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