Supporting HONDURAN Missionaries! Here's how you can help . . .

Secia, giving a child their letter

What comes to mind when you hear the word “deputation?” Please, oh, please say it’s a scene from The Andy Griffith Show when Barney Fife deputized Floyd the barber, Gomer Pyle, or Otis the drunk. That is not what we’re talking about here. It would just be good to know that other people’s minds work the same way. 

In the context of North American missionaries, the word "deputation" has traditionally been used to refer to the process of raising funds to start or continue a missionary endeavor, though the word seems to have fallen out of fashion in recent years. The process often involves missionaries speaking before groups and churches, hoping that God will inspire others to be a part of their support team, through financial help and prayers. A church or an individual may make a financial commitment to help support a missionary monthly or annually. The commitments may be large or small, but even the smallest commitments add up over time. It’s also fairly common for a group, church, or individual to make a single, one-time donation, to help the missionary and/or their ministry.

Allen and Trish have not made
any actual tents.

This is how most North American missionaries have raised money for living expenses and ministry work for decades. Allen and Trish raised funds this way, in order to start their work in Honduras. During some of their years on the mission field they did things a little differently. Allen worked various jobs in the U.S. to earn the money needed for their family’s personal living expenses. Even when they had a houseful of children, Allen would work for several months (usually involving some kind of construction) to raise the money they would need throughout the year. In church circles, this is known as “tent making” because it’s the method used by the Apostle Paul when he made tents to cover his own cost of living while working in missions. 

In recent years, Allen and Trish have scaled back on the tent making and they now rely on support from donors to cover most of their own living expenses. Allen also receives a very small salary from the ministry, for doing the job of CEO. A few different factors brought about these change, including: 1) tent making takes a lot of time and more and more Allen’s time has been taken up by annual backpack trips, and 2) Allen has always done highly physical jobs and that has become more challenging with age. Of course, over time, their personal expenses have decreased, as they are no longer supporting a large family.

 Esdras, with a team of painters

Alejandro, preaching

The funding situation is different for Sowers4Pastors' Honduran staff. These individuals have chosen to join S4P because of their strong Christian commitment and their desire to be involved in missions work. They aren’t just in it for the job. They could almost certainly have found easier, higher paying jobs elsewhere.

Honduran Christians are not generally familiar with the concept of deputation. The Protestant churches do not have a long history of supporting missionaries financially while they are on the field - though this is likely because of the limited financial resources of the churches. Sowers4Pastors is aware that it would be extremely difficult for a Honduran to raise the funds needed, for them to work as a traditional missionary! For this reason, Sowers4Pastors is raising funds from outside of Honduras, to pay salaries to the Honduran staff members, instead of expecting them to raise their own support. Basically, the ministry is doing the "deputation" for the Honduran missionaries. 

Secia, distributing curriculum

Alejandro and Secia, with kids at sponsorship program

S4P is thrilled to have this opportunity - because the Honduran missionaries are a terrific asset to the ministry. While a US missionary raises their own support, it can take months or even years to achieve, plus the US missionaries generally arrive still needing to learn the language, the culture, and all the aspects of managing life in Honduras. At a time when S4P was badly in need of additional staff, the Honduran missionaries were able to hit the ground running!

Esdra, loving on kids

Would you be interested in helping a Honduran missionary do the work God has called them to do? You can get involved in supporting the Honduran missionaries on the S4P staff, by donating through the Sowers4Pastors website to help cover the Honduran staff members’ salaries. (Click here to go to DONATION PAGE.) You can request for your donation to be earmarked to help provide for the salaries of the Honduran missionaries who are working so hard for the Kingdom! 

 - posted by Christi