Working in Florida, Preparing for Haiti

We are volunteering with Agape Flights in Venice, Florida, until the end of February. First Baptist Church of Venice, big supporters of Agape, donated their parsonage for us to live in during our time here. That has been a gift, as housing in the area is quite costly.

While we are not turning into popsicles in a Midwest winter, we are working on our Creole, getting some good homeschooling in, and prayerfully preparing for these next steps.

In our last update we recorded a video to share that we are moving to Haiti. Here are a few more details.

Location. We are moving to Bombardopolis, on the Northwest Peninsula of Haiti. “Bombard” is a relatively quiet, rural, agricultural community far removed from the larger cities. This part of Haiti is very safe because of its distance and terrible roads from the cities, and its small-town nature. A fun fact: there are somewhere around sixty varieties of mangoes there. We’ll make a list and mark them off as we try them. Maybe the kids will log each type as a homeschool project.

The work. First, we’ll serve the community. God has great things planned for Haiti through Bombardopolis, and we get to be part of that. Second, Jon will be the on-site mechanic for several airplanes that provide medical flights for Haitians almost daily. Third, Jon will work as project manager at the mission hospital as it grows its capabilities and facilities, and continue with the runway expansion. Overall, we’ll engage with the local church to assist in discipleship and wherever they are being led. We’re excited for this to be an expression of both the Great Commission in Matthew 28 and the command to care for the least of these in Matthew 25.

Who we’ll work with. Primarily Hope From Above Ministries, which provides aviation support to the area (they’re Canadian, eh). The hospital is supervised by International Missionary Fellowship (IMF), for whom Jon will manage projects including a blood bank, dental clinic, lab and visitor quarters, plus general maintenance and day-to-day operational support.

The process is not complicated: passports for all the kids, medical insurance that meets our needs, getting the house ready to sell or rent, and a few other things. The biggest task is fundraising. We need enough monthly support to live and operate there.

We just received exciting news: a matching donor! They will match what we raise, a huge answer to prayer. Our goal is $10,000/month, with milestones along the way, and we are currently around 25% of the way there.

We believe we will be moved by summer 2026, depending largely on fundraising. We’re also welcoming another team member to Team Kling in March, a baby boy named Gideon, who will need a passport. We may take a short trip as soon as we have it to scout out the house.

Because our partner organization is Canadian, we are working with Servants International, a missionary support organization that handles our finances, donations and accounting. They also serve people in countries hostile to the gospel, so you’ll notice their website is strategically light on gospel language. We spoke with their board and are confident it’s a good long-term fit. We hope to one day go into some of those closed nations, because the whole earth is ripe for harvest!

To give: on their site, hit the orange “Donate” button, then choose “Bombardopolis, Haiti – Jonathan Kling” in the designation menu.