I was up before dawn again, and spent my early morning under a palm tree and watching the ocean. Life goes on, and I watch the trickle of Haitians pass by on the beach and the fishermen go about their daily rituals. And I think about my experiences and the people I have met... and I don't want to go home. I don't want to talk to people, I don't want to write this blog or a journal, I don't want to eat... I just want to sit and pray. And cry, since that goes hand-in-hand with praying in Haiti.

Eventually the others got up, breakfast was eaten, and we discussed our options for this, our last day in Haiti. The decision is made to spend some time clearing and organizing the quonset hut at M.P.C.A. that mission possible uses to store supplies. I was against this, as I wanted to spend every possible minute I had left in quiet... but the majority wanted to do work (and it was, of course, the best option).  No one took any "before" photos, but I had a tour on a previous day and can show a video walk-through.
The quonset hut was filthy, crowded, and disorganized when we started into it... and incredibly warm. The construction team was in a rush towards the end, so they were forced to leave the construction supplies in a terrible state. As well, a lot of material was left on the floor, and signs (like rotting boxes and very rusted metal) were that the floor was not dry or safe for them.

After several hours of cleaning, organizing, and throwing out of junk we were able to make a huge difference! It was hot, dirty work, but I definitely was glad that we had done it. For my part, I mainly organized the construction counters, sorting nails, screws, bolts, electrical components, and whatever else was located there.


The west end of the hut, were the entrance was located, was left clear all the way to the centre. The north side, as seen above, contained wooden furniture, lumber, some partially assembled motors, etc. The back of the hut, to the east, orginally contains skids of water, lumber, and other large items. We consolidated them a bit to take up less space. The south side of the hut, as seen below, was left with the work benches (containing all manner of small items from wood screws and breakers to drill bits and lightbulbs), construction materials. When we were finished, everything that could be moved to skids was off the floor.


Hopefully, the organizing we did will help the medical team (I believe they arrive in January or February 2011), and any future construction teams.

After organizing the hut, we returned to the Mission Possible compound for our last few hours in Haiti. After showering, and eating lunch, we spent some time swimming and wandering on the beach. Ever since arriving in Haiti, I had an increasing need for solitude, so after some socializing I got away for some alone time on the beach to think and pray.


For me, it is hard to leave. I've never felt closer to God, or more torn inside than I have felt in Haiti. Live-changing, a trip like this. In the video above, I was alone on the beach with my thoughts, and I wanted to capture a moment so I would never forget how it looked and sounded... even if I forget how it felt and smelled.

Eventually it was time to go. We carefully packed (I had several painting I had purchased, plus Haitian vanilla and coffee), loaded into a pickup truck and headed back to Port-au-Prince. The trip was uneventful after a week in Haiti, but I did take some video which included refugee camps near the capital.


When we would drive past a refugee camp, I would smell the burning garbage and sewage and see the squallor... but I never encountered it directly. Visiting a couple of village homes was an experience I'll never forget... but those homes and those people are infinitely better off than the masses of hopeless people in these camps. Just seeing the toilet facilities, 45 gallon drums under elevated outhouses, makes me wonder what will eventually become of these people. Reconstruction is slow or stopped, and only international handouts appears to be keeping these people alive.

We finished our day in Haiti at the airport, passing through security and spending only a few minutes in a waiting area before boarding our flight. A few in-flight movies later, I was back in Canada.