3 weeks and counting!

3 weeks from tomorrow, and we take off for Haiti! It's exciting and nervewracking all at the same time. I've made 3 lists for myself... my "shopping list", my "overall packing list", and my "these are things I need on my person while I'm traveling" list. The shopping list is getting shorter, but very slowly. It's strange, you never think you would ever need some of the things that you might need... like a flashlight so you can see at night because the electricity is shut off at 10pm. Or bedsheets for your bed to leave there when you leave. Your own towels. The list goes on. I'm beginning to realize that it's a totally different type of travel than your usual vacation. Theres no packing of fancy clothes or shoes to go out on the town, with the exception of just 1 set of church clothes. No swimming suit to relax on the beach in. You get the idea. But I have the feeling it will be the most fulfilling trip I have ever been on. I've realized that there is no real way to prepare myself for an experience like this. I've talked to several people who have been on this trip before, and others who have been on other types of mission trips in an effort to get an idea of what this will be like. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be totally not prepared either way. But I do know that this will be a huge learning experience. We will all see things that we have never seen before. Poverty that doesn't exist anywhere else. We are going there to teach and help them, but in the long run, they will be the ones to teach us.

PS: Hi to those of you who got my prayer/support letter and are reading now! I will be continuing to update as the trip grows closer and after we get back!!

Itinerary!

We got our itinerary! I'm so excited! Along with that came additional information about our trip, a list to help us pack, and more information about the country in general. All in all, it was 17 pages of information. :-) We are leaving at 5 (yes, 5) am on the 9th. Like thats when our plane leaves. Those of you who know me well know that I DON'T do well with mornings. Sick, I tell you. We will meet part of our team in Minneapolis, then fly to Miami, where we will stay the night and meet the rest of the team. It'll be nice to get some "bonding" time, per se, and get to know everyone else. The next day, we fly to Port-au-Prince, then on to Pignon. We will do roughly 30 surgeries in 5 days. Crazy, isn't it?!? Those lives changed forever. Wild. Well, I'm off for tonight. I'll update again soon!

Six weeks!

Six weeks from today, the team will arrive in Pignon. I'm getting more and more nervous as the time approaches, I think mostly because I don't know what to expect. Will I love it? Will I hate it? Will I be homesick or will I be too busy to even think about home? The reality is, is that I won't know until I get there, and thats ok. It's likely better that I don't know! I'm really excited for this trip!
I'm going to try to get in touch with a former pastor who used to live in Haiti and try to absorb some of his expertise on the country and the people. That's what I'm most excited about- the people. I want to meet them and interact with them. I want to play with the kids (not that we'll have much time to play!).
It's so exciting to know that by making this trip, this team will change people's lives forever. The surgeries that will be performed by the skilled hands of the surgeons will never be forgotten by those that benefit from them. Amazing.
I know this was a little scattered, but I have a lot to think about! I'll be updating more as the time grows closer!!
Oh, and I got my new passport!!

Passportness.

I got my passport sent for on Monday. Nice hair for my pic and all. It was excellent. Now with that out of the way, I can concentrate on other preparations, like somehow coming up with the money I need to go. I'm trying to be creative, but to no avail. Hard work and sweat, I think, will be the best option ;-). We are starting to pack up all our donated medical supplies on the 22nd of November (already!) and get them sent off so that the teams can use them. 2 months, and we will be there, starting our week of work!! How exciting!! I also learned today that most of the things you bring with you, such as shoes, clothing, etc. are left there (by choice of course). The need is so great for such simple things that we take for granted.
My heart hurt to hear about the school collapse in Port-au-Prince. I haven't heard a recent update on the death toll, but without equipment to move the heavy remains of the building, it will continue to climb for some time. I can only imagine that we may see some lingering injuries left from this disaster, even in January.
Thats all for today, folks! I'll continue to keep you updated as the time grows near and we continue to make preparations!!

Don't ever lose your passport.

So my goings-on the last few days have revolved around my passport, or lack thereof. I got one once upon a time for a trip I was going to take in college, and never used it. I totally thought it was in my safe deposit box, so I innocently went to the bank to get it so I could submit my paperwork to CMP (Christian Mission of Pignon- the organization that we are working through). As it turned out, it sure wasn't there. So I wound up looking like an idiot standing there going "I KNOW I put it in here.....". I obviously did not. So. Yesterday I get all gussied up to go to the courthouse to get my picture taken and apply for a new passport. I get there, go through security, and march my way confidently up to the vital information counter. "I'm here to apply for a new passport", I said. The lady behind the counter says "ok, I just need your drivers license and birth certificate". Birth certificate?!? When the heck did that become a requirement? Dang it. "Here", she says. "Take the paperwork with you and fill it out at home. You can bring it back with your birth certificate". Yeah, thanks a lot (actually she was very sweet, considereing the number of times per day she deals with idiots like me). So my best laid plans for the day were totally and completely shot. So I call my poor Dad to ask him to look in their safe deposit box. Nothing. So. I run the rest of my errands for the day, which included a trip to Walmart to buy comfy pants. Then I went home to continue the quest for the missing birth certificate. So I go online to the ND state website to order a new one. Easy enough. Go through the process, give them all the info, etc. Get to the checkout area, and I find out that I have LOST my debit card. LOST. Gone. Vanished. Well crap. This is turning out to be a fantastic week, isn't it? So, I call WalMart. Nothing turned in. Then I call the bank to cancel the stupid thing. 7-10 days for a new one, of course. So yes. I am stuck without the debit card that I use goodness knows how many times a week in normal life, not to mention that I need it RIGHT NOW to order this blasted birth certificate so I can replace the passport that I lost. Ok. So I have this brother, and he is great. He borrowed me HIS debit card so I could order it! What a wonderful brother!! Now I owe him money, but oh well. So. Got the BC ordered. Sweet. 10-14 days to wait. Awesome. So besides this awesome brother that I have, I have this awesome Mom who comes home, looks in like 2 of her "safe" places (which, by the way, look like piles of junk, but thats how she rolls.), and finds the stupid thing. So now I have a BC and I can totally order my passport! Of course now it's like 8pm and this is not possible. Motivation to go out in the crappiness that is our beautiful Minnesota weather in the morning, right? Not. It sucked so bad that I totally wasn't going anywhere. I would have totally had to redo my hair and everything and I was SO not for that, especially if it was going to get rained on. So. No passport ordering today. But Monday.... we'll get 'er done. Yes. This was just a very long-winded but only semi-amusing tale told just to let you know... don't ever lose your passport.

So, theres this trip...

So theres this trip that I heard about. To Haiti. There is a team goes to the 'Comite de Beinfaisance de Pignon' in Pignon, Haiti, every January to do surgical procedures on people who need them but could otherwise have access to them or afford them. A lot of the procedures are cleft lip/palate with some additional surgeries.
Now, I'm sure that those of you who know me well think I'm a bit crazy. I don't travel, much less without my family. Or out of the country. But this trip is something that has been on my radar for quite some time, and this is the first year that I've had the opportunity to go. 'm nervous, but rediculously excited! We're starting to pack supplies this month already! I have to finish some paperwork and wait for my passport, but aside from that I'm totally ready! Our travel dates are the 9th-18th of January. I'm planning on posting pictures of the trip while I'm there (hopefully).
I've been looking at some of the pictures from past trips on the home site (http://www.haitimedicalmission.info). The Hatian people are beautiful. I'm so excited to be able to help them and interact with them! French Creole is spoken there.
We are still in need of nurses, doctors, and other medical personnel to come with. As of right now, I am the only nurse signed up to go for sure. If you're interested let me know and I will get you the info you need.

Well, theres my first blog! I will continue to update as I know more and as things start to happen closer to the trip. I'll post a pic of the team as soon as I can! For now, take a peek at the pics from past trips!