A little more than 24 hours and I'll be on my way! 24 hours after that and I'll be in Haiti! I can't believe it's finally here! After 6 hectic weeks of preparation, my journey is going to begin!
I have a huge backpack (thanks to Sara) stuffed to the gills. I have found many pockets to hide peanut butter packets and crackers in; I have a travel pillow (again, thanks Sara) water bottle, umbrella all strapped in; I have my towel, mosquito net and sheet stuffed in; in other words...I am ready! Let 's get this show on the road!
I'm a little concerned with the tropical storms that don't want to let up. Matthew hit the tropics pretty hard last week and the resulting rain caused havoc in Haiti, where 5 people died. The island is not ready for such powerful storms and the results are devastating. As long as I can get there, I am ready for anything. My worst fear is getting stuck in Miami and shortening the time I have in Haiti. Pray for clear skies!
I'm loading up my ipod with new tunes as we speak. I'm charging up the camera battery. Passport is packed---off I go!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Nesting
A week to go and I cannot wait for it to get here! I feel similar to how a new mom feels in the day leading up to deliver; anticipation, anxious, excitement- all that jazz TIMES 1000! So I've taken up to nesting. Now that I've gone through at least a dozen Project Cure boxes getting supplies and there are no more, I took up to cleaning the break room at work tonight. That microwave has never looked so good!
We are doing the big pack Sunday. I have been soooo truly humbled by the amount of donations. We have obtained hundreds of pounds worth of medical supplies, thousands of dollars worth of medications and many many other contributions. Zander's class donated many school supplies and flip flops. I was able to use some of my financial contributions to purchase additional flip flops- now we will be able to give all 50 kids at the orphanage a brand new pair of flip flops! I can't wait to see their faces! I'm also planning on donating soccer balls and diapers. I'm starting to think that we are gonna be over our 1000 pound limit. That would be just fine though, because the organization sends down two containers annually, so we can just send extras down at a later date.
That's all I have for now. Thanks again for reading my posts, your prayers, your thoughts, your donations, your advice---I couldn't do this without ALL of you!
Love
Courtney
We are doing the big pack Sunday. I have been soooo truly humbled by the amount of donations. We have obtained hundreds of pounds worth of medical supplies, thousands of dollars worth of medications and many many other contributions. Zander's class donated many school supplies and flip flops. I was able to use some of my financial contributions to purchase additional flip flops- now we will be able to give all 50 kids at the orphanage a brand new pair of flip flops! I can't wait to see their faces! I'm also planning on donating soccer balls and diapers. I'm starting to think that we are gonna be over our 1000 pound limit. That would be just fine though, because the organization sends down two containers annually, so we can just send extras down at a later date.
That's all I have for now. Thanks again for reading my posts, your prayers, your thoughts, your donations, your advice---I couldn't do this without ALL of you!
Love
Courtney
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
A little more than 3 weeks?!?!
PREFACE: It is 3:30 am, so please forgive me if this doesn't make all that much sense.
We leave 3 weeks from Friday! THREE WEEKS! Wow, how time flies! We have almost solidified our plans. We are getting to the point of just "hurrying up and waiting" for the big date to get here. Vaccines are done, anti-malaria medication is in hand, passport here...just gotta wait for October!
Our next big step is to start packing our 1000 lbs worth of supplies. We are just waiting to finish gathering everything. We are collecting over the counter meds, flip flops, clothes, coloring books and just about anything else...As the saying goes- "nothing goes to waste in Haiti!" We are having a "packing party" on Sept 26 (a mere 5 days before we depart!) and are going to eat some Haitian food to give us an idea of what to expect. Can't say my stomach is all that excited about the possibility of goat hair soup..but we shall see. With any luck, it will taste like chicken!
I have heard such tragic stories of the healthcare available down there, I am beyond antsy to offer any assistance I can. A teammate was telling me how umbilical cords were cut using bottle caps! Bottle caps! I can't even fathom the idea. I won't be surprised to see items such as gavage sets and bottles being reused (a far cry from the use once and toss I'm used to at work), but I may faint at the sight of such infection causing practices!
I have to thank, thank, and thank everyone for their generous donations. My fundraising efforts have exceeded my expectations and I can't appreciate that enough. Any extra funds will be going to supplement our supply of medications. Antibiotics are truly lifesavers and we can't get enough of them!
My prayers are in full force these days. I'm praying that I can remain healthy not only during the trip, but leading up to it. I'm praying that the Lord will provide opportunities for me to use my skills to benefit as many as possible in the short week I will be in Haiti.
I can't think about this trip for more than a few minute without tears forming, so I may have to cut this short. The anxiety and excitment only to continue to grow. I know this is going to be a life changing experience and I just can't wait anymore!
We leave 3 weeks from Friday! THREE WEEKS! Wow, how time flies! We have almost solidified our plans. We are getting to the point of just "hurrying up and waiting" for the big date to get here. Vaccines are done, anti-malaria medication is in hand, passport here...just gotta wait for October!
Our next big step is to start packing our 1000 lbs worth of supplies. We are just waiting to finish gathering everything. We are collecting over the counter meds, flip flops, clothes, coloring books and just about anything else...As the saying goes- "nothing goes to waste in Haiti!" We are having a "packing party" on Sept 26 (a mere 5 days before we depart!) and are going to eat some Haitian food to give us an idea of what to expect. Can't say my stomach is all that excited about the possibility of goat hair soup..but we shall see. With any luck, it will taste like chicken!
I have heard such tragic stories of the healthcare available down there, I am beyond antsy to offer any assistance I can. A teammate was telling me how umbilical cords were cut using bottle caps! Bottle caps! I can't even fathom the idea. I won't be surprised to see items such as gavage sets and bottles being reused (a far cry from the use once and toss I'm used to at work), but I may faint at the sight of such infection causing practices!
I have to thank, thank, and thank everyone for their generous donations. My fundraising efforts have exceeded my expectations and I can't appreciate that enough. Any extra funds will be going to supplement our supply of medications. Antibiotics are truly lifesavers and we can't get enough of them!
My prayers are in full force these days. I'm praying that I can remain healthy not only during the trip, but leading up to it. I'm praying that the Lord will provide opportunities for me to use my skills to benefit as many as possible in the short week I will be in Haiti.
I can't think about this trip for more than a few minute without tears forming, so I may have to cut this short. The anxiety and excitment only to continue to grow. I know this is going to be a life changing experience and I just can't wait anymore!
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