When Plans Fall Apart . . . and God Steps In

Last week, Sowers4Pastors set out to distribute backpacks at a new school in the Lighthouse program. If everything had gone according to plan, this would be a very short blog post.

But… (go ahead, read this in your best Morgan Freeman voice) everything did not go according to plan.

The day started off smoothly enough. Brandy was behind the wheel of one of the ministry’s largest trucks, loaded down with boxes of shoes and backpacks. On his way to pick up the rest of the team, he heard a strange noise. Being wisely uninterested in becoming an action movie stunt driver, he pulled over to investigate. Seeing nothing obvious, he continued on — until the problem made itself very clear.

The brakes were gone.

Brandy promptly turned the truck around and carefully made his way back to the property. The team unloaded everything and redistributed the supplies into three smaller trucks.

Crisis averted… or so it seemed.

On the way to the school, road construction brought things to a crawl. Two of the trucks were stopped for over an hour, unable to pass. But one truck made it through just in time — meaning Secia arrived at the school well ahead of everyone else.

And this is where things start to get impressive.

Without hesitation, Secia stepped in and delivered the orientation Brandy had planned to give. Since this was a brand-new school in the program, parents and teachers needed a clear understanding of what to expect — what S4P provides and what is required of the students. Secia covered it all like she’d been preparing for it all week.

By the time the other trucks finally arrived — about an hour and a half late — she was already gearing up to begin student registration. (If there isn’t already a superhero named “Orientation Woman,” there should be.)

But the surprises weren’t over yet.

The trucks had been loaded at record speed earlier that morning, thanks to the farm crew back at the property. Now, standing at the school, Brandy realized something important was missing.

The farm crew.

The boxes were heavy. The distance to the classrooms was not short. And suddenly, there wasn’t an obvious way to get everything where it needed to go.

So Brandy did what he’s learned to do in moments like this.

He prayed.

“God, this is Your problem now. You’ve sent me, and I’ve obeyed. Now I need You to provide what we can’t do in our own strength.”

And provide He did.

A pastor from a nearby town — who regularly teaches Bible lessons — was there that day, along with a large group of men from the church. Typically, only mothers come to register their children, but this time was different. As soon as the need became clear, the men stepped in and asked where to help.

Within ten minutes, all three trucks were completely unloaded.

Ten minutes.

And the support didn’t stop there. The pastor remained actively involved, church members helped distribute shoes and backpacks, and others guided the children through the process — including making sure each one made it to the photographer after receiving their items. What could have been a frustrating, disjointed day turned into a beautiful picture of teamwork and service.

Brandy reflected on how seamlessly the school and the church worked together. What started as a series of setbacks became a powerful reminder: God doesn’t need perfect plans to accomplish His purposes.

This new school already shows incredible promise. The elementary school (grades 1–6) serves around 200 students, with a secondary school (grades 7–12) located right next door. The potential for impact is significant — and after a day like this, the foundation feels even stronger.

Because sometimes, the story isn’t about everything going right.

Sometimes, it’s about what happens when everything goes wrong — and God shows up anyway.

And if this day was any indication, He’s already very much at work here.

- posted by Christi

From Blight to Blessing: Singing of God’s Goodness on the Coffee Farm

This week’s blog post begins a little differently — with a moment of praise and worship. Go ahead, jump in if you know it:

“ ’Cause all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God…”

That song — “Goodness of God” by CeCe Winans — came to mind for Brandy as he reflected on the story of the coffee farm. And once you hear what God has done, you’ll understand exactly why.

Let’s rewind.

When Brandy first joined the ministry, he stepped into a role he hadn’t exactly trained for: overseeing a coffee farm. And not under ideal circumstances, either. The farm had been hit by a devastating blight.

“There was no hope for the farm to recover,” Brandy shared. “We brought in the experts, and they gave us two options: stop working with the farm… or start all over.”

Not exactly the kind of multiple-choice question you want.

The final decision landed on Brandy. So he did what he could do — and what he knew to do. He prayed. The staff prayed. Visiting teams prayed. One moment, in particular, stayed with him.

“I remember a pastor visiting the farm and giving a short devotional — maybe three minutes,” Brandy said. “He prayed for healing over the land. And after that prayer — after all of those prayers — I started to see things changing.”

The decision was made: give the farm another year.

That first harvest?

“Pathetic,” Brandy said, with a laugh that only comes from hindsight.

But then something shifted.

The next year’s harvest was good. The year after that was even better. And this year?

This year, the harvest has already surpassed last year’s total — and they’re not even finished.

The final picking of the season is underway, and it’s taking longer than usual — not because of problems, but because of abundance. What normally takes a week is stretching well beyond that, simply because there is so much coffee still to gather.

And the quality? Brandy has already submitted samples to two laboratories. The verdict: this year’s crop qualifies for a specialty coffee rating. From “no hope” to exceptional.

But for Brandy, the story of the farm has never been just about coffee. It’s about people.

Over the past three years, he’s gotten to know the workers — learning their names, their families, their stories.

“I was talking to one woman,” Brandy said. “Many families save what they earn during harvest season to use throughout the year. She told me that two of her sons graduated from high school because of this job.”

He paused, then added, “This year, others have told me how grateful they are that they don’t have to travel far from home to find work.”

Even the children are part of the story. It’s common for kids to work alongside their parents during harvest season, earning their own money. Recently, as Brandy paid a group of them, he asked if they would be going to school.

“They told me they were only working Saturday — because they start school on Monday.”

The money they earn often goes toward their own school supplies. And with that comes something more than provision — something deeper. Pride. Ownership. Dignity. A quiet understanding that God provides, sometimes through the work of their own hands.

“It’s great to remember this is one of the purposes of the farm,” Brandy said. “I think God is blessing us to be a blessing to others.”

And isn’t that the thread running through it all?

A farm that looked finished… now flourishing.
A harvest that once seemed impossible… now overflowing.
A community once limited by opportunity… now growing, working, and thriving.

So yes — go ahead and sing it again:

All my life You have been faithful.                                                     All my life You have been so, so good.

Because sometimes, the goodness of God looks like healing land. Sometimes it looks like full coffee branches. And sometimes… it looks like a child heading to school on Monday, proud of what they earned on Saturday.

Now that’s a harvest worth celebrating.

 - posted by Christi

A Harvest Worth the Wait: How S4P’s Coffee Farm Made a Comeback

The last bits of S4P’s coffee harvest have been sold and collected, bringing the season to an official close. In one sense, the harvest was good to the last drop — but that doesn’t mean every drop was high quality! The final sales included green coffee that had to be picked just to clean the farm, plus what Brandy referred to as “the trash” – the really, really bad coffee.

Even so, this year’s harvest was nothing short of a comeback story. After several years of setbacks — including a devastating blight and a fire that wiped out acres of coffee — the farm not only recovered from last season’s deficit but even turned a small profit. It was a victory no one could guarantee just a short time ago.

Martir and his family

Brandy credits God for sending the right people at the right time, especially Martir, whose quiet expertise transformed the farm’s fortunes. When the previous coffee farm manager abruptly left a year and a half ago, Brandy suddenly found himself in charge of something he knew next to nothing about. That’s when Martir stepped in.

Though he’d worked with Allen for years on construction and general projects, Martir had extensive knowledge of coffee farming. So when Brandy asked, “Martir, it looks like it’s just the two of us. Can you take care of the farm?”— Martir didn’t hesitate.

Turns out, he had his own small farm and knew exactly what to do. Even better, he was such a well-liked guy that recruiting workers for the harvest became much easier.

There was just one small hitch.

Like many workers in the area, Martir didn’t know how to drive.

Cue the real-life (slightly dramatized) transcript from a year and a half ago:

Trish (calling Brandy): “Can Martir drive a truck?”

 Brandy: “No. Martir doesn’t know how to drive.”

 Trish: “Well, he’s driving now.”

 Brandy: “…¡Ay caramba!”

 (Okay, Brandy probably didn’t say ¡Ay caramba!, but just go with it.)

 Brandy: “I’ll teach him.”

And teach him he did! Martir turned out to be a natural, picking it up in just 15 minutes. Since then, he’s mastered every machine on the farm just as quickly.

Now, he’s tackling the latest challenge: spraying the plants to keep a returning fungus at bay. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem as severe this time, and all signs point to a strong harvest next year. Despite being the dry season, unexpected rains have helped the trees flourish, covering them in lush green leaves and delicate white flowers—a promising sight for what’s to come.

And this time, Martir already knows how to drive.

Here’s to next year’s harvest!

 - posted by Christi

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

"How's it Going, Now that You're Back in Honduras?" An update on Allen and Trish

Trish and Allen are home! Oh, sure, that’s not exactly news since they’ve been home for a couple of weeks now. But it feels like news because Trish was the one sharing today’s blog update. So let’s celebrate anyway by dropping some imaginary confetti. 

The most important thing Trish would like to share is that while they had to be away from Honduras for so long the ministry continued to thrive. Trish said, “As the founders of the ministry, we don’t want it to flounder in our absence. And it didn’t. Even though Rachel had a baby and Brandy had appendicitis during our time away, things still continued on very smoothly. That is really, really encouraging. We’ve had great reports from the visiting teams concerning how our staff is handling things. We’re so grateful that God brought these people to join Sowers4Pastors.” 

Allen and Malia at
Lighthouse Church

As for the actual trip back to Honduras… Allen and Trish left the home where they had been staying in Florida in early July. They visited with family and then flew to Maryland. While there, they were able to visit three sister churches. Trish drove to Ohio to visit Life Community church. While she was there, Allen visited Lighthouse Church in Maryland, and they both paid a visit to Fredericktowne Baptist Church. 

They were able to pick up the plumbing fixtures for Rachel and Brandy’s new home construction and pack them in their suitcases. They were prepared to pay import taxes upon arrival in Honduras, but when they went through the airport it was so late that customs was shut down and they were waved through. 

Allen and Trish spent the night at a hotel near the airport and Kirstin arrived the following morning to drive them home. The trip was extra long due to construction work on the main road. Trish said, “It wasn’t bad in terms of traffic or the roughness of the road, but the road was shut down to just one lane, multiple times. We probably sat for a total of two to three hours just waiting for the lane to open for the cars going in our direction. We did make the trip in one day, though. We knew the hardest part of the whole trip would be the drive from where the paved road ends to our house. It's a rough, unpaved road for about two miles. Because we're in the middle of the rainy season, the road is especially bad right now.” 

You might think that Allen spent the following day resting up from the trip, but you might think wrong! The next morning, Allen got up early and drove himself into Gracias to have breakfast with a visiting team. (Trish mentioned that it’s easier to be the driver than the passenger on rocky roads.) If he’s going out, he usually wants to do it early in the morning. But one day last week, he made a total of three drives out – one to meet a team for breakfast, one to go with Rachel to purchase supplies for the home construction, and one to join the team at the hot springs. 

Trish explained, “We weren’t sure how he was going to manage being back, but he's definitely not stuck at home. When we were driving in the US before his surgery, just the small bump experienced when changing from highway to bridge, then back to highway was very painful for him. He has made great strides! He still experiences sudden pangs of pain. He still has arthritis and bone spurs, plus he’s still healing - the surgery was only three months ago! But, at least for now, we are finding it do-able to live in Honduras, which is a huge praise!"

Charlotte and Michael!!!

They have enjoyed lots of time with their grandchildren living in Honduras, including the newest model! And Trish said it was lovely to come home and see projects that were completed in their absence. She’s especially delighted by the beautiful new fence/railing in her backyard. 

Please continue to pray for Allen’s recovery and for both Allen and Trish as they reacclimate to life at home.

 - posted by Christi

Allen's Progress Report

 In case you missed the blog posts that gave updates on how Allen was progressing after his back surgery in April, there’s a fairly good reason for that. It seems that we kinda sorta inadvertently neglected to write them. Oops! We thought we had. We meant to. Posts went out by email and were posted on Facebook. But, well, it seems that those “updates” that were just private conversations between Trish and I that were never written up and posted on the blog. Today we’re changing that. 

Heading home!!!

Allen did really well with his post surgical recovery. He was up and walking the following day. The actual healing of all of the work done on his lower spine is a much longer process. That’s what was going on during the months of May and June. 

The best thing to come from all of this is that Allen is in a lot less pain than he was before he had the surgery. He is learning how to move and sleep differently and that has caused his neck pain to move down the pain scale from “YOWZA, THAT HURTS!!!” to “Ouch, that is uncomfortable.” Or for people who use a more traditional pain scale, it has gone from intense to mild. The improvement was so dramatic that the decision was made to not go forward with the second surgery for repairs to his neck. On top of that, the surgery has helped resolve the issue of some of the nerves in his legs getting crushed. 

Even though the surgery was a success, Allen is facing the sorts of limitations that were to be expected. He doesn’t have the mobility that he used to have and he has to walk differently. The curve in his lower back doesn’t curve as much as it did prior to surgery and that causes him to kind of lean forward. When he focuses on standing straight, he is bending his knees and there is added pressure on his hips. His doctor has pointed out that the other parts of his body are going to be taking on additional stress and this could create other problems in the future. There’s a chance that a cane or walking stick may be in his future. 

Allen still deals with occasional flashes of intense pain. These are generally related to shifting movements, like getting into position in bed, or shifting in his chair while sitting in church, and they are sudden, surprising, and shout-out-loud painful! We'd appreciate your prayers about this, as we are hoping this is just a normal part of the healing process that will ease with time and additional healing, and not a problem that will grow and have to be addressed.

Allen is learning how to deal with his new normal. The bone spurs and arthritis that were the underlying issues behind his back pain were “cleaned up” in surgery. Of course, those things weren’t cured by the surgery. Few people come out of a back surgery feeling like everything has been healed. Allen is not one of those few people. 

Both Allen and Trish want to make it abundantly clear that they do view this as a success story. Trish said, “We did what we came to do. We are praising God that we were able to get through the crazy process with the healthcare system. We are thankful that we can move forward without Allen being in pain all the time.”

They are now packing to go home to Honduras in what they are thinking of as a test run. Trish asked and answered the question that is on many minds, “Can we live in Honduras? We’re going to go back and see how it goes. We’ll see if God has that in store for us or something else.”

Charlotte smiles just thinking about
meeting Nana and Grandpa!

Allen and Trish will be flying to Maryland this week. On July 14th, they will visit a supporting church there. Then on the following Sunday, they will visit a church in Ohio. Their flight to Honduras is on July 23rd. They are ready to go home and see some of their grandkids, including one they haven’t even officially met yet. 

While this has not been an easy process, there have been some good things to come from it. Having Allen and Trish in the States for so long was a good opportunity for others at Sowers4Pastors to successfully run everything. Trish shared, “In general, it’s a hard thing to hand off something you’ve built and watch others run it. We are going back as supporting players, as part of a team that has functioned well in our absence. That has been a goal for quite a few years.”

Allen and Trish want to thank everyone who has been praying for them and the ministry. Thank you to those who contributed to their unexpected expenses. They appreciate your ongoing prayers that they will be able to go back and work with the ministry on the ground. Please also continue to pray that Allen’s pain level and mobility will continue to improve. While they didn’t specifically mention this, pray for Trish as she packs up everything to move back to Honduras about eight months earlier than previously expected! 

 - posted by Christi

Prayers and Praises!

Today’s blog post was supposed to involve talking with Alejandro and Secia about a Bible school program that Sowers4Pastors is involved with. Alas, it is not. You can blame that on a power outage that left Alejandro and Secia without electricity for a bit. We’ll have to take a raincheck on the Bible school info. In the meantime, Rachel came to the rescue and took the opportunity to share a list of ministry and staff prayer requests, as well as some praises!

Allen and Trish

• Pray for Allen and Trish as they try to figure out their housing situation in the US for the next 6-9 months. They are accepting that they will likely be able to commit to being in one place for that long and they want to be wise when it comes to making a housing decision. They want to remain open to whatever God’s best is for them and not jump into a lease agreement based on fear and uncertainty. 

• Praise God, the cardiologist cleared Allen for surgery! Allen’s first surgery is now scheduled for April 29th. Pray for Allen & the medical team and that the surgery will be an unequivocal success. Please be praying for Allen's pain in the meantime.

• Pray for Trish’s health and stamina. She’s doing fine but please pray that continues. You probably know that she has asthma that rears its head. As the person with the sole responsibility for caring for Allen at home throughout his medical journey, she needs to be in tip-top shape.

Allen and grandson Steven hanging out

Rachel and Brandy

• At the time of this writing, Rachel is 32 weeks into her pregnancy. During her pregnancy with Levi, she went on bedrest at 30 weeks. And with Michael, she made it to week 33 or 34 before being put on bedrest. Naturally, they are hoping that she doesn’t have to go on bedrest with this pregnancy. However, they will not be surprised if that happens at some point.

• It’s hot in Honduras right now. And, as mentioned in the previous bullet point, Rachel is 32 weeks pregnant. That’s not the ideal situation to deal with temperatures in the high 90s and a house that feels like an oven. Pray for some relief from the heat!

Got to find ways to beat the heat!
(But Rachel is getting too pregnant for swimming)

Mary Faith

• Pray for Mary Faith’s fundraising efforts so that she will be able to move to Honduras sooner rather than later. Having her there will do a lot to reduce some of Trish’s workload so that Trish can focus on other things.

Ministry Programs

• Ministry staff is continuing the process of distributing backpacks. They are registering new kids and checking on the children that didn’t show up for the initial registration. Pray that there will be no issues.

• S4P is finalizing decisions about this year’s applications to receive a motorcycle through the motorcycle ministry. Pray that they will select the right applicants and for funding for this ministry.

• Requests for church roofs are pouring in, as well. Pray for Brandy as he sorts through the stack of requests and makes some difficult decisions.

Praise and a Follow-up Prayer Request

• Praise! S4P staff registered more than 60 children at a new school in the Lighthouse program - Lighthouse Church has been hoping to expand their program for a while now. This school is smaller than Lighthouse had initially been hoping for, but they made the decision based on the motivation of the pastor working in that area. Here's a video from of this activity: https://fb.watch/rnI_wKtJ7z/

• Prayer request! After registering the students at the new school, Secia had an observation. One of the questions the kids were asked was, “Who do you live with?” Many, if not most, of the children said they only live with their mother or that they only live with their grandparents. Some of the kids seemed visibly upset that they don’t have a father in the home. When asked what church they attend, many said they do not attend church. Please pray for that community and that God will open up hearts. Pray for the pastor as he continues the work God has set before him.

- posted by Christi

EXCITING NEWS Re: Allen's Back Surgery

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, blog readers of all ages… it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for! (Or at least we have a date for the moment we’ve all been waiting for.) Allen officially has a date for surgery number one. It happens to be on April 1st, but this is no April Fool’s joke. Let the rejoicing commence! 

Allen's having to spend a lot of 
time in a recliner, but the occasional
visits from family help alleviate 
the boredom.

After a six month process to get insurance squared away, find a doctor, and jump through various unexpected hoops, Allen and Trish are abundantly grateful to God to finally see some real forward motion toward relieving Allen's pain. Insurance has approved the first surgery and things are feeling hopeful.

Apart from Allen’s surgery and recovery, the biggest concern is Allen and Trish’s temporary housing situation. They believe they will have their current house until the end of April. 

So far, they have been "loaned" the use of houses, and they hope that another such situation might be available for them, especially now that the folks who own homes in Florida that they only use during the winter might be returning north for the summer. Perhaps Allen and Trish can "house-sit" for someone.

Regarding other housing options (if a "loaned" house isn't available), Trish said, “We have talked about… well, it gets complicated. We don’t want to rent a place because we hope we don't need a home for a year, so we prefer not to sign a lease. We don’t own furniture in the US and don’t want the expense of buying furniture, and then needing to get rid of it later (assuming we return to Honduras). For now, aside from my harp, I can pretty much move all of our belongings in a car. We’d like to keep it that way. Of course, if God provides us with housing, we'll be thrilled. If not, we assume our next-best option will be to set up in an Airbnb. While that seems more expensive at first glance, since it includes furniture, utilities, trash, Wi-Fi, etc., it probably works out to be a better use of funds, for our situation."

Please pray that they will find housing that meets all of their needs. If you know of possible housing for them in the Orlando area, please let them know. Since Allen’s surgery will be in Orlando, they are thinking it is likely that his future surgeries will also be there. For obvious reasons, they would like to find a place near their medical hub. 

Allen and Trish are always quick to point out their current praises and how God has provided for them up to this point. They are trusting that they will continue to see God’s hand moving in all aspects of this unanticipated saga. 

Pray that Allen’s surgery will be a success. This is not a minimally invasive surgery. Allen stated, “The surgery will involve removing four discs, fusing together all five lumbar vertebrae. I’ve already been told that I could lose my ability to walk without this surgery. Please pray that the surgeon takes his time, and that the surgery will be successful.”

Don’t forget to pray for Trish during all of this. Allen’s care throughout the recovery period will all be on her. She will be trying to manage life and likely move them to a new home in the middle of his recovery. She'll continue her online work for the ministry, and is hoping to make progress with writing her book, while also practicing her harp. 

In the background, Allen piped up by sharing, “Plus, I’m just a downright difficult patient. I work so hard to not be grumpy, but I'm not a patient patient!” 

Other prayer requests not previously mentioned include:

• As a redhead, Allen is difficult to anesthetize. The doctor has assured him that he won’t wake up during the surgery. However, when he had his heart stents put in, they had difficulty putting him to sleep and keeping him asleep. Yeah. Pray that he’s out like a light for surgery!

• Finances are a concern. This first surgery is expected to cost Allen and Trish somewhere between five and ten thousand dollars. In the grand scheme of medical care, that’s not a fortune but it's certainly not something that they've budgeted for! There will be at least one more surgery to come, too. Please pray that the needed funds will be available! If you'd like to help with the expenses, you can donate through the Sowers4Pastors website donation page. (Use the donation category "Allen and Trish Sowers Support")

• Pray that recovery goes well. The tentative plan is to have a second surgery - on Allen's neck this time - about four months after the first.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support as Allen slowly morphs into the 6 Million Dollar Missionary with a bionic back!

 - posted by Christi