Rena and I just returned from some vacation time in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. (Michiganians call it “the U.P.” and its hardy inhabitants “Yoopers.”) We started our sabbath with a Michigan history conference in Iron Mountain. After that, we moved up to the town of Calumet and dove deep in the copper mining story of the the Keweenaw Peninsula. Of course, that included coffee shops, restaurants, and some hiking and biking and sunsets on Lake Superior! [If you prefer, you can watch a video of this post HERE.]
Michigan’s copper mining history fascinated us – the geology, technology, economics and, especially, the people. Between 1850 and 1950, thousands of people emigrated to the U.P. from northern and eastern Europe to work in the mines. In the early 1900s, you could have walked down Main Street in Calumet and heard a dozen distinct languages. Different as they were, all these people were seeking one thing – opportunity. Instead, most experienced back-breaking, soul-wearying, dangerous work for subsistence wages.
It really hit home for us when we toured the Quincy mine. Our tour guide told us that, for 10 hours a day and six days a week, men worked a mile underground in near-total darkness. Without safety gear, they teetered on angled ledges of the mine to hammer, drill and gather mineral-laden rock. In most years, 1 in 3 workers died or were injured. The tour guide ribbed us, “Once you go down in the mine, you’ll never complain about your job again.”
I’m so thankful that we live now. Most jobs in our country are easier (at least physically) and safer than they were a century ago. We have more opportunity for education, training and resources in our lifetime than people who lived 100 years ago even dreamed of. We Americans, that is.
As we toured typical miners’ homes, I said several times, “They use that in Haiti.” Charcoal for cooking, simple tools for sewing or baking, one light-bulb for the home (usually solar-powered in Haiti) – so many people in poor countries live now like people did in the United States a century ago. And like the Michigan miners, these people are hard-working and creative. They enjoy their friends, love their families and want their children to have a better life. Each person displays the creative work of a loving God, just as we Americans do.
But they lack, in a word, opportunity. Opportunity to be educated, trained and resourced. Opportunity to connect their work with the formal economy in order to improve their incomes. Opportunity to participate meaningfully in choosing (and dismissing) governmental leaders. Opportunity to provide a better life for their children and community.
In a word, Partnership of Pastors International gives opportunity to front-line church leaders in Haiti and, Lord willing soon, additional developing nations. This is why we offer foundational training in locations accessible to the greatest number of church leaders. This is why we keep going to Haiti despite the problems and danger. People created in God’s image and loved by Him should be loved and honored by us. They should enjoy the same essential opportunities that we do to better their calling and lives. How can we keep to ourselves all the opportunities and resources we have here? How can we go our merry way knowing that people like us eek out back-breaking, soul-wearying, dangerous lives on subsistence wages? This week. Today.
I thank God that so many of us can’t! Thank the Lord, we have opportunities to work together to provide essential opportunities and resources to church leaders, their families and congregations. I’m convinced this is one of the most significant opportunities we will have in this lifetime to make a difference for eternity. Let’s make the most of it for the glory of our Savior and the good of people precious to Him!
Thank you for participating recently in our Shop and Share (SAS) project. You “shopped” and gave toward Bibles (especially!), course workbooks, team T-shirts, a communion set, and more. Thank you! We have purchased or are in process of purchasing each of these items for our next training courses or for our Haitian team members. (They’re excited!)
You’re invited to PPI’s Summer BBQ on Sunday, August 13, from 5:00-7:30pm. We’ll gather at Ken and Rena’s house (465 Mayflower Drive, Saginaw, MI) for good food and conversation, a PPI update, and QA time with Ken and Pastor Isaiah. (Isaiah will be with us from Haiti.) We will provide meat, drinks, condiments and all paper products. Please bring a dish to pass and RSVP
We helped our daughter, Katie, move from Dallas to Columbus last week and, along the way, met some very cool people. Can I be Dad for a moment? We’re super proud of Katie! While working in Ann Arbor, she engaged with young adults for Christ through her church, company and living situation. As she did that, she realized she needed more Bible training to effectively reach her generation for Christ. So, during COVID, Katie moved to Dallas to pursue a master’s degree in Evangelism and Apologetics at 
Before the heavy lifting, I got to hang around the seminary for two days to work and engage with old and new friends. I engaged with a number of American students on everything from what DTS was like when I was a student (!) to the Rapture to the “big picture” of the Bible. I especially wanted to hear their thoughts on the church and their part in Jesus’ global mission.
While working in the Student Center, I also met Sam Skaria, a pastor from India and, since January, a master’s student at DTS. I learned that Sam and his wife, Febe, lead a network of churches in Bangalore, India. After 20 years of church planting and pastoring, Sam believes the Lord is leading him to go deeper in the Scriptures, Christian theology and church leadership. He told me, “I’ve been good at planting and growing churches. We have worked hard at that. But now I must grow more in making disciples and training church leaders.” Amen! More and more, the government of India is passing laws to restrict even outlaw evangelical Christianity.
After getting back home, I talked by phone with Pastor Isaiah and Pastor Jasmin, key members of the PPI training team in Haiti. I love these brothers! We caught up on our families then finalized details for our next training courses in Haiti. We also looked ahead to 2024. Both told me that many pastors thank the Lord for PPI training and that so many pastors are asking about our training!
Everybody likes a good deal when they shop. We replaced a car in December to get an end-of-year price (it worked). A few nights ago, Rena and I combed through tons of pendant lights on Build.com to find the right one at the best price for our bathroom remodel (it didn’t work). We shop online, we shop local, we sign up for loyalty and frequent flyer programs. But it’s 
Think about it: When have you experienced the greatest joy and purpose? Was it in buying something special for yourself, or was it in giving something special to someone else? What about times you’ve had opportunity to share what God has given you with a person who needed it? Talk about joy! Talk about a sense of purpose! Talk about blessed!
The Lord burned a question on my heart some years ago while in Haiti: How should I live as an American Christian when the basic needs – basic needs! – of so many brothers and sisters in places like Haiti consistently go unmet? I’m convinced the Lord wants me to answer that question by sharing my time, encouragement, love, knowledge, experience and resources with church leaders in Haiti and other developing nations. So many lack access to good ministry training and resources. As part of the wealthiest generation in the history of the Church, we are uniquely placed to do something about that!