The PLI Experience™: Stories from the PLI Family

Heather and German Sanchez of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, are D2MC alumni. German is an entrepreneur in the financial industry, leading a private equity fund which specializes in mergers and acquisitions that benefit not only investors but the community as well. Heather is a Performance Coach who helps individuals and organizations optimize results through mindset shift, power choice, and prioritization planning. Check out her website to see more of what she does (www.thisonewildlifeco.com). Together, German and Heather both lead a recently acquired tool manufacturer. Heather also works part time as the Admin Assistant for PLI International.

“We are different people—more complete versions of who God intended us to be—for having gone through PLI, and we continue to grow in relationship with God each day.”

Heather & German Sanchez

How did your PLI experience shape you as a follower of Jesus? 

The opportunity to join D2MC coincided with a personal conflict of ours regarding the Great Commission. For our whole life to that point, we thought it was the pastor’s job at the most and the eleven Apostles’ job at the least to live out Jesus’ words to “go and tell.” PLI not only released the desire in us to share the gifts received through Jesus with others, but it also gave us the tools and the language to do it! We are different people—more complete versions of who God intended us to be—for having gone through PLI, and we continue to grow in relationship with God each day. We can speak boldly about Christ now and not have to defer to a pastor. 

How did your PLI experience shape you as a leader? 

Heather: As a woman, PLI gave me the freedom and confidence to lead in our local church as well as in business. With that freedom, I became more well-rounded to not just work and complete projects but also to model rest and prioritization. Leading became a little less about just getting things done and a lot more about being concerned for the wellbeing of the whole person of those I am leading. 

German: In the context of ministry, D2MC helped me clarify my role as a Christian and a leader. I don’t have to be a pastor to lead others to Christ. The conversation of faith came up with the security guard of the office building where our business is. Instead of referring him to a pastor, I was able to speak boldly about Jesus and how God had transformed me and given me victory over different struggles in my life. He asked me questions, and we shared quite often. Now I am overhearing him share the Gospel with other workers in the building! Additionally, in my personal life, instead of leaving the discipleship of our children to the pastor at church, I started morning family devotions every day before we get started with everything else. We read a Bible verse or passage, discuss it as a family, and end in prayer before getting ready for the day. It has led to considerable transformation in each of us!

How have you benefited from PLI as a couple/family? 

German grew up in a very open, welcoming culture. “Dónde caben dos, caben tres.” Translated, “Where two fit, three fit!” This was the mentality—there is always enough room for everyone. For Heather, however, personal time was reserved for family only and family defined by literal familial relations. The work of PLI helped us completely open up our home and our lives to the people around us. We’ve hosted neighborhood potlucks, had friends stay with us when needed, and just generally love having people fill our home. You can imagine how this helped bridge an otherwise big cultural gap in our marriage! 

Additionally, we learned how to bring our children into the mission with us! For the longest time our children were the excuse to NOT lead, but that excuse started to become uncomfortable and felt inauthentic to the characteristics God was growing in our family. We do as much as possible together as a family, including volunteer work. They aren’t an excuse, but are now a reason to serve. “How can they learn to lead themselves as they grow up if they have never seen us do it?” This was a question German and I asked ourselves. We serve first out of gratitude for all God does, starting with the greatest gift of Jesus, and secondly, we serve to lead by example for our children and friends.

We lead many events at our church, and the kids each find a role at the event that they can serve in—our youngest loves to serve food, so she enjoys being at the food table helping in that way; our oldest loves people, so he often greets and leads as acolyte and also usher, if needed, during church services; and our middle son will fill in where he’s asked to help. We also do neighborhood clean-ups, hand out invitations house-by-house, lead prayer walks, and the kids truly enjoy helping in all of it; they even enjoy leading their own prayers on the walks! Our kids have grown in empathy to people around them, they have grown in humility by serving, self-control in waiting while German and I lead, and surprisingly in creativity! Our oldest son was saddened by the homeless people near our house and created a t-shirt campaign to raise money for a local Christian shelter! 

Through PLI, German accepted and grew in his role as the spiritual head of household for our family. God’s work through German’s dedication to leading our family well in the faith has transformed the way we spend our time, speak to each other, and generally do life together. 

What is a take-away from your time in PLI that has stayed with you? 

Heather: Real spiritual rest is a critical component to healthy life rhythms. Rest for me is what revives me—certainly time in God’s Word and prayer, but also activities like hiking, writing, and baking. One of my favorite ways to receive rest is to simply sit on my back step listening to the birds and looking at the sunlight through our trees! (Just typing that out refreshes me!) We also practice Sabbath by holding one day a week free from chores/work and purely for personal time with God and fun as a family. 

German: I used to see the mission of God more like a project that you start and stop. But now I understand that the mission of God is lived throughout the entirety of my life. This means embracing the purpose Jesus set for us: to draw people to God the Father. Jesus’ life was a demonstration of the path to the Father, offering us salvation through grace. This mission, which He entrusted to His followers, is clearly articulated in Matthew 28:19-20—to go and make disciples of all nations. For me, this mission is not confined to certain moments or places, like just going to church or sharing faith within the family. Instead, it’s about sharing the work of God in my life with everyone I encounter, wherever I am. This could be something as simple as wearing clothing with Christian messages, which I do intentionally to spark conversations about faith. Even in professional settings, like when I interview someone for a job, I make it a point to be upfront about my faith. I tell them that I’m a Christian and that our office plays Christian music, not to impose my beliefs but to foster an environment where faith is part of everyday life. This way, people know what to expect in the workplace and can make an informed decision about joining the team. Furthermore, living God’s mission is reflected in how I treat my family—both publicly and privately. How I relate to my wife and children, the way I model love and grace, is a direct expression of God’s mission in my life. The mission of God, for me, is an everyday, all-encompassing journey that extends into every aspect of life—relationships, work, and community. It’s not just about preaching or direct evangelism but about living in such a way that reflects God’s love and invites others into the journey toward Him.

Share a story of a hope-filled outcome of reaching out into your local context and community. Where do you see God at work? 

In opening our home, we’ve been able to offer a peaceful space for a few friends who have been dealing with very difficult personal circumstances. The time we’ve spent together has allowed deep spiritual conversations supported by the way we live our lives. This has led to one of our friends finding a church and choosing to be baptized and has brought an openness to listen for another.

What is God teaching you right now? 

God is teaching us to trust and follow Him without reservation. He is teaching us how to live in a posture of praise no matter the circumstances simply because He is I AM.

One last question…what would you say to someone considering a PLI Learning Community?

Just do it! The participants at PLI become like an extended family, and God will change your life through the relationships, material, and tools offered. More than that, it will impact the community around you, which we guess is where your heart really is anyway! Everyone can use a coach and/or training throughout life, and PLI brings an incredible opportunity to receive just that!