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!!

Handling the Unexpected

Brandy and Rachel’s Saturday started off like any other Saturday in a household with four young children. Everything was busy but fine, except Brandy was having a lot of nausea and pain. It's not uncommon in Honduras to catch a stomach bug, so they didn't think much of it at first - except it kept getting worse and eventually it became apparent that Brandy didn't have just a stomach bug.

They arrived at the clinic where Rachel recently delivered Charlotte and waited around for Brandy to be examined. When the doctor saw Brandy at about 12:30, he did some poking and prodding. The doctor had Brandy lie down as he applied pressure to his side. That seemed fine until the doctor removed the pressure and Brandy let out an, “Owww!” At that moment, Rachel thought to herself, “Yep. It’s his appendix.”

The surgeon was there lickety-split. In fact, everyone required for an appendectomy was already prepared for a surgery. There had been a surgery scheduled for that morning in the clinic. The operating room was prepared. The anesthesiologist was on hand. The OR nurses were there. Everyone has shown up except the patient. How providential that Brandy happened to show up just when they were all ready to operate! By 1:30, Brandy was in the operating room having his appendix removed.

As Rachel put it, “They saw Brandy and were like, ‘Oh, look! A patient!’”

Appendectomies are somewhat more common in Honduras than they are in the States. In the US, a doctor might try antibiotics first and take a wait and see approach if the appendix isn't too inflamed. In Honduras, healthcare is more limited and the dangers associated with a ruptured appendix are too great. So it’s standard practice to remove the appendix at the first sign of appendicitis. Though, generally speaking, there is not a crew on standby!

While Brandy was having surgery, Esdras was at the airport picking up a medical team. Rachel and Brandy are very grateful for the staff that has stepped up to the plate to handle three weeks of back-to-back teams. Though Rachel doesn’t normally go out with the teams, she does handle the logistics. Now, with a new baby and a recuperating husband, her plate is already quite full. 

This is the first time the other staff members have been in charge of the logistics for a medical team. There is extra protocol involved with bringing the medicines and other supplies into the country. The staff is doing all of the registration and coordinating the appointments for the team to see the sponsorship kids that have been identified as having medical concerns. It’s a lot!

And just because there wasn’t enough for Rachel to concern herself with, Michael has decided to use this time to potty train. In the long run, that is excellent news because it will be nice to only have two in diapers versus three. For now, though, it does present some new challenges. Brandy is unable to lift a child right now and with potty training, time is of the essence. Rachel may find herself nursing Charlotte and rushing Michael to the potty simultaneously. 

Charlotte says, "Thank you for praying
 for my Mommy and Daddy!"

Brandy is doing well, overall. The doctor will see him when he is three weeks post-op. For now, he is able to walk around in the house. They’ve been told that he should be able to resume some office work in a couple of weeks. Since the office is a 20-minute drive on a bumpy road, it might be better to work from home, though. They are not sure when he will be able to visit some of the sponsorship locations again. 

In positive news, Allen and Trish have been given the all-clear to return to Honduras. While they don’t have a travel date yet, they are planning for some time in July. 

Thank you for keeping everyone at Sowers4Pastors in your prayers. There hasn’t been a dull moment lately, but God is good. All the time.

- posted by Christi

Things on the Back Burners

If you’ve ever tried to prepare a big holiday meal, you understand the importance of back burners. That’s where you can put things that, while still being important to the meal, don’t require immediate attention. And obviously, they make a great analogy for how life can be sometimes when things get hectic, and some things are simmering in the background. Rachel took some time to share things that are happening in the background for her family.

Brandy is working toward getting US citizenship. And it is a long, drawn-out process requiring mountains of paperwork. Before he can get citizenship, he needs an immigrant visa. To quote Rachel, “We’re always in the process of waiting for something concerning that. The embassy in Honduras has a very long wait for visas. The current wait for tourist visas is more than 800 days out! We don’t know yet what the wait is for the type of visa Brandy needs, but prayers are appreciated.”

Speaking of citizenship… It has been about five years since Nathan gained dual citizenship. Even though Rachel is a US citizen, the process was complicated because she hasn’t lived in the States as an adult. Nathan was able to get citizenship based on Trish’s and Allen’s citizenship. When Michael was born, Rachel started working on the citizenship process for him. But she soon discovered she was pregnant with Levi, so it seemed prudent to wait until the baby was born and make both applications at the same time. When Levi was born, the same thing happened, and she found she was pregnant with Charlotte. Well, now she is very hopeful that she will be able to apply for citizenship for Michael, Levi, and Charlotte at the same time! The process involves a lot of time, money, and extra stress but it is important to make sure that each of the children has dual citizenship.

With so much else going on, you may have forgotten about Rachel and Brandy’s construction of a new house on the ministry’s property. Having a home on the property is a matter of practicality. The office is there, and Rachel is a full-time working mother of four. Even with a nanny helping with the little ones, she needs to be able to see them throughout the day. 

When Rachel and Brandy first moved to Gracias, they knew their finances would change with Brandy leaving the military. They didn’t anticipate how much their needs would increase, though! Fundraising has been sitting on the back burner even as their family grew and grew. The cost for their diapers and milk alone is sizable! Rachel estimates that they are currently going through five giant boxes of diapers a month.

The added financial needs have been a big concern to Brandy, in particular. When they found out they were expecting sweet baby Charlotte, they kept it under wraps for a few months. They hadn’t even shared the big news with family when Kirstin told Rachel that Brandy looked more stressed out than usual! After praying about it, Brandy came to the realization that if God was going to send them four kids that He was going to have to provide for them.

Please pray that all these simmering things on the back burners will continue towards their completion. We trust in God, both in the big things and the little things. We will consider all the different stressors an exercise in "casting cares." If you feel led to be an instrument of God's provision, and committing to partnering with the Sowers Reyes family, you can click on this link. Thank you for your support!

- posted by Christi

Prayers and Praises!

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

Allen and Trish

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

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

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

Allen and grandson Steven hanging out

Rachel and Brandy

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

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

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

Mary Faith

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

Ministry Programs

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

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

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

Praise and a Follow-up Prayer Request

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

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

- posted by Christi

So Many Babies!!

People want to know how Rachel is doing in her current pregnancy. In order to share how she is doing today, we’re going to also talk about their other children and God’s obvious sense of humor.

Once upon a time, in the faraway land of Honduras, a couple named Brandy and Rachel were dating. Even then, they spoke of serious things–distant things–like children. Brandy thought he might like to have two children, but certainly no more than three. Rachel, on the other hand, wanted four children, no fewer than three. Obviously, they felt like three kids would be a good number.

After Rachel and Brandy were married, they learned that sometimes it doesn’t matter what plans you make! Rachel seems to have a gift for getting pregnant at times that cause her due date to fall during inopportune times. When she was pregnant with Nathan, his due date fell within weeks of the MK camp she had already scheduled. She was at the camp while she was (to put it in biblical terms) “great with child.” Her pregnancy with Nathan was good but her experience at the hospital left a lot to be desired. Basically, as a first-time mom, she didn’t know what she needed to fight for. She was induced at 38 weeks for absolutely no reason. 

Michael is a bit obsessed with his Papa

A couple of years after Nathan was born, Brandy and Rachel were ready for a second child. However, the next pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. A month later, it was discovered that Rachel had a large ovarian cyst that required surgery. Fortunately, the cyst was benign, but it was a scary time.

The first two pregnancies had happened quickly. After the surgery, that changed. It took about a year to get pregnant for a third time. The waiting was difficult. During that time, Rachel spoke to a pastor who had gone to Honduras on a retreat for missionaries. The pastor prayed with her. He said that she would have a baby and that he would be as beautiful as Moses was, referring to two verses that speak about what a beautiful child Moses was. The story of Michael’s pregnancy is one of the most amazing stories to Rachel.

Brandy and Rachel’s church was doing a Daniel fast. Rachel decided that all she wanted to pray for was for her to get pregnant. One Sunday, as the church was ending its fast, Rachel stayed home to watch the afternoon service online. While sitting there she felt a strong urge to go take a pregnancy test. Even though pregnancy tests are best taken first thing in the morning, her late afternoon test came back positive. Keep in mind this was all happening during the church service. Michael, who is truly a beautiful child with a beautiful personality, was named after the pastor of that church, who died of COVID a few months prior to baby Michael’s birth.

Brandy and Rachel thought that since it took so long to get pregnant with Michael that it might take a while before baby number three came along. Surprise! Michael was born in October and they found out they were expecting Levi the following July. Levi was a March baby and there were a lot of things going on toward the end of that pregnancy–including the coffee farm going up in flames, new staff that was still being trained, and bedrest for Rachel. None of that helped Rachel’s stress level. Plus, at an early sonogram appointment, the doctor had assured them that Levi was a girl. Obviously, he was not. Surprise, again!

Rachel often finds herself under a pile of small humans

Brandy and Rachel decided that three was indeed a good number. They were done! Finished. No more babies. But Rachel likes saying God has a sense of humor. Surprise! Number four is now on the way, due early June. Three sonograms have confirmed that this baby is a girl. Rachel described their feelings as being “very excited, horrified, and scared at the same time. Well, maybe not horrified. But definitely scared! I was grieved that we weren’t going to have a girl, especially when we had been told that Levi was a girl and I'd been excited for it. But we were trusting that God knows best. Now, we are trusting that God knows best again!”

Please pray that this pregnancy does not require Rachel to go on bedrest - she had to go on bedrest with both Michael and Levi's pregnancies. It would be very challenging with so many little ones in the home. Currently, Levi is starting to walk and Michael is running around like a bumper car on the loose. And anyone who has met Nathan knows he is a bundle of energy that doesn't stop. Pray for Brandy’s sanity during this fun yet hectic time. He was never planning on having four children. That’s a lot of milk and diapers! Pray for God’s continued provision. 

If you would like to help Rachel acquire some pink things after having to buy many blue things (plus extra items she needs because they will have three under the age of three when the new one is born), she has a baby registry, link below. A family friend has generously offered to help bring the stuff down to Honduras.

Rachel's Baby Registry

-posted by Christi

Levi living his best life. Dude knows how to chill.

Celebrating Honduran - and Gringo - Christmas in Honduras!

Christmas celebrations are a little different in Honduras. Hondurans celebrate on the 24th with a big evening meal. The dinner is typically roasted chicken or pork leg, mashed potatoes or rice, and, of course, tamales. Oh, and there should be a Coke to wash it all down. 

Honduran tamales - wrapped in banana leaves

Following the meal, it’s time for presents. Maybe. There are presents if you can afford them and no presents if you can’t. There’s no shame or stigma associated with not giving or receiving presents. If there are presents, they will be new clothes to wear immediately. Traditionally, Hondurans wear new clothes for Christmas. Unless the budget didn’t allow for the purchase of a new shirt or a new pair of pants. That’s okay, too. Brandy and Rachel explained that the joke is that Hondurans leave the tags on the clothes so people know a piece is new. But, really, it’s because people are rushing to put on the articles of clothing immediately. It’s not unusual for someone to overlook a sticker or tag.  

There are firecrackers popping throughout the evening. Kids are running around, which isn’t great from a safety perspective, but it’s tradition! By 11:55 pm, the explosion of firecrackers ramps up. If you happen to have more affluent neighbors who can afford to purchase larger fireworks, the sight at midnight will be even more festive. Rachel shared a bit of trivia by saying that for missionary kids raised in Honduras, “the smell of gunpowder is recognized as a Christmas smell!” 

After the popping and cracking has wound down, everyone goes inside to exchange hugs and wish each other a Merry Christmas. Since everyone is going to bed late, it’s normal to sleep until noon on Christmas Day. 

Brandy explained that Christmas traditions are changing a little due to the technology that allows people in Honduras to see how other cultures are celebrating. Wealthier families might do a little extra where food, decorations, and presents are concerned. However, a typical family would never expect to have a decked out Christmas tree and things like bikes and toys for the kids. Christmas in Honduras isn’t seen as a particularly child-focused day. That’s why Sowers4Pastors decided to make Children’s Day the holiday they celebrate with the children in the sponsorship programs.

Christmas also falls during coffee season. People in the small mountain villages are often harvesting coffee throughout December. A lot of the kids are picking coffee during this time, too. This is an immensely important time because, for many families, it’s when they earn the money they will need to meet their needs for the year. It’s how they get enough money to send their kids to school in February. It wouldn’t make sense to blow the budget on elaborate Christmas gifts, a tree, and more food than they could possibly consume. 

Brandy and Rachel also talked about how they incorporate Honduran traditions and American traditions in their family. For the most part, it works great. Christmas Eve is always spent with Brandy’s side of the family and Christmas day with Rachel’s. The most challenging thing is that they are getting to bed late after Christmas Eve celebrations only to get up early for their boys to open presents under the tree on Christmas morning. 

Besides sleep deprivation, the Christmas struggle Brandy and Rachel had to face involved money. Rachel leaned toward the American version: a big meal, presents, and decorations. When she mentioned the big meal, Brandy was in the background good-naturedly shouting, “Too much food!”’ Rachel reigns in the spending, considering Brandy before dropping dough on Christmas decorations. Though she does still like to put up a Christmas tree quite early. And she says that, as the kids have gotten older, Brandy is also excited to see them enjoying the North American Christmas traditions. 

A Honduran tradition that didn’t get mentioned before involves paying visits to neighbors on Christmas Eve. Rachel said, “Brandy has always been good friends with elderly people. Come Christmas, that’s a helpful thing. You visit the neighbors, starting at about 5:00 or 6:00 and they will feed you. Brandy made that work for him as a teenager. He would go to four different houses and eat at each house.” When Rachel and Brandy started dating and she would accompany him, they had to figure out a way to discreetly sneak some of the food off of her plate and onto Brandy’s. It’s not that she doesn’t enjoy tamales, but consuming four meals prior to the family meal is a whole lot of eating!

However you celebrate the holiday, Feliz Navidad!

And from the whole crew at Sowers4Pastors, we wish you a Blessed Christmas celebrating Christ's birth!

- posted by Christi

Retreat!

Close your eyes and picture a beachside retreat.

Wait!  On second thought, don’t close your eyes because you’re supposed to be reading this. So keep your eyes open and picture a beachside retreat. Are you imagining a tranquil scene? 

Last weekend, Rachel and Brandy attended a retreat at the beach. Was it tranquil? Perhaps, if your tranquility bar is set very low. Maybe tranquil is the wrong word, but it was spiritually uplifting. 

The Honduran Fellowship of Missionaries and Ministries generally puts on two retreats per year and Brandy and Rachel try to attend at least one of those. This year, that meant loading up Nathan, Michael, and Levi into their vehicle and driving 4-5 hours to San Pedro Sula one day, in order to break up the travel time. The family checked into an Airbnb for a night. 

Unfortunately, the evening of relaxation didn’t go exactly as planned. Nathan had an accidental encounter with the glass shower door and it broke on top of him. Startled and scared by the sight of broken glass, he ran through all of the broken pieces! A trip to the hospital was in order. Thankfully, the family is on Brandy’s military health insurance. After Google Maps pointed them in the right direction, they arrived at the nearest military hospital. Nathan’s injury was clean and the deep cut on top of his foot only required a single stitch! His run across the broken glass hadn’t sliced the soles of his feet. The worst part of this as far as Nathan was concerned was that he wasn’t able to go into the swimming pool or into the water at the beach. Rachel says he was a trooper, though!

The following day, the family piled back into their vehicle and drove another 4-5 hours to the beach. More than 100 adult missionaries were in attendance and around 60 missionary kids. Rachel and Brandy are very appreciative of the volunteers that traveled to lead worship, speak at workshops, and… drumroll, please!... provide childcare so the parents could enjoy participating in worship, workshops and sessions!

As usual, there were a lot of new faces in attendance. If your main exposure to missionaries is the Sowers family, you may not realize that most missionaries don’t stay on the mission field for decades! While it’s difficult to know the exact number, it is estimated that 50% of missionaries leave by the end of their first two years. Most people make a commitment to stay for two years, but some don’t make it that long. There were also a lot of “old timers” in attendance–people who have been there for 10, 15, or 20 years. 

For Rachel, Brandy, and the other missionaries in attendance, the retreat was a time to get away, disconnect, and focus on spiritual health. Rachel and Brandy made the long drive home in a single day. When asked if she came back feeling refreshed or exhausted, Rachel’s response was, “Yes! Let’s just say that I came back feeling physically exhausted but spiritually uplifted.”

 - posted by Christi