Day 1: The Opening Ceremony

Welcome to my blog! I am Mark Miller, brother-in-law to Robert Riley. The time has come. Atlanta, GA is the gathering point for about 400 volunteers from all over the country and Canada, and perhaps even a few other countries too. I arrived today around 3 pm after about a 6 hour drive from Bristol, TN where I spent last night. The feeling of being here is sort of like the first day of camp. Nobody knows anyone unless they came with a group, and even though we're all adults, conversations start a bit awkwardly. Guess I should have put on the counselor hat and busted out a bunch of ice breakers... but... I didn't, which is probably just as well. We'll be getting to know each other pretty well in rather short order anyway... nothing like a work project to bring folks together. The opening ceremony was also an orientation to get us thinking about what we are going to experience. They tell us that we will feel disheartened, angry, frusted, confused, and overwhelmed during our time in Haiti. They also tell us that we will be energized by the resiliance and determination of the Haitian people. They impressed upon us that this particular build will be historic for the nation. We are expected to hear from newly elected Haitian government officials about how they intend to adopt this Habitat model in their own efforts to restore their country. There was no sugar coating in the descriptions of circumstances and situations we will find in Haiti. But there was plenty of emphasis on the hope that our presence will give to the nation. So this is a big deal, and I'm honored to be playing a part in it. Robert sought out this experience because he was moved by the plight of the Haitians. He cared enough to get involved and do something. That to me speaks volumes about the man. Tomorrow I'll continue to follow through on his behalf... at about 4:30 in the morning if I hope to get any breakfast... my shuttle leaves at 5:30 am! Those of you who know me know that I don't often see those hours of the day. Anyway, this will probably be my longest blog post because the rest of them will be done from a phone. Time to unplug the computer and take it out to the car, and then to sleep on the last real bed I'll see for a week. Good night, and God bless.