Having a Field Day

What happens when Sowers4Pastors and the Manna 4 Lempira youth program (One Light) join forces to hold their first-ever combined special event on a Saturday? Well, for starters, Russell loses his voice and a following Wednesday morning phone call sounds like you’re talking to Louis Armstrong. The Louis Armstrong thing is really neither here nor there, but it does emphasize that when it comes to youth events, Russell leaves it all on the field. He wasn’t alone in his efforts to make it a most memorable day for the youth of Mercedes and Betania.

Memo, the man who is like a youth pastor times ten for One Light, had been wanting to have a weekend retreat for the kids for many months. But, COVID means there are some limitations concerning get-togethers. Memo and Russell decided to set aside one Saturday to have a field day.

Rented buses picked up 85 students from the nearby villages and drove them to their day o’ fun. With staff, there were over 100 people in attendance. After eating breakfast, they headed outside for about three hours of fun and games. There were relay races, water games, and a homemade slip and slide. When Russell is in charge of games, people get soaked.

The games ended in time to enjoy a catered lunch. The afternoon was filled with lesson time and worship. Danny, the youth pastor at the church Russell and Iris attend is also the go-to photographer for Sowers4Pastors. Unfortunately, he couldn't attend himself, but he sent out his youth group’s team to help. The eight young adult leaders spent two hours doing skits, teaching some choreography, and doing a lesson. The group broke for a snack and then Memo gave the final message.

At the end of the day, everyone got back on the buses tired and happy. While weekend youth events are commonplace in the States, a full day of fun and worship was like a trip to Disney for these kids. Some of them had never been out of their village before. The total cost was about $5 per student, but the impact on their lives is priceless.

Russell croaked out in his Louis Armstrong voice, “You could see on their faces that it was the best thing ever.”

Russell also wanted to give a shout out for all the volunteers from the Sunday school programs, the staff from Manna4Lempira, and the staff at S4P that made this possible. Thanks for all your efforts to make this happen!

Plans are already in place to have a Field Day for the youth from Tablon at the end of May. In the words of Mr. Armstrong, “Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”

-posted by Christi.