Day 9 – Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

By Adam Sarbin March 16th, 2014

‎Last night was great fun and I had a very special treat as we were playing cards….I got a long awaited phone call from my girls. I have missed them terribly this trip and it was great to hear their voices. It has been a very busy time back home and I have been absent to assist. The real sacrifice  when we choose to travel for this work is that made by our loved ones who remain behind to hold down our forts. I know I speak for all the team when I say how very much we appreciate our families for their support and sacrifices in our absence. We love you all so very much!

Once I said goodnight to my girls the skies opened and provided much needed, but torrential rains…not of the biblical proportions we experienced on our trip after the quake but certainly enough to soak the surrounding city and countryside. We can only ‎be sympathetic to those still living in just canvas tent cities as I am certain there was no way to remain dry and certainly all their possessions must have been saturated. We were lucky to be comfortably dry for the most part and when the downpour ended about an hour later, we had finished the card games and were ready to retire for the night.

It was a muggy night but with fans, all seemed to sleep reasonably well. Breakfast this morning was at a comfortable 8AM after which some attended church services while others finished some last minute packing and shopping. We awaited our hired van to the airport and at about 10:30 we all set off for our final road trip in Haiti…a real Haitian “shortcut” to the airport. We arrived in plenty of time and found a surprisingly efficient check-in process‎….signs of real progress! Our only misgiving was that our team would now be split up while still in Haiti, something which never settles well with me. Unfortunately Chelsea was flying on a different carrier all the way to New York, so we were required to say farewell “until next time”  as we made our ways to the different departure gates – separated by additional security in the Haiti airport.

As we began our journey to Miami, I found myself reflecting on the words of a pastor in the small village of Di Croix. He shared a sermon of sorts at the inaugural clinic ceremony that I mentioned in an earlier post. He was imploring the residents and his congregants to be appreciative ‎and supportive of this new health clinic that was now available to serve them all. He spoke of successful development in general requiring 3 important elements: Existence, Will, and Resources. Their small village had accomplished the first by bringing the clinic into Existence and certainly their was a strong Will of some to make it happen, however there needed to be an even stronger collective Will to sustain it and then as always, the Resources to further develop and maintain it.

I can’t help but think similarly about our fledgling organization, Project Starfish Haiti. As of the last year we actually formalized our group and incorporated – Existence. This would never have happened without the strong Will of many current and former team members.  Once we return from these week long excursions it is understandably easy to become caught up in our daily lives and have our enthusiasm wane until the next trip is planned, but if we are to achieve our next goal, that of our own non-profit status, on the path to even greater development, it will require the sustained Will of many.

And in case you thought I forgot the third element….I’m sure we can all understand it will take more than just Existence and Will to allow Project Starfish Haiti to develop into the service organization we envisioned from the start. We will need Resources. Supplies, medications, travel and infrastructure expenses are recurring with each trip and they mount up quickly, often shouldered by team members themselves, whose personal wells are only but so deep. I know many of you take great pleasure living vicariously through our experiences – we have read your words of encouragement and support – and rest assured, we are exceedingly happy to provide this “service”!!

However, as a leader of this young organization, I would be shirking my duties if I did not make a public plea for your ‎monetary support as well – Resources. Without your ongoing support, and that of your like minded friends and family members, Project Starfish Haiti may never develop into the mature service organization we have been planning for. Please visit the donate section of this website to see how easy it is to provide your support. We all thank you in advance and are deeply grateful for all the support we receive. More importantly, the people of Haiti, who have so many unmet needs, show their appreciation with every clinic visit.

Now our story continues….we arrived in Miami a bit behind schedule due to some delays departing, but had ample time to navigate immigration, customs and get through security for our final flight of the day…except for Melisa who had to rush to her departure gate as soon as she cleared security…. for about the 5th time today. Unfortunately it was a very rushed goodbye as Jenny was getting patted down for probably the 3rd time today…think she may be starting to enjoy these brief interludes. We only suffered one casualty on this last pass through security…Carey’s $20 jar of Haitian peanut butter-go figure…purchased in the duty free store but still could not make it to her final destination!!

The Atlanta 7 now dine together, though a rushed sit down meal this trip. ‎We do however have all the time we want to reminisce on our experiences of the past week. These stories will be constantly on our minds for days to come and, as always, will serve as our motivation to return ‎as soon as we are able‎….after all, we have patients to check on and friends to reconnect with‎…the list gets longer with each trip!! How could we not return??

As we await our flight, we begin the process of changing our immediate focus to our loved ones and friends at the  other end, but those left behind will most certainly remain on our minds. Hopefully after reading these nightly tales, they will remain on yours as well….

Love to All,

The Team

P.S. We have missed you terribly Peter!