Hello From Haiti!

Hello everyone!
January 28, 2010

I am finally in Haiti, and safely arrived at HAFF! Thank you all for your prayers--my flight was enjoyable and went smoothly. I unfortunately just wrote a longer email, and then due to some internet issues lost it, so this will be a little shorter. Anyway, I landed at the grass air strip in Pignon early this afternoon, and then met some of the HAFF missionaries there (with a flood of new names--so doing my best to remember as many as I can!). We then went into town to do some shopping, where it was a completely different world from anything I have experienced ever before. I will write more of what it is like at some later point, but some images: buying ice for our refrigeration from someone in a small, old wooden shack, in which it has been kept cool by burying it under shredded sugar cane; meeting many adults and children--both friends of the missionaries' as well as random children; and "roads" in which the average speed is 5 miles per hour due to ubiquitous potholes. I am now settling in at the HAFF campus, (very good to finally be here!) and the next few weeks will probably involve settling into some level of a routine. I probably also will not be online nearly as often, and so apologize in advance for not being able to respond to all the wonderful and encouraging emails you send me. I lovehearing from everyone and reading your emails, but may have to be sporadic in my replies.

I hope you all are doing well, and "Bondye bene ou!" ("God bless you" in Kreyol)

Jonathan