By Roger Pedersen
PLH Board Member
Many organizational boards gather for a retreat or focused conference to do yearly, or bi-yearly planning. Even churches and Christian non-profits do this, and for good reason. It provides an opportunity to get to know each other better and experience the collective brain power of the group to look forward to what is next and improve ministry.
Project Living Hope has been doing board retreats for several years. We met for another January 3rd - 4th. The board members who were able to attend this year already had a sense of camaraderie and commitment to the mission. To keep Christ central to the organization’s work, the Bible and prayer were included in the agenda. This did a couple of things that transformed the retreat. It was an invitation for God to show up and take charge of the meeting. Yes, we had an agenda, but we discovered that through the inclusion of the Holy Spirit, we as a group went way beyond the agenda.
A careful review was made of PLH’s successes and limitations in Haiti, a country in crisis, over 2024. PLH couldn’t send people or materials. We even had to bring US personnel out of Haiti for safety reasons. But we were amazed at how God has been at work in Haiti despite these limitations. The impact of the ministry has more than doubled. The omnipresent God also lives in the community there. It is obvious. Other regions in Haiti are excitedly hoping that God will bring the same programming and opportunities to them. These things led to celebration and worship. Thank you, Jesus!
A second review was the yearly finances. (Yawn.) But wait. Here also, God impressed me in a big way. First, even when a ministry is highly restricted because of governmental crises where lawlessness prevails, God is going to bless whom God wants to bless. Everything that is needed to sustain the ministry and the people coming to the PLH campus is being provided for. God is doing that. Second, you would think that an organization that has been unable to send its leaders and visitors to location would have trouble raising money. But God is a blessing! The ministry is being provided for. So, the board, led by the Holy Spirit, was able to readjust our priorities and become more focused on what God is doing. Plus, new resources and opportunities for personal support appeared that will lead to amazing new relationships with fans of PLH in America. This led to more celebration and praise.
It would be easiest for me to spend the most time in this blog on the “dream” part of our retreat. Having learned what God is already doing with PLH in Haiti, it was interesting to see a subtle shift in priorities. Some of the “well, since we couldn’t do it this year, maybe we can do it next year” ideas moved over to allow room for what God is already doing and how we can be more involved in those activities. What was fascinating was watching priorities shift from what we might do to how we break through the barriers of present-day Haiti and become more active with what God is doing through PLH. We know that we cannot count on the Haitian government for help at this time. This will require inspired ideas from God (and we received several), trusting God for miracles, AND tons of prayer.
I think a big takeaway for me from this retreat was the realization that God is leading PLH to a bigger impact despite the efforts of Satan to destroy Haiti and her people. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
We believe in the power of prayer because of how God has responded from heaven for Project Living Hope this past year. We are redoubling our efforts to invite God to become more active and pay more attention to what He is already doing there. A part of that effort is to invite every one of our PLH family of friends to join us in praying daily with us.
I know that it is hard to discipline ourselves to pray daily or add one more thing to our already full prayer list. So, we came up with a prayer booklet of 21 prayers. They are simple, easy prayers that you can lift up to God from your heart. Our God is awesome, and it appears that He intends to continue doing big things in Haiti and through Project Living Hope. So as you pray these prayers, say them with boldness and high expectation that He will be knocking down dark walls separating the people of Haiti from His heart of love.
Click below to access the prayer guide. Join us in prayer as we watch God do more miracles for the families participating in Project Living Hope.
At Project Living Hope, we depend on the prayers of our supporters. You can learn about urgent prayer request and join others in prayer by joining our prayer team!
As a member of our prayer team, you will receive:
Notification of prayer needs as they arise.
Stories and praise reports that share how God is answering our prayers!