Day 5. Action.

Morning started really early. Matt and I got breakfast at 7:30 and were out the hotel doors at 8. Jennifer and Teresa had a meeting at the UN Building at 8:30. I was about to get in the car when I guy walking by got my attention and said, "Hey, you've got a flat tire." I walked around and sure enough...flat tire. I announced the situation and we changed cars. Matt and I dropped the ladies off at the UN and headed back to the hotel to figure out the tire situation. After pondering for a minute we checked on the spare and it was a full spare. We had a short amount of time before we needed to get everyone to our next meeting...so we passed on calling Avis (Chances of them having a tire for a Chevy would be rare, multiple people were really surprised that Lesotho had even one Chevy) and just put the full spare on the car...Hoping that we would only need the one spare.

Headed back into the hotel, the rest of the team was up and ready. We loaded up into the cars, picked up Jennifer and Teresa, and drove back to Beautiful Gate. For Matt and I this would be our last chance to get what pictures or video we would need for the week. We spent time getting pictures of the preschool, campus, and skills training operation. We also were able to enjoy a little tea time mid day. I love tea time. The last thing we got were interviews of the ladies that were doing the skills training.

Matt and I wrapped up pretty quick after the interviews because we had a meeting to get Jennifer and Sonya to. LCCU - Lesotho Child Counseling Unit. They do some good stuff. They aren't big, but they are on the cutting edge of caring for sexually abused children. It was a 20 minute drive. While the ladies were in their meeting Matt and I were walking around getting footage of the building, kids, and landscape. While taking pictures we noticed a procession in the middle of a town just below where we were. Later learning that it was for a young girl that had died of HIV. As the procession walked through the middle of their town they were singing hymns. It was...idk...it was real.

The ladies had a great meeting with the leaders of LCCU. A valuable relationship was made. We then headed back to Beautiful Gate to get the rest of the ladies...then it was a rush to get to the hotel for two more meetings.

The rest of the day was dinner meetings with influential locals, backing up files in "Command Central", video diaries, and the nightly team meeting.

Anther crazy day that the Lord had made.

Day 5.

Surprise & Learning.

Today was a whole lot of fun. Started with breakfast at the hotel resuraunt. Coffee, bottled water, and some pastries.

After breakfast the team loaded up into the cars and we hit the left side of the road for Beautiful Gate. When we arrived we were told that the kids and teachers wanted to put on a little welcoming show for us. Being the photographer I got pretty excited about this. All the kids coming to once place?! Perfect! And it really was. The kids were lined up and walked into the room. I got some great shots. What a good way to start the trip. Yes...it took four days to get my camera rolling...but if we could keep this pace up I would be happy.

After the show...which was a whole lot of fun...we were given a tour of the facilities. I took some basic landscape shots and saw the operation. They have a really good thing going on at Beautiful Gate. I was very impressed. It professional and it reminded me a lot of Danita's Children. Its a smaller operation...but just as nice. The potential is great. As we were walking around we got to see a birthday party! It was a perfect little photo opp. It was a long table outside and it had 15 or so little chairs around. Sue was telling us that they try to make birthdays special for the kids. Watching these little kids stuff chunks of birthday cake in their faces was priceless.

After the birthday party we saw where the babies slept. My heart broke a little. I met a little boy that was only 3 months old. My daughter, Mary-Kate, is 4 months old. I could have held that little guy all day. I got a good picture of him and Sue. These kids were really being care for.

After seeing the whole campus, which has 8+ buildings on it, I was blown away. What a great place this was.

Next was meeting time. Matt and I met with Ray on what media goals we had for the week. Our first priority would be to get the brochure finished and we were also hoping to get a video produced and edited before leaving on Monday. We had our goals in place.

Let me back track a little. While we were on the tour the construction director, Allen (Volunteer from Australia), came up and said that we might have a chance to get some aerial shots of the Beautiful Gate campus. He asked if we would be interested. We of course said yes! Now, during our media meeting Allen comes in and says that the plane is ready to go.

Let me give you a few more details. Ray had been trying to get an aerial shot of the campus for more than two years now. TWO YEARS! He said that every time they had the right equipment the plane wasn't available. The plane and piolet is from a ministry that flies supplies to missionaries in the mountains. The reason the plane was available today was because the mountains were covered in clouds. So. A miricle happened. Matt and I were there with good camera gear, the plane was ready, and the mountians were covered in clouds...miricle. And. Had the oporutinity come up any other time during the week Matt and I probably wouldn't have been available. Miricle people. God had this thing planned out and I was super excited to be right in the middle of it.

So Allen comes in and says that the plane is ready to go. Me, Matt, and Allen jump in his truck and head for the little airstrip down the road. We met the piolet (Christian) and told him what we were trying to do. He was nice enough to unscrew the passenger window so I would be able to stick my camera out. We loaded up and off we went. I was airborn over Maseru, Lesotho. NEVER would have thought I would get to do that. NEVER. What a beautiful country. The view was stunning. And I got some great shots of the BG Campus. It was some on site training. I've never shot aerial shots...so I was a bit nervous. I didn't have a chance to look up pointers or anything. The pictures turned out great though. It was a whole lot of fun sticking my head out the side of the plane with my camera around my neck. Shoot. That was fun. It might turn out to be the highlight of the trip. The flight was only 20 minutes long, so I was really busy the whole 20 minutes.

After touching down and chatting with the piolet a little more we headed back to Beautiful Gate. Ray was really excited to get my pictures.

The team got together and we hit the road. Next up. Bana Project.

A connection had been made with a guy from Oklahoma City that had a feeding project in Lesotho. Crazy eh? So we pursued the connection and He led us out to see what they were doing. What they were doing was pretty cool. He had built a building and planted crops around it. This little operation was feeding houndreds every day. The team was able to see the operation and meet the ladies that were running it. This place was a little ways out from town and man...talk about a beautiful country. Over an hour or so kids began to show up for dinner. The team helped serve dinner.

As dinner was being served I was walking around taking pictures of the kids and their food. No forks or spoons btw. Just your fingers. Which was normal. So I was walking around when I noticed pastor Sonya sit with a older woman and begin to weep. I couldn't understand what was going on, but I knew this was something I should take pictures of. Even though I didn't know what was going on...it was touching. It wasn't until I was driving away with Sonya and Barb in my car that I was told the whole story.

I don't remember all the details, but I remember the main points. Sonya had a dream. She had been struggling with traveling without her family and leaving her support at home. In this dream God showed Sonya a lady that was praying for her. He not only showed her the lady, but gave her name. When she woke up she thought that the name was just something she had made up...well...it wasn't. This older lady sitting on the ground outside the mission building was that lady. When Sonya asked her what her name was...it was the name in her dream. Sonya broke down a little and the lady told her that she had been praying for her. She also told Sonya not to cry as she was hugging her.

Amazing? This was day one! And it set the tone. Crazy amazing would be the tone of this trip.

We headed back to the hotel where we had dinner and then a team meeting.

After the meeting Matt and I began running "Command Central". Thats was we were calling our little network of computers and cameras. I was running a 24inch wide screen on a Mac Mini and Matt was running his MacPro. We were using every outlet in the room. It was crazy. All the lamps were unplugged. We backed up our photos and videos not once...but twice...and called it a night. Tomorrow would be an early morning...and we were still fighting jet lag. Maseru is eight hours ahead from our normal Central Time Zone.

Day 4. Complete.

Rest & More Travel.

Woke up, packed up, and headed back to the airport. Well. Before heading to the airport Matt and I got some room service for breakfast. This would be the nicest place we would see for a little while. Ate a quick breakfast and out we went. It was really convenient that the hotel was across the street from the airport. 

Tickets in hand and the team was off for Maseru, Lesotho Africa.

What was supposed to be a simple day of travel ended up being a little more complicated than that. Jennifer and Gaye didn't make the first flight...

When I arrived in Maseru International Airport...I was surprised by how small it was. One airstrip. The little plane that we were on was probably the largest that could land there. After getting through customs and having my bags sniffed by a yellow lab...we had officially arrived. Walking out of the baggage claim area I met Ray and Sue for the first time. Ray and Sue started Beautiful Gate. Beautiful Gate is a multi purpose facility. They provide a preschool for local children, a home for orphans, care for abused children, and skills training for locals. After meeting Ray and Sue the team loaded up in the two rental cars and hit the road for the hotel which was about 30 min into town.

Driving. Matt and I were the designated drivers for the trip. Driving was quite an adventure. Its British style. You drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car.

The rest of the day was settling into the hotel and picking up Jennifer and Sue on the next flight. On the ride home from the second airport trip we stopped at Beautiful Gate. What a place. It really was...beautiful.

Day 3. Over.

At the end of the day I was starting to worry that my camera was getting lonely...but that would change very soon.

Leaving Again.

Lesotho Africa - Day 1-2

Today began with an unpacked suitcase. Thanks to Erica's help...Two hours later all my clothes and snacks had been packed for a final weight of 47lbs. At 10 this morning I said bye to my ladies...this trip was harder to leave. I only had two weeks with them between trips. God made these trips happen though. I'm excited to be in His will.

This is the first post for this trip. I could tell you all the details of the airport...but it wouldn't be much new. We went from one plane to another. The longest being the 15 hour flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg, South Africa. I could also tell you about the kids that cried forever. But you've heard that story too.

The Team: Matthew (Creative Director), Jennifer (Team Leader and Victory Pastor), Sonya (Victory Pastor), Barb (Victory Pastor and Business Director), Teresa (Entrepreneur), Gaye (Researcher), Me (Photographer)

Day 1 & 2 = Travel

Mike and I headed home today. It was a super fast morning. By 8:30 we were in a taxi (Toyota Tundra of all things) and on our way to the Dominican Republic/Haiti boarder. Normally it would be super busy on a Friday because Fridays are market days. But. The Haitian president called for three days of prayer and fasting (pretty amazing eh?). So we were able to get across the boarder fairly quick.

Here is something new I hadn't experienced. The driver (We trusted this guy and Danita uses him on a normal basis) would take up our passports and walk into Haiti customs (basically a nice shack) to have them stamped. We didn't have to get out of the taxi. It was pretty nice. Same thing happened on the Dominican Repub side. He just walked up to the place, they stamped the passports, and we were off to the races.

Past the boarder we hopped into another taxi. It was a 3 hour drive to Santiago. Roads were decent. I tried to sleep most of the way, but between our angry driver and the blaring radio it got tough. We finally arrived at the airport...

Then our luck went South.

Delayed flight. Supposed to leave at 3:55 but didn't leave till 5:30. 1.5 hours gone. Oh and get this. Not only did my bags get scanned before I checked in...but also when I checked in...and then my carry on was hand checked...THEN I got a full body pat down. This wasn't just me either. EVERYONE went through this.

Ok. So. Our flight left at 5:30 after working with the AA desk Mike and I had a chance at getting home...yeah...not going to happen now. Bet you can't guess were we landed. Nassau. Not Miami. But Nassau. Apparently weather was swooping in and we had to make a U-turn.

So I'm currently typing this from the plane. We have been on this plane since 5:30 and it's now 10:30. We have yet to get refueled and have no idea when we will head back for Miami. I'll update when I get...somewhere? I'm ready to be home. I've been traveling for 14 hours now...and I don't feel like I've made it very far. We have been on the ground for 2.5 hours in Nassau. Waiting. And waiting.

Quote from the capt, "There is basically one guy running this place. And there is only one fuel truck. And he just ran out and has to go fill back up."

Oh! BTW. I hear that Denise is doing good. I can't wait to see her grow up. I'll have some cool pictures and video to show her one day.

UPDATE -
- so we flew out of Nassau at 11:30 and that 30 min flight took 1.5 hours. We flew in circles for an hour. We are now on the ground but customs closed an hour ago.
- We sat for another 30 min at the gate because the gate agent had to walk half a mile to our new terminal since customs wasn't open at the usual one
-Quote from the Capt, "Well folks, I don't know what happened to our gate agent. Maybe he dropped dead on his way over."
- Some people are just rude. When you push around an 80 year old lady to get a spot or two closer to the door...your wrong. Just wrong. And it bugs me when you push me too.

Here! In the states! Now. It's customs. And figuring out the fastest way home. Today. Because it's past midnight.

UPDATE -
- it's now 1am and I'm in an AA line. Need to recheck my luggage and get my flights booked to get home.

UPDATE -
- It's 2am and I have a flight at 8. I'm now in line for dinner with 30 others. I'm starving. I'll be sleeping here at the airport tonight. I'm frustrated that I only get $10 for dinner. If I pass on a hotel I want more food. I might be a little grumpy now. Just a warning.

UPDATE -
- Its 6am and I'm at the gate. We couldn't check our bags in until 4 and couldn't get through security until 6. Mike and I picked a quiet corner to catch some ZZZ's. I pulled out a sweater and used it as a pillow. It wasn't pretty. But. We are at the gate now. Just waiting for our 8am flight to Dallas

UPDATE - HOME! After a delay in Dallas we finally made it home. It's 3pm here in OKC.

The trip that should have lasted 14 hours...took 34...beautiful. And to add to that...I got home with a 101 degree temp...

I must say. It is good to be home! I missed my girls!

-Derek

Shot in the butt.

Today was a little odd. I rolled out of bed and boom. I was sick. At first I thought, "No big, I can work through this." But that didn't quite happen.

I was enjoying my walk to the orphanage and somehow it seemed that the smog was twice as thick this morning. It was thick enough to notice when breathing. At home there is smog...but you can't taste it. Here, you can. We walked through the gate and I headed over to my boy Joan. He had a good nights rest and looked to be eating well. I releaved the night shift and finished feeding him his breakfast.

After breakfast, I didn't eat because I was feeling poopie, I rolled Joan around a little. It was a beautiful morning. We have had some great weather on this trip.

Anyways...I was sick. I got with Dr. Ric and he gave me a shot of anti-nasua medicine as well as some antibiotic pills. TODAY I GOT MY FIRST SHOT IN THE BUTT. Pretty exciting eh? What's even more exciting (sarcasm) is that at the end of the day I saw Dale drop is pants and get a shot too. Hahaha, apparently Dale has buns of steel because the first needle spit the meds back at the doctor. I was holding the flashlight for Dr. Ric because the clinic dosnt have power currently. So Dale got stuck twice. At the time we were all tired and had to use flashlights to see what was going on...it was pretty funny.

Ok. Back on track here. After my shot I went to the morning staff meeting and found out that Denise will have surgery today! She has a condition, can't remember the technical term, where fluid gets trapped in her skull. Her head is abnormally large. Here is the list of things that happened. It's pretty awesome.

1. Denise arrived at the orphanage only a few days before my team.
2. When our doctor saw Denise he knew she needed a shunt (drains the fluid from her head). To get a shunt you need a neurosurgeon.
3. Calls were made to see if someone would come in and perform the surgery.
4. A suitable OR was found and available.
5. This morning on an hours notice a doctor was found, a private flight was booked, and the neurosurgeon was headed to the orphanage. Get this. He is from Norman, OK.
6. The surgery was accomplished by 8pm. And Denise is healthy.

All of those things...it was an act of God. I can't even fly without having a delay or getting stranded somewhere for a night.

I was able to go and see and pray for Denise right before she went into surgery. The coolest thing happened. She laughed. Yes, she was on an IV, but none of us had ever heard her laugh. It was special. I watched as the nurse picked her up and carried her into the OR. I can't wait to see her progress. God is good.

Miracles happen every day at this place.

That was the highlight of the day. Oh gosh. I take that back. I've got another story. There was a young man by the name of Josline. He lost his family in the earthquake. He also lost his left leg. Danita was going through the hospitals when she found him on a bed in a hallway. The hospital didn't know what to do with him because he had no where to go. Danita had a place for him. On the way to the orphanage Danita asked Josline if he needed anything. Only thing he asked for was a birthday cake. You see, it was his birthday when he lost his family, lost his leg, and had no where to go. But tonight. He got his birthday cake. It was one one of the most touching moments I've ever been a part of. Danita teared up when she told the story. Josline went on to say that Momma Danita is the only family he has left. He also said that he was so grateful for everything that she has done for him. It was an incredible moment.

That was my day. My last full day in Haiti. Pretty crazy eh? I'm going to miss this place. I really am.

I miss my girls.

-Derek

Note: This post was created entirely by my iPhone

Busy.

Today was straight up busy. Instead of giving a play by play I'll hit the bullet points.

- Breakfast - I held a little boy, Julian. I fed him some Pedialyte and then Tanya fed him eggs from across the table. Cute kid. I helped take care of him while Barb and Mike fed the other special needs kids.
- Rebar - Danita and her staff were able to get the rebar!! Although there was a catch. This afternoon a truck came by with 10 men and they unloaded the rebar. BTW, the truck driver was 100% horrible... if you told me he was drunk I would believe you. Anywho, getting the rebar was great except that Haiti customs won't let us use it. Strange. Yes. But it's better than having to send a few guys out to guard the truck while they get all the paperwork filed.
- Nurse Derek - I played nurse today. Dr. Ric has set up an EMR system and you can download an iPhone app to create patients and track symptoms. By mid day I was working with Doc as he checked the kids out. I was giving worm meds and writing prescription notes. Most were .5 tablet twice a day for three days. It was pretty fun. I also played medical IT for him and the other people helping. Quick note. I saw a man get a shot in the butt today. That was a first.
- Games - Games! A few ladies that have been here a couple weeks have been doing activities for the kids in the afternoon. Today was a race. It was pretty simple. Using shirts, get water from one bucket and squeeze the excess into a water bottle. I got some REALLY good pics. And oh my gosh the kids ate it up. They were having so much fun. I think more than anything they just loved getting all wet. I was laughing my head off as I took shots of the kids trying to get water into the bottles. Half of the time the kids were just running up to the bottle and running back. It was really fun.
- Birthday Cake - Highlight of my day. During a normal dinner only staff and guests are present. The kids eat before and then are put to bed as we eat. Tonight was a little different. We had just finished dinner when a boy that had been in the earthquake and had just lost his lower left leg joined the group. Danita brought him up to the front and began to speak. She started to talk but had to gather herself because she was deeply moved. She said that this boy was one of kids she brought home from Port Au Prince. She went on to say that it was his birthday on the day of the earthquake. He lost his leg. When Danita met him he told her that he had no one left. Danita took him in and later he asked her for a birthday cake. Danita promised him that she would make that happen. Tonight he got his birthday cake. Through an interpreter he shared that he had no one left until "Momma Danita" came to him. He said that he was so grateful for her and for all of us that were there helping. I cried. I went over when he and Danita were enjoying the cake and took a picture. It will be an image I will never forget. He got his birthday cake.
- Brain - Crazy medical story. The two doctors we have here made a house call down the street. When they arrived they met a 26 year old man. He had a problem on the back of his head. His brain was exposed. The guy had a tumor that turned into a fungus that ate away his skin and then skull. Some cloth covered the back of his head and when you lifted it up you could see his brain. I saw a picture of it. It was absolutely insane. And this wasn't just a little part of his head exposed...it was fairly large. The doctors gave him some pain medicine because there really wasn't much they could do for him. Since December he has been sitting in his hut in severe pain. This man's situation is beyond words.

That's I'll I can muster up. Today was downright busy...from one thing to the next. I could have used a few more hours of daylight. I canny wait to get some pictures from this trip up. I'm proud of what I've taken.

I miss my ladies. I might be gaining weight on this trip. I typed all of this and took the pictures with my iPhone. Deal with it. : )

-Derek

Real.

I woke up this morning at 6:45 and was out of the mission house by 7:15. Me, Mike, Dale, and Barb had morning duty for watching the kids in the church. A morning, afternoon, and night shift were created to keep an eye on the new kids or special needs kids. The special needs kids are the ones that need the most attention. On top of the daily shifts people are assigned to specific special needs kids. I am taking care of Joan. He is a five year old boy with CP. The morning crew was out of the house early this morning to relieve the night crew (they stay all night with them, 12 hours).

Walking down the streets of Haiti as the sun rises is an experience I will never forget. Motor-bikes are buzzing up and down the street, kids are eating breakfast on the side of the road, some kids are walking to school, women are carrying buckets of whatever on their heads, and a thin cloud of dust/dirt/grime is everywhere. I had my camera bag on my back with water-bottle clanging against the plastic zippers as I walked. I left my cameras where they were and just soaked in the experience.

I got to the cafeteria and Joan had already been rolled in in his jogging stroller. I sat down and started to feed the guy. It was a mix of eggs and apple sauce. Mashed. Together. The little guy dosnt eat well. Look up CP. It's not easy. Breakfast ended with some Pedialyte via syringe (sp?). For the rest of the day it would be my responsibility to be sure he got food and had a clean diaper.

After breakfast I fought with the Internet. The break room has WiFi that was installed a few weeks ago. I was trying to get some pictures uploaded for Victory but the connection just wouldn't stick. After messing with that it was camera time. The cameras came out and I was in my comfort zone. These kids. Love them. It's so much fun taking their pictures. They love it. I love it.

By the afternoon I had a good amount of pictures and some video. I'm constantly impressed with the organization of this operation. Walking through the school and seeing all of these kids being taught in a Godly setting in the middle of desperation is mind blowing.

It was appx 3:30 when Danita said that a group would be going to the market and local hospital. I jumped at the chance to see more of Haiti. The orphanage is an oasis in a desert. I wanted to see the real Haiti. And let me tell ya. It's not pretty. A group of us jumped on a truck and headed to the market. On the way we passed a building with a line of people trying to get food. UN trucks and guards with machine guns patrolled the lines as we drove past. The line was a good 100+ yards long. As we neared the market the road got rougher. We arrived and hopped out of the truck. As you walked toward the square you had to step over an open sewer. Then as you walked down isle after isle of makeshift shops you were constantly avoiding large puddles and deep mud. The shops weren't much of shops either...most were blankets on the ground with large sticks and tarps above. We walked around the market for 45 or so minutes and eventually made it back to where we started. The most disturbing thing I saw for sale was raw chicken...the chicken didn't bothered me...it was the fact that 100's of flies were enjoying the chicken. No thanks. I'll pass.

We loaded back up and headed to the hospital. Getting out we were told that only a few could go in and that they wouldn't allow any pictures. I stayed back but when Dr. Ric came back he gave us a report. He said it was the most disturbing thing he might have ever seen. He saw a pregnant lady with her water broken and it had just been left on the floor...an 70+ year old lady was on her knees in the courtyard dirt staring into the distance as she was holding onto her wheelchair...and everything was just dirty. Danita told me earlier that she would never consider taking one of her kids there. She said it's just not a place you ever want to go even if your really sick. After Ric gave us the details we began our walk back to the orphanage. We went the back way through the neighborhood. That was a pretty awesome experience. I got to meet some little kids that were just loving life as they ran around half naked or even completely naked. Hahaha, I also met a family. I took a family picture of them. I'll never forget it. The mother had a handful of daughters and a couple sons and they were all behind this barbed wire fence. The group stopped because the grandmother was having a health issue. While the Dr. looked her over I asked if one of girls if she wanted her picture taken. She said yes and I showed her the result. That set off a chain reaction. The funny part is that the mom ended up wanting her picture too! I got a good smile out of her with the result. After taking singles of every one I backed up and got a group photo of the whole family behind their barb wire fence. I will never, never forget that. One last thing that I saw while walking back to the orphanage...one house had written on it with big white letters in English, "Satan, stay out in the name of Jesus."

The rest of the day was making sure Joan was fed and changed and then dinner. Get this. Tanya and her kids made dinner. They made tacos! What a nice change from chicken and rice. They spend most of the afternoon preparing dinner for the team and Danita's staff. It was really cool. The rumor going around is that Tanya will sing a few songs tomorrow. Should be interesting. I'll keep you informed.

Other things that happened:
- Clinic. Danita is currently building a clinic. It will be three stories tall. The first floor will be the clinic, the second and third floors will be dorms . The clinic was supposed to be started a few weeks ago but the earthquake halted the building plans. Today was supposed to be the first step in moving forward with the building with a truck load of rebar. Although that didn't happen as planned. The truck made it across the boarder but was stopped at Haiti customs. The mayor of this area signed off that no taxes would need to be paid but for some reason customs is still wanting the money. Until the problem can be figured out the rebar is sitting just up the road from the orphanage. This brought up a new issue. Theft. As the team was walking back to the mission house tonight Danita informed us that the two guys in front of us were headed to guard the rebar for the night.
- Sponsers. I took pictures of two kids that are sponsored by Victory Norman. It was a really cool experience. Victory Norman didn't have a picture of their kids that they have been sponsoring. I got a good picture of the two of them and the idea is to blow the picture up and share with everyone who exactly they are helping. Pretty cool. The two kids, a girl and boy, were super sweet.
- Yesterday. Yesterday I met a girl from Port Au Prince that had her arm amputated and pins put in her foot because of the earthquake. She was so cool. Danita introduced me to her and said when she first saw her she had this amazing smile that caught her attention. Danita made way for her and her aunt to be flown to the orphanage. The girls aunt ended up leaving to go back. As we said good bye Danita told her that she would try to call her aunt so they could talk.

So much happens in one day that it's hard to remember it all. On top of that your so tired that you don't want to process anything because your mind is just raw. I think I've done a decent job of recalling what's happened today...I'll do my best to post again tomorrow. As for me. I'm up next for the shower. A nice. Cold shower. Then it's backing up today's pictures...plugging the phone in...turning the fan on...and going to sleep. Tomorrow is a new day.

God is good. I really miss my girls at home. I hope I don't run out of clean socks.

FYI - I typed this whole thing from my iPhone and I don't have spell check.
-Derek

Passion.

Today began at 7:45am. Church would be starting at 9:30 and breakfast was at 8:30. 15 minutes after rolling out of a bunk bed I was "ready" to head out. I grabbed my camera bag and walked to the dirt road right outside the mission house. I assume it's called the mission house because it's where all the different short term missionaries are put up. It's a house with a bunch of rooms, no hot water, no AC, and a gate with a padlock on it. It does have electricity most of the time thanks to a generator and a pile of car batteries that the generator charges over the day.

It's a beautiful Sunday morning. Only difference on this Sunday from my normal is everything else around me. Walking toward the orphanage it's hard not to notice the naked boy running down the ally, the house with no roof, or the trash filled street. But when you get to Danita's orphanage the scenery changes...you walk through the gate and there are kids. Kids that are clothed and are having fun. You will also notice big green trees, and clean walkways. You step into this walled place and all of Haiti's dirty streets dissapear. It's an incredible refuge for these kids to live and grow in.

It's Sunday. Being that it's a Sunday the schedule is a little different. Like I said, church starts at 9:30 and your expected to wear your Sunday best. For me...that wasn't very dressy. I hadn't thought of bringing dress clothes. So I put my only pair of clean jeans on with a collared shirt and looked to be sloppy compaired most who attended. When the service started it was estimated that 300-400 people were in attendance. The service was held outside the church because the church is currently home to the new orphans. You will see pictures eventually...but when you walk into a church and you see rows of bunkbeds filled with orphaned kids...it's a very powerful sight. The pulpit was setup under a group of large trees and chairs were placed all around. I ended up standing most of the service because all the chairs were full. Even though the music and message was not in English I truly enjoyed it.

Towards the end of the service Danita walked up to the mic. She began to tell everyone that she hadn't planned on saying anything. Danita had returned from Port Au Prince a day prior to our arrival. She had returned and had been touched by what she had seen. She told stories of mirricles and how God cared for her as she looked for kids in need. Multiple times she stopped because she had broken down in tears. She ended by telling the Haitian people that this is the time to reach out and to open their homes. She also sai that they are called to search out and find relitives to these orphans from Port Au Prince. It was a moving finish to an already moving message.

The service ended at noon. A solid 2.5 hour service. The rest of the day was taking pictures of the kids. I have more I could say about the day but I'm already getting into day 5.

Couple more things that happened today.
- I met a boy that I had seen before leaving for Hait via email. He had been left in Port Au Prince and had been flown up to Danita's orphanage because he has some more serious injuries. When I walked up to meet him he asked me to take his picture, just like any other kid on campus. I took his picture and showed him the results. I got a big grin. I shot a headshot. Left everything else out. Unless you look real close he looks like just any another kid. It was a moment and a picture I will never forget.
-Dr. Rick, the Dr. on the team has been challenged this week. The medical records here are lacking. When he isn't looking at kids he is working on setting up a EMR (Electronic Medical Record) system. We are all excited to see records on all of these little kids.
-Rain! We were finishing dinner and it started to rain. It hadn't rained in three weeks. I'm glad I got the camera bag with water proof zippers. The walk to the mission house was pretty interesting. We were trying to see in the dark to avoid the large ponds in the dirt street.
-Chicken! I was chasing a chicken in the kitchen and I almost kicked it in the head. It was a pretty exciting moment. Get the chickens out of the kitchen!!!
-Tanya Tucker. I didn't, and still don't, really know who she is. But she is here.

Ok. Think that's half of what happened. That's good enough.

Later folks.
-Derek

Travel.

We did one main thing today. We made it from Miami to Santiago Dominican Republic. The day went mostly as planned. Woke up, went to the airport, got on a plane, arrived at said destination, and took a cab to the hotel. We were supposed to make it into Haiti today but because of the flight delay we won't get in until tomorrow.

Today's only real hiccup was at the Dominican Republic airport. Rick (the doc on the trip), has five bags of medical supplies. All five bags are seriously packed to the max with medicines. We were going through the last check by customs when the security guy stopped Ricks bags. We had already made it through with three but the last two were being held. In very broken English the customs guys explained to Rick that they needed to go through his supplies. Rick, being the honest man that he is, grabbed all five bags and went unto a back office to discus the contents. The rest of us waited. After appx 30 min Rick comes out with all his supplies. Note to self. Have a letter from the ministry saying that they have requested medical supplies and that said person is donating them. Customs was worried that Rick was coming to the country to sell the goods.

Other than that little bump the way was great. We loaded everything into taxi vans and headed to the hotel. The rest of the evening was dinner and a small walk around the block.

Tomorrow we head to Haiti. Breakfast at 8 and then it's a few hour drive to the boarder. I can't wait to make some incredible images.

It's funny how I see life through my camera now. Everything I pass...I see in still images. I'm always looking for an angle or a detail that will spark interest. This is going to be fun.

Make sure to check my Flickr for photos and small videos.

Above are a few pics I took with my phone.

-Derek