Meet a Manna4Lempira Pastor!

Allen and Trish are in the States, and Kim Hall was in Honduras. While it wasn't exactly a “Freaky Friday” scenario, it did make for a bit of a “Wacky Wednesday” as I got to schedule my weekly blog-related phone call with Kim instead of a Sowers. This week, Kim got to be the one to come up with the topics for blog posts. She did a bang up job. This particular post begins with Kim’s musing that the Sowerses have a great talent for surrounding themselves with successful people--particularly when it comes to the Honduran pastors involved in the sponsorship programs. Kim talked about the intentionality involved in the selection of pastors and sites for sponsorship programs and feeding centers. One of those intentional selections is Pastor Omar at the church in El Tablon.

Kim said, “The first thing you notice about Pastor Omar is how much the kids love him. With many pastors, kids are afraid to approach them.” She talked about how the kids flock to Pastor Omar and how he plays with the children and takes pictures of the kids and visiting teams.

But Pastor Omar understands that not every child is well-behaved! Gasp! It’s true. Even sponsored children don’t walk around with glowing halos over their heads. The fact a child is sponsored doesn’t automatically turn him or her into a poster child for good manners.

Sometimes children in the sponsorship program fail to attend school. On rare occasions, a child may even be asked to leave school because of poor behavior. Kim and Pastor Omar recently had to decide how to handle those situations, as school attendance is a requirement for sponsored children. That is not where the story ends, however.

Last week, Kim and Pastor Omar were passing out Bibles to the children in El Tablon. They decided to go ahead and give Bibles to two children who were no longer in the program. Kim’s heart was warmed to hear Pastor Omar say, “Yes, because even though they are not in the program, they still need Jesus!”

Kim pointed out that it is reaffirming to see that the sponsorship program is fueling the church, rather than the other way around. Some of the children have also been acting up in Sunday school. A few of the teachers wanted to send the disruptive children out of Sunday school. Pastor Omar couldn’t go along with that. Quoting Mark 2:17, he said, “It’s not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick…”

Pastor Omar has a heart for the children. He knows them. He has known many of them from the day they were born. He is aware of their family situations and unique circumstances.

Reflecting upon that, Kim said, “It’s awesome to know Pastor Omar and the other pastors are doing all they can to support the children. When we choose to start a program, we are intentional about the location. It’s about multiplying the Kingdom. It’s not all about backpacks! Those are a way to show the love of Jesus. We can help reinforce what the pastor is teaching. We get to be the hands and feet. And the pastors can tell the children, "God hears your prayers. He can help you.’”

Kim continued by talking about one of the locations that has not yet received Bibles. The pastor and teachers have already helped the children commit twenty-six verses to memory! Kim was correct when she said, “They are doing their work.”

 - posted by Christi