Safe and Sound in Miami

Vanessa and I are safe and sound in Miami and she is actually snuggled up right beside me sound asleep. I was truly amazed by what unfolded over the last 48 hours. My flight was late in LA and by the grace of God the next flight which was already loaded as I came running up was delayed due to the pilot's last plane being late. People were so nice to me as I was panicking on the shuttle bus from one terminal to the next. One guy looked up the flights on his phone for me to learn that the next flight was delayed. I did not get much sleep on the flight from LA to Miami but did meet some interesting people. It is always fun to connect with people who live all over the world and find that you have things in common. The pick up at the Haiti airport went smooth. They have fixed up the airport since we were here last June. I recognized the guy waiting for me right away and then we went onto the orphanage after picking up Angie, the awesome missionary coordinator (she does so much more!). I was blessed to have Vanessa come walking right up to me when she was coming down the hallway by herself and she jumped straight into my arms for a big hug. Apparently when they told her who was coming for her she actually remembered me after only one meeting a year ago. We spent time at the orphanage saying goodbyes, taking pictures, and me learning more about Vanessa's history. She was a trooper at the Port au Prince airport. Boarding a American Airlines plane in Haiti takes skill and patience. Imagine a zillion people packed into a tiny room and the lines not moving and then having to go through three different security checkpoints before getting to the plane. We were blessed to have been bumped up to First Class tickets for the way home (thanks mom) so that helped give us easier access to bypassing lines, and security was great about letting us ahead with the wheelchair as well. I know that Vanessa was nervous, even if she would not admit it, because she got really quite and would not talk to anyone even if they spoke to her in Creole. Seating in First, now that was awesome, tons of space and you actually get fed real food. Vanessa chowed down a cheeseburger, cookies and pop and had a blast catching ice with her straw and eating it. We did have a few tears when her ears plugged up and she freaked out about it. Thankfully I had my translation guide on hand to at least get out some simple instructions to her.

So all is well, we are pumped to be riding first class on two more flights tomorrow and then we will be back to Denver at 11am.