Merry Christmas AND Matching funds for FOOD!!!!

As the angel, played by Gladys Herdman, said in the classic children’s book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, “Hey! Unto you a child is born!” In case you’re not familiar with the book, consider this your official recommendation. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. It will move you. It’s a story of what happens when a family of the six “worst kids in the history of the world” get involved in a church Christmas pageant. 

While we are celebrating Jesus’s birthday, it’s a good time to remember that Jesus didn’t come just so we could wear our Sunday best while sitting amongst other people, also wearing their Sunday best. As Christ followers, we are called to care for the poor, feed the hungry, and share the Gospel.

Shortly after the time set aside to celebrate the birth of Christ, it will be time to celebrate Allen’s birthday. And Allen always requests gifts to help feed the hungry. Proceeds from Allen’s birthday fundraiser are used to cover a lot of the food shipping costs needed for the upcoming year. This year, there is a matching funds challenge for any amount up to $23K. In theory, the ministry could raise up the $46K to be used for shipping containers of food. Last year’s birthday challenge raised about $50K, so this is not beyond the realm of possibility!

Why is this birthday fundraiser so important? Here are examples of three different MAJOR occasions, when Sowers4Pastors has been asked to jump in and help during a food crisis, beyond their normal feeding programs. 

The first time was when a study was done by the U.N., the Honduran government, and a branch of the Catholic church. The study came back with the finding that 1200 Honduran children in western Honduras were starving to death. Even though the group doing the study had identified the situation, it was going to take some time before they had the resources in place to help. S4P was asked if they could step in immediately - and they were able to do so, providing 100 meals for each child and their families. That was enough food for them to have at least one nutritious, calorie-dense meal per day for three months. 

The second time S4P was called upon to provide immediate food relief, beyond their regular commitments, was after a major earthquake in 2009. People had lost their homes and were in desperate need of everything. Again, other organizations pledged help immediately, but it was weeks before they were on the ground and able to give concrete help - and in the meantime, S4P was able to fill the gap. 

Something similar happened in 2020 when people in many parts of the country lost their homes during the back-to-back hurricanes (Eta and Iota). With each of these three events, Sowers4Pastors was able to provide immediate food assistance. Local pastors were going out and seeing people in need of food. During this time, there was a major increase in pastors requesting food. The number grew to be sixty pastors beyond those who routinely operate feeding programs. Pastors were able to deliver assistance and use the food as an evangelism tool. 

These fast responses were only possible because S4P had the food on hand. That’s why they like to keep more food than is required for the upcoming scheduled meals at the sponsorship and non-sponsorship feeding centers. The food doesn't go to waste, and if there is no emergency, it is used in the regular ministry work.

During COVID restrictions, there were problems with getting the food from the US, to fulfill the regular ministry obligations. The organization that normally provides the food at no charge if S4P can cover the shipping costs was unable to package food. That was the one instance when Sowers4Pastors had to pay for the actual cost of the food to fill three containers (in addition to paying the cost of shipping and entry fees). Several churches stepped up to the plate and held socially-distanced packing events. The ministry paid an additional $100K for the much-needed food. This was possible because of your generous donations!

Sowers4Pastors has been blessed to have the funds, the storage space and the manpower to keep a large quantity of food on hand. They want to do the best they can to be ready when there is a crisis. Other individuals and organizations might have the desire to help but may not have the resources available to provide immediate assistance. This is why S4P believes it is their responsibility to use their resources to keep an emergency supply of food on hand. 

Allen said, “It is prudent to have resources (money and storage space) so that when a container is offered, we are able to take it. We never want to say that we can’t accept food because we don’t have the money to ship it.”

You will be able to make donations to Allen’s Birthday Fundraiser via Facebook or through the Sowers4Pastors website. When making a donation through the website, simply make a note that you would like the funds to be used for this purpose. 

Merry Christmas to you all!

 - posted by Christi

Kelsea tries (and tries, and tries) to return to Honduras

 

I think we all can agree that 2020 has been a challenging year.  The combination of COVID-19, a record hurricane season, wildfires, the U.S. election, and a myriad of other events, has been a lot. This year has required a new level of flexibility as plans are now more than ever ALWAYS subject to change. If you are a faithful follower of ours on social media, you’ve no doubt seen the many ways we have had to adapt our plan for the year in order to stay safe and accommodate Coronavirus regulations while addressing the even more prevalent needs of the Honduran people we work with. 

That being said, travel has seemed to be a new obstacle that this year has presented to our staff members- to Kelsea in particular. Some of you may recall the challenge she had getting back to her family in Washington State in June because of flight cancelations due to COVID-19 and a tropical storm. She finally got back and then ended up spending the summer in the states because the borders to Honduras were closed. 

Unfortunately, the travel obstacles did not end there! Kelsea had plans to return to Honduras on October 30th after completing the West to East coast road trip with Kirstin and Russell and then spending a month in Florida with the Richardson family helping them pack and organize backpacks and other ministry items for the shipping container. Currently, the Honduran government is requiring a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of traveling in order to enter the country. Russell brought multiple tests from Honduras for nurse Kirstin to administer to the staff members as each of them prepared to return. Russell was the guinea pig at the end of September to confirm whether the tests he brought would be enough to reenter Honduras, and he was successful! This was good news as it meant we wouldn’t have to pay hundreds of dollars for a COVID test in the U.S…or so we thought.

When Kelsea’s day to travel arrived, she showed up at the airport with the exact same test and paperwork that Russell had used a month before. Turns out the regulations had changed slightly and it was denied by the airline. Kelsea was not allowed to board her flight and instead was put on a flight two days later. She made a trip that afternoon to an urgent care clinic, received a new test (negative again!), and prepared to leave on Sunday. When she arrived at the airport, the test still was not official enough for the airline and she was denied boarding again! Apparently, the airline representatives did not want the presence of any handwriting on the test result, which is difficult to find among most rapid testing centers. So, Kelsea was scheduled to leave the next morning instead- if she was able to find an acceptable testing center, that is. After much searching, she finally found a clinic that would print out the results for her in a specific way. The next day, with the help of the newly formatted test results, a different airline agent, and many prayers, Kelsea was able to fly out of Orlando to Houston where she would catch the plane to Honduras. 

 Or not! When Kelsea arrived in Houston, she found her gate and boarded the plane to San Pedro Sula without any issues. Once everyone had boarded, the captain announced that the flight had been canceled due to the approaching hurricane Eta that was about to hit the coast of Nicaragua. Although disappointed, Kelsea was able to get a flight the next morning to Tegucigalpa (the capital of Honduras) which is more inland and therefore less affected by the storm. She booked a hotel to stay the night in Houston and then headed to the airport in the morning. Thankfully, her COVID test was still valid and she was able to reenter the airport easily. When she arrived, however, she found that her flight had been cancelled due to weather. After conferring with Russell, she decided to try and fly to El Salvador since it was unaffected by the hurricane and would only take an hour longer for Russell and Quito to pick her up there. She got her ticket and bags transferred, boarded the plane and flew to El Salvador. When she arrived, she was told that her COVID test was different from the one they require to enter the country, so they wouldn’t let her leave the airport. After discussing her options, she debated flying to Guatemala (since they accept the same test as Honduras) and taking a bus to the border of Honduras where Russell and Quito would meet her. However, in the end she chose to fly back to Houston rather than risking not being able to make the flight to Guatemala and having to spend the night in the El Salvador airport. 

Currently, Kelsea is in Houston staying at a hotel near the airport waiting for the hurricane to pass. She has a flight for Friday to Tegucigalpa, weather permitting and meanwhile has to get her 4th COVID test in order to travel since each test is only valid for 72 hours. Although this has been frustrating, Kelsea is glad to be safe and is more concerned for those in Honduras who are suffering firsthand from the flooding and destruction that is caused by the hurricane. While prayers would be appreciated for Kelsea to arrive in Honduras soon- more importantly prayers are needed for the victims of this storm who are in a dangerous position right now. In situations like these, it's a beautiful thing to know that we serve a God who holds this world - even this chaotic 2020 world - in His hands.

 - posted by Kelsea

Hurricane Eta in Honduras

Even though your newsfeed is likely filled with things other than the weather today, let’s take a moment to divert our attention to Hurricane Eta. Trish’s first words when we spoke about this were, “I wish I were there. I’m not feeling like, ‘Thank goodness I’m here. I’m safe.’” Reading the following, it’s easy to understand why her heart is where the hurricane is.

It has been 22 years and a few days since Hurricane Mitch hit Honduras. While Mitch may not ring a bell with you, it’s not something the people of Honduras are likely to forget anytime soon. At least 10,000 (some sources say 15,000) people were killed, though the actual number could be much higher. At a certain point, they simply stopped counting. 

Trish is far from an alarmist and she pointed out that the area around Gracias was not impacted as badly by Hurricane Mitch as other parts of the country. The potential danger is very real, but the hope is that Eta will not be as strong as Mitch when it reaches Honduras. Also, since Gracias fared better with Mitch than other geographical areas there is a good chance that it won’t be at the center of the problems with Eta. 

The storm is hitting Nicaragua first. It hit the eastern coast of Nicaragua first, and is crossing the country east to west. Since storms downgrade as they cross land, it shouldn’t be nearly that strong when it hits Honduras. At the time we spoke, Eta was expected to enter Honduras at around 1:00 pm on Nov. 4th as a tropical storm. Eta is taking her own sweet time and is moving westward at 7mph. She was originally projected to be a smaller hurricane, and to downgrade faster once hitting land, so she’s clearly got a mind of her own. Gracias is approximately 160 miles from the border, as the crow flies, to give you an idea of how long it will be before it reaches Gracias. 

Bridge washed out near La Ceiba, Honduras

Flooding was the primary cause of deaths from Mitch and it is the biggest concern with Eta. Flooding rivers and mudslides are the real danger. Honduras has already been experiencing rain since Sunday or Monday, depending on the location. The ground is beyond saturated and there are already reports of some bridges being washed out in Honduras before the storm has officially arrived. 

Hurricane Mitch hit in the north and traveled south. Eta is coming from the east and going west. Gracias is sort of on the edge of the cone of possibility of where the storm will hit. This could impact a lot of the feeding centers that are farther out from Gracias. On a national scale, it should be mentioned that cities like Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula don’t handle flooding well. There will likely be a lot of damage, and this couldn’t come at a worse time. 

The economy is still suffering the effects of COVID-19. And tropical storms, flooding, and mudslides don’t mix well with the crops in the ground. If the country’s crops are destroyed . . . well, it’s something no one wants to think about. Trish mentioned that Sowers4Pastors is now even MORE grateful to the people who have packed food and to those who continue to do so. 

Kim Hall has been working with a group of people to purchase tarps and go out to homes they knew needed additional roofing. Please pray that there will be minimal wind and rain damage for everyone. When you pray for your sponsored children, remember their families, pastors, and all of Honduras. 

Russell and Iris are at home with their children. Remember that Iris is due to deliver baby #3 in the next few weeks. Rachel and Nathan are currently in the U.S., but Rachel’s husband, his sisters, and the college girls who live with them, are all still in Tegucigalpa. Rachel’s home is near the river, so that is another thing to add to the prayer list. It’s not easy for Allen and Trish to be away right now when there is so much happening on the home front, so don’t forget to pray for their stress levels, too. 

Also - stay tuned for the next blog post in which Kelsea relates her ongoing attempts to re-enter Honduras. THAT story is quite a page-turner!

 - posted by Christi

Face to Face Stories: The Academic High Achiever

The disciples of Jesus had lived a dream. For three years, they followed Jesus, witnessing miracle after miracle. It was a life they never could have expected. So what did they do when they thought that the door had closed on that future?

Peter, Andrew, James, and John went back and picked up the nets they had dropped to follow Jesus. When Jesus found them in Galilee, he found them doing what they knew how to do—fishing. Fishing was vital work, and honorable work—but we know that God had another occupation in mind for these men.

Many young people in our Manna 4 Lempira programs are living a similar experience during this season of quarantine. Having been empowered, encouraged, and equipped to stay in school they have chased a different dream for their lives—something that may have been outside the realm of possibility for their parents. But with the drastic disruption in the normalcy of life here, including closure of schools and businesses, these youth are going back to what they know. 

Everywhere I look these days, I see corn fields—sprouting green rows of hope pushing up through the broken earth. And in these fields are young men like “Jose”. 

Their work is skilled work. As someone whose gardens never produce more than a few wrinkly tomatoes, I envy the intelligence, experience, and hard work that produces fruitful fields. I’m thankful for their work too, as a consumer dependent on this vital harvest. However, I know that in these fields are young men who, when given the opportunity, also have other affinities that can impact the futures of their communities in other positive ways.

Last year, I stood beside Jose, bursting with pride, as he graduated from high school with top honors. I know the struggle that his family has endured to get this far. Life has not been easy, even without the complications of coronavirus. But in spite of bitter circumstances that made him man of the house at a young age, Jose is a kind, godly, young man with a servant’s heart. He is always smiling his dazzling smile, optimistic and happy. His hands are best suited for skilled work at a keyboard, his keen mind best challenged by rows of computer code. With the impact of coronavirus, his dream to major in Information Technology at the local university died for a season. Instead of typing intricate rows of code, he plants orderly rows of corn.

I stood by Jose’s side recently and listened to him share about his work, blisters on his sun-browned hands and determination in his coffee black eyes. Jose is doing what he must do to provide for his family at this time. With his mother’s stall in the local market closed for 100 days, Jose is working to feed her and his four siblings. Right now, it’s hard to think ahead to a future in information technology. He must think about putting meals on the table.

This situation highlights the vital role of sponsorship in the life of a young person. As the situation with COVID-19 continues to develop—and hopefully wind down—in Honduras, we are here, forming a safety net to ensure that Jose’s dreams don’t die. We will be here as a ministry to continue encouraging Jose and many like him to pursue their dreams. We will continue to supplement their food supply with crisis provisions to encourage Jose and take some of the burden from his young shoulders.

The disciples of Jesus went back to fishing—but not for long. God had plans that nothing could stop for those men to share a message that would change the world. We are no less confident that God has plans to change homes, communities, and Honduras through the lives of young people like Jose. We know that whether God’s plan is for Jose to bless his community through productive fields or through technology, coronavirus can’t stop that plan—and we want to be there to help Jose reach his full potential for his country and for God’s kingdom.

 - posted by Kim

If you'd like to help with the cost of distributing food 

to the struggling families in western Honduras,
here is a link where you can do so:

Click here to donate

Face to Face Stories: The Famous Doña Manuela

When I met Doña Manuela, I didn’t know she was famous. I didn’t know that everyone in (and around) Gracias has grown up craving her delicious bread, made in the huge, white, adobe oven that squats outside her humble home in a village outside of town. After I spent a day in the kitchen with the Doña and began to share my experience, it quickly became clear that she is a household name. Countless people have shared memories of her mouthwatering empanadas or rich tortas.

The reason I arrived at the home of the Doña was not on a quest for the perfect bread, but to share bags of crisis provisions with her family. Her grandchildren live in the home and are beneficiaries of the Manna 4 Lempira program. Early in the pandemic, I had been contacted by the oldest grandchild. There was no food in their home. If Doña Manuela is a locally revered artisan of bread, how did the situation for her family become so needy so fast?

Before COVID-19, her custom had been to bring her famous breads to town for purchase by her shockingly extensive clientele. Now, with a restriction on vulnerable people over 60 leaving their homes as a safeguard against the virus, Doña Manuela can not leave her village to sell. Her son, who typically supplements the income in the home as a taxi driver, is also unable to work due to government restrictions on transportation.

The situation of Doña Manuela and her family during this crisis sheds light on the delicate balance of survival here in Honduras. When conditions are normal, life is hard. It requires a daily commitment to hard work—days spent in the backbreaking labor of kneading breads and baking it in the scorching oven, and then transporting it to town and carrying it through the market to earn a modest income. Most of this income is reinvested in the business and used to feed the family, and not much is left for savings. Barring sickness or disaster, a living is possible—but it is a day to day living. Any disruption in the daily routine is devastating and quickly leads to desperation

Providing crisis relief is crucial in this time as a way of carrying hard-working families through until they are able to resume their normal activities. Doña Manuela and her family will, God willing, arrive on the other side of this pandemic to continue blessing the residents of Gracias with her delicious creations—thanks to the generosity of donors who have provided emergency food provisions for families like hers.

 - posted by Kim Hall

Food Crisis Update

As stated in the May 18th post, Honduras is experiencing severe repercussions due to the novel Coronavirus. Sowers4Pastors has gone from feeding 14,000 kids twice a week to feeding 20,000 kids three times a week, due to the ongoing economic crisis. This equals more than twice as many meals. 

Click here to donate

Since putting out the word about the food crisis in Honduras, and more specifically in their ministry, Sowers4Pastors has received a big response from churches and individuals. Praise God, that generosity has already allowed for some much-needed purchases to meet immediate needs!  

To date, the ministry has bought 2400 lbs of dried corn (used for making tortillas), 1200 lbs of vitamin-enriched Quaker oatmeal, 1000 lbs of dried beans, and 1000 lbs of rice. Those items, purchased in country, are already starting to go out in distribution, along with the fortified rice Sowers4Pastors already has in their stockpile. Allen believes that it will be necessary to supplement the regular fortified rice that Sowers4Pastors usually distributes, in this manner, for the remainder of 2020. 

Kim Hall, director of Manna 4 Lempira, had already been raising funds for this purpose. She has been passing out supplemental foods to families in the Manna locations. Sowers4Pastors has been adding to that supply and they will continue to do so-- only now they will be adding some of the supplemental foods as well. Kim applied for and received permission from the Honduran government to travel on days other than her official travel days for the purpose of distributing food. She has already put out 1,000 family packs of food! 

Sowers4Pastors is continuing to take care of the regular needs of the feeding programs. As always, they are in contact with the sister church pastors and pastors with the general feeding programs and have assurances that the food is going out. They are asking the pastors to be strategic about getting extra food to those with the greatest needs. 

Given the current crisis, Allen’s inability to take “no” for an answer has once again proven to be a beneficial character trait! After repeated contact with the people who normally ship the Sowers4Pastors food containers, he was able to get a container of food prioritized for the Sowers4Pastors feeding programs. This container will contain half rice and soy, and half fortified oatmeal, and is estimated to provide 500,000 child servings. Originally, the food would not have arrived for 6-8 months, but Allen was able to get the time reduced to 2-3 months. This food is donated to the ministry free of charge, but Sowers4Pastors will still have to pay $10,000 in shipping and customs fees. Since the shipment will not arrive for a couple months, and due to the increased need, the current stockpile will run out before then, which means that Sowers4Pastors will have to continue to supplement with food purchased in country at an increased cost. 

As stated in previous posts, part of the breakdown in the system is that normally food is given to the ministry for free, but due to Covid-19, the groups that normally package food have not been able to host packing events. Because of this situation, less food is available at a time when the food is most needed!

Allen is in the process of implementing a food packing event. He is working with churches in Maryland to get another container filled for shipping. This food will not be free to Sowers4Pastors, but will be sold below cost. Allen is reaching out to the various churches in Maryland that are involved with the ministry to help cover the cost of the food in addition to the shipping. The estimated total cost for this second container will be $34,000. This includes the food, shipping and customs.The filled container is expected to yield over 600,000 child servings of food. 

Sowers4Pastors is looking for volunteers in Maryland to help with the packing and funding of this container. Lighthouse Church has committed to helping package and pay for a portion of the food.

Allen said, “We are stepping out in faith that we will find other partners to help with the remainder of this need. This container will be shipped as soon as we come up with all funds and the food is packaged and loaded. Please consider donating your time or finances.” The Sowers4Pastors crew also asks for ongoing prayer that they will be able to continue to meet this monumental need, with your help!

Thank you to everyone who has donated money to this cause. Thanks also to everyone praying about it. Sowers4Pastors appreciates it more than words can say. The people who would not otherwise have food appreciate it, too! 

Click here to donate

- posted by Christi

Coronavirus in Lempira Honduras - Update

A line graph showing the diagnosed cases of coronavirus in the department of Lempira would illustrate a small outbreak in one city (La Union) and then nothing for weeks and weeks, followed by a little spike of cases in scattered locations.

The lack of confirmed cases for that period may be related to the fact that Honduras has not been able to do a lot of testing. The country’s testing recently jumped from 100 tests per day to between 300-500 tests per day. There has been a surge in confirmed cases all over the country, as the number of cases has jumped proportionately to the increase in testing.

Aside from a small cluster of cases in the city of La Union, there has not been a cluster anywhere else in the department of Lempira. One case pops up in a remote village and then another case pops up in another far-removed village. It’s like a giant game of Whack-a-Mole.

One possible reason for the isolated cases might be that the area is largely poor and many people never check in with a doctor. In the U.S., if you are showing a few symptoms, you likely contact your physician. That’s simply not the way things work in rural Honduras. The hypothesis is that the asymptomatic people and those with milder cases are spreading the illness, while only the very sick - who also have some money - go in for medical attention and testing.

Disclaimer - this is a Trish-created map, and should
not be assumed to be 100% accurate

There are currently cases in villages all around the Sowers’ home--though none are super close.  Currently, the area’s restrictions are about the same as other places in Honduras. People are permitted to get out to grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, hardware stores, and banks - one day every other week. Only the big cities have more restrictions in place.

The spread is slow and hard to track. Trish said it is certainly not a scary situation, though she is continuing to be vigilant with precautions because the virus is now known to be in communities near them. It was just a matter of time before it began spreading into the smaller communities. There was one case involving a hospital worker in Gracias. The Sowerses have heard that a person with symptoms from another part of Lempira went to the hospital, and that contact caused the staff member to become infected.

At this time, there are no reported cases of the coronavirus in any of the sponsorship centers. There are no known cases within the Sowers4Pastors general feeding program, either.

Food Relief

When this started, the people in rural communities were better off than people in the city. Now, even people with their own land are struggling, with no way to earn money to purchase food. The rain may make things a little easier, as crops grow.

The funds being donated toward the food crisis will be used to purchase food within Honduras. A donation of $100 will purchase 1000 meals at the higher price of 10 cents per meal (the food that is normally shipped in costs the ministry about 2 cents per meal). 1000 meals may sound like a lot, but remember that Sowers4Pastors is trying to feed between 14,000-15,000 kids and some of their family members as much as five meals per week. As you make your monthly budget, please don’t forget to make this a priority if you can.

We're very grateful to all of those who have donated so far, toward this emergency! If you'd like to help, here is the link for donating:

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

 - posted by Christi

Coronavirus Causes Severe Crisis for Children

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This is a long post about a serious situation, so here's a summary: 

Many people are literally starving in Honduras now, because the coronavirus lockdown has kept them from working for over two months! Sowers4Pastors normally feeds around 14,000 children twice weekly - but the need has grown exponentially beyond that. To purchase additional food, so that more people can be fed much more frequently, additional funds are urgently needed! (Details in the post below.)

Click here to donate

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All over Honduras, people are going hungry, because they do not have the resources to buy or grow food. In a country where so many people were already walking an economic tightrope to survive, this situation is beyond serious - it is devastating! Honduras has currently been on lockdown for 50+ days. People are completely out of resources. This is obviously a huge prayer request. It’s also an opportunity for those of us that are not worried about where our next meal will come from to step up and do the right thing.

Through social media, Trish is able to keep tabs on other missionaries throughout Honduras. In most every case, no matter what the missionary does in their regular ministry, right now they are buying food and giving it away. That’s how great the need is. Most of these ministries are working hard to feed several hundred people in their area.

The situation with Sowers4Pastors is different because their regular ministry already deals with feeding people. They already have a system in place. That system is currently straining to keep up with the increased needs.

On any given day, Sowers4Pastors operates four different types of feeding programs. The Manna 4 Lempira program feeds kids twice a week through a local church. Besides the spiritual aspect, the goal of the program is to stave off malnourishment. The food emphasis is about getting the kids’ nutrition up to an appropriate level. The sister church programs operate in much the same way, except they are run by local pastors out of the public schools. The general feeding centers, run by pastors in their churches, provide for kids who aren't in a location with a sponsorship program. In the past, much of the money for those centers has come from the sponsorship program. There is a fourth type of feeding program, which rarely gets a mention.

The emergency feeding program is utilized to feed those in dire need, on a case by case basis. One time it fed a community that was hard hit by an earthquake. Once it fed children in a time the Honduran government and the U.N. estimated that there were 1500 children who were at imminent risk of starving to death. During both of those emergencies, Sowers4Pastors provided people with one meal a day for 100 days. More often, the emergency fund is used to feed one family at a time that has been brought to the Sowers’ attention by a local pastor.

With four levels of feeding programs already up and running, Sowers4Pastors is uniquely qualified to offer assistance. In that mixture of ministries, they were already feeding more than 14,000 kids on a regular basis. But now the balance has shifted and the emergency feeding program has skyrocketed to the top of the list. This is obviously causing Sowers4Pastors to refocus their energies and try to do more, given the current emergency situation.

The program has shifted from a focus of staving off malnourishment to the focus of helping those with food insecurity. Trish was hesitant to use the word “starvation” since that is a medical term. When you come right down to it, “food insecurity” that can result in ultimate loss of life looks an awful lot like starvation. Prior to this, there was never a time when Sowers4Pastors was trying to prevent profound food insecurity on an ongoing basis. Now, many people do not know where the food is coming from for their next meal. They don’t know when that next meal might be. They are in a cycle that might best be described as “intermittent starvation.” (Eat when you can. Go hungry when you can’t.) The needs have multiplied and the ministry’s operational structure is not set up for this.

The issues of feeding the malnourished and feeding those at risk of starvation are different. Sowers4Pastors is trying to pinpoint the amount of help that will be appropriate to give a specific family or community. As Trish said, “When the level of need is this great, and resources are limited, you have to be strategic. If you overgive in one place, you can’t help as many people.”

The ministry is very concerned about good stewardship and cost-effectiveness. In previous blog posts, Allen had predicted that they would have trouble getting food for the feeding programs. Those predictions have been confirmed. The organization that usually provides Sowers4Pastors with food has not been able to package food in months. At the same time, they have requests coming in from all over the world. There are widespread needs because of Covid-19 and the locust plague in East Africa, plus massively increased need within the US. The organization is no longer accepting new requests for food assistance. Sowers4Pastors has been receiving food from this organization for 14 years. They have been told to expect that it will be at least a year before they receive a shipment. Given the current situation, it could be much longer than that.

Sowers4Pastors currently has enough food to feed kids in their pre-coronavirus amounts for about three months. Because of the increased need, Allen speculates that they have, at most, a two-month supply.

Even in a time of crisis, they can’t simply put the cheapest food on the plate and do an appropriate job. Allen and Kim Hall have been researching to find the least expensive, most nutritious food available locally. That appears to be fortified oatmeal. If you’re not familiar with fortified oatmeal, that’s because it’s not readily available in the U.S. This may be something that Quaker Oats sells in only those countries with the greatest risk of malnutrition. The good thing about the oatmeal is that it’s a food the people are familiar with and will eat.

The feeding centers currently use a mixture of rice, soy, vegetables, and vitamin powder. Sowers4Pastors was paying between 1-2 cents per meal to get it transported and distributed. The best estimate is that oatmeal will cost ten cents a meal. As you can see, this price difference can mean one of two things: 1) Raise a lot more money, or 2) Feed fewer people. There’s really no choice when it comes to doing the right thing. Basically, kids are at risk of starving to death unless additional funds are raised.

Even if the number of meals served at the feeding centers stayed the same, that would mean an increase of $0.02-$0.04 per week/per child and $0.20 per week/per child. And no one wants to try to live off of a nutritional supplement twice a week. To be most effective, the volume should increase to one meal per day.

One of the goals of the sponsorship program was always to help fund the feeding of kids from 120 other locations where there is no sponsorship program. Those pastors are showing up regularly now, to pick up food. There’s even a steady stream of pastors who used to run feeding centers, but stepped away from it because they no longer wanted or needed to do so, who are now asking to start up again. Allen and Trish stress that feeding the sponsored children will be their highest priority, as part of their commitment to the sponsors. Without a dramatic increase in funds, that will mean less for the others.

Some people have offered donations of items such as rice and beans. While those foods don’t contain the vitamins needed to stave off malnutrition, it is possible that Sowers4Pastors will be looking at providing kids with 2 meals of fortified oatmeal and five meals of rice and beans each week. While much is unknown, this much is certain: The cost of food is increasing 10x and the need for food is increasing astronomically.

There is a profound need for people to donate to the feeding programs. Allen is continuing to think outside of the box and explore options for getting food shipped to Honduras. He is hoping to be able to set up some social distancing food packing events in the U.S. and fill a shipping container. People would donate money to pack a certain amount of food. If you are interested in this, you can reach out to Allen or Trish. With the restrictions in the U.S, the earliest this could happen would probably be August or September.

The problem is that if a container is filled and shipped in August, it will arrive in late September. The current food supply will not last beyond July 15th. Sowers4Pastors is trying to feed 20,000 kids for an undetermined amount of time. Unlike the U.S., which has pumped in trillions of dollars toward coronavirus relief, Honduras has nothing to pump in. The government is currently giving out some small boxes of food, but that is nowhere near the level of help that is needed. Even that is happening more in the cities than in the rural communities served by Sowers4Pastors.

Sponsors know how rewarding it is to look at pictures of cute kids and commit to providing ongoing assistance to a specific child. Some of you looked at a photo of a child and said, “I’ve got to sponsor that one.” Thank you for your “got to” giving.

The current need goes beyond that. There won’t be letters. You will never know which children were helped by your generosity. Think of this as “get to” giving. Through your donation, you get to touch the lives of many children, at a time when they need it the most.

Click here to donate

 - posted by Christi

The Buzz About Mosquito Nets

You’ve heard of malaria, but are you familiar with its evil comrade, dengue fever? Like malaria, dengue is spread by mosquitoes. Dengue is incredibly painful and has earned the nickname bone-break fever, because the aches are so severe. Other parts of the world call it bone-crusher disease. Although Honduras has been having a particularly large number of Dengue cases this year, Gracias and its surrounding areas are not typically at high risk for dengue, so it hasn’t been mentioned here before. Last week, however, one of the Manna 4 Lempira communities had an outbreak.

The community contacted Kim Hall and asked for help transporting children to the hospital. Kim recognized the severity of the situation and immediately put out a plea for funds to purchase mosquito bed nets for children in the affected area. Rather than having sponsors purchase netting for their own sponsored children, the paraphrased plea was, “Help if you want to help. We will use the funds in places with the greatest risk.”

The response was generous and Manna 4 Lempira was able to purchase nets for the two most at-risk communities. The project is still open if you are interested in giving. Due to the urgency of this project, donations are going through the Halls' PayPal rather than the Sowers4Pastors website. A donation of $10 can help purchase one net and acetaminophen needed in case of an infection. The PayPal address is:

kames1217@bellsouth.net

Dengue typically strikes low-lying, wet areas with a dense population. The areas served by Manna 4 Lempira/ Sowers4Pastors are higher, typically drier, and not densely populated. Netting will be distributed based on the actual risk to each community.

Strong people are not likely to die from dengue. However, Manna 4 Lempira/ Sowers4Pastors deal with a more vulnerable population. The disease hits especially hard in children suffering from malnutrition.

As mentioned above, Honduras has been having a terrible dengue season. Hospitals are running out of supplies. The official recommendation by multiple health organizations seems to be: Don’t get mosquito bites! It’s a common sense approach that involves wearing long sleeves, avoiding areas with standing water, and using mosquito nets on beds.

In case you’re wondering if there is a vaccine for dengue, a “partially effective” vaccine became available in 11 countries in 2016. Honduras is not one of those countries. Even if it were available, the three recommended doses would cost hundreds of dollars per person. Oh, and it’s only recommended for people who have been previously infected. It is believed it may worsen the outcome for people who have the vaccine prior to a first infection. “Partially effective” seems like a very good way to describe the vaccine! Mosquito netting, on the other hand, is highly effective!

 - posted by Christi

Read This One in Italics: The feeding centers are experiencing a food crisis!

Chatting with any member of the Sowers family is normally incredibly uplifting. Generally speaking, you leave a conversation ready to go out and serve God! Allen, Trish, and Russell are not ones to over-sensationalize things. So, when my most recent weekly phone call with Allen and Trish felt like a punch in the gut, I knew things were dire. The feeding centers are experiencing a food crisis. In case that doesn’t make you tear up, you should probably read it again in italics. The feeding centers are experiencing a food crisis!

Several weeks ago, Allen and Trish requested prayer regarding the fact that the food supply for the feeding centers was running low. To date, that problem has not been resolved. Basically, what happened is there has simply been too much of an outcry for food worldwide. A lot of groups have refocused their efforts on feeding children in North America, which is also a noble cause. However, it has left organizations like Sowers4Pastors in a lurch. Add to this a hard winter in northern states, which resulted in lower food production, crises in Africa, and political unrest in Haiti (which has resulted in a food shortage) and you have the perfect storm.

The backup suppliers that Sowers4Pastors would normally turn to don’t have any food either. Often these groups will borrow food from each other, but so far everyone Allen has spoken with has been out of food, or the food is already committed. There doesn't seem to be any food to borrow.

To top it off, Lempira has just experienced one of its longest dry seasons. There was an early start to the most recent dry season, so that was extra long. Then, once the rainy season arrived, there hasn’t been as much rain as usual. Families that would normally be relying on their gardens for food at this time of year have stunted plants that aren’t producing well. This is hitting families from all socioeconomic brackets. The people who typically make decent livings as coffee growers are being forced to use the coffee money they would normally use for other things, to purchase food they would typically grow. It has put a tremendous amount of stress on everyone. As Trish said, “When you live in an area where people are living right on the line of survival, it doesn’t take much to cross over that line.”

Normally, Sowers4Pastors operates 150 feeding centers, which feed 14,000 children two meals each week. At this point, between 60-70 feeding centers are completely out of food. Allen has advised the centers that still have a small supply of food to begin feeding only once a week. You may recall that they feed twice per week because that is what it takes to stave off chronic malnutrition.

Sowers4Pastors has been in Lempira for twelve years. At the time they arrived, an estimated 50% of children suffered from chronic malnutrition or starvation. Things are quickly returning to the conditions of twelve years ago. Even pastors who don’t normally operate feeding centers are requesting to open a Sowers4Pastors feeding center because their communities are hungry. The Sowers are being forced to turn them away.

The normal operating costs for feeding 14,000 children two meals a week is only $560 per week. If Sowers4Pastors was to buy food locally of a variety that is similarly fortified, which would cost approximately 50 cents per meal, they would be looking at a whopping $14,000 per week. Naturally, that amount is not in the budget. Unless a lot of people begin sending a lot of money, purchasing food locally is simply not an option.

Currently, the best-case scenario concerning the arrival of a food shipment is five weeks out. That is in no way guaranteed. If another crisis occurs anywhere in the world, there is a good chance of that shipment being diverted. Because this has been a problem for a while, even the feeding centers with a supply of food do not have the amount they would normally have. For months now, Sowers4Pastors has been giving centers a one-month supply of food, versus the 3-month supply they would normally give.

What can you do? Pray. Allen requested that you pray they will find food and that they will find it fast. Pray for the families struggling to survive. Sowers4Pastors continues to aggressively follow up on all possible leads. If you have ever helped pack meals for the program and have any leads on a possible food supplier, please contact Trish or Allen.

You can also donate, through the Sowers4Pastors website - choose the "Feeding Center Program" to designate the donation toward this need.

Thanks so much for your prayers, donations and any contacts you may have, to help us resolve this difficult situation!

 - posted by Christi

The Sowers' Series of Unfortunate Events

Are you familiar with the children’s book series, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket? Lemony Snicket did not corner the market on A Series of Unfortunate Events, as you will clearly see should you choose to continue reading this epic tale of woeful circumstances, which flowed together to make for an incredibly trying time for the Sowers family. Unlike Lemony Snicket, however, this post doesn’t begin with the line, “If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book.” Ultimately, the story of The Sowers Series of Unfortunate Events does not come to a tragic end. For that, we can all be thankful!

Normally, my posts for Allen and Trish are all about what’s going on in their ministry. This week, Trish asked me to share some more personal details. Mainly, she wants me to stress that, although some trying things have happened recently, they are pushing through!

Foreshadowing

When a visiting team arrived last week, Allen and Trish already knew there was potentially something wrong with Allen’s heart. He had a couple of tests done and was planning on returning to the doctor for additional tests and possibly treatment, after the team left.

Never a Dull Moment

Tuesday, May 23rd was a particularly crazy day. Trish was in her house when she heard the dogs barking. While she was looking out the front door, a strange man entered the backdoor. He said someone wanted to kill him, and that they were chasing him! Iris and Trish moved the distressed man out of sight until Russell was able to get there (about 45 minutes later) to contact the police and de-escalate the situation.

The hospital where the procedure was done.

While Trish’s heart was still pounding over that excitement, Allen was completing the construction project with the team - though he assures us that he was only supervising, not working physically. With the construction part of the week done, on Wednesday morning Allen and Trish headed to the hospital in San Pedro Sula, where a scheduled catheter examination morphed into a long procedure to repair numerous serious problems in Allen's arteries. (Details on the hospital events can be found here.) Trish spent Thursday trying to scrape together the money to pay for the unanticipated cost of the huge procedure. (This post gives more details on the "trying to spring Allen from the hospital" part of things.)

This is a photo from the Honduran newspaper,
La Prensa, showing Dr Somoza, who is
Allen's cardiologist.

Allen spent one night in the hospital, in an
intensive care room like this one.

Stormy Weather

On Friday, May 26th, Allen and Trish were in a hotel in San Pedro Sula, where Allen was recuperating from surgery, and Trish was recuperating from being married to a man who just had heart surgery. Russell was away from the property, driving the visiting team from Gracias to San Pedro, to catch their return flight. Even Iris and the kids were away from home for a few hours. That’s when a gigantic storm hit the property. A lightning strike damaged their solar power equipment, leaving the property without power. The storm also blew down thirty pine trees on the property. On the coffee farm, trees are incredibly important for the shade they provide, and these trees will have to be replaced quickly. Members of the work crew ran a generator until the Sowerses returned home--saving the food in the freezer and providing lights for security. Before returning from San Pedro Sula, Russell and Allen purchased several smaller power inverters, which will provide the families with minimal power, as a stop-gap.

In a week or so, another local missionary will be hosting a visiting team. That team will bring a piece of replacement equipment, which, while not as good as what the Sowerses previously had, will be better than what they can purchase in Honduras. As Trish said, “Until the end-of-the-year container arrives, we’ll be limping along with power shortages.”

One More Thing

On Saturday, May 27th, Trish received word Ben had gotten into some trouble at school, as kids tend to do. That meant she needed to stop at the school on their way home from San Pedro Sula. Trish had intended to take Allen home and then turn around and go back to the school, but the stop and overnight stay for Trish prevented her from having to travel quite so much. (Allen and Russell continued home that day - as they were urgently needed to address the solar power situation.) The good news is that Ben’s teachers say he is trying harder in school and has good participation in class. He is turning in assignments and, academically, he is moving in the right direction. He's promises to try to obey the school's rules better, too.

A Happier Ending

Trish pointed out this is not the first time A Series of Unfortunate Events has happened to them since they’ve been missionaries. Just last year, while Allen and Russell were in Haiti on a bridge project, there was a daytime robbery and an attempted nighttime robbery, followed by a damaging lightning strike, in relatively quick succession. But this was the biggest cluster of bad things so far (and that’s coming from a woman who was kidnapped with her son!). For the most part, both Allen and Trish are back on the job. Allen is being careful to not be too physically taxed, which is sort of like expecting the Energizer Bunny to take it easy. He is back to planning, making phone calls, sending emails, and overseeing construction projects.

While the Sowers did not see Allen's heart problem coming, they are profoundly grateful he experienced those small warning chest pains. Those pains kept this post from turning out full-fledged Lemony Snicket, giving it some Pollyanna undertones instead - so that this Series of Unfortunate Events has a much happier ending than it might have had.

- posted by Christi