One of the best parts of what I do is getting to hold babies! 

It is such a blessing!! 

That’s what brought me on my first trip to Haiti in 2003!  It can also bring frustration when the things that are covered in the education part of the clinics each week are still not being done, and babies are sick.  Sometimes everything has been done, and they’re healthy, and sometimes the problems are out of our control.

This week I had a mom come back after her delivery.  She came in with little Melissa.  She is as cute as a button and was very awake and responding well.

Mom was 39 weeks when she delivered and did everything right!  But mom is probably about 4’7” (I should have measured her but wasn’t sure if she would like that).  So, because mom is so little, I think that added to Melissa being little.  Melissa only weight 2.0 kg or 4.4 lbs.  She is a little peanut for sure.  But seems to be doing well.  With a little more education on how to breast-feed a small baby, I think all is going to be fine! 

She will be coming back for follow ups until I am sure she is destined for greatness. I am confident this mom is going to do a great job!

The statistics in Haiti are against pregnant moms and their babies (in their first couple of months). It’s a blessing to see those statistics being changes with those Kelby’s Kids serves!

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So February 15 was the birthday of a sweet girl named Faeka.  If you remember she was the first baby I delivered in Haiti (out of 3).  She still lives just down the road.  It’s an encouragement to watch her grow and know that she is beating the odds!

A little while back Marcus came to the clinic.  It was reported that he had fallen off a roof several days before and now was having a lot of problems.  He said that he landed on the right side of his face and neck.  He was having a lot of pain in his face, jaw, and neck and was hardly able to speak. 

He was referred to a hospital for further evaluation and care.  My concern was that he had fractured his jaw and it was getting infected.  The family returned several times for medications and supplies (it’s the family’s responsibility to get all of those things for the patient’s care — as the hospital does not have them on hand).  On last report, they were going to do a surgery to clean out Marcus’s infection. I asked about him having an X-Ray (as I had not paid for one yet). They said the doctor wants to do the surgery first then they will do an X-Ray to see if there is a fracture.  Some times the system in Haiti is a challenge. 

I have not heard an update since the surgery.  Praying that Marcus is doing well.

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It’s difficult when patients that I’m working with simply disappear.  

This happens frequently — especially in the maternity program.  I want to be sure everyone is doing well before they are discharged. 

One of the newest babies is doing well!  Mom is feeding her well. She has been bathed, so, her skin is healthy. And her umbilical cord was not pulled off.  It was exciting to see everything as it should be.

The icing on the cake is that Valerie was born on Valentine’s Day and so she was also sporting a cute little pink dress with hearts on it when she came to see me.  I’m praying that, someday, Valerie will put God first in her life, and she will help change the world!

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A little while ago a little old man came in for wound care.  He had fallen down and gotten hurt.  He had been to a hospital and they stitched up multiple wounds on his face.  He came to the wound care program to get bandage changes. 

The initial story was that he had been drunk and fell down, injuring his face.  On later visits it was discovered that he had been drinking because he was grieving the death of his wife. He stated that he didn’t want to drink but he missed her so much. 

He said that she was a Christian.  We assured him that he could see her again someday, but he didn’t seem to agree. After some talking, he said that it was not possible for him to become a Christian because he was a butcher and he kills animals.  We got him a Creole New Testament and showed him many verses to let him know that was not true. 

Over the course of the several days that followed, and more conversations, he began to understand and believe.  He prayed to receive Christ into his life and be born again!

Our maternity clinic doesn’t want to deliver babies on the premises — because of issues that can arise from deeply-held Haitian customs. But, some new life doesn’t come with Haitian customs.  When someone is born again, the customs don’t apply! 

At our clinic, we thank God for new life in the form of babies — and eternal new life for grown-ups!

This was at his last visit to the wound care program.  Please pray that he remains involved in a church and will continue to follow Christ as he grows in his faith!

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A couple weeks ago I got the chance to visit a friend. I work with him occasionally through Agape Flights (my mail service to Haiti).  He lives in Cazel — a little village about 1.5 hours from where I live.  The last 30 minutes of driving is off-road. 

You drive over mountains and through rivers to get there.  It’s very different from Port-au-Prince.  It seems a world away from the big city.  It’s beautiful. It’s quiet at night, and the people are much more friendly.

It was a nice break from things here in PAP for a couple days.  It was also fun to see his ministry and how things work where he is at.  It was also a lot of fun to hang out with the kids that live at the compound — especially the babies!

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Please continue to pray for Haiti and the work of Kelby’s Kids. Things continue to be unstable in Haiti and you have to always be cautious and aware of your surroundings. Protests have increased and crime remains high. The economic conditions continue to get worse. It’s all making people more desperate. This makes things busier in the clinics. And increase the overall risks.

Thank you for your continued faithful prayer and financial support that makes this work possible. Together we are bringing hope on a daily basis.

Until No Child Dies,

Kelby