Many Hats, One Calling: Mary Faith’s Second Year in Motion

 Guess what? Mary Faith has officially been in Honduras for over a year. Time flies when you’re juggling… well, just about everything.

And that’s exactly how she describes this season of life.

“Last year, when I was brand new, I mostly sat in front of the computer,” she shared. “I went out with teams for a day or two every now and then, but I was usually in the office.”

This year? Completely different story.

Mary Faith has traded in her “newbie at a desk” role for something much more hands-on. During the recent stretch of team visits, she spent nearly three weeks out in the field — driving teams to remote villages, helping with backpack distributions, and connecting with the children and families Sowers4Pastors serves.

And yes, she genuinely enjoyed being behind the wheel. Not everyone can say they relish navigating rugged roads to remote communities, but Mary Faith isn’t exactly aiming for “ordinary.”

One bonus of all that time on the road? Spanish practice.

Mary Faith has continued her online classes twice a week, but real-life conversations took things to another level. She teamed up with Jenny, a Honduran staff member who is working on her English, and the two formed a perfect language-learning partnership — helping each other grow one conversation at a time.

Of course, while she was fully embracing her “team driver/backpack distribution” hat, she knew another one was waiting for her back at the office.

And now… it’s back on.

With team season wrapped up, Mary Faith has returned to her desk to tackle one of the ministry’s biggest behind-the-scenes tasks: updating children’s profiles and uploading new photos. While all the time-sensitive profiles have already been completed, she’s determined to get as many finished as possible before her next big adventure.

Because coming up soon — she’s heading to North Carolina.

Mary Faith will be traveling in May to welcome her very first grandchild (and yes, she is appropriately excited about this promotion to “Grandma”). She plans to spend several weeks soaking in that sweet new role before shifting into a full schedule of stateside responsibilities.

And it’s not exactly a light itinerary.

While in the U.S., she’ll be renewing her passport and driver’s license, attending a reunion in Pennsylvania, celebrating a wedding in California, and traveling to raise ministry support. If you’re in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Arizona, or possibly parts of the Midwest, there may be an opportunity to connect. She would love to speak at churches or even meet one-on-one with anyone interested in learning more about her work.

Meanwhile, back in Honduras — or at least partially — there are still a few moving pieces. A dental team is scheduled to arrive in May, and Mary Faith hopes to be there to help host them at the ministry house. However, as with all things involving babies, the timeline may have its own opinions.

Thankfully, there’s a plan.

With a helpful suggestion from Kirstin, Mary Faith is now scanning child profile information to her Google Drive, allowing her to continue working remotely while she’s in the States. The hats may change locations — but they’re definitely not being set down.

In the middle of all this activity, there was also a much-needed pause.

In March, between team visits, Mary Faith made a six-hour drive to attend a missionary retreat. She described the experience simply as “a lifesaver.” It gave her the chance to rest, reset, and return with renewed energy for everything ahead.

And that’s really the story of this season.

More hats. More movement. More responsibility.

But also more connection, more growth, and more moments of seeing exactly where she’s meant to be.

Because whether she’s behind a desk, behind the wheel, or somewhere in between, Mary Faith is right where she needs to be — faithfully serving, one hat at a time.

- posted by Christi

Ministry Metamorphosis: Growth, Change, and God's Guidance

Over the years, we’ve shared multiple blog posts about transitions and changes within Sowers4Pastors. But let’s be honest—the word "transition" sometimes makes people worry there’s a problem, as if the ministry is trying to pivot with all the grace of Chandler, Rachel, and Ross attempting to carry a sofa upstairs in that episode of Friends. Instead of transitions, let’s talk about a ministry metamorphosis today.

Like the caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, metamorphosis isn’t always fun or easy — but it’s definitely worth it in the end!

Mary Faith

The plan is for Mary Faith to arrive in Honduras (to stay!) at the end of the month. She previously spent time at a language school in another part of the country and will at some point return for more Spanish, but in the meantime, she can start settling into life in Gracias. During the holidays, Mary Faith has been in the States finishing up her support-raising efforts and finishing packing up. Leaving her close-knit family behind will undoubtedly be challenging, but she is ready to complete her metamorphosis into a full-time missionary.

Esdras

Esdras has embarked on a new chapter. He’s moved to Florida, gotten married, and is no longer on staff with Sowers4Pastors. As Trish aptly put it, “We won’t be able to replace Esdras because he is a special person. But we will need to find someone who can take on his workload!” His absence is deeply felt, but we’re excited for what’s ahead for him.

Kirstin

Kirstin, who has lived in Honduras for much of her life, recently spent a couple of months at the same language school Mary Faith attended. January is one of her busiest seasons as she works on closing the books for 2024, while helping out with the teams and keeping up on other administrative tasks. 

Rachel & Brandy

When Rachel and Brandy first joined Sowers4Pastors, they had one child in school and a baby. Today, they’re navigating life with one homeschooled child, a very active toddler, and two bonafide babies! Rachel recently made the decision to stop working in the ministry so she can focus on her family, and her responsibilities are being divvied up amongst the staff. Brandy has taken on specific roles, such as overseeing the coffee farm, and may step into additional duties. As always, the ministry aims to balance what’s best for the staff and the organization.

Allen

Allen’s metamorphosis involves adjusting to what he can physically do while acknowledging his limitations. This ongoing challenge requires grace and patience as he adapts to changes in his capabilities.

Trish

Trish’s metamorphosis is happening on multiple fronts. Her book project is moving forward, and she’s currently in the States for a whirlwind of events: attending a writer’s conference, meeting two new granddaughters (one in Virginia and one in Florida), and celebrating her father’s 90th birthday. She’s also discovered the joys of finding affordable beachfront Airbnbs in the off-season! While winter weather has thrown some curveballs into her travel plans, no snowstorm will stop her from meeting her newest granddaughter, who is aptly named Winter.

Russell & Iris

Though Russell isn’t on staff with S4P, his family’s metamorphosis deserves mention. Iris and the kids have finally received visa approval to move to the States! Upon arrival, the children will become US citizens through Trish’s citizenship status, while Iris will begin the process of becoming a citizen. This transition also marks a major shift for Allen and Trish, who will now have more grandchildren living in the US than in Honduras.

Prayer Requests

Please join us in praying for all these metamorphoses and any others that may arise. While these changes are exciting and filled with God’s blessings, they’re not always easy. Pray for strength, guidance, and endurance as we navigate these seasons of growth.

Transformation may be challenging, but it brings us closer to what God intends for us — and that’s always worth it.

- posted by Christi

After much prayer, Rachel has made the difficult decision to take time off from working in ministry to focus on being a full-time mommy. With the rapid addition of Levi and Charlotte in 2023 and 2024, Rachel and Brandy’s family went from having two kids to having four. This has made it difficult for Rachel to work full time. Perhaps when the children are older God will call Rachel back, but for now her primary focus will be the four beautiful blessings God has given their family.

Brandy and Kay will be taking on the majority of Rachel's responsibilities with some responsibilities being assigned to other staff members, such as Mary Faith, who will be joining us on the ground in Gracias on February 1. Please pray for us as we adjust to our new normal. While the sudden addition of Charlotte has presented some challenges to our family, she has already brought us so much joy and blessing!!

Battling Discouragement (and a sing-along)

 It’s time for a sing-along in honor of Allen and Trish!

“Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam 

Where the deer and the antelope play,

Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word

And the skies are not cloudy all day.”

That is a lovely thought. It’s not a completely accurate representation of life for Allen and Trish at the moment–though the internet does confirm that the state of Florida is home to both deer and antelope. The weather is pretty good, too. It’s that part about seldom hearing a discouraging word that doesn’t ring true. They have had to hear far too many discouraging words while trying to stay positive themselves. In case you don’t always keep up with their news via Facebook, let’s get you up to speed. 

In the last major blog update on their situation, Allen and Trish knew they were going to need to leave their cozy donated cottage in Georgia but they didn’t know where they would land. In early December they put out the word that they were in search of new housing. They were hoping the new place would be both budget-friendly and near Allen’s medical facilities. As it turned out, a friend of theirs, who also happens to be a Sowers4Pastors boardmember, lives in Orlando and knew of someone in the area with a house they weren’t using. It’s an older house set on a lake in a beautiful neighborhood. Because the house doesn’t fit in with the neighborhood and was neglected for some years, the new owners purchased it with the intention of razing it and building a new home. But that hasn't happened yet.

Gorgeous Lake Maitland - Allen and Trish feel so spoiled having this view!

In the meantime, the house was just sitting there, so the owners have chosen to make it available to individuals with temporary housing needs. Trish wants to be clear that they are not living in some ramshackle abode. It more than meets their current needs. It’s a large one-story house with gigantic windows and views of the water. Trish said, “Don’t think that we are making-do here. We are feeling very blessed.”

However, it is a temporary solution since the house will eventually be torn down. Trish and Allen do not know the timeframe but they believe that they will be able to stay there until at least the end of February. Please be praying about their housing situation for the future. 

And Allen’s health? That’s where the discouraging words come in. Allen and Trish have been in Honduras for long enough that the US healthcare system is causing them to have a bit of culture shock. They have been amazed at how long it takes to get an appointment, receive test results, etc. 

Allen did finally get in to see a spine specialist this past week. It wasn’t what could be called a positive experience. Apparently the doctor was having a bad day because he was preoccupied when he walked into the exam room, and hadn’t even looked at Allen’s MRI results before the appointment. Overall, nothing the doctor said made Allen feel confident that he was in the right hands. What they do know is that Allen’s back pain - and thus any solution to the problem - is complicated by the fact that the damage is in multiple places, and the pain may be caused by a variety of different problems. 

The good news is that Allen was able to get an appointment for a second opinion this coming Friday, with a doctor located only ten minutes from the house where they are staying. Allen and Trish are hoping and praying this will be a better experience. They are REALLY hoping for an answer that can allow them to make some plans and move forward in a positive direction.

Trish said, “I’m not going to say that we are discouraged, but we are fighting it all the time. This is obviously not a situation we would have chosen and it is out of our control. This is very much a prayer request. Pray that we can keep our focus on whatever God brings us. We are aware that sometimes what He’s trying to do isn’t quite what we were hoping for! Be praying for a solution that will allow Allen to get back into life again. Right now he is feeling sidelined. We’re hoping that God will give us a solution that can change that. If not, we pray that we will figure out what our lives will look like. If we will be staying in the US, we need to figure out finances. If we go back to Honduras, where we own a home, it would be better for us financially, but Allen might have to just deal with ongoing pain and disability. There are a lot of things to figure out.”

People are curious about their financial situation. Currently, they are managing to make it work because of the donated housing. However, they are going through money they wish they weren’t, in order to pay for the medical care and other expenses up to this point. Since the housing situation will be changing and they could be facing one or more big surgeries, finances are an ongoing major prayer concern.

Trish shared about the recent scare of their car making a horrible noise as she was backing out of the driveway. Fortunately, a “free” brake inspection that cost them $11 helped put their minds at ease (apparently the car just makes a noise when the weather has been very wet). But, as Trish said, “Anything can pop up and we are not in a situation, financially, to deal with anything popping up!”

To leave things on an encouraging positive note, Trish and Allen were able to have a very fun mini family reunion when Christopher and his wife, Audrey came from Sarasota for a visit, at the same time that Bethany (Boo) came down from Virginia with her one year old son, Steven. 

Thank you in advance for continuing to support Allen & Trish and the ministry through your prayers. If you feel led to help Allen and Trish with their up-in-the-air financial situation, donations can be made through the donation page on the Sowers4Pastors website. Thanks so much!

 - posted by Christi

Prayer Requests to Kick Off 2023!

Sowers4Pastors is serious about “making the main thing, the main thing" . . . which is to say, they don't want the spiritual aspects of the ministry to be overlooked in the midst of school supply distributions and feeding malnourished children. They can’t do it without the prayers and donations of supporters. As they are moving into 2023, they want to offer a huge “Thank you” to each and every person who helps them do what they do. 

Here’s your first official S4P prayer request list of the new year:

• Please pray for harvesters! There is an ongoing shortage of coffee harvesters and the Sowers4Pastors coffee farm is in competition with every other coffee farm in the region. Just a month ago, there were 120 pickers helping out on the farm. They were harvesting faster than the equipment and farm crew could process it all! Fast forward a month. This coffee harvest started out with 8 pickers. A day later, that number had increased to 25 outside pickers plus the farm crew.

• Pray for the ministry vehicles. There’s going to be an overlap between the coffee harvest and the arrival of teams. The first team to arrive will be from Lighthouse Church. Their Lighthouse for Lempira sister church program is a hard 1 hour and 20 minute drive each way. The vehicles are also needed to drive coffee harvesters to and fro each day, as well as for moving the actual coffee around on the farm. Obviously, working vehicles are not really optional in this scenario - every vehicle needs to keep going during this busy time!

• From the ongoing prep work and organization to the upcoming distribution, backpack work and backpack recipients are always good additions to a prayer list.

• Please pray for the building of the new house on the property–specifically that there will be gaps in the day-to-day responsibilities to work on it and that Allen and Trish’s personal funds will stretch to meet the rising costs. With Allen’s travels back to the States for backpack trips, everyone will feel better with increased security. It is likely that Kirstin will join Allen on future trips. For Trish’s safety and the safety of the property, everyone wants to have Brandy and Rachel close at hand. The sooner the new house is built, the sooner Brandy and Rachel will be able to move in. 

 

• Pray for the progress Alejandro and Cesia are making, as they work on the partnerships with the sister church locations. This Saturday, they will be meeting with the supervisors who oversee the pastors. Alejandro and Cesia are relying on the supervisors for their recommendations to maintain accountability and good stewardship in everything. 

• Please pray for the next container of food to arrive with no issues. Container issues seem to be more frequent than in the past, and the food supply on the ground right now is starting to run low.

• Pray for continued safe travels for Trish. She’s having a great time snuggling baby Steven. Pray for a safe trip home.

• Please pray for Rachel’s 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Since this coincides with team season, pray that she will not feel overloaded with stress and that she will find plenty of time to rest and nest! Prayers for a healthy third child for Rachel and Brandy and seventh grandchild for Trish and Allen.

• 
  Pray for the matching funds drive. Allen never wants to miss out on a single penny that could be used to feed a hungry child. With a matching funds drive in play, there are a lot of potential pennies! This comes at a time when a supply of food is especially needed. Also pray for the children who will receive the food. 

• Prayers for this time of transition, as people are learning new jobs and positions within S4P, are appreciated. As the Gospel is being spread throughout each of the ministry’s programs, pray that the pastors and staff will all be focused on making eternal things the priority. Pray that each person involved will deny themself, pick up their cross, and follow Jesus.

 - posted by Christi

Here's What's Happening Now

Mr. Allen taking a break to see some
sights during the backpack trip

This is one of those posts that asks the all-important question, “Hey, people at Sowers4Pastors, what are you doing right now?” As usual, the answer is, “A lot!” But let’s break it down into some specifics.

You’ve probably caught on to the fact that Allen is off in the States collecting backpacks. While he’s driving across the country filling a gigantic Penske truck with boxes of backpacks, the people back in Honduras are carrying on without him. But his absence, and the fact that team season is over, changes the rhythm of things.

As Trish said, “If we have a task that is big, but not urgent, this is the time of year when it gets done.” 

Rachel and Brandy have been taking time to familiarize the new staff with people and places they’ll need to know. That means taking the newbies out to various sites. It’s not like they can put the locations into Google Maps and head out on their own. There is a bit of a learning curve! 

While this project isn’t something Sowers4Pastors is actively working on, they are keeping track of the progress of the new roof installation on the children’s home in Gracias after providing funds to the project. Quito goes out with a drone to take pictures so everyone can admire the new bright red roof as it goes on. 

People often ask what is meant by the word “bodega” that frequently pops up in blog posts. No, it is not the same as the American usage. Allen and Trish aren’t running a small store like the bodegas in New York City. In Honduras, “bodega” is used to mean a large storage area, like a warehouse. Most commonly, bodegas are used to store coffee before it is sent out to sell. The S4P bodega is a place that sees a lot of action! 

Every year, the bodega acts as a landing place for the contents of two shipping containers. It is, admittedly, not the tidiest of areas. There’s not a lot of turnaround time between the arrival and distribution of backpacks. So, people don’t have time to tidy and organize while working. As soon as backpacks are distributed, it’s time to begin making pastor gifts. And things get even messier! People sort through boxes of donations looking for just the right gifts for the size of the pastor's family and the ages of the family members. The distribution of pastor gifts can really drag on for a long time. As soon as this year’s gifts are completed, they will begin an intense tidying and cleaning spree on the bodega. 

Boxes currently in the States that will
need to be put in the bodega soon

Do you remember when Trish and Allen moved from the giant bodega into an 800 square foot house? Much of their stuff ended up being stored in the bodega. When they moved to a larger house, Trish wanted to sort through those items. But their personal items were inaccessible! So, soon and very soon, Trish will be able to begin the mammoth task of moving and organizing household things. 

Trish is also working with Quito to create some short video projects she has been wanting to do. The videos will explain how to do some basic things on the Sowers4Pastors website, such as how to update payment information. The videos will be helpful throughout the year because she will be able to direct people to the videos when they have some common questions. In addition to this, Quito and Trish are working on a series of videos explaining why the ministry does certain things in certain ways. For example: Why do they focus on constructing church roofs instead of entire buildings? 

You might say that things have been hog wild lately. The farm purchased two hogs to raise. One of their workers takes on the animal-related tasks, such as feeding the dogs and caring for the hogs. He asked if he could put a hog in with theirs to raise - he received access to the food used for feeding the hogs in exchange for putting in extra hours working with the animals. His hog was recently butchered. Allen and Trish purchased some of the meat and Trish has been dealing with that like the pioneer woman she is! Allen and Trish’s hogs have both recently produced a litter and now there are many piglets. There have been many discussions about whether or not to continue raising pigs. It’s a lot of work, but the price of meat is high. So… As soon as the piglets are weaned, the original hogs will be butchered and Pioneer Trish will deal with more pork-related endeavors.

In other news, Ray, the fabulous office-worker, has moved on to a new job. It was not unexpected because, as Trish said, he was way overqualified for the position. He will be making more money in his new job. Everyone is happy for him because he is saving his money to hopefully study in the States. He will be missed, though! S4P interviewed new people for Ray’s previous position last week and hired a nice lady by the name of Nikki. 

Aaaand… It’s official. Nathan loves kindergarten! After the isolation of COVID lockdown, he is thriving in his new learning environment, surrounded by other kids. Since Nathan is often described as the grandchild who is most like Allen in personality, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone! He was born to be a people person.

- posted by Christi

Summertime and the Livin' is Busy!

According to the great George Gershwin, summertime means “the livin’ is easy.” With all due respect to the musical genius, Mr. Gershwin was never a missionary in Honduras. Everyone with Sowers4Pastors can tell you that summertime means the livin’ is extra busy.

June got off to a great start as the motorcycle ministry did another batch of 19 motorcycles. Remember that motorcycles help pastors plant more churches and do their jobs more efficiently.

Allen and Trish are officially moved out of the smaller house and the keys are in Kirstin’s possession. Please note the precise wording of the previous sentence! It doesn’t say that Allen and Trish are all moved into Russell and Iris’s old home. Their belongings are there, but “moved in” would be a stretch! Trish met her goal of having everything out of the small house and having it cleaned by the time Kirstin returned from a one-week vacation. Now, they can all work on getting settled in their new digs!

Kirstin was able to enjoy a quiet week at a remote location about an hour away. It was a cabin-in-the-woods situation, but without a spooky horror movie edge to it. It was sort of a cabin/hotel setting with a restaurant. Kirstin was able to recharge just in time to move into her home.

Russell is making slow but steady progress on building the new house on the property. Completion isn’t urgent, but it will mean that Rachel and Brandy will be able to move to the property with their children. That will be nice for all concerned. Currently, the new home has a basement and the first floor walls are all about 8-feet high. As it stands now, the plan is for the new construction to be Allen and Trish’s home and for their current abode to be passed to Rachel and Brandy, since it is really too big for a couple of empty nesters.

The coffee farm guys have been spending most of their time helping out with construction, but they did recently put down a round of fertilizer. Expect more news from the farm in the future. For now, the fertilizer is doing its job.

Allen finished spending some time working on vehicles. Occasionally, some team members ride in the back of pickup trucks. That process should be a lot more enjoyable and safer with the new safety bars Allen has welded. Now, with Rachel and Kirstin's help, he's planning the backpack trip and ordering empty backpacks to be shipped out to get filled.

Rey, who is a full-time office guy with Sowers4Pastors, is in charge of selling Bibles from the Bible bookstore and keeping track of the food distribution when pastors come for supplies. Currently, Rey and Will, a S4P intern, are also working on assembling pastor appreciation gifts. That amounts to several hundred gifts, personalized according to family size and the ages of each pastor’s children. The completion of these gifts will use practically every backpack in the stockpile. While it’s always nice to know there are some backpacks in reserve, it’s even better to know that all of the backpacks are being used.

Nate and Michael hanging out with some kids during one of the recent teams

Rachel is busy organizing for all of the summer teams’ visits. There are eight teams on the summer schedule. That’s a lot of VBS programs to organize! She's been doing it while caring for her two littles while Brandy was still stuck in Tegus, but good news! While Brandy has not gotten his discharge approved, he has managed to snag a several month leave, so hopefully he will be able to help with the upcoming team season - Rachel certainly hopes not to attempt any more teams with two small boys and no husband!

To make her work possible, Rachel and her family are going to the property each day so Rachel can work with Allen. Trish is happily juggling work and some daytime grandchild duty. No, really. No one has to twist her arm to spend extra time with grandchildren! She also laughed that Rachel’s organizational skills have the ministry more organized than it has ever been.

Stay tuned for more updates!

- posted by Christi

Nice Little Vacation

At the end of March, the Sowers family had a little adventure–the good kind of adventure, not the kidnappy kind. Boo was able to visit Honduras for about ten days, so Allen and Trish took full advantage of having four of their children and six grandchildren present (including Boo’s bun in the oven). The family took a four-day trip to a place Allen described as “a farm meets a wooded camping area meets a lake.” It was a great place to take a break after the busy team season and everything else that’s going on.

When the family arrived at the camp ground, the first thing they saw was a fountain made especially for water buffaloes to enjoy. Also, water buffaloes in the water fountain. Allen is pretty sure that there aren’t a lot of water buffaloes sitting in the middle of fountains in the States. The man who runs the site has a love of old cars and tractors and has decorated them by using the rusted out shells as planters for flowers.

The adults got to relax a bit while watching the grandchildren spend a lot of time swimming in weather that was slightly cooler than ideal swimming conditions. (Considering this is the hot/dry season in Honduras, the family agreed this was a very nice alternative.) The family also enjoyed pony rides (presumably just the grandchildren), kayaking, and a trolley ride. Oh, and there was a rodeo. (For the sake of authenticity, please read rodeo with the Spanish pronunciation, rroh-deh-oh!)

The cabins where they stayed were nice, although maybe not up to US standards concerning the level of repair - only one cabin had hot water, while the rest had tepid (missionaries don't complain about tepid water, though). Aunt Boo had packed a lot of craft supplies and the kids spent time painting and assembling wooden projects. RJ made a boat, Nathan made a car, and Abby made an adorable little pink-roofed house. The babies were held almost constantly and got passed around from one adult to another.

And there were donkeys and ponies to pet! Lots and lots of them! The donkeys had free reign of the place and were allowed to roam freely, even around the pool area. The animals were all well behaved and there was no fear of them biting a child. There were also massive horses for the rodeo. (Spanish accent, please!) The dressage horses performed their fancy footwork for the guests' entertainment. There were only about 100 people at the rodeo, so each attendee was able to pet the horses through the fence after they finished prancing. (That is to say, after the horses finished prancing. Attendees were not required to prance.)

The family also went to a zoo and saw big cats (including two white tigers), ostriches, foxes, a giraffe, hippos, and more monkeys than you could shake a banana at. There were also lots of tropical birds, including peacocks, macaws, and parrots. The grandchildren each got $1.50 worth of lettuce, carrots, and corn to feed to the lettuce, carrot, and corn-eating animals. It was the best trip the family had ever had to the zoo. Even though it’s officially the hot/dry season, the weather was cool and overcast. It even sprinkled just a bit - Brandy and Rachel had taken their boys to this zoo before, and noted that it has been melt-your-socks-off hot other times, but very pleasant this time.

Allen did sneak in a trip to the Bible Bookstore, since it was nearby. He picked up a truckload of Bibles from the Mennonite-run store. Aside from that relatively quick errand, the rest of Thursday-Sunday was spent making family memories. 

It was a fun and relaxing getaway–something that was well-deserved and very much enjoyed!!

- posted by Christi

Words to Go Around Baby Pictures

When talking about today’s blog post, Trish told me I didn’t have to work too hard on the actual writing of the post because the post also contains a lot of baby pictures. Cool, huh? And these aren’t pictures of just any baby. These are pictures of Allen and Trish’s latest grandchild. The fifth one, to be precise!!

Rachel and Brandy’s much awaited second son arrived a bit early on 10/7, but not scary early. Michael Samuel made his appearance at 36 weeks and didn’t have to spend extra time in the hospital. Michael is pronounced in the English way and Samuel is pronounced “SamWELL” in the Spanish way. The tradition of giving one North American name and one Honduran name began with Michael’s big brother, Nathan Josue (Many Honduran kids have a Gringo name and a Honduran name, even if both parents are Honduran). Michael weighed in at a very respectable 6 lbs. As you can see from the photos, he has that full-term look about him even though the actual due date was November 1. 

Rachel says Daddy is just a little smitten

With our Tia Paula!

As you likely recall, most of the Sowers family was in Seattle during the first week in September. A visibly pregnant Rachel made the 10-12 hour flight from Honduras and kept up with all of the family activities. The only thing she didn’t participate in was a mountain hike. The day she returned home, Rachel received a call from her landlord. Their house had been sold. Honduran law required the landlord to give them two months to find a new house. The clock was ticking. Since their ministry operates out of their home, they have some specific needs. They house college-age girls so it was important to find a house in a safe neighborhood that’s near the university. The house also needed to have a lot of room for their growing family, plus the ever-changing number of girls living with them. 

Cue Rachel’s early contractions because this story needs more drama! Yes, Rachel began having significant contractions and was put on bedrest. This is probably a good place to discuss the Honduran healthcare system, which essentially consists of three levels. While Honduras technically has free healthcare for all, the hospitals and clinics tend to be poorly supplied and staffed. Depending on the area of the facility, it might also be less than clean. The next level consists of military hospitals. Since Brandy is in the military this is what Rachel used when Nathan was born. It was clean and the staff was well-trained, but it wasn’t a very pleasant experience. There were issues like nurses continuing to give Nathan bottles on a regular schedule even though Rachel was breastfeeding. The third level in the healthcare system is private-pay. Healthcare costs aren’t as exorbitant as they are in the U.S., so a procedure that might cost hundreds of thousands in the U.S. might cost $30,000 in Honduras. (Think back to Allen’s heart procedures.) Rachel decided to use private care this time.

When she began having contractions way too early, her private doctor suggested she go to a military hospital in case she was hospitalized for several weeks. Fortunately, she was only in the military hospital for one night and they were able to stop the contractions. They sent her home and ordered bed rest. When the contractions started again, she called her private doctor who again directed her to the military hospital to get checked out. At the hospital, she wasn’t taken seriously. They sent her home like she was someone who kept going in with false labor. When she made it to 36 weeks she was finally able to get up and ride around as Brandy drove her to look at some potential places to move. They found a home. The following day she went into the non-military hospital. Mother and baby were able to go home after one night!

Kirstin drove to Rachel’s home last Monday. She’s helping with the packing, keeping Nathan occupied, grabbing all of the baby time she can get, and just generally being a big help to Rachel. She’s like Mary Poppins except, instead of an umbrella and a carpet bag, she arrived with a pickup truck to help haul boxes. 

We're not sure how we feel
about all this

Word is that big brother Nathan is mostly in love with the baby. Before he heads off to bed, he reminds Rachel and Brandy to take care of the baby at night. He is only a little disappointed that the baby cries and isn’t more fun at this stage.

Just to add to the drama, Rachel and Brandy just found out the house they were hoping to move to had some issues that would make it less adequate they originally thought, so they are now back to rental hunting. Rachel isn't (too) worried, however - she knows God's got this, same as everything else! Please pray with her and the fam, that something adequate will show up soon. In the meantime, they are packing up in preparation, and enjoying lots of baby snuggles.

- posted by Christi.