by Mike Tenbusch | Jan 15, 2020 | Letters from the President
We have good news and great news. The good news: Over the last few months, we have asked for your support in every way that we could—emails, voicemails, and letters in the mail. The good news is that people showed up in a big way. Our base of supporters grew by 14%...
by Mike Tenbusch | Dec 16, 2019 | Letters from the President
This past Tuesday night as I was doing the dishes, my daughter called. She’s a freshman living on campus at a nearby college, and she asked if I wanted to meet her for breakfast the next morning.“What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned, “Did you run out of meals on your...
by Mike Tenbusch | Nov 27, 2019 | Letters from the President
In a letter we sent out to our supporters this week, I wrote about the “awe” that our scholarship students show in approaching their studies as a way out of a life of working in the garbage dump that lies waiting outside their door. I have found that that same sense...
by Mike Tenbusch | Nov 15, 2019 | Letters from the President
When I interviewed for this position last year, I was intrigued by the fifth bullet point in the job description: Articulate the spiritual values and policies to execute the mission of International Samaritan and develop an internal culture that supports those values....
by Mike Tenbusch | Nov 1, 2019 | Letters from the President
A year ago this morning, I walked in for my first day on the job at International Samaritan. When I mention this fact to friends, old-school Catholics are quick to tell me, “Ahh, All Saints Day, that’s a good day to start your new job.” For those of you who are not...
by Mike Tenbusch | Oct 18, 2019 | Letters from the President
This past Friday morning, I was with Dan Weingartz, one of our board members at International Samaritan, on a tour of a medical clinic we helped to renovate in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city. Just as we were finishing our tour, Selam Terefe, our inspirational...
by Mike Tenbusch | Oct 4, 2019 | Letters from the President
“Lift your head, Isabelita.” “You can do it!” “Come on, Titi! We need you to lift your head…” I stood in awe, watching my wife, her sister and their aunt encouraging the matriarch of their family to lift her head off the pillow of her bed in an intensive care...
by Mike Tenbusch | Sep 20, 2019 | Letters from the President
I’ve written before about the best job I ever had, but the worst job is a whole different story. The worst job I’ve ever had has been the work of finding a job. Twice in my life, I’ve lost a job. Both times came as a complete surprise, not only to me but also to my...
by Mike Tenbusch | Sep 4, 2019 | Letters from the President
If you haven’t done so already, take two minutes to check out the performance of the Detroit Youth Choir on America’s Got Talent last week. Just click on the picture below for almost instant joy: I don’t know any of the young people in this choir, but I’ve spent most...
by Mike Tenbusch | Aug 21, 2019 | Letters from the President
I recently returned from a week visiting with our scholars and partners in Nicaragua and what stunned me more than anything else about Nicaragua was the silence. Since the death of more than 300 protestors in the streets last year, it feels like half the nation has...
