We like to see a swift resolution to all problems. I blame classic television. Thirty minutes (minus time for commercials) was long enough to have Lucy Ricardo sneak her way into Ricky’s act at the Tropicana, get Beaver Cleaver out of any conceivable jam, and track down Davy Jones to sing at Marcia Brady’s junior high prom. Sadly, real-life problems don’t follow the timeline set by networks. There are no quick fixes in life, and especially not in missions. Feeding hungry children isn’t a one-time thing. Filling backpacks for a few years will not give a child a thorough education. These are ongoing concerns that can’t be resolved with some witty banter and a catchy theme song. That’s why Sowers4Pastors is asking you, their partners, to step into a new role.
Supporters of the ministry have been so generous and no one wants to continue asking the same people for additional donations each time there is a new need. That’s why Sowers4Pastors is asking you to step into a new role as ministry ambassadors. Fancy, huh?
What does an ambassador do? Serve as a promoter of the ministry. Ask new people to come alongside Sowers4Pastors and help us to empower pastors in Western Honduras and to feed the children these pastors minister to. Help the ministry find more partners, people who could be prayer warriors for the ministry, sponsor a child, donate time or resources, or some mix of the above. Maybe this means stepping out of your comfort zone a bit by asking your friends, neighbors, and church to help Honduran children in need. The ministry is always looking for more partners, but now more than ever as the team deals with the current food crisis caused by the pandemic.
Sowers4Pastors had seen tremendous gains on childhood hunger over the years, but COVID-19 lockdowns took things back to starvation levels they hadn’t witnessed since 2006. Thanks to the help you have already given, thousands of kids are no longer starving, but many are still suffering from chronic malnutrition. And for close to six months children were getting far fewer calories than they needed. The crisis isn’t over.
Pastors who had previously said their communities were doing okay and didn’t need feeding programs came back and asked for help to feed people. The government offered help in the form of one-time gifts of food. They gave 40-50 meals worth of food for an entire family. Most families needed help for 5+ months. That amount of food wasn’t enough for one meal per day for a single person, much less feed a large family.
Sowers4Pastors’ food costs have quadrupled and three times as many kids need food. As Allen said, “It’s not rocket science to figure that we are going to spend twelve times as much on food this year. So, that is where we are. A lot of people who are normally generous givers haven’t been able to give right now, as they are also experiencing negative repercussions of COVID-19.”
The ministry is also still down 2000 backpacks from the amount collected last year. Sowers4Pastors is struggling to come up with funds to supplement both the backpacks and the increased demand for food. Fortunately, they listened when their accountant told them to put aside a reserve for times such as these. But that reserve is being depleted.
Allen said, “How do we expand our U.S. horizons while our Honduran horizons are expanding? The number of pastors asking for help has gone through the roof. The number of kids we’re feeding has gone through the roof. We would hate to stop other programs because we don’t have the funding. Where do you cut? Pastors training school? Motorcycles for pastors? Church roofs?”
The Sowers have prided themselves on being good stewards of the money entrusted to them by their financial supporters. One of the ministry’s goals is to make sure that as much of donated funds as possible actually makes it to the needs it was donated for. While some big organizations may resort to spending large chunks of change on advertising campaigns, Sowers4Pastors is always looking for ways to make a single dollar more effective in helping the people it was intended to help. Allen has always believed that responsible use of donated funds should include not spending excessive amounts of donated money on ads. But this means the ministry needs other ways to get the word out and find partners who are ready willing and able to help the ministry in one of the many roles needed.
So please, put on your shiny new ambassador hat and help spread the word about Sowers4Pastors and the good work it does in empowering pastors to feed malnourished kids spiritually and physically. Share the ministry on social media! Talk to family and friends about the what is happening in Honduras! The ministry needs promoters and cheerleaders who will help them find more prayer warriors and supporters willing to help respond to both the ongoing problems in Honduras and the current crisis. As always, the Sowers thank you for your help, as they can’t do it alone. Only with your help, can they help make life better for these Honduran children, and empower Honduran pastors to help lead their people to a closer relationship with their Lord and Savior.
-posted by Christi.
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