Day 9: Team Restore

Wow we can't believe it's already day 9! The last week has really blown by, it feels like just yesterday we were 4 therapists from Brooks headed to Haiti not knowing what to expect. To say this week was amazing is an understatement, we all agree that this has been one of the best trips we have ever been on, and we wouldn't have changed a thing. This morning we woke and knew it was time to say goodbye to June, even though we were thinking of every possible way to stay. June is such an amazing mentor, missionary and now our friend. We are so excited for all the other teams to meet her, and she is equally excited to meet them.We were all so sad to say goodbye, I even got a little teary eyed, but we know we will see June again! For our last night in Haiti we had to make the long drive back into Port-Au-Prince, luckily we had our favorite driver Harold to take us. We think he could be a NASCAR driver, he really knows how to put the pedal to the medal and got us here in under 6 hours! As we drove from Les Cayes to PAP, I think we all had a deeper appreciation for each town we drove through, not to mention the Haiti landscape. Haiti has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It is truely breathtaking, from the mountains to the ocean. During our drive we got to see what market day is like in Haiti. Each town we drove through was packed with vendors and customers stocking up for the week. In America we have parking lots, here they line up their donkeys in a row wit hand woven baskets over their backs. Despite the poverty and limited resources many of the Haitian people we saw still had smiles on their faces. The ride was bumpy and hot, but we survived, even after sitting in a 2nd gridlock. I will never complain about traffic ever again, NYC traffic has nothing on PAP traffic. We finally arrived at Villa Mamika, our hotel for the night, and as soon as we got on ours we were all due for a nap. After dinner (our last Haitian meal) we did a little exploring and made our way to the roof,up there we were able to see the mountains that surround PAP, so pretty! Tonight is our last night together as a team, so naturally we had a mean game of Phase 10, Ashley beat us all. Haiti has stolen my heart and I am so sad to leave in the morning, but am so grateful to have the opportunity to come here. We have seen and accomplished so much over the last 9 days, from helping a stroke patient walk to observing surgeries in less than stellar conditions. As a team we have all become so close and we will always have a special bond with eachother because of all that we experienced together. We are all sad to say goodbye to Haiti but will always hold a special place in ours for the country and it's people. We leave at 630am for the airport and have a long day of traveling ahead of us. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your continued prayers and support throughout our trip. We look forward to sharing our pictures and stories upon our return! Please continue to prayer for all our teams as they prepare for their trips, but also continue to prayer for the people of Haiti those we have served and those we have not. <3 Callie