Books and Bibles

Raise your hand if you’re the sort of person who loves books and loves to recommend titles to others. (Esdras' hand shoots up) Well, book lovers, this post is for you. We don’t get to hear about Sowers4Pastors Bible bookstore very often but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t an important part of the ministry.

Reading is not a huge part of the Honduran culture, as Esdras explained. Why is that? It’s likely a combination of several factors, including the following: 1) Books are more expensive there and are not as easily accessible, 2) The average adult received less formal education and may not see the benefit of reading books beyond school, and 3) Life is busy and reading isn’t seen as a priority. As a reader himself, Esdras recognizes the benefit of books–especially for Christians.

Recently, Esdras made a trip to the post office to pick up two large boxes of books and Bible dictionaries that will be taken to the students of the pastors training school in Gracias. The dictionaries are used throughout the training school and every first-year student will need his own copy. When there weren’t enough copies on the shelves of the S4P bookstore, an order was placed. 

Since S4P buys books in bulk, they are able to get better prices than typical consumers. The ministry passes the savings on to the pastors, who are able to get Bibles, commentaries, Bible dictionaries, and Christian books at cost. As Esdras shared, “Our intention is to help the pastors be as ready as possible to preach. We are helping the pastors learn how to prepare a sermon and how to counsel people.”

While Esdras’s other duties don’t allow him to spend a lot of time in the Bible bookstore, he’s always happy to have a chance to be there when pastors drop by. When two pastors asked him for a book recommendation, Esdras didn’t hesitate to suggest The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. 

Later, after reading the book, the pastors reported back. One man told Esdras, “Brother, this book was a blessing. This is my life. I can see myself in this book! I’m in this book!” 

For Esdras, hearing that brought him joy. He said, “For the culture, it’s not important to read. But it’s important for Christians.”

If you were one of the people who raised your hand to say that you love reading and recommending books, would you please leave a comment below. Let Esdras know what Christian titles you recommend so that he might read them and pass them on to others. 

- posted by Christi