It’s time to play the blog post version of Family Feud. The category is: The Best Things About Summer. What did you say? Watermelon? Yes! Watermelon made the board. Swimming? Show me “swimming!” Ding, ding! Yes! Socks with sandals and shorts? X! Oh, I’m sorry. That did not make our board. Visiting Gracias and working with Sowers4Pastors for short-term mission trips? YES! You automatically advance to the bonus round.
After a COVID-19 freeze on mission teams in 2020, Sowers4Pastors is delighted to welcome teams for the summer of 2021. Currently, they are playing host to a small but mighty team of Manna 4 Lempira sponsors. One of the four members took time for a little phone interview. This is Monica’s fourth mission trip with Sowers4Pastors. She is joined by her 13-year-old son, Caleb. The other team members are the mother daughter duo of Vicki and Jaidyn. This is the third trip for Caleb and the first for Vicki and Jaidyn.
The team has spent time visiting the children they sponsor. For Monica and Caleb, that meant seeing twelve children in eight different families. Two of the children were sponsored since Monica's last visit, so this was the first time they got to meet in person. Litzy, a 3-year-old girl, has stated that she wants to be a princess when she grows up.
Since this is the first trip for Vicky and Jaidyn, it was also the first time they got to see their sponsored kids. 18-year-old Jaidyn has her own sponsor child. They were all elated by the experience.
Monica explained, “It’s a tremendous opportunity to come down here and see the culture in Lempira. For the people who sponsor the kids, it’s wonderful and enriching to meet the kids and interact with them. When I meet their families and interact with them, it helps me know how to better pray for them throughout the year. You learn how to best support their families.”
Caleb has learned a lot through the visits, too. Monica explained that a couple of the communities they visit are especially poor. A couple of months ago, Caleb devised a plan to help those families. He decided to raise money to buy a pig and five chickens for each of the poorer families. Monica pointed out that if they hadn’t been able to visit, they wouldn’t have understood that those food sources were a need.
She giggled a little when she said, “This is such a Christian thing to say, but… We always walk away more blessed than the Hondurans, after having the opportunity to be with the families and spend time with them.”
Monica went on to talk about the trips as an opportunity of a lifetime. She is especially thankful for the planning that goes into each team visit by Sowers4Pastors, particularly Russell. She said this smaller team has allowed them more opportunity to interact with the translators and Russell, which has given them all a better understanding of the ministry and the work they do.
When asked if COVID restrictions have had much impact on this visit, Monica said that the difference was in the prep work. Each member was required to get a COVID test within 72 hours of travel. Monica also needed to go online and complete a form in Spanish, with the help of an online translation. Russell has arranged for them to receive the COVID tests they will need for the return trip.
On the day of the phone call, the team was heading out to help Kelsea in a Bible school class she teaches. Then they would be getting their rapid result tests for their flights home. At that point, it will be time for Caleb to begin thinking about the next trip.
- posted by Christi
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