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

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

Matching Funds Update!

Calling all of you numbers/math people out there! This post is for you. And in case you’re not a numbers/math person, it’s also for you. But you’ll want to make some mental adjustments. If you don’t like numbers, please replace each number with something you do like. Like puppies. Or unicorns. It doesn’t really matter what you choose as a number replacement as long it doesn’t make you break out in a cold sweat. Ready? Okay, let’s talk about the matching funds update. 

Motorcycles:

Sowers4Pastors received a large number of applications for motorcycles. After sorting through those applications, they accepted 24. That means that the ministry’s expense will be $24,000. (That’s a lot of puppies or unicorns for you non-math people.) Fortunately, some generous donors have agreed to match any number up to $12,000. At the time of this writing, $5,000 has been donated. But remember that the $5,000 is already being matched. To make things very simple, Sowers4Pastors needs an additional $7,000 in donations. That $7,000 will be matched, bringing the total up to the needed $24,000 (or 24,000 puppies or unicorns).

Church Roofs:

More than thirty applications were received for new church roofs. Sowers4Pastors has accepted twenty of those. The total ministry expense will be $40,000. Since generous donors have also agreed to match funds donated to build this batch of church roofs, the ministry only needs to collect $20,000 through other donations earmarked for this cause. So far, Sowers4Pastors has received $7,000 in donations. With matching funds, that’s $14,000. The ministry needs an additional $13,000 for church roofs. With the amount of already committed matching funds, that will bring the total to $40,000. That’s very doable! 

So let’s talk about why these donations are important. Allen likes to remind people that a donation of 14 cents toward a motorcycle saves a pastor 14 miles of walking. Now, what about those church roofs? Well, when a church moves into a church building, there is a consistent increase in the number of attendees. People no longer have to crowd into houses or stand outside of doorways to hear a Bible lesson. The matching funds have already been committed and Sowers4Pastors doesn’t want to leave a dime sitting on the table. There has never been a better time to stretch your donation dollars!

One last thing - the team at Sowers4Pastors wants to say THANK YOU to everyone who has already donated toward these projects! 

 - posted by Christi

Matching Funds Alert!

This week, Allen took a break from replacing drywall in homes damaged by Hurricane Ian in Florida to excitedly talk with me about the fact that there are people willing to match donations given toward motorcycles and church roofs. You’re probably very familiar with both of those ministries, but let’s look at them in new ways.

Motorcycles for Pastors

Pastors of individual churches aren’t the only ones putting motorcycles to good use. Denominational supervisors have also been using motorcycles to travel around and encourage their pastors. Without a motorcycle, a supervisor might visit each pastor twice a year. But supervisors who receive motorcycles are able to visit each of their pastors monthly or more! They are able to offer encouragement and that encouragement is resulting in significant growth! The pastors are going out and planting more churches. 

For years, Allen has said that each motorcycle provided to a pastor leads to an average of one church plant. But the reality is that most of the motorcycles the ministry has helped to provide are still on the road. Most of the motorcycles remain operational for a decade. Since they are still being used, the actual benefit could be much higher than one church plant per motorcycle. 

With the current matching funds drive, your donation of $500 can help provide a pastor with a motorcycle. That comes to a penny a mile over the vehicle’s projected life expectancy. Or, as Allen so aptly put it, “You can save a pastor from walking 14 miles a day for just 14 cents. We as North Americans tend to forget what that means to someone.” You could actually plant more than one church in Honduras for a donation of $500!

Church Roofs

This year, there were well over 30 applicants requesting a new church roof. From that number, twenty were chosen. Five have been completed and there are 15 more to go. Even with the rising cost of building materials, each roof is still a bargain. With the matching funds, your donation of $1000 can complete an average sized church roof. The average church seats 250 people, which means that you can put a roof over each head for only $4!

A couple of very large churches were among those selected this year. These churches will be able to seat 500 people.

The video below explains more about how we handle church roofs.

The Bottom Line

Due to financial restraints, S4P is not able to take on each request for a motorcycle or a church roof. There are many worthy applicants, but the resources are limited. Allen said, “Out of the people who approach us for help, we probably turn down 80%. We tell the pastors not to be discouraged. They can apply again in the future.”

An additional $16K is needed to complete the current church roofs. The motorcycle ministry needs an additional $10K. If you are able to donate to one of these ministries and feel it is what God wants you to do with the resources He has provided to you, this is the time to do it. With each dollar being matched, there’s no better time to donate. If you can’t send money, please pray that Sowers4Pastors will receive the funds needed. Please know how much everyone at S4P appreciates your prayers!

- posted by Christi

Double the Donation!

If you know Allen, you know that few things get his heart pumping as much as the promise of a matching funds challenge. He jumps at the chance to amplify assets, duplicate dough, enlarge earnings, and multiply ministry moolah. And he’s hoping you will, too, because a group has stepped up and offered to match up to $10,000 of funds designated to this year's Backpack Project. That’s right! Now’s your chance to grow your donation greenbacks.

This matching funds challenge couldn’t have come at a better time. The price of renting Pensky trucks for the backpack collection trip has doubled in price. The diesel fuel needed to get the trucks rolling has also gone up dramatically. Container costs were up by 50% last year and are expected to keep climbing. Even the price of the backpacks themselves is increasing. Plus, the cute backpacks are getting harder to find. If Sowers4Pastors can max out the matching funds offer, there will be $20,000 to offset the costs!

Sowers4Pastors also recognizes that it’s going to be more expensive for individuals to fill their own backpacks this year. This matching funds opportunity can help stretch resources and it gives everyone a chance to make a big impact. Now that kids are back at school in person, it has never been more important to have enough backpacks to go around. 

Unfortunately, some families got used to having their children out of school for the previous two years. A lot of parents are saying, “He's a big help on the farm now.” A lot of mothers have decided their eleven and twelve-year-old daughters are useful to have around the house. We all need to work together to get those kids back in school. Sowers4Pastors is doing what it can to persuade families to let their kids continue their education. A backpack filled with school supplies is sometimes all that is required to tip the scale in favor of school.

Anyone interested in donating can do so by going to the Sowers4Pastors website donation page and clicking on the Backpack Project donation category. How often do you have the chance to compound your cash, boost your bucks, propagate a payment, and proliferate a present? Go on. You know you want to!

- posted by Christi

Funds Raised in the Nick of Time

Praise reports and prayer requests go together like… Peanut butter and jelly? Sugar and spice? Trucks and mud? The 1980s and big hair? Take your pick. The point is that praise reports and prayer requests often go together. This blog post is another example of praise and prayer joining hands.

The recent fundraiser to celebrate Allen’s birthday was a rousing success. Due to matching funds donations, more than $40,000 was raised to be used for shipping food containers to Honduras. That’s enough money to ship and pay customs on approximately 1.5 million meals!

A lot more people are requesting food than is normal for this time of year. Usually, pastors aren’t in as big of a hurry to pick up food during the time around coffee harvesting season. This is typically the season when families have enough money to purchase some extra food, for stocking up. They will usually take this time to buy an extra bag of rice, an extra bag of beans, and several bags of corn to see them through the leaner times. But things are different this year. The cost of food in Honduras is going through the roof. Prices have increased by 25-50% on most items.

The World Food Programme is still studying the problem in Lempira specifically, but it has already determined that 30% of Hondurans are suffering from acute food insecurity. 7% of Hondurans were found to be in a state of emergency food insecurity.

Farmers are doing what they can to combat the problem. But, as Allen said, “There are only so many bad fields they can plant in. A lot of farmers have run out of places… In addition to that, the cost of fertilizer has already gone up 30% over last year’s prices and is expected to double this year.”

Allen also discussed the overall nutrition dropping. To compensate for higher prices, many people are only eating protein once or twice per week. Sowers4Pastors is even exploring the idea of helping people get chickens because the cost of eggs has gone up 50% in the last year.

Another ministry recently reached out to Sowers4Pastors because they were getting requests for food from the more than 30 pastors they work with. Sowers4Pastors was able to respond by sending them 110,000 meals! That is both a prayer request for other ministries and a praise that S4P was able to help people in another area of Honduras.

The money raised to transport food is an obvious answer to prayer. Food for Kids has committed to doing everything they can to help out with food donations. Allen is also reaching out to other groups in hopes of getting more food. Please pray that one or two of those groups will be able to donate another container or two filled with food. It is important that the containers be full. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense to ship them. Also, please pray that the cost of shipping doesn’t go up any more than it already has. It increased 50% in the last year, climbing from $8,000 to $12,000. Another 50% jump would put the cost at $18,000!

Please continue to pray for the feeding centers. Pray that the pastors will take full advantage of the opportunity to share the Gospel with the kids while feeding them.

In the praise column, Allen wants to thank everyone for making his birthday wishes come true with your generous donations. He said, “We’re happy to be in the middle of helping to get these kids some of the nutrition they need."

- posted by Christi

Putting Your Money Where Their Mouth Is

Psst.. Hey, you. Yes, you. Check this out. Do you remember reading about the container of food that was recently gifted to Sowers4Pastors? You remember, right? The food that has just been waiting to be shipped to Honduras where it will be distributed to feeding centers? Yeah, it’s all coming back to you, I can tell.

A large donation of food is always a big ol’ deal to the ministry. But with food prices up by 50% over last year’s costs, this donation is a supremely huge thing. Shipping costs have also gone up by 50%, but… drumroll, please… two people have come forward with a matching funds challenge. This is where you come in, so pay close attention. 

The cost of shipping the container of donated food will be about $15,000. But with the matching funds challenge, Sowers4Pastors is only responsible for raising $7,500. That still sounds like a lot of money, doesn’t it. Well, it is, but the cost per meal will still be minimal. Even at $15,000 for shipping, each meal will cost about 3 cents. But, we’re no longer talking about the full cost of shipping. We’re only talking about HALF of the total shipping cost!

This is your opportunity to donate toward the shipping cost. Your donation will be matched dollar for dollar, meaning that you can provide a meal to a malnourished child for well under 2 cents. This brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Put your 2 cents in.” 

With a deal like this, you can make your donation dollars stretch like a basket of loaves and fishes. For the sake of easy math, let’s round your cost per meal all the way up to 2 cents. That means that a $100 donation can purchase 5,000 meals. A $10 donation will provide 500 meals. You simply are not going to find a better return on your investment anywhere else. 

You can even make a donation in someone else’s name just in time for Christmas. Instead of purchasing another gift card for the person who has everything, you can give the gift that keeps on giving. These opportunities don’t come up as often as they have in the past, so don’t let this one slide by. 

Allen and the shipping company have been working really hard, and seem to have found a solution to the crazy shipping problem that will get the food to Honduras in a timely manner. 

As always, Sowers4Pastors is so grateful for their prayer and financial partners who help make this food available to the pastors, who then feed the children physically and spiritually. 

- posted by Christi

The Right Time for Motorcycles

Never underestimate the importance of good timing. Timing matters in baking, comedy, baseball, and the Sowers4Pastors motorcycle ministry. When it comes to the motorcycle ministry, there has never been a better time to join the cause. That’s because there is currently a matching fund offer on the table. Why are motorcycles so important to pastors? Thank you for asking. 

Close your eyes and imagine that you are a pastor in Western Honduras. (Oops! Open your eyes because you will never be able to read the rest of this post with your eyes closed.) As with most pastors of rural congregations in Honduras, you have no automated means of transportation. If you want to go somewhere, you walk. You recently started planting a church that’s about five miles down the road from you. Occasionally, you’re able to catch a ride in the back of a pickup truck to visit the new church, but usually you hoof it. 

Now, with your eyes open, imagine that someone helps you purchase a motorcycle. The motorcycle means that you are able to care for your first church and the church plant much more efficiently. You feel like you have gained many hours in your week. In fact, you have so much “free time” that you’ve decided to plant another church that will be five miles away in the opposite direction. This scenario really does play out time and again.

To date, Sowers4Pastors and its supporters have helped 334 pastors purchase motorcycles. The motorcycle ministry pays $1000 toward the purchase of each motorcycle, with individual pastors paying the remaining purchase price. If you’ve been paying attention to previous discussions, you know that there are several reasons pastors are expected to contribute. 

Here are a few such reasons: 

•  It shows that a pastor is serious about obtaining a motorcycle.

•  It prevents pastors from developing the mentality of sitting back and waiting for someone else to take care of them financially. 

• It demonstrates a pastor’s ability to be able to maintain a motorcycle and purchase gas.

A ministry donation of $1000 comes out to about 2 cents per mile over the lifetime of a motorcycle. Now, with the matching funds being offered, a donation toward the motorcycle ministry will help a pastor go down the road for a penny a mile. There has never been a better time to donate. Motorcycle prices are supposed to jump $200 next month. By next year, it is not unreasonable to assume that each motorcycle could cost $400 more. Timing may not be everything, but it certainly is something to consider! 

 - posted by Christi

Matching Funds Game

As a child, I used to love watching game shows. One of my favorites was Match Game (Insert a year), which aired from 1973-1982. Each year, during the New Year show, it was a big deal to watch the title of the show roll over to the new year. Yes, I remember distinctly the thrill of seeing Match Game ‘75 turn into Match Game ‘76. Today, we’re talking about a sort of missionary equivalent, that I like to call: Matching Funds Game 2018!

Sowers4Pastors isn’t only about feeding centers and educating pastors. They are also actively involved in helping deserving pastors obtain motorcycles and assisting in church construction projects. And, that’s exactly where the Matching Funds Game 2018 comes in!

Most of the pastors in Western Honduras also work in the fields each day from 4:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon. We’re talking about literal fields, not the metaphorical kind! After putting in hours of hard, physical labor, these men go home to eat a midday meal and get prepared to go out to work as pastors. It is not uncommon for pastors to walk up to fifty miles a week! Fifty miles is a lot for anyone to walk, but we’re not talking about taking a stroll on paved streets. Fifty miles in Honduras means a lot of walking up and down super steep hills, wading through water, etc… And they do this every week!

That’s why Sowers4Pastors has a motorcycle ministry. Deserving pastors must come up with $600 to put toward a motorcycle. Sowers4Pastors provides $1000 to go to the cost of a new Honda motorcycle with semi off-road capacity. Right now, there is a matching fund challenge to assist pastors in getting motorcycles. That means, for every $500 donation, a donor will match it! Make no mistake, it is not easy for a Honduran pastor to come up with $600 to put toward a motorcycle. If a man is willing to do that, it shows how serious he is about being a more effective pastor. Your donation could mean the difference between a pastor helping to plant a church or not.

The second part of the Matching Funds Game 2018 involves church roofs. As you know, Sowers4Pastors seeks to empower, not enable. That’s why churches are required to come up with their own land. They must pour the concrete foundation and put up the walls. Then, Sowers4Pastors can help with the roof. Each roof costs $1000. With the current matching fund, they can now put on a church roof for $500.

As Allen said, “We are not trying to take over the pastor’s job. It’s not our church. They’ve got the sweat equity. They are doing the work. We are just trying to give them a little bigger sword to fight the battle.”

He continued by saying, “If this is something you’ve ever thought of doing, now’s a great time to step up. If you can’t come up with $500, consider making this a project for your small group or Sunday school class.”

It’s probably the most rewarding game you’ll ever play!

 - posted by Christi

Donation Instructions:

Click here to go to the donation page,
choose "Motorcycles and Horses for Pastors" or "Church Construction Projects"