Prayer Requests and Praises: What's Happening Behind the Scenes

 At Sowers4Pastors, it’s always a good time for prayer — but consider this post your “all-in-one guide” to what’s happening behind the scenes and how you can specifically lift up the ministry right now.

Celebrations First! 

The Day of the Child celebrations were a huge success! Every one of the 2,600+ children across 27 locations was celebrated with food, fun, and reminders of God’s love. With the biggest wave of team season wrapped up, staff members are now turning their attention to the less flashy (but absolutely vital) tasks: catching up on paperwork, keeping records up to date, and a bit of ministry “housekeeping.”

The Warehouse Shuffle

Remember the prayer request from a couple of months ago about a shipping container full of food? Great news: it’s expected to arrive within the week! Staff are working to prep the warehouse — think of it as a super-sized pantry that needs to be perfectly organized. Items already inside are moved to the front so they’re used first, and the new supplies are stacked toward the back. Once backpacks and boxes start rolling in, everything must be sorted so that each child receives the correct items. To put it simply: it’s a big honkin’ deal!

The Office Shuffle

Maybe you also remember a mention in a previous post, that once Rachel and Brandy moved to their new house, the Sowers4Pastors office would be moving into that rented house in Gracias. Well, that move is almost completed, so the office staff and all the office equipment should be moving in the next couple of weeks! The new office location will make it much easier for pastors and others to visit the book store, collect food, and visit the staff for any reasons they might have!

Gifts for Pastors

Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the annual pastor appreciation gifts. This year, there are 388 requests for gifts for pastors and their families. Please pray for smooth logistics as these gifts are gathered and distributed — and for each pastor to feel deeply encouraged by this expression of support.

Updates from the Home Front

Rachel and Brandy are still settling into their new home. A few stragglers from the old house remain to be moved, the kitchen cabinets are about 80% finished, and soon, Brandy hopes to build a fence around the yard. There are still boxes waiting to be unpacked — so please keep praying for endurance and order in the midst of a busy season.

Coffee on the Horizon 

The coffee harvest is coming soon! The farm crew has been hard at work fertilizing and applying fungicide, and Brandy reports this could be an especially good year. Please pray not only for the crop itself, but also for the right number of workers to come when harvest time arrives.

Backpacks on the Move 

Stateside, Kirstin and Mary Faith are in the thick of this year’s backpack collection trip. They’re logging long hours on the road in a big box truck, visiting churches, connecting with supporters, and gathering backpacks. It’s an exhausting journey, but such an important one. Pray for safety as they travel, strength for the long days, and smooth paperwork processing. (Two shipping containers of backpacks are planned, but one crucial government document is still pending. Please pray for its timely approval.)

Wrapping It All Up

So there you have it — praises for what God has already done, and prayer requests for what’s still unfolding. From pizza parties to paperwork, from farm fields to overflowing warehouses, the work of Sowers4Pastors touches countless lives every single day. Thank you for standing with the ministry in prayer. Your prayers are not just words lifted up — they are fuel for the work being done in Honduras and beyond.

 - posted by Christi

Pizza, Piñatas, and Plenty of Joy: A Weeklong Day of the Child Celebration

 It’s possible that Sowers4Pastors is the only organization capable of stretching the Day of the Child into an entire week of festivities — but thankfully, they aren’t doing it alone. As mentioned in an earlier blog post, a team from Tegucigalpa has joined S4P to make the celebrations even more memorable.

Sixteen people, including Pastor Jackie Montoya, arrived in Gracias on Monday and immediately hit the ground running. Together with S4P staff, they divided into four smaller groups, each visiting two communities per day.

And they didn’t show up empty-handed. The Tegucigalpa team came loaded with candy, cookies, piñatas, and even funds their church had collected to purchase pizzas for the kids.

Pizza for the First Time

You may remember that the pizza idea was Pastor Jackie’s brainchild. For many of the children, this would be their very first slice. Would they like it? Alejandro admitted he wasn’t entirely sure how the kids would react, since pizza isn’t a common food for them.

He needn’t have worried. “The kids didn’t eat the pizzas. They attacked it!” Alejandro said with a laugh. “They loved it! The first day was amazing. The kids were happy and laughing. They were waiting for our arrival with joy.”

Culture Shock and Connection

For some of the Tegucigalpa volunteers, this was their second year serving alongside S4P. For others, it was their very first time visiting the kinds of rural communities S4P works in. Imagine a group of people from a big city in the U.S. volunteering in some of the most remote, under-resourced areas — the contrast is stark, and for the new volunteers, a little surprising.

Yet Alejandro noted that there’s a deep connection between his and Secia’s church plant in Gracias and their former church in Tegucigalpa, where this team serves. At the heart of it all is one shared mission: serving people in the love of Christ.

Pastor Jackie reflected on her experience, “Last year, I saw some of the medical issues the kids were facing, and I can say that I’m so grateful to the Lord that Sowers4Pastors is here. Without them, maybe these children wouldn’t be healed. Sowers4Pastors is making a difference, and it isn’t only through backpacks and new school shoes.”

More to Come: A Medical Brigade

And the week’s celebrations don’t end with pizza and piñatas. On Thursday and Friday, a medical brigade of 32 people will be serving the communities around Gracias, providing free medical care. The brigade includes fifteen doctors, five dentists, and eleven nurses.

Pastor Raúl, who is working with the team, shared what has meant the most to him. “My favorite part has been sharing the Word of God with the children. The children are living lives with few resources, but they are learning that they are loved by God.”

And that is the most beautiful reason of all to celebrate.

  - posted by Christi

PS: check out the Sowers4Pastors Facebook page for lots more photos of the festivities!

Pizza, Piñatas, and God’s Love: Preparing for the Day of the Child

 September 10th is the official Day of the Child in Honduras — but for Sowers4Pastors, the celebration can’t be contained to just one day. With 2,600 children across 27 communities, the festivities will stretch over an entire week of cakes, games, piñatas, songs, and joy.

In case you’re new here (or just need a refresher), here’s why this day matters so much.

Why Day of the Child Matters

Maybe you’re someone who celebrates your birthday with cake, candles, and a little hoopla. Or maybe you prefer a quiet day with minimal fuss. Either way, you probably know when your birthday is.

That’s not always the case for the kids S4P serves.

“Sometimes we ask the kids for their birthdays when registering them,” Alejandro explained, “and they have no idea. So we ask the parents — but often, they don’t know either. And you can’t celebrate a birthday if you don’t know when it is.”

What about Christmas? For many families, that’s coffee harvest season. Parents often bring the whole family to work in the fields to earn much-needed income. So while the work is essential, it also means Christmas often slips by without celebration. Without the Day of the Child, an entire childhood could pass with little to no festivity.

Because it falls during the school year, the Day of the Child is celebrated at the schools. Sowers4Pastors comes alongside the school and helps make the day extra special!

From an Idea to a Movement

When Alejandro and Secia first joined Sowers4Pastors, they committed to celebrating children in a big way. That first year, they packed up cakes and goodie bags and spent an exhausting but joy-filled week visiting the 21 communities served at that time.

By last year, volunteers from their church in Tegucigalpa joined in — 12 people, including their pastor. This year, 16 volunteers are already signed up to spend a week bringing joy to kids they’ve never met, but who are deeply loved by God.

Pizza, Piñatas, and Pure Joy

Some things never change: S4P always arrives with cakes, goodie bags, piñatas, games, songs, dancing, and a Bible lesson. The schools pitch in with decorations and meals.

But this year, there’s something new. Last year, the pastor from Tegucigalpa said, “Why don’t we bring pizzas for the kids? Let’s do that next year.”

Alejandro admitted he chuckled privately at the thought — imagining the cost and logistics. But the pastor never forgot, and this year the church is raising funds to provide pizza for all 2,600 children. For many of them, it will be their very first slice of pizza. Can you imagine the delight?

More Than a Party

Behind the balloons and candy bags, the purpose is deeper.

“Our desire is that when these kids are grown, they remember that we celebrated the Day of the Child and that Jesus loves them,” Alejandro shared. “The kids in these communities don’t always receive the love that children in other places are used to. Parents are busy just trying to survive. In one teacher training, I asked 80 teachers how many of them received love as kids. Only four raised their hands. That reality hasn’t changed much. We want each child to know they are special, unique, and loved.”

This year’s goodie bags are already being assembled, filled with candy, cookies, chips, and a small toy. Volunteers and staff will divide into four teams, each covering a portion of the 27 communities in one week — ensuring every child is seen and celebrated.

Preparing goody bags for all 2600 children!

Thank You for Making It Possible

Sowers4Pastors is deeply grateful for the sponsors and churches whose generosity makes this celebration possible. Please keep praying for the children, the volunteers, and the staff.

As Alejandro put it so beautifully:

“Pray for the Lord to give us the strength and wisdom to give these kids the right word, the right hug, and the right smile. We know God can change their lives. We are sure we are not just giving candies. We are changing destinies.”

 - posted by Christi

Exciting news - Announcing our upcoming PUBLIC SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM!!!

You’ve probably received a “save the date” card at some point — maybe in the mail or via Evite. You know the kind: “It’s not time to send out invitations just yet, but something exciting is coming, so mark your calendar!” While not exactly new, this trend didn’t exist back in the ancient days of the 1900s.

Well, think of this post as the prequel to a save the date. That’s right — we’re telling you something big is coming, even though we don’t have an exact launch date yet. Consider this your friendly “heads up” that a formal announcement is on the horizon. Is your interest piqued? Excellent.

Here’s what’s coming down the pike:

Sowers4Pastors is preparing to launch a brand-new

public sponsorship program!

That’s big news!

Currently, all of our sponsorship opportunities are closed programs, available only to members or individuals directly connected with one of our six sister churches in the U.S. But that’s about to change. This new program will open the door for anyone to become a sponsor.

When, you ask? S4P is aiming for early 2026, so go ahead and mentally highlight the tail end of 2025 and all of 2026. Your official save-the-date announcement is coming — soonish!

What’s Different About This Program?

A lot of people already know about S4P’s sponsorship efforts — adorable kids and big-hearted pastors are our social media MVPs, after all. 

As Trish puts it, “Children are adorable, so those are the pictures that make a big splash on social media. But sometimes, people see those photos and don't realize (or forget) that our sponsorship program is set up to be a tool pastors can use to reach their communities, both physically and spiritually, in a big way. Funds from the sponsorship programs also help us train and equip pastors who are then prepared to run future sponsorship programs, in a 'pay it forward' sort of scenario.”

This new program follows the same basic format as the sister church sponsorship programs — but with a twist.

Because this is a public program, we won’t have the benefit of church foyers or Sunday morning announcements to help connect sponsors with kids. That means we’ll be relying more on digital outreach to match donors with children in need. That's a challenge — and we’re excited to see how God provides!

Where Are We in the Process?

As with any new sponsorship program, the first step is choosing the right location — a community with real need and a strong local pastor who’s ready to take on the responsibilities that come with running a program.

Currently, all of our programs operate through local schools. The pastor (or another trusted church leader) visits the school regularly to teach the Bible lessons. That means the program needs school, community, and parental support from day one.

• A pastor and location have been selected

• Approval from the community has been acquired.

• The children have been registered. (The profiles aren't available on the website yet . . . but that's coming!)

What Will a Sponsorship Provide?

If you’ve followed S4P’s work, you already know that a sponsorship provides much more than a monthly donation. Here’s what each child receives:

• Enriched food to fight malnutrition
  
  

• Regular Bible lessons through their local pastor
  
  

• A backpack filled with school supplies, hygiene items, fun extras, and new shoes
  
  

• Ongoing correspondence with their sponsor throughout the year
  
  

Each sponsorship supports the child — and, just as importantly, empowers a local pastor to serve his community more effectively. The special connection between that pastor (and the participating schools) and our ministry means that we are also able to assist with special issues (medical problems, for example) that come up in the community.

Final Thoughts (for Now)

Yes, we’re asking you to “hurry up and wait” a bit. But this is just the beginning of something wonderful — and you’re hearing about it first. What can you do in the meantime? The most important thing: you can join us in covering this new program with prayer!

So, keep your eyes peeled for the official save the date announcement coming soon!

- posted by Christi

Updates from the Field: Camp, Containers, and Continued Prayer

 While Allen and Trish don’t join the blog calls as frequently these days — thanks to an expanding team of full-time staff on the ground — it’s always a joy to catch up with them. This week’s update is packed with news, praise reports, and heartfelt prayer requests. Let’s dive in!

MK Camp Adventures

If you’ve followed Sowers4Pastors for a while, you may remember that Allen was a co-founder of the Missionary Kids (MK) camp, and Rachel once served as the director of this very same camp which she attended as a child. This week, she returned to camp in a brand-new role: mom to a camper! Nathan is attending his first MK Camp, and by all accounts, he’s having the time of his life.

While Rachel volunteers at camp, Brandy is holding things down at home — embracing full-time care duties for Michael, Levi, and Charlotte. Word on the street is that Levi has already had a "gravity-related incident" (possibly involving a bed and a bold leap), but thankfully he’s doing just fine.

Please lift this sweet family in prayer as they juggle a busy, joyful, and occasionally bumpy week.

Dispensas & Delays

If you're a longtime reader, you know the word “dispensa” refers to the government paperwork that allows for duty-free shipping into Honduras. Recently, S4P has faced some frustrating delays that are completely out of their hands.

One container of food has been stuck in a warehouse for months — initially approved, then suddenly held up again. Another container, filled with backpacks, is waiting on its own round of approvals.

Please pray for resolution, open doors, and swift action so these much-needed supplies can make it to Gracias without further delay.

Backpacks & The Road Ahead

Speaking of backpacks: the next collection trip is right around the corner! Kirstin and Mary Faith are leading this year’s September trip and are already deep in planning mode.

Pray for them, for the donors and packers back in the States, and for smooth logistics all around.

Funding the Mission

Let’s talk finances. Like many ministries, Sowers4Pastors is feeling the stretch. Inflation, changing economies, and expanding outreach mean that every dollar matters.

Kirstin and Mary Faith are still working without full financial support, and the ministry carries the responsibility of fully funding its Honduran missionaries. On top of that, there are essential projects that don’t always get the spotlight—like pastor training, motorcycles, and building efforts. These may not come with adorable child bios, but they’re critical to ministry success.

One bright spot: the ministry is about to help its 500th pastor get a motorcycle! That’s 500 pastors who have been empowered to reach more communities thanks to nearly 20 years of faithful giving. Praise God!

Still, S4P is facing a financial pinch on the project side. And with growing ministry demands, transportation needs are increasing too. The team is researching durable vehicles that can withstand the rugged terrain.

Please pray for financial provision, stewardship wisdom, and the right resources at the right time.

The Long-Anticipated Move

Yes, they’re still not in the new house. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel! The hope is that Rachel and Brandy’s family will move into their new home on the ministry property within the next few weeks.

In the meantime, the ministry has decided to continue renting their current house in town and repurpose it as office space. It’s a great move — especially since it’s more convenient for pastors picking up supplies like Bibles, Sunday School materials, and food for the kids.

Prayers appreciated as the family transitions and the office setup begins.

Hands to Help

The ministry continues to struggle to find workers—especially for the coffee farm and for truck maintenance. Many men have left the area, making it harder to find workers for any kind of project. 

Please pray for the right workers and partners to step in.

Looking Ahead: Elections & Paperwork

Honduras will hold its presidential election in November, and the S4P team is praying for an honest, effective administration to be put in place.

Kirstin and Rachel are also navigating the final steps toward dual citizenship. They’ve already filed the paperwork and passed the exams (go, ladies!), but they’re still waiting on the government process to wrap up. Ideally, they’d like this finalized before the election, in case things slow down afterward.

Similarly, Sowers4Pastors is pursuing official Honduran non-profit status. Though the ministry has long worked under a U.S.-based nonprofit umbrella, the growth of the work in Honduras makes local status essential.

Pray that these processes will be completed in a timely manner — ideally, before the elections cause any bureaucratic delays.

Safety in a Growing City

Gracias is growing — and with growth comes the potential for increased security concerns.

Please continue to pray for the safety of the ministry team, the communities they serve, and the property they steward.

Final Thoughts

There’s so much happening, and every bit of it is held up by your prayers, generosity, and encouragement. Whether you're packing a backpack, supporting a pastor, funding a project, or lifting the team in prayer — you are part of what God is doing in Honduras through the local pastors, with the help of Sowers4Pastors.

Thank you for being in it with us.

 - posted by Christi

The Mission Field Has No Borders - a message from our Honduran missionaries

Regardless of how far a missionary travels to serve, the calling comes with unique challenges. That’s why Alejandro, Secia, and Brandy — who are Honduran — are no less “on the mission field” than their international counterparts Rachel, Kirstin, Allen, Trish, and Mary Faith. Today, Alejandro shared some heartfelt thoughts on the spiritual needs that unite all missionaries, no matter where they’re from.

When Alejandro and Secia moved to Gracias a few years ago to serve as local missionaries, they were met with messages of congratulations and encouragement. The same was true when Brandy stepped into ministry. But as Alejandro later shared, that first year wasn’t easy. They didn’t know anyone beyond the Sowers4Pastors team, they weren’t familiar with the area, and they had to adjust to a different culture within their own country.

Since then, Alejandro and Secia have planted a church that now includes Brandy, Rachel, and Kirstin among its members. Recently, their church took part in a spiritual retreat at a camp owned by a church in Tegucigalpa, joining with other churches for two days of renewal and connection.

Alejandro reflected, “We spent two entire days without cell phones — without distractions. We prayed and worshiped together. Often, retreats are just for women or just for men, but all missionaries need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We’re constantly pouring out — into pastors, kids, and those around us. And sometimes we confuse a busy day with a blessed day. But those two things are not the same.”

He described the emotional and spiritual labor that comes with ministry: praying with pastors, comforting children and teachers, and sometimes crying alongside them. “We’re trying to be a light in the darkness. And to be effective in that, we must seek the Lord. This isn’t a complaint — we know God called us here. And when you know that, you have to trust that He’ll provide everything you need to do what He’s asked of you.”

Alejandro added with a chuckle, “But that doesn’t happen if you just stay on your couch. We have to move. We have to seek the Lord, read our Bibles, and pray every day. That’s one reason these retreats are so powerful. We’re reminded that yes, God brought us here — but we also have a responsibility to seek Him through prayer and His Word.”

And he has a simple, heartfelt request: “If you’re reading this, please share it. And if you can, give us a gift — the gift of prayer. Our spirits need the prayers of our brothers and sisters in the U.S. Please pray for us, for Sowers4Pastors, and for our church. We’re growing every day. With growth comes the need for even more of the Holy Spirit. We now serve 27 different communities and have recently added around 500 children to the program. We need your prayers to carry the Gospel into all of it.”

But his message isn’t only for missionaries. Alejandro closed by saying, “We want to encourage everyone to seek this kind of connection with the Lord. If we open our hearts, He can work through all of us. We can do all things — not on our own, but because it’s the Lord working through our lives.”

- posted by Christi

What it Means to be a Good Samaritan Today

If you grew up in church, the story of the Good Samaritan probably landed among your earliest Sunday School memories—right alongside Noah’s Ark and Jonah and the big fish. But for Brandy, the parable isn’t just a children’s lesson; it’s been on his mind a lot lately, as he’s watched the work of Sowers4Pastors unfold in real-time.

Brandy’s been reflecting on the story and how its message—to show mercy and kindness even to people we don’t know—connects directly to the ministry’s work in Honduras. Whether it’s mission teams playing with children, teaching Bible lessons, distributing backpacks and groceries, or providing medical and dental care, the connection is clear. But Brandy also wants to highlight the Good Samaritans who may never set foot in Honduras: people who pray, give financially, store donated supplies, or support in quiet, faithful ways.

“It’s easy to show mercy to people we know,” Brandy said. “But it’s different to show it to people we may never meet. That’s faith. That’s the love of God. Because, in the end, we are the same body.”

Brandy shared a few simple moments that have stuck with him lately. He remembers driving a young boy to medical appointments in Santa Rosa, about 45 minutes from Gracias. Now, whenever that boy sees Brandy, he runs after him for a hug.

“That fills my heart,” Brandy said.

Then there’s the family he met during a home visit—a household of single mothers, where both the grandmother and the mom are raising children alone. Since that first visit, the grandmother stops Brandy anytime she sees him in town, inviting him in for a cup of coffee as her way of saying thank you.

“She doesn’t have much to offer,” Brandy said, “but she expresses her gratitude through that cup of coffee.”

Brandy also watched Alejandro receive a simple act of thanks. After registering new children for the New Life program, a child came running after Alejandro, hugging him tightly and saying, “Thank you for my backpack.”

“I could give many examples,” Brandy said. “But in the end, I just want to say: the kindness and goodness people are pouring into these communities is the work of Good Samaritans. The people here are grateful. This is creating a real impact in the Kingdom of God.”

Brandy reminds us that God plants the desire in our hearts—but we must choose to answer the call. Whether you’re in Honduras or the United States, every act of service, every prayer, every dollar, every backpack delivered… it all matters.

“We know why we’re doing it,” Brandy said. “We want to expand the Kingdom of God, to share the Gospel, and to spread the love of Jesus. Thank you to everyone who’s part of this work.”

Because being a Good Samaritan isn’t just a story—it’s a calling.

 - posted by Christi