Pivot!

With the flurry of visiting teams, there were four construction teams on the calendar for Sowers4Pastors over the next few months, two of which were bridge-in-a-week projects. However, one of the most necessary skills for missionaries is the ability to pivot when it’s necessary to go in a new direction. So… PIVOT! There is now only one bridge-building project on the calendar, as one of the bridge projects has been replaced by a water tank project.

The bridge-in-a-week projects have been so popular with teams, that Allen and Russell have come up against the fact that they have built almost all of the bridges currently needed in the general area surrounding Gracias – to date they have completed 20 bridge-in-a-week projects. When selecting locations for team bridge projects, they have always stayed right in the Gracias area so teams could go back to the hotel each night. If they want to continue with the bridge projects in the future, it will be necessary for teams to go to a location and rough it by sleeping out.

One of the planned bridge projects didn’t work out because Sowers4Pastors requires local government to contribute something toward the cost of a bridge. Sadly, this is not an election year in Honduras and elected officials aren’t as gung-ho about impressing voters by funding projects. Have no fear! The pivot is here!

The town of Catulaca is the nearest town to the Sowers’ property. It is the area where most of the guys who work for the Sowerses live. The town has been having ongoing water issues, and this year’s super dry season has only worsened the problem. Currently, Catulaca only has one small water tank for the entire community. That tank is about the size of the Sowerses smaller water tank.

This time of the year, water is coming in very slowly and the tank in Catulaca is running dry regularly. During normal dry seasons, the town’s water would be turned off for a few hours to allow the tank to refill. Residents are used to having a few hours without water each day. Now, they are fortunate if they have a few sporadic hours with water. Town officials have been in conversation with Sowers4Pastors about building a bigger tank. With a bigger tank, the town could do a much better job of providing water for their residents, because the water pressure would be higher, and houses at all elevations would receive water, not just those at the lowest elevations.

So, instead of building a bridge, one of the upcoming teams will be going out with the Sowers’ crew to build a second, larger tank in Catulaca. The Sowerses very much want to thank the team from Christ Church of Orlando for their willingness to change projects so close to the time of their trip! In the end, this “pivot” is truly a win-win proposition. The town has agreed to send up a percentage of the water from their system to the Sowers’ property. That will not benefit them this year because Russell and the crew will still have to put in pipes from the town’s system to the ol’ homeplace. Ultimately, this will be a tremendous benefit for the Sowerses. They currently share their supply with an individual and they frequently run into problems over how the water is distributed.

You might say it’s a pivotal development.

 - posted by Christi

Update from the Road

Allen, Trish, and a Penske truck filled with backpacks are rolling down the road, as I write. They spent several days in Seattle. Through Seattle4Lempira donations, and backpacks from some long-term Manna4Lempira sponsors, they collected around 350 filled backpacks.

While in Seattle, they were also on hand to initiate the new Seattle4Lempira sponsorship program. About twenty-five people have already signed up to sponsor children. Those are the children Kate, Kelsea, and Russell were able to visit during Kate’s recent trip to Honduras.

Allen and Trish left Seattle on September 11. In a day’s time, they crossed through beautiful mountains, went through a small part of Idaho (which they also proclaimed to be beautiful), and made it to Montana. They spent the night in Deer Lodge, Montana, which was picturesque, though Trish confessed that the moderately priced motel where they stayed probably isn’t what the name “Deer Lodge” brings to mind!

At the time of our call, our favorite couple in a rental truck was heading to Yellowstone National Park. Yep. They are going to drive through Yellowstone in the aforementioned Penske truck filled with backpacks! How fitting! They had hoped to be able to spend a couple of days in Yellowstone, but ministry obligations take precedence. They aren’t complaining, mind you! How many people get to see Old Faithful from a Penske truck? They will end up in Wyoming, where they will visit with a childhood friend of Trish’s. From the background, Allen joked that the theme song for this trip is Johnny Cash’s, “I’ve Been Everywhere, Man”.

In exciting news, the husband of one of Trish’s friends discovered a spool of cable at a port in Seattle. It’s just the sort of cable needed to build bridges! And it’s Sowers4Pastors’ for the taking! This particular spool is GINORMOUS! The cable itself is 1.5 inches in diameter. The spool contains more than 4000 feet of cable. It’s 6.5 feet tall, 7 feet wide, and weighs more than 20,000 pounds! That will barely fit in a shipping container and is almost half the weight allowed in a container!

The tentative plan is to collect the spool from the port and store it for a year. Next year, when collecting backpacks, Allen and Trish are considering flying to Kansas and making their way to Seattle with the backpacks they collect along the way. They will add the backpacks to the container with the spool and ship it off to Honduras! The plan is to have three container shipping ports--Maryland, Florida, and Washington--all thanks to a really cool spool.

 - posted by Christi

The View from Kelsea: Visiting teams

Sowers4Pastors has hosted three back-to-back mission teams in the last three weeks. I had the privilege of not only going out with the teams every day to be a part of their projects with them, but spending time with them “off the job” as well. I can say confidently that I have met some truly amazing individuals in the last few weeks. One thing that struck me as I got to know the teams was that exactly half of the total number of team members were here on their second or third trip, which made me wonder: what is it about the Sowers4Pastors mission trips that make people want to come back?

So, I asked a few of the returning team members that question, and here are some of the answers I received:

Jeremiah (on the left) with fellow
team member Ramiro

“I decided to come back simply because I couldn’t forget the need I witnessed and the impact this mission family (really it’s an organization) was making. I felt that I didn’t really have a choice. I knew before I flew home on the 1st trip that I was not only coming back but would be giving support (financial and otherwise) to the Sowers4Pastors ministry going forward. The level of impact and their model is how I would hope I would do it if I were called to the mission field. Once you see the need and experience a mission trip, it’s hard to turn your back on it. We are blessed with time, talents, and treasures and until last year, I took the easy option and just cut a check. Putting myself in a situation to serve others with my time and talents really made an impact on me. It’s the old adage that you go on a mission trip to help others but you invariably end up growing and developing yourself as well.”

-Jeremiah, Christ Church of Orlando

“Heath & I decided we wanted to come back for a second trip because we felt God had called us to come back. On top of that we love coming to work alongside the Sowers and seeing how Jesus is working in and through their ministry. What the Sowers are doing in Honduras is incredible and it’s amazing to be a part of it. This last week being able to hear and see the impact Manna4Lempira and the Sowers are having on the communities and schools is so inspiring. I mean, kids are staying in school because of the Manna4Lempira program and some kids who dropped out are returning! That’s amazing! Missionary work isn’t easy and serving those in poverty isn’t easy, but the Sowers approach all of it with positive, genuine, servant hearts. You can clearly see that they aren’t in this line of work for their gain, but to truly help others. That’s why we’ll keep coming back again and again.”

-Chelsea, Lighthouse Church, Maryland

“I came back to Honduras because it was awesome to get a chance to see God working in people's lives. Last year the people of Roble Gacho told us that they had been waiting years for a bridge. When we finished the bridge it was truly a blessing to see the joy they had and the thanks and praise they gave to God. Our team got to take part in God's answer to their prayers. And that is what I looked forward to this year, was just to be used by God again. Getting to form new relationships with the people of Honduras and serve alongside them is one of my favorite parts. Seeing that we got to make a small impact in their lives was truly an honor.”

-Analeise, Christ Church of Orlando

“I don't have a singular answer into why I came back. From the amount of ministries to the empowering of the local people to the sacrifice to create something out of selflessness, I think the greatest of all reasons is impact. Not only do the Sowers have an impact on the local community, but they have an impact on us, the ministry team. I have been on mission trips before where it felt as if the missionary was nowhere to be found, but this group is always there. Sacrificing personal/family time to show they don't just want donations, they want you to understand the full spectrum of your impact on the ministry Sowers4Pastors. I will continue coming back for where their ministry has allowed for my spiritual growth and the growth of everyone around them.”

-Josh, Lighthouse Church, Maryland

The responses I received only confirmed what I have seen in the short five weeks I have spent serving alongside the Sowers. God is doing amazing things in Honduras through the Sowers4Pastors ministry, lives are being changed, and we have an opportunity to be a part of it!

 - posted by Kelsea

One Down, Two to Go

If this were a television show, this is the part where a person with a wonderful speaking voice would say, “Previously, on the Sowers4Pastors blog…” That’s TV talk for, “Hey, let me refresh your memory, or just fill you in if you happened to miss an episode.” Well, this isn’t a television show, but previously on the Sowers4Pastors blog, we talked about the logistics of hosting three back-to-back teams. Now that you’re all caught up, we can move on to this week’s episode, er, post. It’s entitled One Down, Two To Go.

Team One, from Christ Church of Orlando, otherwise known as the Bridge-in-a-Week team, came down and did their thing (which you may have deduced involved building a bridge in a week). Russell and Allen thought this would be a good opportunity to explain the 4-way partnership that makes such a project possible.

The first partner is a church in the States. Not only does a church send a team to Honduras, they also raise a portion of the funding for the project. A participating church needs to be committed to providing finances, as well as labor. That commitment to finances helps purchase a significant amount of the necessary supplies. Then team members donate a week’s time and a lot of muscle toward building a bridge.

Partner number two is the local government, which helps determine where the bridge is most needed. Local government also helps pay for some of the building materials.

The local community serves as partner number three. As the people who will benefit from the completed bridge, the local community supplies most of the unskilled labor. Their tasks include removing rocks from the river, being involved with the team as the concrete is poured, and going up the mountain to get wood for the bridge deck.

Naturally, the fourth partner is Sowers4Pastors. They choose an appropriate bridge design for that location, calculate the construction budget, host the visiting team, transport them to and from the airport, get the supplies, coordinate the whole project, make sure there are enough volunteers, provide the skilled labor, and supervise the construction.

No one person pays for such a project. It relies on both North Americans and Hondurans. The Honduran government and a North American church join forces.

Team One arrived on a Saturday and the bridge was completed by Friday. Here’s what their week looked like:

Sunday--They showed up bright and early to dig holes. At that point, nothing had been done other than the prep work of gathering supplies, and the welding of internal, structural parts. They started pouring concrete on Sunday.

Monday--The second hole was completed on Monday and more concrete was poured.

Tuesday--This concluded the pouring of the concrete, as the handrails were put in place.

Wednesday--They started to string cables by walking the cable down through the river and tying them down on each side. The cables were tightened and made the correct length, so the deck of the bridge would be level.

Thursday & Friday--They built the deck of the bridge.

By Friday afternoon, they headed back to San Pedro Sula to spend the night before flying out on Saturday. Russell pointed out that by getting teams to San Pedro Sula the night prior to departure, they’ve never had a team miss a flight.

Now, if this were a television show, a voice would say, “Next week on the Sowers4Pastors blog…” But, like me, you’ll just have to tune in next week!

 - posted by Christi

Dancing as Fast as They Can

During the 1920s and 30s, marathon dances were all the rage. Couples crowded onto a dance floor and danced (or at least remained upright and moving) in an effort to be the last ones standing. Hearing Russell detail Sowers4Pastors’ upcoming three weeks sort of reminded me of that. Instead of back-to-back dances, there will be back-to-back teams. 

There will be three back-to-back teams, as a matter of fact. As soon as Russell and Allen drop off one team at the airport, they will pick up the next team, and the metaphorical music will start all over again. Hosting three teams in such close succession means there will be no time to prepare for an incoming team between team visits, so this past week was all about getting their ducks in a row.

The first team is a bridge-in-a-week team, so last week, Russell and the crew welded the steel that holds cables to the concrete. Russell used some other words, too, but they sounded something like, “Blah, blah, blah, metal, blah, blah, blah, concrete, blah, blah, blah, reinforce, blah, stabilize,  blah, blah.” That is not a reflection of Russell’s ability to communicate, but is a reflection of my ability to tune out anything remotely technical. 

This project is being done in conjunction with the local community and the mayor’s office. The mayor’s office is helping to provide concrete, gravel, trucks, etc… Russell has been hard at work making sure all of the supplies are prepared. As he said, “We can’t keep running to the hardware store. It’s a bridge-in-a-week. We can’t afford delays.” 

The guys were also measuring footers so the team could start digging and pouring concrete as soon as they arrived. (Blah, blah…) Community members will assist by getting rocks out of the river and serving as unskilled labor. 

On Saturday, the bridge-in-a-week team will fly out and Team #2 will arrive from Ohio. They will be distributing backpacks and shoes for their sister church. As it turns out, the shoes have been such a hit that Sowers4Pastors needs to replenish their supply. Six hundred more pairs of shoes have been ordered, which the Ohio team will bring down in their luggage!

Team #2 will have the opportunity to hang out with the pastor of their sister church and look at his church plants. They will be able to better understand the church’s vision and how they can best help make his vision a reality.

Team #2 will fly out the next Saturday. Russell and Dillon will spend the night in San Pedro and Team #3 will fly in on Sunday from Maryland. Team #3 will also be distributing backpacks and shoes at their sister church. Because they partner with the largest sister church, the team will be visiting six schools in five days. Russell estimates they will distribute backpacks and find shoes to fit around sixty kids per day. They will fly out the following Saturday. 

The new pedestrian bridge will cross this river, shown here during dry season.
It gets much larger, and more dangerous to cross, during rainy season

Besides the preparation needed for the arrival of the teams, the village nearest to the Sowers' home asked for some help. They were in desperate need of a new roof for the kindergarten. Because of the leaky roof, kids couldn't go to school when it rained. Russell says it’s an extremely wet dry season this year, which is good for coffee, but not for kindergarteners! They made sure that the new roof was completed last week, since the Honduran school year starts soon!

Kelsea and Dillon arrived at a good time. Kelsea has been able to help out with things like organizing, posting to the blog, and paperwork. Dillon has been doing a lot of heavy lifting while loading and unloading backpacks. In a moment of sounding much older than his 28 years, Russell said, “We’re fortunate to have two, energetic young adults in their 20s to help out right now.”

- posted by Christi

Come Along on a Virtual Visit to Our Most Recent Bridge Project!

You've heard it mentioned in previous blog posts . . . now you can see it! We've been working on replacing the old, worn-out pedestrian bridge at Las Crucitas with a new bridge that can handle vehicles up to pickup trucks! In this video you can see the two bridges side-by-side! 

This bridge is a result of cooperation between the local government, volunteers from the communities that are served by this bridge, and fundraising help from Eric Linden in Jacksonville, Florida . . . plus Russell and Sowers4Pastor' trained, bridge-building crew!

We have a small - but good - problem with our bridge construction ministry: we've installed new bridges in most of the sites needing them in the vicinity of Gracias. When teams want to help build bridges in the future, they may need to rough it out in a more remote area, possibly sleeping in a church in a village that doesn't have any hotels or restaurants. (Our usual teams get a bit spoiled staying  and eating at the lovely Guancascos Hotel in Gracias). So, who's up for a remote bridge construction project? Hmmmm?

- posted by Trish

The Great Haitian Bridge Project Continues

These days, when we hear the word, “replicate,” we may think in terms of some crazy virus that is outsmarting antibiotics and seeking to destroy us. Or maybe not. It’s possible I’ve seen too many apocalyptic television shows! No matter. Today, we’re talking about some replicating that isn’t even remotely scary.

You may remember when Allen and Russell made a trip to Haiti last year to head up a bridge project. Yeah, taking their mad bridge building skills on the road was kind of a big deal! But they didn’t build that bridge all by themselves. They were surrounded by other people who were learning some mad bridge building skills of their own.

Since the time of Allen and Russell’s Haitian bridge expedition, missionaries in Haiti have built two more bridges! Trish offered a reminder of why Sowers4Pastors operates in the manner it does when she said, “In all of the work we do, we try to help other people rather than do it all ourselves. It empowers people and helps expand on the available hours we have.”

One of the two new bridges used the exact design Allen and Russell used last year. For the second bridge, the team went out and did some research. In short, they acted like Allen. They studied up on bridges and they consulted an engineer who helped them with plans for a bridge to fit the needs of that particular river crossing.

Trish recounted the years when Allen was teaching himself how to build bridges. She said they couldn’t cross a bridge without Allen getting out to examine it. He taught himself the dynamics of bridge building. Then an engineer, who was in Honduras for a year, helped Allen refine his technique. Allen passed all of that knowledge on to the bridge building missionaries in Haiti.

That’s the sort of replicating you don’t want to stop with an antibiotic! It’s the kind you want infecting the DNA of everyone who comes in contact.

 - posted by Christi

The Coffee Fields are (Almost) Ripe Unto Harvest

What’s happening in Honduras? Why, thanks for asking! While Allen and Trish have been packing backpacks and driving rental trucks all over the U.S., Russell has been working the coffee fields, building a bridge, and sundry other missionary-type things.

A sort of preliminary coffee harvest has been completed. Any beans which were burned by the sun, matured too early, or just didn’t look quite right were picked in a pre-harvest harvest. Getting rid of the wonky beans (Sorry for the technical term!) will allow the coffee beans left on the plants to mature better. In short, getting rid of the riff-raff beans will mean a better harvest in the future.

Don’t think the lesser quality beans will go to waste, though. Russell used his brand new de-pulper to take the pulp off the picked beans. He and the crew then cleaned up the beans and set them out to dry. Russell will be selling them off at a bargain basement price because of their lower quality.

Now, back to that fancy schmancy de-pulper… Last year, Russell rented a de-pulper at De-pulpers-R-Us, or wherever one goes to rent a coffee bean de-pulper in Western Honduras! Then Sowers4Pastors supporter, Dennis Michels made it his mission to help the Sowers purchase a de-pulper. Mr. Michels will be traveling to Honduras at the end of November to see the new machine in action.

In addition to working with the coffee, Russell has been running out to the site of the new bridge project in Las Crucitas each day. Work on the bridge is coming along nicely. At the time of this writing, Russell and his crew have been stringing the cable and putting up the suspenders for the bridge. They are hoping to get it all decked on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Disclaimer: I know as much about building bridges as I know about where to rent de-pulpers, but, in my opinion, that sounds like the bridge is nearing completion!

- posted by Christi

General Terms and Major Doings

A Private Phone Call

This is not Trish on the phone
(This is RJ - Russell Jr)

Each week, I get to have a phone call with a Sowers. It’s not always the same Sowers on the other side of the line, but every conversation starts with a quick overview of the blog topics for the week. This week, Trish was on the phone and she opened with, “We want a post, which talks in general terms about what’s going on and how we see the future of the ministry.”

Some General Terms

• Russell is hard at work with ongoing ministries. Having taken on larger and larger roles in the Sowers4Pastors ministry, Russell is there making sure everything runs without interruption even though Allen and Trish are off on a North American adventure.

• Since some donations have recently been made for this cause, Russell is spreading the word that we are accepting applications from pastors wishing to request assistance purchasing a motorcycle. Russell will then have the chance to sort through the applications and interview pastors who would benefit from having a motorcycle to use in ministering throughout the mountains of Western Honduras.

• There are currently four church projects underway. That is huge, people!

• Pastors’ Training School continues to take place the first week of every month.

• Kids at the feeding centers are continuing to write letters to sponsors. Three guys working for the Sowers have started visiting each center almost every single week. Their visits help to build up enthusiasm among volunteers and keep the centers accountable in their operation.

• The coffee farm is still a big deal, requiring a lot of man hours and oversight.

• A bridge project, which was started in Las Crucitas late last year is back on the planned work schedule. Construction on the vehicle, cable bridge had to be put on hold several times, in order to host teams, etc… The bridge will require an approximate ten more days of work. Since it is currently the rainy season, construction will begin as soon as the swollen river recedes.

Also not Trish on the phone
(This is Abigail)

Major Doings

The Sowers always want to be sure people understand their regular ministries do not go on hold even when Allen and Trish are off gallivanting across the U.S. in a rental truck filled with backpacks. The beauty of this family run ministry is that Russell has received a lifetime of training to serve at the helm. This isn’t exactly a changing of the guard. It’s more of a seamless transition as each Sowers continues to focus on the tasks at hand. - posted by Christi

The Bridge to Turturupe

The existing unsafe bridge, on the road to Turturupe

The Sowers have had teams or someone on the ground with them for almost all of May, June, and July. The same will hold true for August. That is on top of their regular responsibilities with Pastors’ Training School, registering kids for the feeding centers, and working the coffee farm. It’s also in addition to bonus projects like getting ready to build a road on their property to make it easier to access the coffee. And, of course, there’s the seemingly never-ending project of working on their house in their spare time. How does it all get done? It’s all about a willingness to be flexible, my friends!

Last week, one team left and, the following day, a team flew into Honduras through another organization. If you think that would have nothing to do with the Sowers, but you would be wrong! The incoming team was interested in building a bridge, and Allen and Russell are the go-to guys for teams wishing to build a bridge. So, the go-to guys drove 4 hours from one airport to the other, met up with the team, and then they all drove two hours and then walked an hour to the bridge site. Two of the team members were from Puerto Rico and two were from Florida. The whole group went into the mountains to look at a community of about 500 people. Well, actually, that population is made up of three different communities. It takes about an hour to walk to the first one, two hours to walk to the second one, and (You guessed it!) three hours to walk to the third one.

Erosion at the entrance to the bridge.
While the bridge is still usable by pedestrians
and motorcycles, it is no longer safe for
larger vehicles

What the go-to Sowers guys discovered was that the lack of a road is a much bigger problem than the lack of a bridge. There is already an old, damaged bridge, not strong enough for vehicles, which is only impassable to pedestrians about fifteen days a year, when the river floods to an extra-high level. The group high-tailed it to see the mayor and were told there is no money for building a road. Plus, there’s the fact that not one person in the area owns a vehicle.

Flexibility kicked in and the group decided to promote a micro-enterprise idea, which can provide a better source of income for the area’s inhabitants. Currently, people in the area survive by gathering sap from pine trees, which is used for glue, firestarter, and a turpentine-like substance. The process of tapping the pine trees is very damaging and it kills the trees after a few years. It’s an entirely unsustainable practice.

The group decided to find ten families in the church, who will each begin coffee farming on a half acre of land. Three pastors will work together to choose which ten families are the hardest working and most likely to succeed. The families will receive help to buy seeds, bags, fertilizer, and pesticides. They will have no labor costs, as each family should have enough people to do the necessary work. If the families are successful, the group will partner with them again and look at expanding it to other families.

The road to Turturupe

As Allen said, “The proof is in the pudding.” Or, in this case, the proof is in the coffee.

In case you’re wondering, the supervising pastor will receive the funds, and he will be the one to purchase supplies. Some of the people have experience working on coffee farms, and a few even have small coffee farms of their own, but have not had the resources to fertilize it. Allen stressed, “They have the capacity, but not the resources.”

This is definitely one of those instances when someone thought they could help, but helping in the way they had originally planned was simply not the best, most practical way. A bridge and road project would cost around $60,000-$70,000, whereas, this innovative idea will cost around $250 per family. The hope is that these families will tithe on their earnings, thus helping to provide for the community.

Flexibility can be a beautiful thing. - posted by Christi

Bridge at Crucitas!

The guys are busy building a bridge over the river at the village of Crucitas! This will be a vehicle bridge, which is why the very high towers are required at each end.

Russell took the video above, showing how the cement gets into the forms they've built, to create the concrete towers. Bucket by bucket, heavy loads of wet concrete are passed along the bucket line which goes from the cement mixer to the tower, and then on up to the top of the tower, where the concrete is emptied into the form and the bucket is tossed back to the ground to repeat the process.

 - posted by Trish
 - video by Russell

This is "Sowers4Pastors Jeopardy!"

If this blog post were a Jeopardy category, a bespectacled contestant would be saying, “Things that are random, for $1000, Alex!” Yes, sometimes life is random. And sometimes the Sowers lives are incredibly random, but hang on because I’m pretty sure we can piece things together to form a (sort of) cohesive post. So, put on your spectacles and get ready to play a game of Sowers4Pastors Jeopardy!

What is, “Building a Bridge and Having a Fender Bender,” Alex?

A team from Christ Church of Orlando participated in a Bridge in a Week project, last week. That meant a flurry of activity, while Russell dealt with local government officials to get the supplies and materials they had been promised.

While the team was there, a fender bender took out a door on one of the Sowers’ pickup trucks.

What is, “A Really Long Bus Trip,” Alex?

Foundation for Missions hosts an annual retreat in Antigua, Guatemala. In the past, the Sowers family would pack their bags and head off for some well deserved refreshment. This year, however, Allen is in the U.S., Rachel isn’t up for travel (having just completed the first trimester of her pregnancy), and Russell would have to go off and leave Iris, R.J., and Abigail because the little ones wouldn’t be able to make the trip. For those reasons, Trish is the lone Sowers representative at this year’s retreat, which takes place this weekend. The trip entails about twelve hours of bus travel each way. Let’s hope Trish has a good book to take with her.

What is, “Allen is in North America,” Alex?

Allen is back in North America for a bit. I don’t want to give away the plotline of a future blogpost, but I will say he’s not here for sightseeing.

What is, “Pastors’ Training School,” Alex?

Russell is spending this week preparing for Pastors’ Training School. It’s an even bigger job than previous years because there will be two classes of 2nd year students and one class of 1st year students. Instead of a three day activity, Pastors’ Training School will be running five days a week!

What is “A New to Them Refrigerator,” Alex?

In previous years, a missionary in Gracias was able to store the food needed for Pastors’ Training School in his personal refrigerator. Since the school is expanding, they now require more fridge space to continue to be able to buy supplies in bulk. That’s why Russell is temporarily in the refrigerator moving business--transporting a refrigerator from the Sowers’ property about twenty minutes into town.

What is, “Preparing for an Audit,” Alex?

The Sowers’ parent missions organization is being audited for 2014 and Russell and Trish received three days notice to get all of their 2014 ministry financial information sent over. It was a flurry of getting receipts organized, scanned, and emailed.

What is, “Russell is Guest of Honor,” Alex?

There is an upcoming dedication ceremony for a denomination Sowers4Pastors has been assisting. The head of the denomination is traveling from the U.S. to Honduras, for the occasion, and has asked Russell to be a guest of honor at the ceremony.

What is, “Feel Better, R.J.,” Alex?

Young R.J. has had a stomach bug for a week and a half now. Please pray for R.J.’s recovery and for sweet baby Abigail to remain healthy.

That completes this episode of Sowers4Pastors Jeopardy! Thanks for playing!

February at a Glance

If this blog post were a classic movie, this is where the camera would zoom in on a page-a-day calendar showing February 1st. Then the pages would begin flying off and landing on the floor--zipping through the month of February in record time. Russell and Allen gave me a rundown of Sowers4Pastors’ February schedule, and, for the shortest month of the year, it is full of activity. Of course, that news surprises no one who knows them. Keep in mind, the information contained in this post isn’t even touching on their normal day-to-day activities--things like maintenance on the farm, food distribution, and making sure they still have incoming water. It’s also not touching on things like Russell having to hand the phone off to Allen because he had to go change a flat tire on a Land Cruiser.

Many Dirt Roads Diverged

It’s a good thing Russell is changing that flat tire, because he’s going to be running hither and yon. (And, I must say, it sounds like Honduras has a lot more hithers and yons than my suburban life!) He’ll be traveling about an hour and a half into the mountains to deliver around 110 filled backpacks to children at the feeding center in Arenales.

Then, he’ll travel on a dirt road about an hour and a half in a different direction to Las Crucitas. There, he’ll hand out 113 backpacks.

In Guacutao, which is about 45 minutes in yet another direction, he’ll be registering about 50 kindergarteners into the sponsorship program. He’ll also be handing out backpacks to the children who missed getting theirs earlier, when the recent team was visiting the area, because they were out in the fields harvesting coffee.

Wait a minute! There’s still another direction to cover! The other directions mentioned were for the Sister Church Program. The one about to be mentioned will be for a Manna 4 Lempira program. Russell will travel 20 minutes on a paved road and then 20 minutes on a rugged dirt road to register about 25 children on a waiting list in Asomada.

Preparations to Be Made

A Bridge in a Week team will be building a bridge on February 18-25th. You’ve probably been around long enough to know that means the Sowers will be gathering supplies and preparing for the team.

They’re also in the process of preparing for the Pastors’ Training School classes, which are set to begin the first week of March. That means multiple meetings in February. First year pastors must be interviewed before their enrollment is complete. Sowers4Pastors is also doing prep work for the first month of classes.

The final process for the recent coffee harvest is going on, but it’s already time to prepare for the next coffee season. A sandbank will be put up to construct a nursery. 60,000 seeds will be planted in hopes of getting 30,000 viable trees. The plan is to plant 10 new acres of coffee in the coming year. Workers will be getting ready for the dry season by  putting rust protection and anti-fungal protection on the coffee plants, and spraying fertilizer on the trees that will blossom in March.

By Land, By Sea and By Really Steep Hill

The Sowers are about to head off to the big city to procure a new (to them) pickup truck and sell their old truck (the one purchased in Dec of 2015). The newer vehicle is only newer by one year, but it has half the mileage of the old truck. Plus, it has only had one owner, versus being owned by a rental company, and has the upgraded engine that Allen wanted, but couldn't find available, when the previous truck was purchased. While a newer truck will be a welcome addition to the household, no one is looking forward to the extra paperwork that comes along with a vehicle purchase in Honduras.

Allen and Russell are still pushing for the customs paperwork to go through so the shipping container can start its journey to Honduras. He’s working on adding a set of forklift batteries to the container, because, with Russell and Iris now living on the property, they are using a lot more power.

Recently, Allen and Russell went out to look at a bridge and water project. He got a call from a location about bringing water from the source, 7 kilometers from the village, down a mountain, including jumping across a deep gully. When Allen went out to survey the site, he walked more than a mile downhill to a river, where the water pipe will need to cross. As he described the Honduran roads, “Many of them are paths where the road might have been bulldozed once and that might have been decades ago. There’s not a lot of road maintenance.” Allen shared what he was thinking as he struggled down the steep path: “To get back, I’m going to have to get out of here by going uphill!”

For the Sowers’ sake, aren’t you glad February is a short month?