You know those times when you’re puzzling and praying over the best way to do something – and then the light goes on? That happened to me in Gonaives, Haiti, a few weeks ago, and I’m excited to tell you about it! But first an update on our latest training conferences.

Conferences

From February 21-March 4, a total of 223 pastors in two northern cities in Haiti completed PPI’s Course 1. Pastors were excited to be part of the training and were specially attentive and hard-working. Many spoke about the value of this training to their ministries. They also asked me to thank all PPI supporters for providing Thompson Bibles, Creole Bibles and other ministry tools. So on behalf of Haiti’s pastors: Mèsi anpil anpil! (Thank you so very much!)

They further implored us to come back soon (one pastor asked about next month!) to offer our next training courses. By God’s grace, we will return to Haiti in July and in December 2022 to train around 600 church leaders.

Clarity

What became clear on this trip is the best way to achieve our goal of training church leaders in all ten Departments of Haiti. (A “Department” in Haiti is like a large county or a small state.) Here it is: We will lead our six courses in succession in two key cities at a time over three years. We will offer PPI training in the “chief cities” of each of Haiti’s ten Departments. Six courses in two cities at a time over three years.

This strategy allows us to train pastors in each key city twice a year. That frequency maximizes pastors’ learning and ministry skills, deepens our relationship with them for more heart impact, and enables us to better mentor our Haitian ministry teams to lead PPI courses themselves. And three years is the amount of time Jesus took to train His disciples! Six courses in two cities at a time over three years – That’s our strategy.

So beginning in February 2023, as the Lord provides, we will travel to Haiti four times each year to offer 11-12 training courses. That schedule works best for our Haitian ministry teams and allows us to train over 1200 church leaders every year in Haiti. It also enables us to expand our training beyond Haiti, as the Lord leads us.

For more info, join us at our PPI update (Rasanble) on Tuesday, May 3, at 6:00-8:00pm. We plan to livestream this even for those of you who live outside this area – technology permitting. CLICK HERE for more details. 

Commitment

We’re ready to go! Will you help us do it? Here are ways to partner with us in training over 1200 church leaders each year in Haiti:

• PRAY FOR US as we continue living out God’s calling to give back to church leaders who lack access to ministry training and resources. The Lord opens doors through the faithful prayers of His people.
• CONTINUE TO SUPPORT US. We thank the Lord for so many of you who “remember the poor” (Galatians 2:10) by investing faithfully and generously in training church leaders in Haiti and other developing countries.
• JOIN OUR SUPPORT TEAM. If you have not yet committed to regularly supporting PPI, please consider it! This is a step of stewardship and partnership in Jesus’ mission. Get more info on partnering with PPI HERE.

I heard a Christian leader say, “If God’s vision for your ministry doesn’t give you butterflies, it’s not yet God’s vision.” Our vision and strategy for training pastors in Haiti and other developing countries give me butterflies. By God’s grace and with your help, we’re ready to go!

Rasanble is Creole for “a gathering of people for a purpose.” We’re putting together a PPI gathering on Tuesday, May 3, from 6:00-8:00pm for food, info and conversation. YOU’RE INVITED! Join us in person at the Anderson Center in Saginaw or on Facebook Live – @partnershipofpastors. Come when you can and leave when you need to!

We will share more about how we train church leaders in Haiti – with pictures and video. We’ll also talk about our “6(n)2 over 3” strategy for training church leaders in all ten Departments of Haiti and beyond. You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and – this is cool! – learn the basics of the Thompson Chain Reference Bible (all materials provided). The Thompson Bible is used to train pastors around the world and is our main tool for equipping pastors in Haiti. You’ll see why!

• What:      PPI update and info 
• Where:    Anderson Enrichment Center (120 Ezra Rust Drive, Saginaw, MI)
• When:     Tuesday, May 3, from 6:00-8:00pm
  • • 6:00pm – Welcome and refreshments
    • 6:20pm – PPI update and plans
    • 7:20pm – Intro to the Thompson Bible (materials provided)
    • 8:00pm – Closing prayer together

 Ready to rasanble? We look forward to being with you on Tuesday, May 3, at 6:00pm – whether in person or on our Facebook page! Look for your invitation in the mail this week if you’re on the PPI mailing list.

I’ve had a good first week back – thanks be to God. Rena and I have had good time to talk, walk, pray and spend time with family and friends this week. I’m still spilling over with our time in Haiti. Rena says I talk fast and nonstop when I first get back, but I can’t help it. The Lord is giving us fruit that remains for His glory, and that’s exciting to me! I also have been in touch with our Haitian team this week to look forward to our next three training conferences in July and to work on some of the details.

Before I share more news on that, I thought you may like to read two more faith stories from Haiti, both showing how believers wrestle with everyday life there.

Hebert and Nandjie’s Unselfish Decision

Hebert Elien Johnson is a young pastor, just getting started in ministry. He knows English quite well and has served as one of our translators for 3-4 years. Hebert loves the Lord and is in love with Nandjie (pronounced Non-jee), a wonderful Christian girl, who lives in Port au Paix. Hebert now lives and works in Gonaives, a 3-4 hour drive away over rough roads. They talk on the phone every morning and evening (at least). Cell phone reception isn’t good in Haiti, and Hebert often says “Koman?” (What?) and has to call back. But the young couple presses on despite weak cell service so they can be together via phone.

Hebert and Nandjie are looking forward to getting married, but Hebert told me that he plans to wait at least two years. I didn’t understand. Hebert is 26 and now has a steady job in Gonaives making $350 a month – a handsome sum in a country where a “good job” pays between $150 and $200 a month. So I asked him, “Why wait? Why not get married sooner?”

Hebert explained to me that he wants to help his family first. He regularly sends money to his parents to cover the cost of school for his two younger siblings. Nandjie understands and supports this unselfish decision. I know the Lord is pleased.

Ulrick’s Haunting Question

After our last day of training in Cap Haitien, our team returned to the Heberson Paradis Hotel to unwind. The training went well, and we were rejoicing in the Lord. We had worked hard, and it was time to relax.

Later that evening we gathered in Michel and Ulrick’s room to hang out and talk. Haitians love to tease and laugh, and the team was in fine form when I walked in the room. Aided by Esau’s translation, I couldn’t help joining in the fun. We teased Pastor Michel about retiring from his church (he’s 68). After sharing our ages and birthdays, I couldn’t help ribbing Hebert about his bebe face. We had a good laugh. 

And we discussed the Bible, church concerns and life. Haitian pastors read the Bible a lot, and they know the content of Scripture well, including chapter and verse. God has blessed believers in Haiti with more freedom from distractions like TV, internet and stuff – thorns that, if we’re not careful, can choke out good fruit in our lives as American believers (Luke 8:14).

By nature Haitians are passionate and expressive people, pastors more so as they discuss the things of God. I wasn’t surprised when our discussion grew louder and more animated. You know Haitians are engaged when everyone talks at once – and loudly! I was trying to keep up with my limited grasp of Creole.

The pastors discussed the meaning and application of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” What does it mean to “seek” God’s kingdom? What are “these things” that Jesus’ promises will be added to us? What about people who don’t seek God’s kingdom yet have “these things” added to them? How do we explain that? We talked about all this, pointing to many Scriptures, for nearly an hour. I loved it and added my input when appropriate.

I learned long ago that these discussions aren’t just theoretical or theological in Haiti. They address the harsh realities of everyday life there.

Near the end of our conversation, Pastor Ulrick looked across the room at me and said, “Pastor Ken, I have a question for you?” The other pastors stopped talking as Esau translated. “Do you think Haitian Christians are not seeking God’s Kingdom well enough because many of us do not have what we need?” His question broke my heart. I teared up and stammered, “No, not at all, brother. The larger political and economic problems in your country affect you and everyone in Haiti. You are seeking God’s Kingdom very well.” We sat in silence for several minutes before our conversation continued in quiet tones. Ulrick’s question has haunted my thoughts and prayers since.

I think we’d all agree that we shouldn’t text and drive though some of us do it anyway. Much less should we drink and drive – at least not alcohol. But we can and should make the most of our time while traveling especially when we travel alone. I’ve tried to do that on this trip to Haiti. 

I took two days (Thurs-Fri, Feb 17-18) to drive to Dallas because I needed to take materials for Dallas Seminary’s missions conference. (I took part in the conference on March 7-10, immediately after my time in Haiti.) Two days of driving gave me time to listen to good worship music (for me, mostly Selah and Matt Maher), pray, listen to Scripture and also listen to Charles Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students. I also spent brief but wonderful time with our youngest son, Kurt, and daughter-in-law, Jen. They graciously put me up for a night at their home in Memphis, Tennessee.

Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students captures his weekly lectures to young men training for ministry at his Bible college. His talks are personal, practical and often witty. Every church leader – and most Christians – would benefit from reading (or in my case, listening) to this classic. Although Spurgeon pastored in London in the mid-1800s, he still speaks clearly to church life today. To sharpen my tools for encouraging and training church leaders in Haiti, I wanted to refresh my memory of Spurgeon’s biblical and practical advice to young pastors. I wasn’t disappointed.

On my flight from Dallas to Fort Lauderdale, I started reading another book written in the 1800s. Dr. John Nevius served in China and wrote The Planting and Development of Missionary Churches after 25 years of mission ministry there. I heard about this little book at the Evangelical Theological Society conference in November, ordered it immediately afterward. I have been looking forward to reading it.

What a gem! Dr. Nevius speaks biblically and practically to church life and leadership today in the United States and in countries like Haiti. His main point in the book is that Christians like us from wealthy nations should be super-careful in how we use mission money in poor countries. Specifically, he’s convinced by long experience that our paying or “sponsoring” pastors and other church workers in poor nations makes a mess. It creates dependency, expectations, laziness, disrespect, and jealousy among other negative results for gospel work. We end up with “mercenary pastors and Christians.” And, man, have I seen this in Haiti – and heard and read about it in countries around the world. With the best of intentions, we can do more harm than good for the progress of the gospel, discipling of believers, and training of church leaders. We need to give generously but invest wisely in training and resourcing – precisely what PPI is committed to in Haiti and other developing nations.

While in Haiti, I used the little free time we had to focus on learning more Creole – speaking with our team, looking up words in my travel-sized Haitian dictionary and writing notes. Being immersed in the language with our Haitian team moved me forward piti piti (“little by little”)!

I also took time to review my notes and highlights in another book – Gospel Patrons by John Rinehart. I recommend this book to all of you – and anyone else interested in supporting Jesus’ mission around the world. Rinehart tells the inspiring stories of the supporters (“gospel patrons”) behind John Wycliffe’s translation of the first English Bible, the revival ministry of George Whitefield, and the reformation of the English church under John Newton. The subtitle captures the heart – and challenge – of this book: People Whose Generosity Changed the World.

Traveling back from Haiti, I needed a change of pace so I picked up Erik Larson’s The Splendid and the Vile, a gripping account of Winston Churchill’s leadership through the year-long bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany. Although it’s a longer work, it’s an easy and informative read.

Where are you reading in the Bible right now? Are you following a reading plan? That’s great! I  also encourage you to focus on one book of the Bible – read and re-read (or listen and re-listen) to that book. Ask God to teach you, make notes and share with others what the Lord is showing you. I’m focusing on the book of Nehemiah right now.

What book are you reading or listening to? I recommend the books I’ve mentioned here, and I know many other good books are out there. Let’s make the most of our time to grow in the Lord and sharpen our understanding of His mission. Speaking of, I need to sign off for now. I want to get back to my reading . . . 

I arrived in Dallas after midnight Friday night. Rena flew in around the same time. I was coming from Haiti to take part in Dallas Seminary’s missions week. Rena came for a long weekend with me and our daughter, Katie, a second-year student at the seminary. I planned to rest a little and enjoy time with Rena, Katie and some long-time friends here.

The Lord had other plans and wow! Our friends, Andrew and Lori Spurgeon, mentioned to us that they had told people at Lake Ridge Bible Church – our home church during our seminary days – that we were coming into town. People there expressed a desire to see us, so we decided to worship with Lake Ridge on Sunday morning. We ran into a good friends from our former home group, DeeAnn Thompson and Diana Marek, and also a member of the church’s mission’s committee. We enjoyed a long lunch with these friends at a good Texas BBQ – gotta love Texas! – and I planned to meet with the missions team leader the next morning (today).

Diana mentioned that our former neighbor was coming into town that evening and would love to see us. This neighbor and friend is Jewish. We had a good connection when we lived here and had opportunities to share gospel truth with her and her husband as we spent time together. So later that evening we met with her and two other friends to catch up on life, listen, love and encourage. We talked until after midnight. Unexpected and sweet gifts from the Lord!

This morning I met with the missions team leader from Lake Ridge. He is interested in our work among church leaders. We plan to talk more later today about specifics. Praise God! We are ready to carry out our full strategy in Haiti – more to come on that – and need our Father’s provision of further funding to do that. The Lord of the Harvest continues to give us unexpected and exciting connections with people and churches interested in this mission to the poor. I am humbled, so grateful, and more emboldened to press ahead in PPI’s vision and strategy to encourage, train and resource church leaders in key cities in all 10 Departments of Haiti. Our God leads us beyond our expectations as we surrender our lives to Him and pursue His purposes in the world!

Will you pray for us this week? Pray for Rena as she flies home to Michigan later today and her ministry among our friends and family. Pray for me as I take part in Dallas Seminary’s missions conference – speaking, presenting and talking with students, professors and other mission leaders. I desire to be a blessing to others and also to further develop the work of Partnership of Pastors. The Lord already is giving us the desire of our hearts – beyond all expectations!