We finished training 115 pastors in Gonaives a few hours ago. We are weary but still excited about the great fruit for Christ here. As in Cap Haitien, church leaders were especially attentive and hard-working. Again and again, they thanked us for coming to Gonaives to train them and asked us to return to train them more. We were touched and humbled when the leaders of the pastors association encircled our team and prayed for us. We look forward to returning to Gonaives. The Lord clearly has opened the door for PPI training here!
Pastors who came to this training from other cities pleaded with us to bring PPI training to their cities. We asked them to pray for us and told them that our team will meet tomorrow morning to pray and talk about our next cities. Will you pray for our team as we meet to talk about our next steps of training? We are asking the Lord for a clear invitation from a pastor or, better, pastors association with a good reputation. We need a good host church – quiet and large enough to host our training. And, depending on the area, a good airstrip!
I’ll also talk more with our team tomorrow about their part in leading training sessions and, soon enough, entires days of the training. Hebert led a review on day one, and Esau led all of Session 7. Both did well. Esau taught especially well. Pastors respect him, and he interacted with them so well today, encouraging their responses and reinforcing their learning. Mentoring and coaching pastors to lead PPI training, especially Course 1, remains high on my and our Board’s priority list. We made good progress toward that goal on this trip!
When I return to Michigan, I’ll unpack and organize, take a few days off, then begin ordering Creole Bibles, Thompson Bibles, and other materials for our next training conferences. Until then, I’m enjoying time with brothers in Christ and turning my thoughts to heading home. Blessings to you all in Christ. Thank you for your prayers, encouraging notes, and faithful support. You are a big part of this mission team, too!