Alex Hoffer

One of my core beliefs about work is that it should always be done for the benefit of others. Whether it is the creation of a new product, service, or the way you conduct a B2B relationship, in my opinion, the fruits of your labor should positively impact other human beings. This brings purpose to every endeavor. 

Having said this, I also must set the record straight that I take Jesus’ words very seriously in all endeavors, including giving. For those not familiar, Jesus once said, “When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:3-4). My experience has born this out in surprising ways — ways that I’m not going to share here because doing so would diminish the joy found in secrecy. 

That disclaimer aside, I am going to share one cause I am particularly passionate about. I am doing so for three reasons: To illustrate the strategic thought needed for giving, to show giving’s best fruits, and to unabashedly introduce this incredible organization to you, the reader. Before proceeding, however, if you sense any pride or self-importance in what follows, it is not my intent.

Strategic Giving

Like anything else in life, giving aimlessly is better than doing nothing, but still not wise. To this end, I want to give to causes that align with my passions and worldview. As someone that follows Jesus, I am commanded to take care of the orphan and widow (James 1:27). Jesus himself said some striking things as to how far someone should go in serving the poor (Matthew 19:21). So I aim to be intentional in my giving so that it serves the poor, widows, orphans, and everyone else in need. 

The Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) is an organization I was introduced to by my father-in-law when I married Sarah. PAACS is a strategic response to the surgical need in Africa. As any generic Google search demonstrates, the need is great. In some areas of Africa, there is only one surgeon for 250,000 people — and other areas only have one surgeon for 2.5 million! 

PAACS trains new surgeons and then sends them to underserved areas in Africa. In the context of Christian organizations, what differentiates PAACS is that it is what I call an “and” ministry, meaning it addresses both physical AND spiritual needs. 

A favorite story of mine is when a PAACS surgeon operated on an ISIS soldier. Confused, the ISIS soldier asked why a Christian doctor would operate on a Muslim? The doctor explained he could do nothing BUT operate because Jesus is at the center of the organization. 

To be clear, there are thousands of incredible organizations locally and nationally, and I do support many. But, the need in Africa has always pulled at my heartstrings because it feels like a forgotten place. More so, I want any success at Hoffer Plastics to also be good news for someone in a place like Africa. Given that just one trained surgeon can help 55,000 people over a twenty-year career, investing in PAACS strategically addresses this need. 

Giving’s Best Fruits 

Just giving dollars to an organization is one thing, but my involvement in PAACS has given me something so much deeper that I want to share it here. I am sharing because if you can also find this in your pursuit of giving, you will be blessed beyond belief. 

What am I referring to? A relationship. 

When I decided to become a PAACS giver I asked if I could be matched directly with a surgeon in training. Why not help someone directly, I thought? In addition, I wondered if there could be an opportunity to get to know them personally. Although my request was new to PAACS at the time, they worked with me and made it happen. 

Enter Asaph

Asaph is the first PAACS resident from the country of Chad! I say this with excitement, because once Asaph is done with training, he will head back to Chad to help address the surgical need there. Asaph currently studies at PAACS’ Bongolo Hospital in Gabon, Africa. Coming full-circle, Bongolo Hospital is the same hospital that my father-in-law has volunteered at once a year for approximately the last two decades. 

Because of my father-in-law’s involvement at Bongolo, I was able to FaceTime with Asaph in early 2020. Since then, we have kept up an ongoing dialogue. We share thoughts, short videos, and prayer requests. I always send pictures of Chicago winters as they are unimaginable to Asaph. In short, we have become brothers. I always look forward to hearing from my friend. Our relationship was unexpected, yet is truly the best gift of all.

Discover the Something You Need to Do 

I am not asking you to give to PAACS. Frankly, I believe God will move the people he needs to give. But I am asking you to think strategically about your giving. Is there an organization out there that you can help? Better yet, is there a relationship you can form?

What I know is that leaders are worth following because their care runs incredibly deep and they are very intentional about addressing the needs around them. The point of today’s post is to encourage you to do something. What that something is, however, is up for you to discover. 

As for me, I am thankful for the amazing work PAACS is doing and will continue to support it, as well as many other unnamed organizations I support, starting with my local Church. 

Finally, I look forward to the day that I finally meet Asaph in person because our relationship is the greatest gift that giving to PAACS has provided me. 

In the Bible in One Year app, I recently read a commentary that shared an amazing story about Mother Teresa. Her feet were so deformed that some wondered whether she had leprosy. One of her sisters explained, “her feet are deformed because we get just enough donated shoes for everyone, and Mother does not want anyone to get stuck with the worst pair, so she digs through and finds them. And years of doing that have deformed her feet.” As the commentary concluded, “years of loving her neighbor as herself has deformed her feet!” 

In this blog, I have continually defined leadership as the art of being someone worth following. And given the example above, it’s no wonder Mother Teresa was adored by millions. Her love was based on others first. She was fully loved by Jesus, so she was able to share out of her abundance — and there is no greater love than this! 

The World’s Greatest Demonstration of Love

This week is Holy Week in the Christian calendar. It is the week where Christ-followers across the world mourn on Good Friday and celebrate the empty tomb on Easter Sunday morning. It is a time of reflection, worship, and Sabbath. Most of all, it is the world’s greatest demonstration of love. 

My commitment to you, the reader, has always been to maintain transparency and authenticity. I want to be transparent about my life, even to the point of vulnerability. If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you should see a demonstration of my many imperfections shared through these posts. 

You should also get a sense of what makes me who I am. I have not been shy about sharing my love for Jesus. My identity starts and ends here. While I am always honest that there is much I cannot explain, I can attest that my life utterly changed when I began following Jesus. 

My late teens and early twenties were characterized by a pursuit of popularity and pleasure. I was centered on myself, and I hurt some people along the way, including myself. Over the years, the darkness became less figurative in nature. By the time I was in college, the nights seemed to increase in length. I was “living my best life,” as some like to say these days, but all the parties and hookups left me feeling hopeless. It was not what I had signed up for. As I would come to read later in the Bible, I was gaining the whole world but losing my soul in the process. 

God is Closer than You Think

Then I saw the light. This time I mean it figuratively, as I did not actually see a light. But through the encouragement of a girl I was trying to date in my early twenties, I started attending a church in the Chicago suburbs during one college summer break. At the first service I attended, the pastor wrote on a flip chart the phrase, “God is closer than you think.” He then said that regardless of what was happening in our lives, God was closer than we thought. This statement shocked me. “No he isn’t,” I thought. Yet, I could not shake it. So I started a process of seeking.  

I kept going to that church. I also began reading the Bible. While I grew up in a Christian household and thought I was a “Christian,” reality was different. I may have been quasi-religious, thinking that if I did “enough” good things, maybe I would be accepted? But in reality, I was not following Jesus. Please note that I am not saying this from a place of judgment —  I am just saying that I was like the student sitting at the back of the lecture hall. I knew a few of the bumper stickers phrases, but I was not putting them into practice, or even putting them on my car. I knew of Jesus, but I was not his student. I was checking the religious boxes at Christmas and Easter, but I was living my own life. I was Lord — He was not. It’s no wonder I did not feel worthy because my life was not adding up to much. 

I know this may be sounding too spiritual to some but stay with me. The reality for me is that I soon found Jesus. This was the light, per se. Finding Jesus meant that I did not have to do “enough” to be valued, I was good enough already. This did not mean that I could or should continue to go on living life the way I had. After all, that life had led to some painful experiences — I later realized that while God always loves us, he does allow us to experience the consequences of our actions. And I thank God that He allowed me to do that, because I did not want to live there! 

As I began reading the stories of Jesus’ life in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John my life began to change. The world had been telling me to pursue my own success and my own kingdom, and find pleasure wherever I could. While I cannot speak for any other reader of this blog, this equation was not working for me. 

All Can Come In

What struck me about Jesus was how countercultural He was and is both then and now. He said that in order to find your life, you have to lose it. It is better to turn your cheek, build others up, and go the extra mile with someone even when it costs you. His way is the narrow path, not the wide path. 

Moreover, He was (and still is) the only one who says ALL can come in. There are no preconditions. He lifted up women, people of different nationalities, the poor, and children — in short, everyone. It is indescribable in totality. It is amazing in its depth. It is inclusivity in totality. 

It was what I fell forever in love with. 

He is the ultimate one that I want to follow. 

But what about that empty tomb? Do we just have to “trust” and go on “blind faith?” That sounds pretty foolish to me. If someone can prove the tomb was not empty I think we should all have a talk. 

But having said this, I also think history leaves even more puzzling questions for us to consider: Like, why would Jesus’ most trusted apostles propagate a lie that would (and most cases did) cost them their lives in painful and brutal ways? Remember, they did not claim to believe in the resurrection, they said they had seen the resurrection. I can understand people dying for something they believe in, but dying for a lie? I guess I do not have the faith to believe that, but you have to make up your mind for yourself. 

Before closing, I try to go to great lengths to be open to ALL readers of this blog. I do this because I think that is what Jesus would want me to do! ALL are welcome in King Jesus’ kingdom! There are no “infidels.” There are only sinners like me that have been redeemed and freed to love others. There is no better love. Hence, please consider the above nothing more than my adoration for that love.  

My story culminated with a public baptism in August of 2005. My sister Charlotte and I were baptized in the waters of Lake Michigan. I share this because I often think of how different my life is now, compared to then, when I fly back to Chicago over the lake. Jesus’ love for me is bigger than even that! The same can be said for you. 

This is what Mother Teresa knew to be true as well, which is why her deformed feet were such a small price to pay for the love she knew. Similarly, I pray that we model this kind of love for others because there is no better kind. 

Read the first part of my letter to Grandpa here.

Dear Grandpa,

It’s me again. And you’ve still been on my mind. I’ll tell you, there have been some tough moments in the last two years. I suppose some of those moments will be present every year, pandemic or not. But, the difference in the previous two years is how the challenges have invaded all walks of life. There have been divisions even in places where unity should be ingrained — like the local church. It is almost as if people are looking for something to meet all of their needs. And when it isn’t there, they leave or stop persisting. 

I have grumbled, struggled, and gritted my teeth. But I have persisted. There have been many others who have too, so I am not special. You would be proud of how people have shown up at the company you started. Some of those people worked alongside you, while others have no idea who you were. But your influence is still palpable in the building, as is the influence of others who have since moved on. It’s true: there is a part of us in every piece. 

Persistence is something that your WWII generation knew a lot about; you had to persist to survive. Ironically, after decades of abundance, comfort, and relative safety, it is something that I’m finding now has to be cultivated. This lesson is not lost on me — over the last year, I’ve found myself reading books on your generation, so I’m reminded that what I am being asked to do is minimal in view of history. As we say these days, our problems are of the first-world variety. This perspective is needed to persist. And I will persist. 

“I want my life to be about impacting others, helping them succeed, and hopefully forming lifelong relationships.” 

I keep a small vial of sand from Omaha Beach in Normandy on my desk. While you did not serve in Europe, I keep it here to remind me that sacrifice is necessary to preserve peace. What we are doing at Hoffer Plastics is on a much different scale, but I recognize that it is similarly important in impacting the lives of those it touches. To this end, I want my life to be about impacting others, helping them succeed, and hopefully forming lifelong relationships. This is the intersection of meaning and fun. It is the focus I need to keep showing up and persisting. 

It is also one of the things that I think about when I drive by your old house on Wing Park Boulevard. Bigger and better are not always bigger and better. More is sometimes less. Focus allows me to grasp the things that matter and let go of the vain pursuits of yesteryear. 

And when the day is over, I go home, walk into my house, and see my wife. And as corny as this sounds, I often think to myself that I am the luckiest man in the world. Then my kids do something annoying to snap me back into reality. I later remind myself that I will miss that “annoyance” very soon. I hug them and regain my perspective all over again. 

I also think about how much fun you would have had with them. Gosh, I wish they could know you. 

Moments of beauty and moments of chaos, followed by moments of more beauty. 

A renewed focus. 

Renewed persistence. 

I have never stopped thinking of you when I walk our production floor. To be honest, I go out there to remember you. 

I loved you, Grandpa. And I still do.

I’ll write you again next year. Until then, I remain your loving grandson.

—Alex

Dear Grandpa,

Hi, Grandpa. Happy birthday in heaven. Every March 3, I think about you — and as I have for many years, I wanted to take a moment on your birthday to commemorate you by writing you a letter. 

You may not believe it, but I turned 40 last year! 40 is a milestone. I am old enough to realize that much of what I already chased was vanity. Yet, I am young enough to correct my course in profound ways. But, as I do in my prayer life, I need to start with a confession. 

This year, I have wanted to give up multiple times. I know other people will be reading this letter and I probably shouldn’t admit that. But it’s true. I have felt constantly burdened by the stress of leading a family business. I have seen others leave to do things that seem more fun and less of a grind. I have occasionally felt stuck. The world says, “follow your heart.” But what good is that when your heart is ever-changing? My buoyant mood Monday morning often turns grumpy by Monday afternoon. It changes like the wind, but my responsibility for this business remains constant. 

I know this may sound like I’m whining, and maybe I am. But if I am not honest about my thoughts, they fester. When I write them out, I can assess them, recalibrate, refocus and realign my thinking to my goals. 

My last two years have been about regaining my focus on what matters and persisting when I felt like giving up. 

“Bring Grandma flowers.”

I know I’ve shared this with you before, but I often find myself thinking about one of the last moments I saw you on this planet. 

Lying on your bed, you told us to bring Grandma flowers. This struck me because, after almost nine decades of life and success, you came back to that one relationship. There were a plethora of things you could’ve said — about the business, about your success — but you didn’t. Instead, you pointed to the most important human relationship you had. 

And while it was not your intent, I’ll tell you that it had a huge impact on the development of my character. Sarah and I have observed the same unwavering commitment in our parents’ marriages, and now we continue with ours. We are stronger today than we were pre-pandemic. This has not happened by accident —it has happened because, regardless of how hard life has been, we have ended each day the same way…talking, praying, and then talking some more. Sarah is always on my mind. I can confidently say that I understand why you were thinking about Grandma to the end.

With my home life on stable ground, I have been able to weather the storm at work. Results have been good, but there is much more to it than P&L — or at least there is in a family-led business. This year, there have been times that I have needed to shift my focus from the “burden” of the business to the “privilege” of the business. While business matters sometimes stress me to the point of affecting my sleep, the privilege of seeing other people thrive is greater. 

I cannot emphasize enough the word “other” in the previous sentence. The beauty of the business you founded shines through in the people who made it thrive: Al, Fred, Rocky, and too many other people to mention. They are countless. 

Oh, and I figured you’d want to know that Lap retired in January. You would be so proud of the man he is, the family he leads, and the contributions he made. Sure, occasionally he was a jerk to me, not holding back on letting me know how he thought I was doing. But I became so much better for it! I already miss him and his “performance reviews.” On his last day, he came to my office. We hugged, and I fought back tears. It was probably embarrassing to us both. 

Grandpa, I need to close for now, but I still have much to tell you. I’ll write you more later this week.

Love, Alex