Sowers4Pastors is All Smiles: A Big Thank You to Our Amazing Supporters!

The team at Sowers4Pastors is beaming with gratitude and flashing their brightest Colgate smiles as they extend a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who played a part in the successful arrival of their most recent shipping container. Whether you packed a backpack, donated items, prayed for safe transport, or helped load the container, your efforts made a tremendous impact.

This year’s container journey came with lessons learned from last year’s, um, toothpaste debacle. You might remember how, in 2023, a customs inspection turned into a chaotic scene when officials discovered 20 expired tubes of toothpaste. The entire container was pulled apart, leaving its contents scattered and disorganized. Let’s just say, that wasn’t the kind of fresh start anyone was hoping for!

This time around, the team worked smarter — and prayed harder — to ensure a smoother process.

Lessons Learned and Prayers Answered

Brandy shared how this year’s preparations involved extra steps, including meticulous paperwork and additional help from U.S.-based coordinators. “We prayed — a lot — and asked people for prayers,” he said. “And we didn’t have any problems with this container!”

The team also asked coordinators to take on a new challenge: removing toothpaste from backpacks and packing it into separate boxes, clearly labeled with expiration dates. It was time-consuming, but the effort paid off. Honduran customs officials inspected just 5 of the 24 toothpaste boxes, confirmed the expiration dates, and left the rest untouched — a far cry from last year’s floor-spread fiasco.

Smooth Sailing and Speedy Unloading

When the container arrived, the S4P team got to work bright and early. By 6:30 AM, they were unloading, and thanks to the meticulous organization, the entire container was emptied and sorted in just an hour and a half.

“Everything looked like no one had touched it!” Brandy marveled. “It was easy to take out the boxes and get them organized onto trucks. The people helping us did a great job.” By 10:00 AM, every item was neatly stored in the bodega, categorized by program.

The team’s speedy work even surprised themselves. They had planned to provide lunch for the workers but finished so quickly that coffee and cookies were the perfect celebratory treat instead.

Grateful Hearts and Organized Backpacks

This year’s success felt like nothing short of divine intervention. Reflecting on the process, Brandy said, “We can tell that God provided and helped us through the whole process. We’ve already thanked God and started thanking people, but, really, there are no words.”

Now, with everything unpacked and backpacks already being sorted by program, the team is ready to dive into the next steps.

And that’s definitely something to smile about.

- posted by Christi