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

Pastors in a Pandemic

If you've ever wondered why the ministry is called Sowers4Pastors instead of Sowers4SomethingElse, the current state of affairs in Honduras sums up the answer perfectly. The latest situation with Covid-19 is a poignant example of why the Sowers family firmly believes in supporting pastors, which allows the pastors, in turn, to support their communities.

Pastors attending the training school

Allen pointed out, "At this time, we are totally blocked off from all but about five of our churches. If we were trying to work in the communities personally, it would be impossible for us to get to most of them."

The current situation with the sponsorship centers reinforces the importance of having Sunday school teachers and pastors right there with boots on the ground. When they hear about someone in need in their area, they are right there to help. This goes beyond offering meals to malnourished children. If someone needs to get into a hospital, for instance, the pastors will be there to help find a way.

The pastors are also able to offer comfort to people at this time. If people are seeking an eternal solution, neither Allen nor Russell could get to them. The indigenous pastors are able to fulfill their roles and lead people to hope in Christ. This is the reason for the Sowerses' desire to equip the indigenous pastors.

Some of the pastors involved with the feeding centers have received special permission to send uncooked food home with kids, for their families to use in their homes, because they can't hold large gatherings. This works because the pastors have relationships with the families, and know which ones have the most pressing needs. The places that are able to feed kids are doing so in small, makeshift feeding areas.

Sowers4Pastors was fortunate to have been given a large quantity of anti-diarrhea food and baby formula recently, which they have distributed through the pastors. In a lot of places, people don't have the capacity to get baby formula from the store now. Pastors are steeping in to help. Remember that many of the pastors have been equipped with motorcycles - meaning that they are better able to serve their congregations during this time.

On Friday of this week, a pastor showed up at the Sowerses' property, to pick up food for his feeding center in Nueva Esperanza. This was the first time a pastor has come since the quarantine began, and it was an encouraging sign, that he was able to make it to them.

It is exciting to see how God has prepared these provisions for his people! Please continue to pray for Sowers4Pastors, and the people of Honduras.

 - posted by Christi

The Unsung Heroes

It seems that if your last name is Sowers, at some point you can expect to be asked to talk to me about a blog post. My most recent phone call with the Sowerses was a special treat because it was the first time I actually got to speak with Iris. (RJ and Abby should go ahead and start preparing their blog topics because they’re next on the list.) Iris shared about an appreciation conference held on Saturday, July 20 for the wives of pastors in the area around Gracias. They are unsung heroes.

The pastors' wives, and the team from Alabama

In case you’ve forgotten, a fellow missionary named Clay Powell is in charge of the teaching at Pastor Training School. Sowers4Pastors contributes financially, but Clay raises most of the funds and handles the day-to-day work of the school. Clay’s wife, Cynthia, raised the funds for the very special conference. None of the money contributed toward the operation of Pastor Training School was diverted for the event. A team of women from Alabama helped raise money and then came down to run the conference.

The pastors’ wives spend a lot of time holding down the fort while their husbands are out running their ministries. Iris was able to witness some of the conference firsthand,as she was in charge of the worship music. She was very honored to be a part of it. Iris described how happy the women were to have a special event designed to recognize them and give them a little time to refuel their spiritual tanks.

The team from Alabama washed the feet of the approximately forty pastors' wives in attendance. Iris said it was an emotional time. The women from Alabama also talked about their lives and shared their testimonies with the crowd.

Iris (singing), and the rest of the worship team at the conference

As at most women’s conferences, there were beautiful decorations. The pastor’s wives even stayed over at the Training School facilities on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the dedicated pastors got to spend some time holding down the fort at home and caring for their children.

RJ and Abby had better bring their “A” games if they want to come up with sweeter topics than this one.

 - posted by Christi

Note from Trish - there were so many beautiful, touching photos from this event, I had trouble choosing which ones to use (which might explain why this post is a bit picture-heavy). If you'd like to see more of the photos, they can be found here. 

Back to School for Pastors

It’s back-to-school time! What? Well, it’s back-to-school time for the pastors in Pastor Training School. This year there are some exciting new developments. Allen explained that this year, there is an unexpected new trend.

In the past, Pastor Training School has primarily been a place for pastors with limited educational backgrounds to receive formal training in how to fulfill the Great Commission more effectively. This year, several pastors with extensive training have also enrolled in the program.

One of the students is a pastor with a Master’s Degree in Theology from a Honduran university. He has been pastoring for 30+ years and is a supervisor for his denomination. When he began pastoring, his denomination had no churches in this area. Today, he oversees seventy churches in his denomination. You might be wondering why such an established pastor would enroll for classes alongside people with no formal training whatsoever. The answer should delight you. After hearing sermons by some of the pastors who attended the training school, he knew he wanted that same training for himself.

There are a couple of other new students who are supervisors within their denominations, with between 10-15 churches under them. They are also attending because they want the training to help them be better preachers.

More and more of the program is being run by indigenous pastors, which we think is wonderful! It is always the Sowers' goal to work themselves out of a job, whenever possible! There is even a second training school, which is entirely run by Honduran pastors. There are more home visits and group study sessions throughout the week. These are people with busy schedules and many responsibilities, but they are doing it because they know it to be important for reaching their communities for Christ. One of the recent graduates is also serving as the associate director at the main school. He’s coming alongside Clay to help him with the educational aspects of running the school.

In short, the system is working! Graduates and upper-level students are standing up and assuming responsibility for helping their fellow pastors receive the sort of training that can make them more efficient and effective instruments of God.

 - posted by Christi

The Calm Before a Storm of Activity

Russell, working.
Here, he's driving a team out to a work site. 

Russell is not known for taking it easy, but, when we last spoke, his schedule for the day consisted of only two meetings and giving me enough information to write a blogpost. He said it felt like it was almost a vacation day. But don’t get the idea that Russell is becoming a gentleman of leisure. He is experiencing what might be called the calm before a storm of activity. And, for lack of a better title, that’s exactly what we’ll call it!

The coffee harvest was completed on Saturday. The team from Edgewater Alliance has returned to Florida. Kim Hall and her family are settling in nicely after their recent move to Honduras. And, for one shining day, Russell gets to feel like someone who could wear an ascot and take up the sport of polo! He should enjoy the feeling while it lasts because tomorrow…

Tomorrow, he switches gears as preparation for backpack season begins. The containers are there, and that means the backpacks are there. Somewhere. The backpacks are there somewhere. In fact, around 8,000 backpacks are there somewhere. They are in boxes, along with things like clothing, and other supplies. Each box from the containers needs to be opened, so the backpacks can be pulled out.

Backpacks for specific children in the Tablon
sponsorship center - packed by their sponsors

If a backpack was designated to go to a certain kid, it will be pulled out and grouped with other backpacks designated for kids at the same feeding center. Backpacks from specific churches are grouped together, as they tend to go to the same area. However, Manna 4 Lempira sponsors often sponsor children at multiple centers, so one box might contain backpacks for children in different locations. Shoes also need to be sorted. It’s like a giant game requiring expert logic and organizational skills. Fortunately, Kim and Jonathan Hall are on hand to help with this monumental task. Members of the regular crew will also be helping.

And that clothing that served as packing material in the boxes? Iris will be working to organize the clothing for the Gifts for Gracias boxes. Russell will be spending some extra time with RJ and Abby while Iris does that.

Oh, and did I mention there’s sort of a time crunch on all of this? Beginning January 27th, Sowers4Pastors will be hosting six backpack teams in seven weeks! There will be one week off in the middle of that time. That means the stuff for each team has to be prepped in advance. Russell says it can take three or four days of preparation time for each team. Naturally, he can’t wait until three or four days before each team arrives, if there’s already a team on the ground.

While all of that is happening, there’s also fertilizing and cleanup scheduled for the coffee farm. Plants should begin flowering in a month and a half. It’s time to get ready for the next cycle.

Pastors’ Training School will be starting its new year in March. Russell and the other board members are meeting in preparation of that.

But, for today... Does anyone know where Russell might find an ascot to wear?

 - posted by Christi

Russell's Life Cycle of Coffee

There’s almost something poetic about one of the busiest, most high-energy people I know growing coffee. Thinking about Russell’s life is sort of like imagining the life cycle of caffeine. Drink coffee. → Accomplish a bunch of stuff. → Harvest the coffee. → Drink more coffee. → Accomplish more stuff. You get the idea. It’s also a little like thinking about the age old question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Except this would be, “Which came first, the coffee or the crazy-busy Russell we all know and love?”

Russell and his crew just finished harvesting the first precocious fruits of the 2018 coffee harvest season. That early harvest is sort of like nature’s trial run for things to come. It's so small the harvesters are paid by the day, rather than by the bucket of picked fruit. Russell said that this year, the baby harvest yielded around 2000 lbs. He said it wasn’t much, but, I think it sounds like a ton! (Hehehe. Get it? 2000 lbs. A ton. Hehehe. It’s punny.) With that preliminary harvest done, they now have less than three weeks until the first REAL harvest for the year.

Depulping station under construction

Building the tanks at the depulping station

The upcoming REAL harvest will hopefully yield about twice as much as last year. He was hesitant to give a prediction in pounds, but it should be big. It’s big enough to make completing a new depulping station a necessity. The depulping machine was donated last year. The station will increase efficiency. Russell described the depulping station as a place that will have big holding basins for the coffee that comes in. It will be up in the air and the fruit will be poured in through the depulper. The fruit will come out one side. There will be concrete slabs where the pulp will be dried for use as fertilizer. The beans will come out the other side. They will remain there for eighteen hours, before being heated up and washed to remove the sticky residue. Then the beans will be dried and stored, for use as, well, coffee.

Interior door being stained

Simultaneously, the work on the house is continuing. Iris’s father just brought the interior doors for the house, and the work crew started installing and staining them. And, because he didn’t have enough going on… Russell is assisting another missionary who is opening a coffee shop. Russell is helping with the construction for a couple of hours each afternoon.

Pastors at the evangelism event

It’s also the final week of Pastors Training School. Unrelated to the upcoming graduation, an event was held in the central park on the evening of Oct. 23. The pastors wanted the opportunity to see what a planned, urban evangelism event might look like. The 23rd was also the day Kelsea’s family returned home from their visit. Kelsea and Russell were busy from 4:00 AM until 11:00 PM. When I suggested that maybe his day wouldn’t be so busy on the 24th (the morning we spoke), Russell sounded slightly appalled. He politely reminded me that’s what coffee is for! Drink coffee. → Accomplish a bunch of stuff. → Etc…

 - posted by Christi

You Tell Two Friends, and They Tell Two Friends, and So On . . .

Do you remember the 1970’s and 80’s television commercials for Faberge Organics Shampoo? (Stick with me here!) A smiling woman with crazy good hair held up a bottle and said, “I told two friends about Faberge Organics Shampoo, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on…” Before you knew it, you were looking at a whole bunch of images of the same smiling women holding up a bottle of what seemed to be a phenomenal shampoo!

In the previous post, we talked about Mercedes--the town, the church, and the sponsorship program. We talked about the astounding growth that church has seen, under the leadership of Pastor Israel Portillo, his son, Pastor Melvin Portillo, and his son-in-law, Pastor German Diaz . We talked about some of the wonderful things Pastor Israel has accomplished. Today, we’re going to focus on Pastor Melvin and Pastor German, the two men who are carrying on in the “family business”.

Pastors Melvin and German began attending Pastor’s Training School in 2016. The following year, they returned for their second year. They also served as mentors for the first year students. As long as they were mentoring, they decided to take it a step further. They asked if they could use the Pastor’s Training School materials taught to first year students, and begin their own school in Mercedes!

Pastor German, worshipping at Pastor Training School

This year, Pastor Melvin and Pastor German are in their third year of Pastor Training School, as students. They are now mentoring second year students at that school. They are also taking back material to teach both first and second year students in Mercedes! Currently, twenty-six people are attending the Pastor’s Training School in Mercedes!

Pastor Melvin, at Pastor Training School

Since the students attending this satellite school live in or near Mercedes, Pastors Melvin and German don’t have to worry about finding room and board for those enrolled. This is in contrast to the original Pastor’s Training School, where many students travel great distances to attend. Since there is minimal travel time for students in Mercedes, they are able to meet three Saturdays a month, and they carry a lunch from home.

Pastor Israel told his son and son-in-law about Pastor’s Training School. They mentored students. They started their own Pastor’s Training School. Those pastors will go on and continue to share what they learn with more and more people, and so on, and so on, and so on...

 - posted by Christi

Pop Quiz Time!

We’re going to start this blog post off with a little pop quiz. Don’t worry - it’s multiple choice. You don’t have to answer an essay question. Frankly, I do not have that kind of time to devote to grading these things! Are you ready? Here’s your question:

Whenever Allen Sowers wants to talk about “Mercedes,” he means:

          a) a Mercedes-Benz vehicle, which combines luxury and performance.
          b) a town in Western Honduras.
          c) a church in a town in Western Honduras of the same name
          d) a feeding center in a church and town in Western Honduras of the same name.
          e) any one of three of the above.

Okay. It’s time to grade papers! The correct answer is  “e) any one of three of the above.” You’re so smart, you can probably even guess which three it is!

Today, Allen wanted to chat about the phenomenal growth at the church in Mercedes. When he first met Pastor Israel, in 2005, the pastor was serving at a little church he'd planted about twenty years prior. Pastor Israel is a respected man, who once held a government position, which probably most closely resembles that of County Commissioner in the States. When Allen met him, the Mercedes church was a 25ft x 40ft building, with about 30 adults and 30 children in attendance.

A couple of years later, Pastor Israel approached Allen because he wanted help expanding the building. They tore out the back wall and soon had a 25ft x 60ft building. The church began hosting a feeding program.

Next, Pastor Israel took the roof off the church and made it 2 stories, doubling the amount of available space!

Pastor Israel attended Pastor’s Training School. He became a supervisor for his denomination, having fifteen churches under him. As time passed, more and more kids began attending the feeding center. It grew to over 200 kids! With the help of his son, Pastor Melvin, and his son-in-law, Pastor German, the feeding center became a sponsorship program. The trio also planted 5 more churches outside of Mercedes (the town, not the car). Currently, there are almost 400 children involved in the church and sponsorship center!

At the age of 75, Pastor Israel is not in the best of health. Still, Pastors Melvin and German are able to continue the good work he started. That’s a family legacy that’s more exciting than inheriting a shiny Mercedes-Benz!

 - posted by Christi

Waving a Big, Foam Finger

The number of times a Sowers has asked me to write a blog post about money can almost be counted on one finger, rather than one hand. But, today, I’m waving a big, foam finger in the air and encouraging you to read about Sowers4Pastors current needs.

Allen said, “Every week, we post what is going on in Honduras. We don’t always talk about how these things costing money."

I’ll say it. It costs money to maintain the operation of Sowers4Pastors. Here are a few of the more pressing needs:

• There are currently twenty requests from churches in need of a new roof. Time is of the essence, because it is the dry season in Honduras. At least eight of those requests are very viable--coming from churches who are ready to put new roofs on TODAY! The cost is $1000 per roof.

• Last fall, Sowers4Pastors believed they had a significant commitment from a group wishing to help fund motorcycles for pastors. With that commitment, Russell took to the road and talked to pastors who wished to apply to the program - but then that financial commitment didn't come through. Still, Sowers4Pastors helped thirteen pastors get motorcycles in the fall, with help from various other donors who stepped up to assist with this need, and with some money from the general fund. There are currently ten more pastors Sowers4Pastors would really like to assist with $1000 toward the cost of a motorcycle. At the time of this writing, two of those motorcycles are funded. The other eight are not. Allen pointed out, “So often, when we help a pastor get a motorcycle, he takes that motorcycle and plants another church.” Basically, for $1000, you can help a pastor plant a church!

• The group in the U.S. that partners with Sowers4Pastors by providing food for the feeding centers is ready to donate half a shipping container of food! That is not a paltry amount! Sowers4Pastors needs to come up with the shipping and customs costs to make that happen, which will come to around $4000.

• Pastors Training School is significantly underfunded for the year. As you might recall, Pastors Training School is co-funded by three ministries. At this point, none of them have been able to provide the funding necessary to maintain the operation of the school. March and April classes have already taken place. That means down payments had to be made. The campground had to be rented. Books and other supplies had to be purchased. Those were completed, but more funding is needed, for the school to go forward. As Allen said, “Pastors Training School needs some love! Adequate funding is needed to make this school happen.”

• We’re already looking ahead to the next backpack drive. A lot of the future backpacks will be going to kids the ministry has yet to meet! Allen and Trish have been working on lining up backpack-packers for the back-to-school sales this year, anticipating there will be more and more kindergarteners joining the program this coming school year. As additional children sign up, Sowers4Pastors needs to be ready with backpacks and school shoes. Because every child needs shoes that fit properly, it is necessary to have a surplus of shoes in a variety of sizes, and this requires the ministry to maintain an inventory of shoes - which ties up funds! Additionally, half of the kindergarteners currently registered do not have sponsors yet - and we need to find sponsors for them, to keep the program funded! (Click this link for more info on the sponsorship program, and how to sponsor a child through Manna 4 Lempira.)

• Sowers4Pastors must pay for shipping and customs costs each time a shipping container is sent - and approximately eight containers (most of those containing food) are being shipped throughout the year!

• There’s also the daily running of the ministry, travel to the various feeding centers, etc… it all takes money.

Sometimes when a ministry grows quickly, the funding doesn’t quite catch up to the mission. Allen said, “Sometimes we turn down good, or even great, opportunities, in order to be able to say, ‘yes,’ to the best opportunities.” However, the fact is that the best opportunities often require funding.

Donating is easy - you can find the info you need at the "To Donate" button, just under the title photo at the top of this page. Your help is greatly appreciated!

 - posted by Christi

Shiny Hair and Healthy Smile

If you begin spending extra time fixing your hair in the morning, that doesn’t mean that you stop brushing your teeth! Today, we’re going to chat about the many things going on with Sowers4Pastors. We’ve talked about backpacks and back-to-school stuff for quite a while on Facebook and the blog. Whenever that happens, people invariably ask Russell and Allen, “What’s the deal? Are you guys still working to empower pastors, or are you all about backpacks, child sponsorships, and feeding centers?”

Yes, a lot of time has recently been devoted to passing out backpacks. And, yes, Allen and Trish are getting ready to visit the States so they can get the ball rolling for the next backpack drive. But that is not the only thing Sowers4Pastors is doing. There are fifteen Honduran employees and two (soon to be three) North American interns working with Sowers4Pastors. Even when Allen and Russell are spending extra time distributing backpacks and registering kids at feeding centers, the other work is going on.

Moments before our phone call, Russell had been driving a bulldozer on the coffee farm. They are currently getting ready to plant another ten acres of coffee! Since the purpose of the coffee farm is to help sustain the ministry, while providing work for Hondurans, that is super exciting. They also recently completed a small bridge on the coffee farm, to allow for better access. Russell quipped, “Luckily we know a couple of people who know how to build bridges!” This was the second bridge they’ve built on their property.

Pastors’ Training School is underway. Melvin and Quito have been working at the training school, even when Russell and Allen were finishing up with the backpacks.

Now that the backpack have been delivered, they are able to get ready to put Gifts for Gracias boxes together. Think of it as Phase 2 for the supplies that arrived in the shipping containers. At the time of my conversation with Russell, Iris and two Honduran women were working on preparing the boxes.

Russell pointed out that, even when Allen and Trish return to the U.S., eighteen people will still be on the ground in Honduras, working to empower pastors and oversee the feeding centers, etc… Because, having great hair doesn’t mean you can’t have a healthy smile, too!

 - posted by Christi

Pomp and Circumstance, Honduran Style

Straighten up and look dignified! It’s time for some Pomp and Circumstance at Pastors’ Training School. Well, substitute Pomp and Circumstance for mariachi music, but you get the idea. It’s graduation time and we should all celebrate--Honduran style!

Russell slipped out of the ceremony for around two dozen 2nd year students to tell me about all the goings on. Russell’s father-in-law and two of his brothers-in-law provided the aforementioned mariachi music. There are no caps and gowns, but there are diplomas. There’s not a catered banquet, but they did have ice cream last night. And that’s a pretty sweet way to mark the occasion. Sweeter still, there’s a time to pray over each graduate.

While searching for something clever or moving to say about graduation, I stumbled across a list of the fifteen best graduation speeches of 2016. Some of the speakers whose quotes made the list include President Obama, Steven Spielberg, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of the Broadway hit Hamilton. But my favorite quote from the list is from a speech given by tech gurus Richard and Mary Templeton at Southern Methodist University. Here’s the inspirational nugget:

“Small and steady steps can be quite big and spectacular. They move you to a bigger place.”

The pastors involved in training school have taken the small and steady steps. They have attended classes three days a month for the past eight months. They’ve taken time away from their families and congregations in order to better equip themselves for their roles as biblical leaders.

The star 2nd year students have mentored the 1st year students. They were also responsible for over half of the teaching for the 1st year class. Next year, around twenty 2nd year students will become 3rd year students. The star students will continue to serve as mentors for the class below them. The majority of this year’s 1st year students will come back next year, too. Clay Powell, who heads up the Pastors’ Training School effort is seeking to raise up students from this year’s 1st year class to serve as mentors for next year’s new students.

When the newly graduated 2nd year class leaves, the 1st year students will arrive. They will complete their final three days of classes for the year and will graduate on Friday, October 6th. It should be noted that twenty-seven of the twenty-eight first year students who started the year will receive diplomas. That’s a pretty impressive statistic for a voluntary educational program

Russell is quick to give credit where it is due. Four ministries are responsible for Pastors’ Training School. They are:

• Seeds of Salvation
• 61 Isaiah
• New Beginnings, Honduras (though the missionary family had to leave for medical reasons earlier this year)
• And, of course, Sowers4Pastors.

- posted by Christi

General Terms and Major Doings

A Private Phone Call

This is not Trish on the phone
(This is RJ - Russell Jr)

Each week, I get to have a phone call with a Sowers. It’s not always the same Sowers on the other side of the line, but every conversation starts with a quick overview of the blog topics for the week. This week, Trish was on the phone and she opened with, “We want a post, which talks in general terms about what’s going on and how we see the future of the ministry.”

Some General Terms

• Russell is hard at work with ongoing ministries. Having taken on larger and larger roles in the Sowers4Pastors ministry, Russell is there making sure everything runs without interruption even though Allen and Trish are off on a North American adventure.

• Since some donations have recently been made for this cause, Russell is spreading the word that we are accepting applications from pastors wishing to request assistance purchasing a motorcycle. Russell will then have the chance to sort through the applications and interview pastors who would benefit from having a motorcycle to use in ministering throughout the mountains of Western Honduras.

• There are currently four church projects underway. That is huge, people!

• Pastors’ Training School continues to take place the first week of every month.

• Kids at the feeding centers are continuing to write letters to sponsors. Three guys working for the Sowers have started visiting each center almost every single week. Their visits help to build up enthusiasm among volunteers and keep the centers accountable in their operation.

• The coffee farm is still a big deal, requiring a lot of man hours and oversight.

• A bridge project, which was started in Las Crucitas late last year is back on the planned work schedule. Construction on the vehicle, cable bridge had to be put on hold several times, in order to host teams, etc… The bridge will require an approximate ten more days of work. Since it is currently the rainy season, construction will begin as soon as the swollen river recedes.

Also not Trish on the phone
(This is Abigail)

Major Doings

The Sowers always want to be sure people understand their regular ministries do not go on hold even when Allen and Trish are off gallivanting across the U.S. in a rental truck filled with backpacks. The beauty of this family run ministry is that Russell has received a lifetime of training to serve at the helm. This isn’t exactly a changing of the guard. It’s more of a seamless transition as each Sowers continues to focus on the tasks at hand. - posted by Christi

Pastor Training School - Happening NOW

The second monthly session of pastor training school is happening THIS WEEK, as a collaborative effort involving individuals from several local ministries! Melyssa Cardenas, working with 61 Isaiah Ministry, took some great photos from the early part of the week, and I couldn't wait to share them with all of you.

No more words, now - here come the photos:

Thanks so much, Melyssa!