more about what's going on

Well it was my first full day here and it was a doozy, but so was my first day of travel into a developing nation all by myself. I’ll talk about that first. I flew from Kansas City to Chicago to Miami. All of that was fine and went without a hitch. Then I flew into Port-au-Prince. Despite the 80 degree weather, there was a distinct aura of difference when I landed. I could feel it and it was all I could think and pray about. I didn’t have the number of the base I was going to or of who was going to pick up. That didn’t matter because my phone didn’t work anyway. I didn’t have a description of who was picking me up, I had no idea what was going on. Going through customs was an adventure as well. I went through the line and the lady gave me a funny look and in broken English told me to go to a back room. Great this is the part where I get interrogated, robbed and deported. Notsomuch. I just had to refill some paperwork, but I still have no idea why. I got through that but I still didn’t know how I was going to my destination of St. Marc. I wandered around second guessing every step I took, and I was walking to the street when a strange fat Haitian man asked for my name. I said Clayton Boeyink and he stared blankly at me. My glimmer of hope was diminished. Then I said YWAM and his eyes lit up. Booya, found my guy. He lead me to an American named Freeman. Freeman is the craziest driver I’ve ever experienced, and I got 2 hours of it.
I got to base during worship and went to bed. I woke up at 6AM which is not my forte, and had breakfast. Today I was heading out to the 5th section which are the poorest rural areas surrounding St. Marc. If you haven’t left the country, you haven’t come close to seeing poverty like this. These places were DEVASTATED by the hurricanes that hit in September, by a government that stuffs its pockets long before it even gives it’s neglect for the needy even a second look. We distributed food and continued on a computerized cataloguing system for peoples’ needs. It’s a simple system where we go door to door assessing needs of people, and give them a card which allows them to get food without taking advantage of the distribution. It was incredible, hundreds of people who have no access to electricity know the name TERRY (the leader of my base) because of his love and help he has given out. He brings out more song and dance in people than any pop artist in the world. It’s so heartwarming. I want that to be me. Not for the fame as an end unto itself, but purely because I have effected that many people!
I have learned so much about the “third world” already. That’s the last time I use that term because it’s politically incorrect (in my opinion) the term came about during the Cold War because the West was considered the First World, the Communists were the Second World, and all the poor non-aligned nations were the Third World. I learned that order is hard to come by. The traffic has no order, food distribution would have no order, if the base didn’t do such a good job at maintaining it, and the government only adds to the disorder with it’s me-first attitude. It’s going to take some getting to used to but I like it. Not at the expense of the people at its mercy on a daily basis, but I like it because I feel like I can see myself at places like this for the rest of my life. [enter idealistic music here] my vision of what I can do has not diminished by the daunting scale of suffering but only increased because of people like Terry. There is so much to do, and that means I won’t ever be out of work! I’ve been sitting at this computer for way too long, I’m going to pray for people I’ve met today. Over and out.