By the time this is posted, Allen will be back in Honduras, having successfully completed the 2022 backpack trip. At the risk of sounding like something from a PBS pledge drive, it couldn’t have happened without supporters like you! And it couldn’t have happened without God being in the details.
Back in 2020, Allen and Trish thought the backpack trip might not happen. And they certainly thought that if it did happen, there was a chance it wouldn’t be successful. It happened and it was successful. People found creative ways to fill backpacks and left their boxes at the ends of driveways for contact-free collection.
In 2021, there were some fairly big supply chain issues. People struggled to find the materials needed to fill backpacks. People joined forces to find the necessary supplies.
This year, there’s inflation to deal with. People are having to make hard choices when it comes to spending. While Trish didn’t have the final numbers from this year’s collection trip, she did have this to say, “I’ve been amazed at how often I’m hearing about groups and individuals who’ve filled more backpacks than last year! Summit Christian Academy in Virginia packed more than ever before. Many churches did more. Many individuals did more. It’s exciting to see people’s commitment to the project.”
Trish continued that thought by saying, “We need that kind of commitment. In the current economy, many Hondurans are going to find it much harder to send their kids to school. Many parents will ask themselves, ‘Do I need my child to work, instead of going to school?’ That’s a question a lot of families already have to ask on a yearly basis.”
It’s a little counterintuitive to consider that this isn’t necessarily an issue that hits the poorest families the hardest. The very poor in the areas surrounding Gracias are already living off the land. Yes, it will be harder for them to purchase things like medicine and other items from stores. But the lower middle class families may actually be feeling greater effects. They aren’t living off the land. They have been working in towns and living with already tight budgets. Their budgets have no wiggle room for price increases of necessities like food and fuel. Trish wonders if Sowers4Pastors will receive more requests for help from communities that previously didn’t need assistance. It is likely to happen. Sowers4Pastors is committed to stepping up and doing its best to help those in need.
While Allen was away, the new staff members were being trained. This will be their first year to help organize and deliver backpacks. That’s a good reminder to ask you to please pray about the timing of the arrival of shipping containers. It is an annual concern that the backpacks won’t come by the time the first backpack distribution team arrives. This year, Sowers4Pastors pushed the process to start earlier than usual since the shipping process is generally taking a bit longer than in the past. Some of this has to do with the 2021 presidential election in Honduras. Whenever the country changes parties, some of the rules change. Sowers4Pastors is dealing with a lot of things beyond its control. Join everyone at S4P in praying that the timing will come together and that everyone involved will remain flexible if the timing shifts a bit.
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