Haitian believers will gather at 4:00pm today to pray for our upcoming training. Pastor Jasmin, one of our key leaders, sent this message yesterday:

Hello, brothers and sisters! Tomorrow, God willing, at 4:00pm, we will pray for the conferences in February. We Haitians will gather at the church where Pastor Michel is. Thanks. God bless us.

Many of us here plan to pray in unity with our Haitian brothers and sisters.

Not long after, Jasmin sent his message, our daughter, Katie, texted me with this note:

We prayed for the conferences, Haitians, and you during class today. Drs Richard and Yoder remembered meeting you. 🙂

Katie is currently a third-year student  at Dallas Theological Seminary, my alma mater. I thought, “Wow! The Lord is encouraging us to pray!” Will you pray with us for our next pastors training in Haiti?

From February 8-23, we will offer three courses in Gonaïves and L’Estére, cities on the west coast of Haiti. We will lead Course 1 in both cities and also offer Course 2 in Gonaives. Registration is going well, and we should have full courses – 112 church leaders in each course.

Would you pause today at 4:00pm to pray in unity with us? Pray that God’s Spirit will fill us with:

• Joy and unity on our ministry team as we work together
• Love and honor for each church leader who attends our courses
• Patience and good humor, especially on the first morning of each course as we finalize registration, manage a waiting list, distribute materials and get started in the training. It’s a little crazy!
• Wisdom and effectiveness in leading each course and answering questions. Our Haitian team will lead all aspects of Course 1 this time with my coaching and encouragement. We’re excited about this step!
• Good health through long days of Kingdom work and good rest at night
• Protection from any disruption or gang activity, especially in L’Estere, a city closer to Port au Prince

Without Him, we can do nothing of value for Christ and for Haiti. Jasmin encouraged us with Matthew 6:33, translated from Creole to English:

Rather, we try to give the things of the Kingdom in the sky [Heaven] the first place in our lives. We try to live as God wants it first. Then God will give us all these other things as well.

Amen.

Second, we’ll offer Course 1 in the city of L’Estere for the first time. We won’t stay overnight in the city, however, because of recent gang activity there (L’Estére is about 2 hours north of Port au Prince). We will stay in Gonaives and drive to and from L’Estere each day. Pray for the logistics and our safety as we train pastors there.

Third, our Haitian team will lead Course 1 by themselves on this trip with my encouragement and coaching. They’re ready and willing! Pray for them to prepare well, lead well and experience the Lord’s joy and Spirit-filling as they lead. As it worked out, I actually will leave Gonaives the morning of our last day of Course 1 in Gonaives. It’s the only day/time MAF could fly me back to Cap Haitian because their other planes are out of service for two weeks. I tried every option to stay through Feb 23, but with no success. I was frustrated at first then realized this is a perfect opportunity for our Haitian team to conclude Course 1 without me there. This is a good step for them, and I’m excited for them!

Finally, pray for our team prayer and planning times, especially for our NEXT training in early April. We’re talking about going to two new cities on the north coast of Haiti – Port de Paix and Saint-Louis – where we have many invitations and good connections with potential host pastors.

Thank you so much for bringing us to our Father’s throne of grace. We look forward to being used by the Lord to encourage, equip and resource church leaders who go on to lead their churches well to reach entire communities for Christ. All for His honor and praise!

What insight does PPI have on the war in Ukraine? Some – as it turns out.

In November I (Ken) took part in the ICETE conference, a large gathering of ministry trainers and theological educators from around the world. A group of Bible college leaders from Ukraine were present at the conference. During one main session, a Ukrainian leader spoke passionately about their situation. He choked up as he described the indiscriminate bombing of Bible colleges, churches, hospitals and homes in his city. Several colleagues, family members and friends had been wounded. Some killed.

He pleaded with Russian evangelical leaders – also present at the conference – to speak out publicly against Russia’s unjust and unprovoked invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine. He challenged their silence as fear of man over fear of God and wondered aloud whether their silence meant that Russian Christians approved of the devastation. You could hear a pin drop in the room. Dr. Michael Ortiz, international director of ICETE, rose from his chair to stand beside this Ukrainian brother then led all of us in prayer for Ukraine and for Russia.

Also in November, PPI board member, Tony deBari, traveled to Ukraine with Samaritan’s Purse to provide medical care near the front lines of the war. Many of you know that Tony is a passionate Christ-follower and an accomplished orthopedic surgeon. In a recent Hopevale Church podcast, Tony shared his experiences as well as insights you won’t hear on the 6 o’clock news. I encourage you to watch his informative interview HERE.

Let’s keep our windows open on the world, friends! So many brothers and sisters in Christ around this globe only dream about the kind of freedom, security and prosperity that we enjoy every day in the United States. Pray for church leaders in Ukraine and in Russia. Pray for pastors and believers in Haiti. And let’s continue to put feet to our prayers by partnering together to encourage, train and resource church leaders in developing nations!

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.               (1 Peter 5:8-9)

Together for Haiti

Do you realize that the Lord is using US TOGETHER to build up His church in Haiti? That’s a humbling and exciting thought – and it’s true.

Many pastors tell us that PPI training has helped them focus on preaching and teaching God’s Word instead of their own opinions. They also tell us they’re encouraged to lead their churches with wisdom and humility. As a result, pastors are seeing their churches grow in number and in maturity. They’re working together in their cities. And they are seeing more clearly the link between helping their communities in practical ways and sharing the good news of Jesus.

In 2022

Through your faithful prayers and financial support, the Lord enabled us to:

• Lead 8 training courses in 3 Departments of Haiti
• Train just under 800 church leaders (who influence around 10,000 people through their ministries)
• Award 450 Thompson Bibles in Course 1
• Distribute 1450 Creole Bibles in all our courses

Praise God!

Not without cost . . . 

All that despite significant cost increases these past two years. Thompson Bibles (including shipping and Haiti customs) have gone up 25%. Our cost for Creole Bibles has risen 30% over last two years – when we can get them. Airfares, ground transportation, lodging, conference lunches in Haiti – everything now costs us more. Yet the Lord is providing for this mission through all of you, and we’re figuring it out.

And it’s worth it! What price can we put on offering training to pastors who lack access to good ministry preparation? What is the value of providing Bibles for Haitian believers in their heart language? Priceless!

Let’s keep on building together in 2023!