Missions: The Long and the Short Term of It

It’s almost time for the team from Edgewater Alliance Church to head to Honduras. The team will be led by Pauli, an enthusiastic volunteer who will be staying on for three extra weeks, putting that enthusiasm to good use.

Short Term

In addition to their on-the-ground activities, the Edgewater team is also transporting shoes down to us, for distribution to kids in the sponsorship programs!

There will be eleven people in the Edgewater team. Five of those short-term missionaries will be working on a church construction project. As mentioned in a previous post, this construction project isn’t for Edgewater Alliance’s sister church. Instead, it’s for its sister church’s church plant. Hmm… I suppose that makes the church plant the offspring of Edgewater Alliance’s sister church. So, would that make it a niece to Edgewater Alliance Church? Oh, it doesn’t really matter. It’s still all in the family! The walls are already up, so the construction group will be putting on a church roof and pouring the concrete floor.

The other six team members will be doing VBS type programs with the local public schools in the area surrounding their sister church. They will also be handing out letters to the children who are sponsored by members of Edgewater Alliance. The entire group will be visiting another feeding center and learning about other ministry aspects.

Extended Stay

Congratulations on your recent
graduation, Pauli!!!!

When the rest of the team flies back to the States, Pauli’s adventures will be just beginning. Her second week in Honduras will be spent registering kindergarteners for the sponsorship program at Edgewater’s sister church. She will also be registering children for the sponsorship program of a Maryland church’s sister church. On top of that, she will be helping to finish up this year’s final Gifts for Gracias boxes.

Pauli’s third week in Honduras will find her at Pastors’ Training School, where she will be helping out in the kitchen. She will have the opportunity to lend a helping hand wherever one is needed. At the end of week three, Pauli and Allen will head to central Honduras for… drumroll, please… M.K. Retreat!

Yes, it’s almost time for M.K. Retreat, which Rachel has been hard at work planning. Since Pauli’s visit coincides with this much anticipated event, she will be part of the staff. At the conclusion of the retreat, Pauli will hightail it to the airport and make the journey back to Florida.

Missionary Internship

If all of this sounds like something that interests you, Russell wants me to assure you they are looking for more people who will commit to extended visits. Please contact the Sowers if you would like to serve beside them in Honduras for a month or longer. Or LONGER? Yep!

As the matter of fact, the Sowers are praying someone will step forward to make a two year commitment to be a sort of “assistant missionary”. This person needs to be an English speaker who can assist Russell. The family feels this may be of particular interest to a recent college graduate. Job details will include: helping to manage social media, taking care of administrative tasks, and visiting feeding centers. Due to some of the administrative duties, attention to detail when working with numbers is important. The job description would mean some time spent in office and some in the field.

The bilingual schools in Honduras do something similar by having teachers come down and teach for a year. They are paid a stipend to cover basic living expenses. That what the Sowers would like to do. As Russell said, “This is perfect for someone who is interested in missions, but isn’t ready to commit to being a full-fledged missionary - someone who wants to get their feet wet in missions work.”

- posted by Christi