Every time I hop on a plane I have preconceived ideas and images of where I am going. Sometimes those ideas line up and other times they do not. There has been extensive media coverage with Haiti since the earthquake. I think all of our hearts go out to those suffering, but it is near impossible to grasp the magnitude of it all. Being here and seeing it all with my own eyes is a completely different experience.
We arrived at the airport and I was impressed with how functional the airport is. In two years so much has been rebuilt. It was a little on the crazy train side attempting to retrieve our luggage. At one point I was jumping over mounds of luggage that had been piled by airport workers. It was, hands down, the most insanely unorganized baggage claim experience of my life. Taylor guarded the carts when Leslee and I were in high gear attempting to use our internal gps. With bags located we were off!
Driving through the city you are essentially driving through clouds of dust and areas indicating how devastating the earthquake has been. There are areas where 'tent cities' have been created to house those left homeless, mountains of trash Haitians pick through in hopes of finding scraps of food or items they might be able to sell and all of this is in the present tense.
My heart aches and wishes a magic wand could be of some assistance to a land where there is a 95% unemployment rate and the average monthly income is $50.
I believe in a short time here if we can leave a few kids with a smile in their face and a sense of love then we have done something. It's hard to not feel gutted, helpless. I am just grateful to have this experience and know that we have taken a few steps and the door is always open for us to return.

Sent from my iPhone