Sue's Adventure

Family and Friends,

Day 181 of our Haiti Adventure!

I hesitate to refer to the following episode as an adventure, because it involves the passing of Sue’s mother back in Minnesota, and I want to be sensitive to the seriousness of that important life event. Maybe after some time has passed Sue will be able to look back on these events and see the adventure in them, but right now they might still seem like more of a trial, an ordeal, or even a nightmare. Anyway, it is a story worth telling about our beloved Sue, the wonderful nurse who lovingly cares for the people of Ti-Riviere…

When Sue received the call that her mom had passed away, on the morning of May 4, we found ourselves stranded in the compound of Mission of Hope in Port-au-Prince. Outside the gates and about half a mile down the road four oil tankers were blocking the highway with their tires shot out, numerous garbage piles were on fire all over the streets, and groups of people were threatening one another with rocks and shouts of anger. Sue came back from talking on the phone and joined Patchouko and I on some benches. Through tears she said, “Mom just passed away, poor thing.” This was not the place and time and situation where you are supposed to receive that kind of news.

Let’s back up…Sue’s mom had not been doing well for quite some time, so she was expecting to have to rush back to the US at some point after receiving this news. She had a chance to say “goodbye” on an earlier trip home, and her mom was no longer able to talk or communicate with people. Her physical condition was gradually deteriorating, so it was only a matter of time. Sue and the other siblings had everything in order for the funeral, etc… So when she received the call on the night of May 3rd that mom wasn’t expected to make it more than a day or so, it was time to put everything into action.

Pam was able to book a flight for Sue the next day at 12:15PM. We toyed with the idea of putting Sue on the first bus out of Les Cayes in the morning with Patchouko, but in the end we didn’t think that would guarantee her enough time to get to the airport. We decided to drive her there instead. We left at 4AM the next morning and made good time to the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. Everything was going well.

We should have known something wasn’t right when we passed a long line of busses and trucks parked next to a police station. After that there weren’t many vehicles on the road anymore for the next few miles, but at the time we weren’t putting the clues together that something might be going on down the road. It wasn’t long before we came over a hill and saw a tanker stretched across the road. We could also see a couple of barriers made up of piles of burning garbage. The whole scene could be described as Mad-Maxish.

Some people along the road were motioning for us to turn around, so we stopped to ask some questions. They told us a political demonstration was going on, and it wasn’t safe to wait where we were. We turned around and started looking for an alternate route. Apparently we were close to the river, and there were some side roads that led to a different place to cross. However, as we were exploring those options, a man drove up to us from the other direction and stopped.

Lex turned out to be a real God-send that day. Without him things could have been a lot different. In very solid English he explained to us that the river was too high to cross on that day at any place other than where it was blocked by the demonstration. He had already driven ahead to check it out because he was also trying to get to the airport and receive a few guests. He invited us to come and wait at the compound of his ministry, Mission of Hope, to see if the road would open up soon. The UN wasn’t stationed too far away, he added, so the hope was that they would show up soon and get things moving. It was about 7AM and we decided to accept his generous invitation.

To kill some time we took the grand tour of Mission of Hope. They have an orphanage of 30 kids, a school of 700, and various other programs and clinics they do to help the people. They were in the process of building a new school on their site and relocating the orphans to another compound. It got me thinking about how all over Haiti there are literally thousands of ministries doing basically the same things we are doing back in Ti-Riviere. It was very humbling to think about.

Over the course of the next few hours many interesting things happened. At one point we saw two groups of people having some kind of stand-off and throwing rocks at each other. One girl was hurt, and Sue regretted not having the medical supplies with her to go help. I think this was after she received the phone call about her mom. That shows her commitment to helping the people here, always putting them ahead of herself. We don’t know if any of those people in that particular altercation were involved with setting up the tankers or not.

Around 8:30 the UN went rushing past in a few dozen armored vehicles. I couldn’t help thinking they were probably over-dressed for the occasion with all of their huge guns and tanks and such, but you never know, I guess. We joked that they seemed to be the last ones in Haiti to know this whole thing was going on. I guess they didn’t clock in until 8:00 or something, and after that you have to get breakfast before heading out, right?

A little while after the UN went past, the lines of busses and trucks and cars started to follow. We could tell that they weren’t getting through, though, because pretty soon they were backed up to the gate of the compound and beyond. It wasn’t long before people were getting off the busses, collecting their goods to sell in the market, and attempting to walk through the demonstration and come out on the other side. This made for quite a chaotic scene. Others just got out and made themselves comfortable along the roadside to wait. Right on cue the vendors made their entrance and started passing by with drinks, snacks, and other things to sell to the thousands of people along the road.

By my calculations we were going to need to leave by about 9:30 or 9:45 to have any chance of getting Sue to the airport on time for her flight. Unfortunately, that time soon came and went and the traffic jam still wasn’t budging an inch, and we hadn’t heard for sure what was going on with the demonstration. We were in contact with Pam back in the US, and soon we agreed that we would try to send Sue and Patchouko ahead on motorcycles to try to meet up with our friend Kiki on the other side of the trucks. She probably wouldn’t make her flight on time, but there is always a 3:00 flight as well, and we were hoping there would be room for her on that one.

Sue had to leave her suitcase with me and jam a few items into her backpack to take along. She wasn’t too worried about it and was a good sport about the whole thing. Nothing like jumping on the back of a motorcycle of a complete stranger in 90 degree heat and driving through a political demonstration in a third-world country! I didn’t have a great feeling about the whole thing, to be honest, but Patchouko was there with her, and the UN had already been working on the situation for over an hour, so we said a prayer and went for it.

I waited around at Mission of Hope to receive word that they were through and moving towards the airport. That call came before too long, and I got in the car, made my way upstream through the traffic jam, and headed back to Ti-Rivier. The plan was for Patchouko to come the next day on a bus. Later I heard that after quite some time Sue and Patchouko were able to meet up with Kiki and make it to the airport. She did miss that first flight but was able to board the later one, spend the night in Florida, and make it home to Sioux Falls late the next afternoon. Patchouko also returned safely and on schedule to Ti-Rivier

As I reflect on that whole adventure, or ordeal, or whatever you want to call it, I can see that God’s hand was there protecting us at all times. There were quite a few points where things could have gone bad for us, but they didn’t, and God gets all the credit. On the other hand, at no point did I ever see the police involved with the situation in any way. You just take for granted back in the US that if something bad happens, at least the police and the other emergency personnel will be there before too long. Not in Haiti.

The final feeling I was left with was admiration for Sue. That is why I called this “Sue’s Adventure.” She really showed her spirit and faith and perseverance in this trial. Many people might have shut down and become paralyzed by fear and grief, but in the midst of the fire she glowed pure and bright. She never complained or got angry, and she even managed to keep her sense of humor. That was inspiring to see and won’t soon be forgotten.


Persevere in Your Adventure Today!
-The Grimm Family Adventurers