Between Trips

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!