Praying in the New Year!

Ringing in the New Year is a phrase that dates back to at least the mid-1800s. The entire phrase is “Ring out the old, ring in the new,” and it refers to the old tradition of ringing the church bells at midnight to usher in the new year. Long before Dick Clark taught us how to have a “Rockin’ New Year’s Eve,” churches hosted watch parties where congregants would show up at church, wait for the bells to chime, and greet the New Year with a prayer. Cool, huh? Sowers4Pastors is asking you to help them welcome the New Year in prayer. 

2023 was a time when many members of the S4P staff were new and learning on the job. If they had a theme for the year, it would have been “Learn Everything!” 2024 is expected to be a time of looking forward and discovering what all God wants the ministry to accomplish. 

Part of the to-do list for 2024 involves one of the sister church programs opening another school location. It’s exciting to see the growth, and the location must be chosen with care. It needs to have a certain number of kids, be in an accessible location, and have a local pastor willing to put in the time and effort to provide the students with Bible lessons, etc.

On the US side of things, Allen and Trish are thankful that they have been blessed with a new place to live while Allen receives treatment. The new location is in Orlando, which will mean less drive time to medical care. It is also closer to Trish’s dad, so they can occasionally visit.

God blessed Allen and Trish with ANOTHER temporary home with gorgeous water views! 

Allen will be moving forward with physical therapy while they wait for the upcoming appointment with a neurosurgeon. Please keep Allen and Trish in your prayers. God is faithful and He has been providing for them in all ways. Prayers for Allen’s treatment, the added expenses that come with living in the States, Trish and Allen’s peace of mind, and that God will continue to direct their paths in all things.

Staff members on the ground in Honduras expect to begin the New Year by preparing for backpack distribution. S4P staff has decided to collectively use some of its vacation days by taking off during the time between Christmas and New Year’s Day. This will allow them to spend time evaluating the goals they feel God wants them to meet in the coming year and beyond. Or, as Rachel shared, “What are the things we can accomplish without killing ourselves? Where does God want us to go? And at what speed does He want us to get there? Sometimes we ask God what we should do and we are shown, but we don’t know that it might be ten years down the road!” 

Please don’t forget to prepare for a prayerful New Year! 

 - posted by Christi