How do you know if God really raised Jesus from the dead? Last year during Holy Week, I shared my story of weighing the historical evidence and concluding back in 1997 that the Resurrection must be true. But is historical evidence all that matters?

Before coming to International Samaritan, I was working at three different jobs in Detroit and had flat-out run out of gas. I looked around, and looked up to God, and wondered whether it was going to be a grind like that into my 70’s. I wasn’t just tired. I honestly felt like I was done, but with 20+ years to go before retirement.

Being asked to lead this ministry infused new life into me. I’m 57 now, and feel more alive than I have ever felt in my entire life! Every day is an adventure that I go to bed thanking God for at night and then wake up eager to get started again.

I’ve fallen into some valleys over the last eight years, including a fall from a ladder that left me unconscious for almost an hour. Things were a bit fuzzy for a few weeks after that, but I got better. Then came a colon cancer diagnosis, followed quickly by a lengthy surgery. Rushing my own recovery landed me back in the hospital, stuck in the hallway of a COVID-filled ER with an NG tube down my nose overnight. 

But man, God is good! He keeps raising me back up. If you don’t believe me, you should meet some of our Samaritan scholars. Hear their stories of the hell they have lived through and the new life they are experiencing now. 

As you gather with family and friends and spend some time in church this Holy Week, be encouraged that the resurrection power of God is still alive in our world today. I feel it in the mission we live, and you can see it in the smiles and stories of more than 900 young people who are leaving the dumpsite for good!

Thank you for helping to make their new life possible. It is a joy to be a part of their story and the Body of Christ with you.

Mike Tenbusch, President

Mike joined International Samaritan in 2018 after two decades of leading social change in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. He’s a University of Michigan Law grad and author of The Jonathan Effect: Helping Kids and Schools Win the Battle Against Poverty. He and his wife, Maritza, have three children who keep them young.