CHANGE OF PLANS

Like you, our plans have been altered repeatedly over these past few weeks. I've been pretty quiet on social media (I tend to process things in silence) and so much has changed that now I don't even know where to start. But here's a basic timeline:

Early March - COVID cases reported in the Dominican Republic next door, but nothing in Haiti yet. 

Thursday, March 12 - Haiti shuts its borders with the DR. Knowing our school could be shut down at any moment, we begin making plans: grade school teachers make take-home packets and junior and senior high teachers prepare to jump back to Google classrooms (as we did in September during all the unrest). Students are encouraged to take home all their textbooks on a daily basis. 

Thursday, March 19 - In the evening, the Haitian President announces two confirmed cases in country and declares the airports closed.

Friday, March 20 - Our good friends, Kacie and Mikken, go to the airport in Cap for a Missionary Flights International plane to Fort Pierce, Florida. The plane is allowed to land, but no cargo is allowed off and no passengers are allowed on. This leaves Kacie and Mikken dejected, and the rest of us very nervous!

At this point, Melissa and I and others spent several days:

• Pursuing information about possible upcoming flights
•  Preparing to possibly leave our home
•  Getting things in order at school (arranging an early pay day and finishing photocopying, etc.)
•  Debating whether we would be safer to leave or to stay
•  Imagining all sorts of terrible scenarios
•  Stocking up on non-perishable foods in case we weren't even allowed to leave

Meanwhile, OMS, TeachBeyond, and our School Board (as well as the U.S. government) were all urging us to leave Haiti for the U.S. if and when at all feasible. A few flights were allowed by Eastern Airlines (??) for $1,200, one way to Miami - over four times the normal cost - and these were only out of Port-au-Prince (a dangerous drive even under normal circumstances). 

We kept the faith that Missionary Flights International would continue to work with the Haitian government to get a flight arranged out of Cap Haitien. 

Tuesday, March 24 - We received a phone call around 8:00 pm from MFI offering a flight out at noon the next day. At this point we didn't question whether we should be on that flight.

Wednesday, March 25 - We spent a few hours at the airport, surrounded by longtime friends who were also headed out. (Our friends from Emmaus, the Edlers, brought their three little boys in an attempt to get to Northern Ireland, but they were snagged by bureaucratic red tape and denied departure. Fortunately, they were able to ultimately make the journey within the next couple of days.)

Once we arrived in Fort Pierce, we rented a van and grabbed sandwiches at a Subway before driving toward Orlando, where a board member had graciously and generously offered her rental home.

We figured we'd stay put in Florida for a few weeks. Our usual stop in Indiana - Melissa's mother's house - isn't really an option in these strange days: Trudy works in the emergency room at the local hospital. Her house is not going to be the best place to avoid exposing our family to the virus! 

So here we are currently. In a very nice house with its own pool. Near grocery stores. With dependable internet. Bikes in the garage. Quiet neighborhoods to walk. Continuing classes online. 

Oh, and our good friend and co-worker Janeen is here with us too - which makes things a bit more fun. She's heading up to Erie, Pennsylvania at some point, but like us, she's just playing it day by day for now. 

Praises:

• Safe Travel
• Great Place to Stay Temporarily
• Our Kids have been Troopers
• Good Health
• Caleb is Safe and Continuing Classes while at My Brother's House

Prayer Requests:

• One of our teachers, Austin, and some new neighbors, Mike and Hope, are planning to ride out the virus in Haiti. We're glad that there's someone around to watch over our house and Ginger, but we are concerned for them and pray safety and perseverance for them. 

• And, of course, our friends and co-workers and students are heavy on our hearts. Please pray God's protection over Haiti. This virus has the potential to absolutely devastate the nation.

• Logistics, wisdom and provisions as we plan next steps for our family and also for our school.