Street Stories - A Ringside Seat To Over 4 Decades Of Taking Jesus To The Streets Of The World
be delivered to them. They met me in Ft. Lauderdale Airport, during Hurricane Dennis, and handed me my passport just before boarding the plane. Nothing like cutting it close. Whew. When we landed at the Port-au-Prince Airport in Haiti, it was like a mob scene. I had never seen anything like it. Dozens of Haitians mobbed the baggage claim area, fighting to retrieve passenger’s bags to help so they could be rewarded with a tip. Claiming our bags and getting aboard our ground transportation was only the first hurdle we had to overcome now that we were finally in Haiti. One thing to overcome was the torturous heat, about 113 degrees. Then, there were the mosquitos that seemed to be delighted to have some fresh American blood to feast upon. Haiti was definitely a different world. I noticed everywhere we drove, the streets were covered in Jeep-like vehicles, all brightly painted with slogans pertaining to life. “Jesus Is Lord,” read one. “Don’t Worry – Be Happy,” was a popular slogan. Many vehicles were colorfully painted with uplifting and life affirming messages. Soon I learned why this was the custom. Haitians are a very superstitious people, so to be sure they have all their bases covered with the gods and all the Voodoo priests in the country, they put all messages they think they need to be safe from the spirits. Did I mention Voodoo is the agreed upon national religion in Haiti? Voodoo is taken very seriously in Haiti and is the dominant religion. Soon, we would discover
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