Well the clock just struck 12 midnight so it’s officially day one of my trip to Haiti. 

I really should be in bed but there is still so much to do. I feel like I am missing something, and with only 130 pounds of luggage I am sure I am. 

My alarm will go off at 7 am and I will start toward Detroit making the traditional stops along the way, including the never missed send off lunch with Mom and Dad in Midland before arriving in Detroit tonight for my 8 am Wednesday (21st) morning flight to Port-au-Prince. 

Although this is my 12th trip to Haiti it almost feels like the first. This will be the first official trip of Kelby’s Kids since completing the process as a non-profit, charitable organization.

I want to give you a quick update on how things are going since we are over half way through September.

As you have seen, September is “Partnership of Support” month. I am working toward raising the first level of support needed for operations in Haiti. I need $1,500 in monthly support pledged before I can stay in Haiti full-time and cover all of my day-to-day expenses. 

If I am not fully funded I may have to make trips back and forth at first (which won’t be cost-effective). I am excited to let you know that I am at $375 per month already! I believe the remaining $1,125 per month can be pledged by the time I’m ready to go.

If you are interested in monthly support through my website, PayPal has an option to easily make your gift recurring. (My other giving option — Stripe — will soon have that feature available, too!). With automatic monthly payments you won’t have to remember every month to send your support. 

You can also set up free BillPay through your bank. They’ll automatically take care of the transaction every month for you. Or an additional option, if you don’t want to do electronic transfers and don’t want to write a check and use a stamp every month, is to give quarterly, bi-annually or annually. 

So if you want to write a check for $500 every year just let me know and it will go toward the goal of $41.67 in monthly support.

I know that this trip is going to be as much of a blessing as all the rest and that there will be many unexpected things along the way, as is common in Haiti. So make sure that you don’t miss out on the adventure. Be sure to sign up on my web site for email notifications of blog posts. You can also follow along on Instagram @KelbysKids. And now you can also follow along on my brand-new Facebook page — @KelbysKids. Be sure to like my page so you can get the latest stories as I won’t be posting as much on my personal page about the trip.

I will be spending most of this trip at Christian Light School (CLS) (See last blog post for more details about CLS). We will be meeting to settle all the details of this partnership. The biggest job on this trip will be to get the clinic back in shape and ready to be up and running upon my return. 

Although I have no doubt that as soon as I arrive there will be a steady follow of kids who all have needs as they have not had much of any medical care for some time. With only 500 kids to care for, that means I’m only seeing 100 kids a day on the school days. So it should be a relaxing time! 

I will also be doing some networking in the area and looking for a few other places to serve with — once I have everyone happy and healthy at CLS. It will also be a time to get to know the neighbors in the area I will be living! 

And then there is always the unknown like the many adventures of my last trip! 

Sadly, I recently learned that our baby Boo Boo has died from complications of his premature birth (see the blog post from May 26, 2016). In a county where one out of every five children dies before the age of 5, the statistics were not in his favor. 

But being a 26-week preemie hardly ever looks promising anywhere! It was a blessing and privilege to be able to be a part of his care during his transport to the children’s hospital and giving him the best chance possible. God chose a different way to make his tiny body healthy and strong and I look forward to the day I can see him again and give him the big hug I wanted to that day but couldn’t as he was too frail to hold. 

Thank you again for your support and encouragement. This last month has truly been a blessing from all of the support that you have shown to me and to Kelby’s Kids. I look forward to the future with great anticipation as we see what you and I can do for Kelby’s Kids! 

Until No Child Dies,

Kelby