.

We arrived back at the hotel at 6 p.m. exhausted, hot and hungry. We are all quiet as we are trying to absorb our day. After a quick meal of rice and beans I sleep.

Oh - did I mention that I saw Jimmy Buffett in the lobby last night? He was sitting two tables to the right of me as I wrote this blog.

Post Script: While dictating the blog this morning, I received a call to come to the hotel lobby. I was introduced to Jimmy Buffett and had an opportunity to share with him the story of our donation. He has offered to make introductions to key government officials. A music icon exists in the midst of chaos and rubble. Haiti and the spirit of all who desire to help her continue to amaze us all.