We returned to Michigan from Haiti on July 30, and our next conferences there will be Feb 20-March 5, 2022. What’s happening in the mean time? What do we do between training conferences? A lot! Here are some examples of what we’re working on right now:

• Purchasing Bibles – In the past two weeks, we purchased 336 Thompson Bibles and 500 Creole Bibles for our upcoming training conferences. This requires phone conversations with people in France and Haiti, verification of invoices and shipping details, and payment. Pastor Esau received the shipment of Creole Bibles today (pictured) and will store them in his home until we use them at our Feb/March conferences. 
• Replenishing conference materials – Rena created an inventory of conference materials several months ago. (If you know Rena, you know that she is super organized and administrative.) This is a brilliant tool! We’ll re-count all conference supplies, update our online inventory, shop for best prices, then order needed materials for our next training conferences.
• Planning our next training conferences – Lord willing, we plan to offer PPI training in two new cities in Feb/March – Port au Prince and Gonaives. I am working on all the details right now – dates, specific locations, coordination team members, transportation, lodging, shipping, etc. That involves a lot of prayer, conversations and coordination!
• Revising course materials – Pastor Esau and I are improving the Creole translation of Course 1 and our resource book God-Pleasing Worship. That‘s taking some time, but will make these tools more effective with Haitian church leaders. (One of 29 revised pages of Course 1 pictured.)
• Communicating with PPI friends and supporters – We call, email, text or meet in person with PPI friends and supporters every week. We update all of you through our newsletters and online posts like this one. That’s so important for this “Ministry Team” of workers and supporters – all of us! – that God is putting together to encourage, train and resource church leaders in Haiti and other developing countries. 
• Contacting and meeting with potential supporters – We continue to contact and meet with potential supporters. I returned from a trip to New Jersey a few weeks ago, where I met with pastors representing five different churches. I also met with a number of individuals. I leave for Kentucky on Monday, where I will present PPI to 150 pastors at the annual meeting of the Liberty Baptist Association. Most Sundays these days Rena and I present PPI in potential supporting churches. We have met so many wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ!
• Preaching, teaching, speaking – Besides presenting PPI, I have the privilege of preaching, teaching or speaking at supporting churches and other ministries. I’ll speak (via pre-recorded video and live Zoom) at a men’s breakfast of a potential supporting church in New Jersey in early November. The Sunday after that, I’ll preach (in person) at a supporting church in mid-Michigan. I’ve been invited to take part in Dallas Seminary’s missions conference in March. Since we have lived and ministered in our community for over 17 years, Rena and I continue to meet with and encourage others in Christ in our local area. I’ll lead a funeral in Saginaw on Thursday.
• Praying, reading, studying and writing – I’m reading/listening through the Bible right now and soaking in Galatians, Paul’s defense and application of the one true gospel. I’ll preach a message from Galatians in early November. Besides my go-to news source (The Economist magazine), I’m also finishing a book on developing a new ministry. I’m also working on a couple writing projects related to our work in Haiti (stay tuned).
• Special projects – We put together two special Haiti Missions Projects for next week’s pastors meeting in Kentucky – and for all PPI friends and partners. This involved planning, writing, revising (many times), and coordinating graphics work (see picture) and printing. We’re really excited about these projects! More info to come in early November.
• Spending time with family and friends – All this keeps me hopping for 40-50 hours each week on average. Rena invests around 12 hours each week in administering PPI’s finances and office needs – in addition to her part-time job at United Financial Credit Union. But over our years of ministry, we have learned the huge importance of initiating and protecting time with God and time with family and friends. That includes project time and down time together. That also includes calls, texts, video time and visits with our kids and grandkids. It includes holiday and vacation times. These are gifts from God that we don’t want to miss or minimize!

So that gives you a snapshot of what we do between training conferences. Check out COMING UP on the PPI website for more specific dates and details.

Thank you all for your part in the Ministry Team that enables us to lead the charge in encouraging, training and resourcing Haitian church leaders. We couldn’t do it without your faithful prayers, encouragement and financial investments. Together God can use all of us to make an eternal difference in Haiti for Christ!

Three weeks ago, an earthquake devastated homes, churches and lives in southwestern Haiti, especially in the cities of Les Ceyes and Jeremie. A few days later, I suggested ways all of us could help and how we should think longer term about development in Haiti.  (You can read that post HERE.)

I have encouraging news and an opportunity for us to help Haitians help Haitians.

First, PPI board member, Tony deBari, traveled to Les Ceyes, Haiti on Saturday to serve on Samaritan’s Purse medical disaster response team. Many of you know that Tony is an accomplished orthopedic surgeon and has used his gifts all around the world to help those in disaster areas. Please pray for Tony and the entire medical team (pictured) as they work to help as many people as possible!

Second, Pastor Jasmin Joseph has rallied many believers and churches in northeastern Haiti to donate money for food, water and supplies for people in Les Ceyes and Jeremie. Pastor Jasmin is one of PPI’s key partner pastors and coordinators of our pastors training.

So far Haitian churches have given around $2000 USD – a LOT of money by Haitian standards! No doubt many Haitian believers will go without food in order to help others. This money will be distributed for basic needs through churches in and around Les Ceyes and Jeremie.

Pastor Jasmin asked me if Partnership of Pastors International would consider giving to increase that amount. YES! Yes, PPI intends to stay focused on our crucial work of encouraging, training and resourcing church leaders in Haiti. No, we’re not able to give to every need every time. But at times of major need, God wants us to show mercy, not overthink it, and do what we can to help. We’re convinced this is one of those times.

Will you help us help Haitians help Haitians? Pray about what God wants you to do, and when you’re ready you can GIVE HERE.

Thank you for standing with fellow believers in Haiti, helping them help their people in need.

You probably heard: An earthquake hit Haiti on Saturday. At 7:29am a quake registering 7.2 shook the southern peninsula of the island nation. Five more aftershocks registering between 4.0 and 5.0 followed, devastating the cities of Jeremie and Les Cayes. Around 1.5 million Haitians have been affected by the earthquake. Over 1400 were killed.

How can we help? A number of you have asked what we can do.

• PRAY for Haitian families and all those helping on the ground in the areas most affected by the earthquake. Our God cares for the poor.

Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people. Psalm 113:5-8

• GIVE WISELY to relief efforts. Missionary Flights International (MFI) says it’s best for relief organizations to buy needed supplies in Haiti in order to get them faster and to help the Haitian economy. MFI and Samaritan’s Purse are two trustworthy ministries involved in relief efforts in Haiti. Unfortunately, too many “charities” take advantage of disasters like this to solicit money that rarely benefits those who most need help. Be discerning and give wisely.

• INVEST LONGER-TERM IN REBUILDING the lives and communities of Haitian families. Emergency help is needed in southern Haiti right now, but what is needed a month from now?  Three months from now? A year from now? Behind-the-scenes ongoing gospel-centered work to rebuild the lives and communities of Haitian families is the real solution to the pressing problems of Haiti – and other poor countries.

That’s why we do what we do as Partnership of Pastors International! In a nation with little infrastructure or governmental organization, churches in Haiti have the opportunity to be “centers of life” in their neighborhoods – proclaiming the gospel clearly, discipling believers and leading efforts in nutrition, medical care, job training, etc. Involved churches led by godly, well-trained pastors are the answer to Haiti’s problems. 

The problem is, church leaders in Haiti lack access to good ministry training and they lack ministry resources, especially Bibles. That’s the need God has called PPI to do something about in Haiti. It’s the behind-the-scenes ongoing gospel centered work that already is making a difference for Christ in cities where we have trained pastors and provided them with Bibles, God-Pleasing Worship books, gospel tracts, Jesus film DVDs, and other ministry resources. Your investments of prayer and giving make our ongoing gospel-centered work possible in Haiti.  Thank you!!

If you’re not already, we invite you to invest longer-term with PPI in the spiritual and practical rebuilding of Haitian families and communities. Would you consider becoming a monthly partner to help us purchase Thompson Chain Reference Bibles (our main training tool) and Creole Bibles? Will you help us print course workbooks and provide good ministry resources for our pastors training conferences? This is the best long-term Kingdom investment we can make in Haiti! DONATE HERE

I have to tell you about this! Esau and I got back to Michigan late last night after a week of meeting with potential PPI supporters in the Mid-South. A good week. During breakfast, Rena asked Esau if his family and friends in Haiti could use other items. He mentioned backpacks for families.

After breakfast, Rena took Esau to our garden at my parents’ house – Esau is very interested in gardening – while I finished a presentation of PPI for a church we’ll be at tomorrow. Before diving into slides, I took a walk around our neighborhood to listen to worship music and pray. I trekked my usual route, around White Pine Middle School and past the dental and medical offices on Colony Drive. I noticed a pop-up tent and some people in the parking lot of one dental office, MI Smile Journey. 

“Need a backpack?” two young women called to me as I was walking by. “Wow! Cool, Lord!” I thought. I said, “No. But I know some people who do.” I told them about Esau, Haiti and PPI. Ten minutes later I was back with my truck, and Dr. Michael Thomas and his staff loaded 16 backpacks filled with school supplies into my truck.

A great big THANKS and shout out to Dr. Thomas and his enthusiastic staff for their care for our community and also for families in Haiti!

And a great big THANKS to our good, good Father who knows the needs of His children and answers our prayers even before we ask. Wow! Cool, Lord!