When Allen began sharing information for this post, he wanted to begin with Ephesians 6:12:
”For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.”
He barely had “wrestle” out of his mouth when Kirstin pointed out that this verse was recently used in another post about spiritual warfare. While Bible Gateway suggests 99 other verses on the topic, let’s stick with Ephesians 6:12.
Allen described it as “feeling slammed as a ministry.” Sowers4Pastors is working against the enemy and he is responding by continually knocking them down on the wrestling mat again. By this point, Sowers4Pastors is looking to tag some more wrestlers/prayer warriors to help them through this onslaught. Here are some specific needs to remember:
First, there was Covid-19 and the devastating economic effects on Honduras. Just as starvation levels were going down, the country was hit by not one, but two, hurricanes in quick succession. The limited government resources have all been diverted to help people along the coast, and to start the lengthy process of repairing roads and bridges. Please pray for the Honduran people during this difficult time!
Historically, this is a time of year when Sowers4Pastors sees fewer children living with food insecurity. The hurricanes hit right in the middle of the gardening season and at the beginning of the coffee harvest. Because of the rainfall dumped by Hurricane Eta, coffee pickers around Gracias lost five days of picking. Now that Hurricane Iota has arrived, they will lose even more time. The harvests are being damaged, so there is fewer coffee to harvest, meaning there is less work for many people whose only income is coffee harvesting.
A container of food for Sowers4Pastors is scheduled to arrive in Honduras on Saturday. Scheduled being the operative word in the previous sentence. Please pray that it won’t be delayed. The hurricanes have been putting a lot of stress both on the ports the containers come in on, and the government officials in charge of approving the containers.
The next three containers to be shipped -- 2 of backpacks and 1 of food -- are still in paperwork limbo. If the shipping paperwork is not approved quickly, Sowers4Pastors runs the risk of having future teams on the ground and no backpacks for them to distribute. This also means that many kids will be starting school without their school supplies. Please pray that the backpacks get to their destination in a timely manner, and that the food arrives before supplies from previous containers run out.
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| Russell picking up backpacks |
Shipping containers aren’t the only things needing to be in Honduras in a timely manner. It took Kelsea multiple attempts to return. Allen, Trish, Kirstin, Rachel, and little Nathan all need to make it back home in the near future. Since Russell will be picking them up from the airport, it would be good for all concerned to avoid any trial runs. Kelsea had trouble both with bad weather leading to her flights getting cancelled, and trouble with the airlines accepting her negative COVID-19 results. They kept finding a different thing to nitpick. Please pray that all parties get in on the first try, otherwise Russell will have to make several 8 hour round-trip runs down to the capital to pick people up.
Please pray for the ministry’s finances and for wisdom regarding how to best use resources. Allen pointed out that their resources are not enough to meet all of the needs. Please join everyone with Sowers4Pastors in praying that they will continue to be good stewards and that their energy is going to the advancement of the Gospel. They want to be sure there’s a continued focus on the spiritual side as they meet physical needs.
Remember to pray for 3rd time expectant mom, Iris, and the unborn baby. Iris has had preeclampsia with each pregnancy. RJ and Abby were both delivered by C-section and that is the plan for this baby, as well. They are hoping the baby will wait until at least December 1st to make an appearance. If the baby isn’t here by the 13th, the doctor will deliver it at that time. Weighing what is best for both Iris and that baby, that’s a couple of weeks before a full-term delivery and a couple of weeks longer than what Iris needs.
Overall, the past 8 months have taken an emotional toll on the Sowers4Pastors crew. Between hurricanes, COVID-19, backpack trips, and just the general stress of the ministry, pretty much everyone is feeling completely drained. Please pray for them as they try to keep focusing their spiritual energy on what’s important. Please pray for them to feel a little more of God's joy and little less stress.
And now, a couple of praises!
Trish is enjoying her time at the writer’s conference. She is making new friends and learning new skills!
Everyone is safe after the hurricanes, including Rachel and her family. Rachel’s house is near a river that did flood during the hurricanes, but her house was untouched.
While parts of Honduras are practically wiped off the map during the hurricanes, the area where Sowers4Pastors operates has mostly had minimal damage. While there is some recovery work to be done in their area, it is nowhere near as bad as some of the pictures you might be seeing online.
So, this is a call for all prayer warriors to redouble your efforts in praying for the Sowers4Pastors’ crew and their ministry! Thank you for your continued intercession. They couldn’t do it without you!
- posted by Christi.
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