Storytime with Allen: The Biggest Bang for the Buck

When describing Sowers4Pastors’ operating procedures, Allen likes to toss around a couple of terms: “sweat equity” and “skin in the game”. Just to make sure we’re all on the same page regarding the meaning of those terms, let’s go over the definitions.

For a definition of sweat equity, I’m going to turn to the organization that is probably the United States’ biggest proponents of the term. Habitat for Humanity has defined sweat equity as “the ownership interest, or increase in value, that is created as a direct result of hard work by the owner(s).”

Skin in the game is a term frequently used in sports and business. It is often used to refer to a situation in which high-ranking insiders use their own money to buy stock

in the company they’re running. A more general meaning simply means someone is personally invested in something.

Basically, when Allen talks about sweat equity and skin in the game, he’s talking about why Sowers4Pastors doesn’t give things away for free. I’ve heard him speak on this before, but he just gave me two stories that really drive his points home. So, sit back. It’s storytime!

The Medicine Story

A group traveled to Honduras to operate a medical clinic. People would show up and ask for medicine and the good people running the clinic would give them the medicine free of charge. They were seeing a lot of people, but the staff began noticing much of the medicine was being dropped on the ground outside the clinic.

One day, a doctor stepped outside and witnessed a man throwing his newly acquired medicine on the ground. When the doctor asked why he was tossing it aside like garbage, the man replied, “The medicine must not be any good. You gave them away for free.”

The group reevaluated their procedures and began selling the meds for a fraction of their actual cost. They didn’t charge much, but it was enough for people to believe the medicine had value.

The Bible Story

When another visiting group arrived with good intentions and a large supply of Bibles to give away, Allen wisely suggested they charge people a stipend for each Bible. He thought a quarter would be a good amount. The group, however, felt strongly that the Bibles should be given away for free. Now, I’m sure we can all understand why the group felt that way, but Allen understood some things about the Honduran culture that the group did not. The group continued handing out the Bibles.

About a week and half later, Allen was out and about when he paid a visit to an outhouse. That’s when he saw it--a Bible, with pages torn out of it. People were using the free Bibles for toilet paper! If they had purchased the Bibles, they would have seen them as things of value. Plus, only people who truly wanted a Bible would have paid for and received one!

The Story of Sowers4Pastors

When people have to work and sacrifice to gain something that is beneficial, they value and care for it more. The Sowers try to never give anything away for free. They know that people will accept anything that is free, even if they have no use for that item. If it’s something of monetary value, the recipients will often turn around and sell it. The Sowers try to make sure the ministry’s limited resources go into the hands of people that will advance the Kingdom. Trish pointed out they use the method they do because they believe in “skin in the game,” plus giving is simply a bad choice in so many instances.

Because Sowers4Pastors operates with a sweat equity/skin in the game philosophy, they are able to stretch their resources. Here are some examples:

• If they had purchased land, supplied labor and materials, and built church buildings from the ground up, they would have helped ten churches. Instead, they took that money and helped 120 churches get new roofs!

• Instead of giving 110 pastors new motorcycles, they have been able to help 180 pastors buy a motorcycle. (Plus, each pastor has demonstrated he can afford to maintain a motorcycle.)

• Sowers4Pastors could have purchased horses or mules for 35 pastors, if they had been responsible for the entire cost. Instead, they helped 70 pastors by paying for half of the cost.

• If they were personally running the feeding centers, Allen, Trish, and Russell might be able to run three centers, which provide meals twice a week. That would seriously cut in on the other work they do. Rather, they help 140 pastors operate feeding centers!

• Perhaps the most impressive number has to do with planting churches. If Allen and Trish had decided to become church planters, they could have planted one church in the ten year period they’ve been in western Honduras. That church would be a “gringo” church and, if the Sowers ever leave, there would be concern that the church would shut down. Instead, they have helped 50 pastors a year plant churches. That is 500 church plants in the ten year period they’ve been there!

This is the part where someone would normally say, “The End,” but where this storytime is concerned, this is more like, “The Beginning.”

- posted by Christi

A Couple of Weeks in the Life . . . or . . . How Trish Really Blew it!

From Trish: We have been SO BUSY! Christi wrote this post for me, to tell you about the upcoming events, and I never added the pictures and put it up on the blog. Now, most of these events are already completed! Obviously I don't have time to re-write this in the past tense, so please just pretend you read this last week, okay? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------------------

What are the Sowers up to this January? Thank you for asking! As usual, there’s too much going on to cover the entire month, but here’s a brief overview of a couple of weeks in the life of the Sowers:

Not that they’re complaining, but the arrival of Baby Abigail necessitated the rescheduling of a few things. Russell’s schedule had been blocked off to work on things in their new home before Abigail’s birth. Hahaha! Abigail had other plans and decided to arrive a little earlier than anticipated, so that schedule flew out the window. (Not that anyone is complaining!) The work still needs to be done, though now Abigail can act as supervisor.

There’s also still work in the coffee fields to be done. With a new baby and her very energetic big brother in the house, Russell should probably put some of that coffee aside for his personal use.

It’s almost time for Sowers4Pastors’ first visiting team of 2017 to hit the ground running in Honduras, so the Sowers are already running around preparing for the visit. Most of the team members are from Edgewater Alliance Church in Edgewater, Florida. The time prior to the visit being spent taking care of very glamorous missionary tasks like making sure the rental van and hotel reservations are confirmed. They are also contacting each pastor in the towns where the team will be visiting to be sure they all have a feeding day scheduled.

Children lined up for medical check-ups,
at Guacutao feeding center

Since Edgewater Alliance is the sister church of the Guacutao church, much of the team’s visit will be spent there. They will be distributing backpacks, shoes, and letters to the children of Guacutao. They will also be doing medical well visits, updating pictures for sponsors, helping the children write letters to their sponsors, playing games, leading crafts, and leading Good News Club activities. Maybe the most exciting part is the opportunity the team will have to pay home visits to the children they and some of their churchmates sponsor.

The team will also spend time at the feeding centers at Rancho Obispo, Posa Verde and  Nuevos Cedros, doing the same activities scheduled for Guacutao. It’s always nice when a visiting team consists of some medical staff, who are able to conduct medical visits for the children.

One of the team members is bringing a Spanish copy of “The Jesus Film” and several evenings will be spent going to smaller areas around Gracias to show the film. One of those areas will be the sister church at Guacutao.

Later in the week, a day will be spent visiting a girls’ orphanage and spending time with the children there. This is an orphanage where some of the team members have previously visited and they are eager to return.

As a special treat, the team members and children at the El Tablon feeding center will be dining together, one evening. They won’t be dining on the standard feeding center menu, however, as the Sowers have placed a special tamale order for the occasion! Some of the time will be spent seeing some of the sights, including the Sowers’ coffee farm.

Whew! I don’t know about you, but I’m tired just reading about it. I can’t wait to see what the second half of January has in store for Allen, Trish, Russell, and Iris. - posted by Christi

2016 - A Year in Review

The countdown is over. The big ball has dropped. The confetti has flown all over Times Square, and 2016 has officially ended. You know what that means: It’s time for Sowers4Pastors Year in Review! Now we merely need to figure out if we should go in chronological order or in order of WOW factor. Hmmm… Or maybe we should do it like they do in the movies and give you some basic background info. Yeah. Let’s do that.

It has been sixteen years since Allen and Trish pulled up stakes and moved to Honduras with their passel of children and whatever else you take when you move to Honduras. Undoubtedly, there were those who thought they had lost their ever-lovin’ minds. Their plan was to stay for a couple of years or so, but God had other plans. In that sixteen years, the passel of children grew to adulthood and Ben joined the family. And Russell is in the process of assuming more and more ministry responsibility, which will allow Allen and Trish to spend more time promoting the ministry in the States. Now, we can move on to 2016.

The Pastor Part

Let’s start with the pastor part of Sowers4Pastors. Forty-six indigenous pastors completed the year-long pastor training school, where they were able to gain knowledge on how to study the Bible and improve their preaching skills.

Fourteen more pastors are riding new motorcycles in their villages of Western Honduras, thanks to funding which helped Sowers4Pastors distribute them. The motorcycles are being used by the pastors to minister more efficiently to their congregations.

Other Cool Stuff

Three bridge projects were completed in 2016, including one in Haiti. Another bridge project is underway. The fun never stops!

Bridge in Haiti, built May of 2016

2000 children were added to the general feeding program, in 30 new church feeding centers. The grand total of children being fed through Sowers4Pastors’ feeding centers is now a whopping 14,000! Even this math hater loves those numbers!

The new sponsorship programs--the Manna 4 Lempira program and the Sister Church program--provided school shoes, backpacks, and school supplies to over 1200 children. That’s above and beyond their regular participation in a church-run feeding center.

Ahead of Schedule

2016 was the Year of the First Great Coffee Harvest. With Russell overseeing the whole shebang, the ministry brought in its very first coffee harvest. It had a much larger yield than anticipated, meaning the project is ahead of schedule and the farm should be producing funds, which can be used for ministry, much sooner than expected. But a big coffee harvest wasn’t the only thing that came sooner than expected...

De-pulping - separating the fruit from the "bean" - the harvest from our coffee farm!

The WOW factor of this post is undoubtedly the fact that R.J. is a big brother! Russell and Iris welcomed Baby Abigail a little ahead of schedule, but right on time to send 2016 out in style.

Prayer Requests for 2017

As we all move ahead in 2017, please remember to take time to pray for Sowers4Pastors and the entire Sowers family. Allen, Trish, Russell, and Iris' greatest desire is that they will be able to discern God’s leading--both in the ministry and in their personal lives.

Working like Energizer Bunnies for Jesus can take a toll on a person’s health! Pray that the Sowers will enjoy good health to continue doing the work set before them. When they are in Honduras, health care is limited. When they are in the U.S., they don’t have health insurance and the costs are exorbitant. Allen and Trish blame aging for some minor health concerns, but, as we saw last year, a tiny mosquito had the ability to make Russell and Iris feel yucky for a while.

Please remember Ben at his new school. He’s doing great at his missionary-run boarding school, the Plan Escalon school in La Entrada, which is about an hour and a half from home. Let’s pray he continues to maneuver the adolescent years in a way that is honoring to God.

Russell and Iris are spinning a lot of plates for a young couple. There’s the ministry, their marriage, moving to a new home, and parenting two of the most adorable children on the planet. Pray that God would continue to bless their marriage and their young family.  

And, as always, remember to pray for the ministry programs, particularly some of the newer projects, like the coffee farm and sponsorship programs, which currently require a large investment of time and money. We all know Sowers4Pastors is great at stepping out on faith, and that’s wonderful. But sometimes it’s nice to know the funding is there BEFORE taking a leap!

Now, would someone get the broom and start sweeping up all of this confetti? It’s time to get busy with 2017!

 - posted by Christi

Happy New Year to you! Happy New Baby to us!

Introducing the newest member of the Sowers4pastors ministry team:

Abigail arrived early Tuesday morning, the 27th of December. Of course, she will need some time to grow into her role in the ministry work - she has language skills to acquire, for instance - but I'm sure she will soon be pulling her own weight (6 lbs 3 oz)!

Congratulations to the proud parents, Russell and Iris Sowers!

What if . . .

What if you could remove the worms and parasites from a malnourished child, for 2 cents?

What if you could feed a malnourished child 100 meals for $2? (2 cents per meal)

What if you could sponsor a child, providing them with school supplies, school shoes, 2 highly nutritious meals per week, and Sunday school materials, for $15 per month?

What if you could put a roof on a new church building, that will seat 200 people, for $800?

What if you could help a pastor, who is walking from village to village (60 miles each week) planting churches, to get a motorcycle, for $1000? Or help him purchase a horse for $500?




The fact is that you can do all of these things, and more, in partnership with Sowers4pastors and the pastors of western Honduras. 


What if . . . . . . . ?

As you contemplate your end-of-the year giving, please consider partnering with us! This link tells you how to donate. Thanks so much, and Merry Christmas!

"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Matthew 25:40

Why Bridges?

Sowers4Pastors Series: Why Bridges? from Jenny Oetting on Vimeo.


 - posted by Trish

No Fairy Godmother

Whenever Allen or Trish make it back to the States, they receive some most excellent questions about how their sponsorship program impacts the children, their families, and their pastors. This has come up so often that we figured we should address this in its very own blog post.

Walk the Walk

People are often surprised to learn some children walk miles through the mountains in order to get to feeding centers. Let’s face it, in our society, if we ever expected our young children to hike across rugged terrain for a meal, we could expect the authorities to pay us a little home visit! The Sowers understand your concern, but here’s the deal: Honduras is not the United States. Their cultural norms are not our cultural norms. That doesn’t mean one way of life is wrong and the other is right. It merely means they are different ways of life.

In Honduras, it is absolutely expected that a child may walk miles to school, church, etc… The parents aren’t being neglectful. It’s just how things are. The fact that parents send their kiddos off to feeding centers does not indicate they are so desperate for food that they will risk the safety of their children. It means, hey, it’s a mountainous region of Honduras. If you want to get somewhere, you should probably start walking because mommy doesn’t have a minivan.

Parents take necessary precautions. It is normal for children to travel in groups, with the older ones keeping an eye on the younger ones. Some pastors even operate their feeding centers on Sundays to save the children one trip each week. And, as absolutely foreign as that sounds to us, my father told similar stories about his childhood.

What? I Don’t Get Three Wishes?

The next thing people want to know is whether the sponsorship program sets up a fairy godmother sort of situation. They wonder if it alters relationships between children, their families, and pastors.

Trish addressed this with me by saying, “We are only moving letters back and forth three or four times a year. Any gifts the kids receive with those letters are usually limited to what can fit in a small Ziplock baggie. These kids are not being continually showered with gifts and it’s not a matter of some kids being picked out above others. A child receiving some good things and a few letters does not come between the kids and parents.”

A Matter of Pride?

Finally (for the purposes of this post, anyway!), people want to know if the parents of sponsored children find it hurtful to see someone else doing things for their child. Trish assured me the parents react the same way we might if our child received a big scholarship. I don’t know about you, but I’d be thrilled for my children to receive scholarships.

For a parent who cannot afford to send a child to school because of the cost of a backpack, school supplies, and shoes, this is the absolute equivalent of a scholarship. The parents feel great gratitude and joy.

Allen, the numbers man, wants me to reiterate that the cost of a backpack and school supplies in Honduras would be around $70. The cost for the exact same items (or frequently items of higher quality) is $30. That’s not counting the expense of shoes. Plus, many families are dealing with multiple children. In a country where a family’s annual income might be $1000, it’s easy to see how the backpacks and school supplies could mean the difference between a child receiving an education or not receiving one.

Get involved!

If you're interested in being a part of helping these children, in remote villages of western Honduras, here are a few ways you can help, with links to additional information:

• Donate to the general feeding ministry, in which 14,000 children are currently being fed, at a cost of 2 cents per meal

• Sponsor a child through the Manna 4 Lempira sponsorship program for $15 per month

• Collect  school supplies to fill backpacks

• Donate to our general fund. We use money from this fund wherever it is most needed at the time.

 - posted by Christi

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

It’s time! Hey, it’s time! Do you remember the excitement you felt when you woke up on Christmas morning, as a child? That’s sort of how I feel right now. These are the moments we’ve all been waiting for: It’s backpack distribution time!

And Now a Word to Our Sponsors!

On December 3rd, Russell and Allen were at Camelote Campuca to hand out backpacks to 55 kids who have been sponsored by the good people of their sister church, Fredericktowne Baptist Church in Maryland. The children registered for the program back in October, but not every eligible child was able to make it that day (it’s coffee harvesting season, and many children were off picking coffee). So, word was spread to tell the other children to show up on distribution day, too. An additional 25 children were registered and received backpacks. How could they go ahead and receive backpacks without official sponsors? Thank you for asking!

Fredericktowne Baptist Church congregation was so enthusiastic about sponsoring children they have a waiting list of sponsors! The children were quickly entered into the system so the information could be sent to Kim Hall, in the states, and she created sponsorship packets for each of these children. This Sunday, FBC will put those additional children up on their sponsorship wall during the church service for members to sponsor. Because Russell knew there were people ready to step up, he was able to provide each child with their very own backpack filled with school supplies.

Shoes, personalized gifts, and letters to the children at Camelote Campuca from their sponsors at FBC are expected to arrive in February. They’re currently being collected in Maryland, and will be delivered when the container arrives.

These Halls are Not for Decking

Tomorrow, Kim and Jonathon Hall of Manna 4 Lempira are arriving in Honduras with their family. On Sunday, the Sowers will take the Halls to visit Pastor Alfredo’s church at the Betania feeding center. There, they will distribute almost 200 backpacks, pairs of shoes, and letters to the children at that location.

Then, on Monday and Tuesday, they are meeting with five separate groups in El Tablon, where they will work with Pastor Omar. The children there will be receiving their backpacks, which were personalized by their sponsors, and came down earlier in the container which was shipped from Florida in November.

Wednesday and Thursday will find the group at the Mercedes center with Pastor Israel and Pastor German. 330 children will be receiving their personalized backpacks and letters, through Manna 4 Lempira!

An exhausted Hall family will be driven to the airport on the 16th. Allen and Russell will forge on, heading to Las Crucitas the next day, to give the children there the backpacks from their sister church, Trinity Anglican Church in Jacksonville, Florida.

Kicking off the New Year

Things don’t slow down in January! On January 7th, a team from Edgewater Alliance Church in Edgewater, Florida is flying in. On January 8th, 9th, and 10th, the Sowers will take the team out to distribute backpacks, shoes, letters and to perform medical well visits for four different groups with their sister church at Guacutao. Pastors Lorenzo and Antonio will be on hand for that.

Worth the Wait

For some of you who packed school supplies back in August, you’ve been waiting a long time for this. But, hey, good things come to those who wait and backpack distribution is a very good thing! Allen would like to remind you that it costs Sowers 4 Pastors about $20 to assemble a stocked backpack in the States. For a parent in Honduras, the same supplies and pack could easily cost them $70! Allen is able to purchase shoes for $15 in the States, which would cost around $60 in Honduras.

So, to all who contributed in any way... Thank you!!!! Your backpacks, sponsorships, shoes, etc... are making a profound difference in the lives of these children. These programs help encourage kids to receive an education and also bring kids into the church, where they can hear the Gospel message. And, as Allen reminded me, "This is why we do this."

 - posted by Christi

Heaven on Wheels

Not an actual pastor - we discourage our pastors
from doing stunts 😉

The mountains of Western Honduras are now home to fourteen more indigenous pastor driven motorcycles! These “Heaven on Wheels” pastors represent seven different denomination from eight different departments (like small U.S. states).

Let’s Get this Project Rolling

This process started in June, when the Sowers got word of a funding opportunity for this ministry. The Sowers would like to say thank you to the Christian Motorcyclist Association, Missionary Ventures, Foundation for Missions, and Edgewater Alliance Church for their part in making this happen.

Pastors are selected based on who walks the greatest distance, who works the most hours, and who serves the most churches. It’s not unusual for a single pastor to have several churches and walk fifty or more miles per week. There was no shortage of candidates. As Russell said, “We could help hundreds of pastors who meet these requirements, but the limiting factor is the funding from the states.”

This year, in fact, they knew there was a possibility of getting funding for about ten new motorcycles through the Christian Motorcyclist Association. (The CMA ended up funding nine.) Yet, they had fourteen amazing candidates. So, of course, they did what Sowers do and took a leap of faith. Surprise! Then Allen sent out a plea to a friend at Edgewater Alliance Church, who helped present a proposal to their missions board to apply for the other five motorcycles.

Have Box Truck, Will Travel

Russell gave me the rundown on how they obtain the motorcycles. Once the funding is obtained, Russell contacts Honda and places an order. When the order is ready, he rents a large box truck and drives about five hours to the big city to pick up the motorcycles, helmets, and necessary paperwork. Then he makes the return trip with his precious cargo. Once he has them home, he tests each set of wheels to make sure they’re good to go. Then he calls the ecstatic new owners to come get their hard earned motorcycles.

A Lesson in Sweat Equity

Yes, I said, “hard earned motorcycles.” You might be thinking the motorcycles are given to pastors as an act of charity. You might be thinking wrong! I knew the pastors were expected to come up with a portion of the funding, in what Allen likes to refer to as sweat equity. I knew the bikes only go to those pastors who have demonstrated they are serious about their desire to own and maintain a motorcycle. As we’ve discussed before, it does no good to give a motorcycle to a pastor who can’t afford to keep it running. What I didn’t remember is how very much sweat equity is involved.

Each pastor pays 40% of the price of a motorcycle. That’s $640 toward the purchase of a $1640 motorcycle! Given their annual income, that is nothing short of amazing! By operating under the sweat equity guidelines, Sowers4Pastors is able to help more pastors receive much needed transportation. Instead of eight motorcycles, they provided fourteen, for the same amount of donated money. (Okay, there was a fraction involved there, but we’re rounding up!)

Allen pointed out that most missionaries who receive the motorcycle money pay for the full amount, with no investment on the part of the pastors. There have been instances of those pastors selling their motorcycles, rather than using them in ministry. But, for the pastors who have sacrificed so greatly, specifically in order to receive a motorcycle, their new wheels are a highly valued possession. It’s the difference between a child who is given a new bike and one who had to rake leaves and mow lawns in order to purchase a bike. That's a pastor who really wants, and will use, a motorcycle!

Not all pastors see a motorcycle as being worth this investment. Some would rather take their money and use it toward something like a sound system for their church, and that’s fine. But, for the pastors who choose to make this investment, they are able to expand their ministry area and be more efficient in their use of time.

In case you've paid attention to the ongoing tally: Sowers4Pastors has now distributed 180 motorcycles and 70 horses or mules for pastors, in total!

- posted by Christi

The Fruits of their Labors

Remember when we told you we had a videographer staying with us, to make videos of our ministry to share with others? (It's okay if you've forgotten. You can go and read that post now, HERE.)

Today I'm excited to share with you a bit of what Jenny Oetting is creating, from all the material she shot during her month in Honduras. This video documents a particular team who came down to do a Bridge-in-a-Week project.

I think you'll be impressed with what the team accomplished - and what Jenny has accomplished here, too! Please comment and let us know what you think!