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December 15, 2007 Dear Friends: Most of you know that Allen has been working in the states since mid-October. He came back to Honduras to host a team the first week of December, and now he has returned to Virginia, to continue working. He will not be returning to Honduras until sometime around mid to late January, so we’ll be missing him at Christmas. But, we are thrilled for him to have this chance to work, and we will be remembering the families of our deployed troops, who have much longer and harder separations than we have. With Allen gone during the distribution part of the Gifts for Gracias project, we are keeping very busy down here! This letter departs from our usual format. Allen had the opportunity to speak at some churches, and this is a revision of the talk he shared. We want to take a moment today, to say Thank You. Thank you to those of you who didn’t just talk about praying, but who prayed. Thank you to those of you who didn’t talk about supporting the work in Honduras, but supported it. We offer this thanks on behalf of the 11,000 children and adults; orphans, widows, families with special needs children who are receiving 3 meals a week for the next 3 months from the container of vitamin enriched food which we received earlier this month. How is this possible? This container came with 285,000 adult meals or 400,000 to 500,000 children’s meals. It is enough food to feed 5 people their entire lives. Because of the generosity of Kids Against Hunger in giving us an entire container of food, all we had to pay for was transportation. Our total cost came to a penny a meal for this food. In other words we can feed a child for a year for $10. We also want to thank you for your gifts of used clothing that have blessed thousands. Thank You on behalf of the 80 special needs families who we are able to help because of your generosity, and a special thank you from the cleft pallet children we have been able to help. We want to thank those of you who have partnered in the Gifts for Gracias program, through which we are able to distribute to 200 pastors and their families a special Thank You gift for their work. Through this project we also bless hundreds of special needs children, children in the hospital and malnourished children with a Christmas gift. We want to thank those of you who helped us partner in the building of 30 schools and churches in the last 2 years. Thank you to those who support our general fund, through which we run our Bible training school which has 80 pastors and leaders as students every month. Out of our general fund come our Bible sales. Because of your donations, we have been able to sell Bibles at an incredible discount to the poor in our area. We have sold thousands. We want to thank you for your help in the distribution of 400 Spanish study Bibles to pastors and leaders, as well as Bible dictionaries, concordances, and commentaries. Two years ago almost none of the pastors in Lempira had anything more than a simple Spanish Bible. We also want to thank Missionary Ventures for their help. As a result of their contribution, every dollar you give to our general fund goes directly to the work in Western Honduras. This, coupled with the work that Allen has been given by Home Land Security to support our family, means that almost every dollar given to us goes to help the indigenous church. Finally I want to say thank you for your ongoing help in taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the unreached. We could not do it with out you. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
As we take time to remember the coming of Christ, and to thank Him for his sacrifice for us, we wanted to thank you for working with us to obey His commandment to spread the Good News into the world! Merry Christmas, Allen, Trish, Kirstin, Russell, Rachel, Chris, Bethany, and David Sowers (Don’t forget to check in regularly on our blog: www.sowers4pastors.blogspot.com) November 3, 2007 Dear Friends: Container of Food from Kids Against Hunger has Arrived Exciting news! Although it really wasn’t easy to achieve, we finally have the container of food here in Gracias, and are working on distributions to schools, orphanages and feeding centers in Lempira and Intibuca. The story of the many trials involved in getting this container is too long to put into this letter. If you possibly can, check out the story on our blog, www.sowers4pastors.blogspot.com, looking at the entries from October 23rd through 26th. We want to praise God for the successful arrival of this much needed food, and we also want to thank all of you who prayed with us through the interesting twists and turns in the travel of the container.
In case you missed the previous information about this food, these are family size packages of rice, dehydrated vegetables, soy, chicken flavoring, and vitamin powder. It is extra-nutritious, and similar to a dish - arroz y pollo - that people like to eat in Honduras, so it has been well received. We are getting good reports back from the people who have had an opportunity to taste it. The food in this one container is enough to serve 400,000 children’s meals. That comes to feeding 11,000 children three times a week for three months! Our thanks again to everyone who has been involved in this project. Please praise God with us for this wonderful provision for the malnourished people of Lempira! Also, go ahead and start praying now for the next container of food, which we hope to be able to schedule very soon.
Gifts for Gracias 2007 Did you miss it? The deadline for sending presents for this project has passed. However, if you missed the deadline, and would still like to participate, it isn’t too late to donate financially to the project. We generally purchase a few items locally, for the pastor boxes (hardly anyone in the states sends hair gel, for instance, and that is a much desired item for men here, so we order it by the caseload for Christmas). Donated funds also help us offset the cost of shipping. Thanks to everyone for taking part in the project. Please continue to pray, as we are packaging and sending the shipments of gifts from Maryland and Florida to Honduras.
Allen in the States: Supporting his Missionary Habit Some of you may remember that Allen worked in the MD/VA area for a few months, back in 2005. It was a fabulous opportunity, as the money he earned helped us with the extra costs as we moved from Guanaja to Gracias. Another opportunity for similar work has arisen, and Allen and Christopher are already back in the states, working on another Homeland Security project. The other children remain with Trish as they all keep the ministry going while Allen is away. We are very grateful to God, for supplying this great work opportunity, and we also would ask for your prayers as the family is separated for a while.
While Allen is Away . . . Russell (who has now completed his high school course work) is currently working full time for the ministry. Kirstin, who is taking a reduced load of college courses online, is working part time. Construction continues out at the MV Ministry Center property, with Russell supervising and Kirstin working as part of the construction crew. Russell is also handling the food distribution. In a couple of weeks, we will be hosting the final session of the Bible Training School for 2007. So we are keeping busy, and we can certainly use your prayers as we continue the various projects without Allen’s daily input. Additionally, we may be receiving the shipments of Christmas gifts while Allen is out of the country, which will be the first time for that! Considering all of the craziness related to the arrival of the food container . . .well, just pray, okay?
Construction Update The first two buildings are well underway at the MV Ministry Center. There are lots of pictures, and even a video, posted on the blog. While he is in the states, Allen will be able to purchase some of the construction materials we need, at significantly better prices than we can get here, and send them on the container. Please pray for our young adults, who are working on the construction site, for wisdom and safety. We are really proud of them!
Thank You for Partnering With Us Thanks so very much, for all of the ways you help with this ministry. Our family is so proud to be a part of what God is doing here, through the Honduran pastors, and we are honored to be allowed to serve the poor of Lempira. We hope that you are also being blessed by the opportunities you have taken, to serve alongside us.
Blessings from Gracias Lempira, Honduras, Allen, Trish, Kirstin, Russell, Rachel, Chris, Bethany, and David Sowers September 8, 2007 Dear Friends: Hurricane Felix We are relieved to report that Hurricane Felix did not hit our part of Honduras with enough power to cause any significant damage. We are all fine here, and are starting to get everything dried out! If you are interested in knowing more, you can check the posts in Trish’s blog (www.sowers4pastors.blogspot.com) for more information. Thanks so much to everyone who prayed for us and for the people here! Please pray for those on the east coast of Honduras and Nicaragua, who did experience significant loss.
Gifts for Gracias 2007 The time is swiftly approaching for you to do your part in this project - the deadline for mailing is October 1st! All the information is available - click here. Please feel free to copy this and pass it along to others. (Back-to-School sales are great for purchasing items for in these boxes, as many here have difficulty putting together the necessities for school.) These gifts are so appreciated, and the pastors and their families are looking forward to the blessing again this year. Please help us make their Christmas special! Containers of Donated Food As with so many things here, getting the funding to ship a container of food to Lempira was just the first step in a long process, involving many emails and phone calls, gathering information and filling out paperwork. We believe we are very close now to having the first shipment leave Minnesota. Please keep praying for this process, as the food is badly needed here! Motorcycles for Pastors A few weeks ago Trish wrote and posted pictures about this project on her blog, (www.sowers4pastors.blogspot.com/2007/08/motorcycles-for-pastors.html). We are thankful that God has allowed us to bless these faithful pastors in this very practical way! For those who might not have access to the internet, here is a summary of what Trish wrote: Every year, the Christian Motorcycle Association (CMA) raises funds to donate motorcycles for the use of Christian pastors and missionaries throughout the world. Because of their partnership with Missionary Ventures, we were able to receive funding allowing us to purchase and distribute four motorcycles in 2006, and five in 2007. In setting up this motorcycle distribution, we wanted to be certain that the pastors who received bikes would have the ability to purchase fuel and pay for maintenance on an ongoing basis. Otherwise, what should be a blessing would simply be a burden for them. Part of our method to determine which pastors would more likely be able to afford to use a bike was to sell the bikes at a discounted price, instead of giving them away. To receive a motorcycle, the pastor had to be able to come up with 20% of the actual price. In addition to confirming that the pastor was able to come up with some financial resources, this also allowed us to distribute twelve motorcycles in all, with the funds we received from the CMA. August 9th was the culmination of months of work: finally the motorcycles are in the hands of the pastors who will be using them! The Building Project is Underway With the hosting of several teams in the past month, we have been able to make some initial progress on the construction of buildings on the Missionary Ventures Ministry Center, where we will hold the Bible Training School, host teams, and live, among other things. Foundations have been started for two of the buildings, and walls are going up! We are very excited to be making some very visible progress! Please pray with us that the funding which is still needed for this construction will be forthcoming, and pray that God would use this Ministry Center for His Glory! A Gift of Bibles!!!!!!!! On a recent trip to the city, Allen "happened" to meet up with a man from Florida, who is involved with a ministry which makes Bibles available to missions. He had 3000 Spanish Bibles in Florida, which he was happy to give to us for our work. With the help of friends at Grace Church in Jacksonville, we were able to get the Bibles on to a boat in Tampa, and they are on their way to Honduras right now. Please pray that the funds to pay for the shipping and customs would come in. Horses for Traveling Evangelists Thanks so very much for those who have contributed toward the equipment needed to start a remote evangelism team. At this time we have received over half of what is needed, in the way of equipment (projector, amplifier, microphones, DVD player and generator). We have also been offered horses at a discounted price, to be used for this project, and for helping pastors who need a horse for their transportation. This, coupled with the Bibles we recently received, will help get this project off the ground. Please pray for funds for the purchase of the horses, saddles and tack, and for the monthly supplies and stipends for the evangelists.
Thanks so very much for being a part of the ministry here, and a part of our lives! We appreciate you! Blessings from Gracias Lempira, Honduras, Allen, Trish, Kirstin, Russell, Rachel, Chris, Bethany, and David Sowers July 21, 2007 Dear Friends: Advancing the Gospel
This month, we want to introduce you to one of the pastors who attends the Pastor Training School. His name is Pedro Sarmiento, and this story actually starts seven years ago, in the remote mountains of the department of Copan, in a tiny almost-village called Nueve San Pedro.
Pedro, a young man at the time, lived in Nueve San Pedro, along with the rest of his family. There were no churches in the area, and they had not been exposed to the gospel, until Pastor Francisco Monroy traveled into their remote area in the summer of 2000, to preach several evangelistic messages. Pedro’s father, Heliberto Sarmiento, became interested in the gospel as a result of the preaching he heard at these services. He traveled down from his remote location to a village with a church, to learn more. Eventually, Heliberto, and all of his family, became Christians. They traveled regularly down the mountain to attend church. Heliberto encouraged his children to consider becoming pastors and starting a church near their home, and he even gave Pedro a piece of land, on which to build a church. Pedro began, in his spare time, to construct a church building on the land, as he continued to grow in his knowledge of Christianity through the local church he was attending.
Today, Pedro Sarmiento is pastoring a congregation of around 30 people, in the church he constructed in Nueve San Pedro. He is also attending the Missionary Ventures Pastor Training School here in Gracias, to help him better teach and lead his flock.
We thank God for the dedication of Pastor Monroy, whose trip into the mountains was the seed. The fruit is the many lives which have been changed, and those who will be reached through the work of Pastor Pedro Sarmiento! It is our prayer that the Pastor Training School will train up many who will go and plant more seeds in the mountains of Honduras!
Prayer Requests and Praises in a Nutshell
V In July, there were 80 people in attendance at the Bible Training School. We are excited to see how much the pastors are appreciating the teaching being offered!
V Praise the Lord! Several people have contributed toward the cost of an initial container of food, to be shipped to our area. We are praying that we will be able to receive the first container in the next 4 - 6 weeks. Please pray that the funds will be available so that we will be able to ship additional containers of food in the future.
V Please continue to pray for our finances. Because of the continued growth of this ministry, we find that our monthly income is not keeping stride with the needs of the ministry. We praise God for the funds which were donated in response to our visits and presentations in May, but we are still considering the possibility of Allen going back to the states in the fall, to work for a couple months.
V Just while writing this letter, representatives of the hospital here in Gracias came to visit us, to ask for some help. A severely malnourished woman gave birth a month ago to a baby boy. Mother and son were in the hospital for a week, until they had been nursed back to sufficient health to be discharged. The hospital sent them home with a small supply of food and formula, but this soon ran out, and both mother and child had to return to the hospital, in serious condition, again due to malnutrition. Now, the mother has been discharged for the second time, and the baby will remain in the care of the hospital for another few weeks. But the hospital representative, recognizing that it is just a matter of time until they will return - unless they have some resources to get food - approached us about entering this family into our special needs program, to receive monthly food supplements. We are glad to help, but concerned about the future ramifications. If the hospital brings us all their malnourished patients, we will have to make some difficult decisions, as far as choosing which of the many needy can be enrolled in our program.
V Recently, as Allen was traveling by mule into a remote area, the Lord laid upon his heart the need for more outreach into the unreached areas in the mountains. Allen has a vision to raise up a small team of traveling evangelists, outfitted with horses or mules, a small generator, sound system, and projector. It is estimated that there are 300,000 people in rural areas of western Honduras who have no regular evangelical contact. Please pray that God would lead us as we pursue this possibility for reaching the lost in our area.
V In the next few weeks, we will be hosting two visiting teams. As always, we would have you pray that the teams would have prepared their hearts, to come as servants to the people here. We also pray that the message of the gospel would be received gladly by those who hear it! Additionally, please pray for safety and health for the team members, and for the logistical details, which are always potentially complicated here!
V Please be in prayer for the start of the Gifts for Gracias project. If you have not yet received the information on the gift collection for this year, write us at trish@sowers4pastors.com, or get the info you need about the project from the website: http://www.sowers4pastors.com/Gifts%20for%20Gracias%202007.htm.
V Things are busy here, and we would ask that you would pray for us to have peace in the midst of everything, and discernment to see what God would have us do. We appreciate your prayers so much! Thanks for all of your love and support!
Blessings from Gracias Lempira,
Honduras, June 16, 2007 Dear Friends: Allen and Trish’s Un-Adventurous Trip to the States We are checking in with you as we conclude our time of travel in the US. This letter will be a bit less exciting than the last one, but we think that’s probably a good thing, don’t you? Our entire trip lasted about 6 weeks for Trish (who came early), and 4 weeks for Allen (who stayed on an extra week at the end). During this time, one or both of us visited: Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Allen calculated that we actually drove more miles than we covered in our round trip flights! We visited and spoke at five churches, and at numerous home groups and Bible studies. We took some of our time in MD to pack up all of the furnishings and other family items which we left in storage, back when we thought we would be living in Honduras for 2 to 3 years. So, with the arrival of all of our pictures and other mementos, we will really, officially have settled in Honduras. On other days during our stay, Allen, with a small crew of volunteers, pulled cable up from the bottom of the Potomac River, to use in building cable bridges in Honduras. The ferry at the White’s Ferry crossing (between MD and VA) uses a cable for 6 months, then is required to lay a new cable. The barely-used cable is available to us if we are willing to drag it up (each run of cable weighs over 3000 pounds). The container with the items we collected and packed while in MD left for Honduras on June 15th. Please pray with us for the safety of our special family items on this container. Meanwhile, on the Home Front . . . Thanks so much, to everyone who prayed for our kids while they held down the fort here in Honduras. In addition to carrying on with the household work and their school, they handled ministry issues which arose, and even adopted a homeless parrot. We are so proud of their maturity and their faithfulness! We are also all relieved that our time apart is over, and glad to be together again! Pastor Training School This month is the third session of the Pastor Training School, and it was mostly run while Allen was out of the country. Dr Julio, Pastor Modesto, and Russell ran the school in his absence, with Allen coming in for the last few hours of the final day of classes. There were 70 pastors and church leaders in attendance. We certainly appreciate your prayers for everyone involved in the school, and we continue to covet your prayers for the remainder of the funds needed for the school, as it is currently only about half funded for this year. An Exciting Opportunity During our time in the US, we visited a group in Minnesota, which puts together extra-nutritious meals, for distribution in areas of great need. Because their organization - Kids Against Hunger -raises the funds to create these pre-packaged meals, the food is made available to charities at no cost. The meals are perfect for use in Honduras, as they cook up into a dish which is quite similar to arroz y pollo (rice and chicken), a food eaten regularly in this country; they contain rice, dehydrated vegetables, soy, vitamin powder, and chicken flavoring. For the cost of shipping and duties, which would be about $4,000, we can bring 400,000 meals into our area for distribution. This will make it possible for us to feed the people we are already feeding (through our feeding centers and special needs program) at a much lower cost than we are currently paying, as our total cost will come to 1 cent per meal! This is an exciting development, as we have been praying for God to show us how to either contain the size of the charitable side of our ministry, or how to fund the projects as the needs continue to pour in. We would ask you to pray with us, that we would receive the additional funding needed to purchase a containerload of meals from Minnesota very soon! David’s Adoption - An Update Just before leaving for the states, Allen was approached by the Deputado for our part of Honduras (a Deputado is sort of like a US Senator), about the possibility of our family being granted Honduran citizenship (this would be dual US/Honduran citizenship). This would potentially be a big asset, in the process of getting David’s adoption approved. It would also decrease our paperwork and expenses, as we would no longer have to deal with the process of maintaining residency in Honduras, as we have to do now. We have not yet had a chance to find out what would be involved in this, and the pros and cons of going forward with becoming Honduran citizens. But, we would love to have you start praying about this now. It’s That Time of Year Again - Gifts for Gracias 2007We are excited to be coming up on the next Gifts for Gracias project. The pastors are always so grateful and appreciative for this special love gift they receive from their hermanos (brothers and sisters) in the US. Along with this prayer letter, you should also receive a sheet of instructions, for those who wish to participate in this project. These instructions are also posted on the website: www.sowers4pastors.com/Gifts%20for%20Gracias%202007.htm Please pray with us for the funds needed ($3,500) to ship the gifts and other items in a container from Maryland in October.The Partnership: God, the local pastor, us, and you! We want to thank our faithful prayer and financial supporters. Through the work of the Honduran pastors, we are seeing more than 3000 souls saved each year. Because of your help with our nutrition programs, we are seeing children and babies brought back from the brink of permanent mental and physical damage due to malnutrition . We ask that you would continue to pray for this ministry’s financial support. For many of the 200 pastors with whom we work, we are the only outside source of financial help. This also holds true for most of our malnourished and special needs children and their families. Thank you again, so much, for your participation with this ministry.
Blessings from Gracias Lempira,
Honduras, April 11, 2007 Dear Friends:
‘The Great Huelga Adventure’ or ‘What To Do When Caught By a Mob’ That is to say, a Honduran huelga mob. What do you do when you get trapped in a huelga (pronounced WELL guh) – and people threaten to destroy your vehicle if you try to turn around and drive away? Answer: You do what they say! Here is the story of Allen, Rachel, and Bethany’s eventful trip to MK camp the last week of March. (FYI, a huelga is an organized protest, designed to stop all traffic on a major road, thereby creating a situation where the protestors have enough power to insist on negotiations with the government concerning their grievances.)
We’d been traveling for an hour and a half, and we had just passed through La Entrada, when we came upon a line of tractor trailers parked along the sides of the road. As we continued along between the parked vehicles, we came to a place in the road where there was a group of about 15 young men, with large sticks and machetes. This is not an uncommon sight, and we stopped, and asked them if there was a problem ahead. They were helpful and friendly, saying, "No, it’s clear, keep going - the protest hasn’t begun yet.." So we did, but after a short time we found ourselves in another crowd of armed men, as well as a lot of slowed cars and confused drivers. These armed men behaved more threateningly, and commanded everyone to keep moving forward. Their goal was to create an impassable blockade of closely parked vehicles. No one verbally threatened us, but they told us insistently that ‘some of the other guys’ would attack our vehicle if we tried to turn. We didn’t try. (We had heard about another missionary couple in a different huelga, who had tried to turn, and their car had been destroyed around them, and a cinder block had been thrown at them through their windshield!) We have seen, and even been stopped by, plenty of huelgas before, but usually we have managed to turn around and avoid being trapped by the jam of cars. This time, however, the protestors had created a plan of attack that actually forced more and more vehicles into their blockade. Continuing to move slowly forward, Dad was able to find a tiny side road, and he pulled our Land Cruiser in behind a small group of houses. There was no exit, except for going back into the huelga, but parking a block off the main road put us in a bit safer location, with some distance between us and the mob of protestors. Because the vehicle was off the road, and not trapped into the parked block of cars and trucks, Dad scouted around for some way to drive away from the situation, without being attacked. However, he didn’t want to take any risks with us kids in the vehicle. As the protestors were not bothering anyone who was on foot, we started walking out of the huelga, back the way we had come. Eventually, Dad set us up to wait for him at a small village store, about three miles from the vehicle. He returned to the vehicle, but he was unable to find a way to get the car free. (He met up with three tour buses full of North Americans, who were also caught in this mess. We believe at least some of those groups were able to pay a small ‘ransom,’ so that they could continue on down the road.) Meanwhile, the protestors were growing more violent and confrontational. Several cars were shot at, when the drivers attempted to turn and drive away from the huelga. Some tires were slashed, and car windows were broken. Dad walked back out to where we had been waiting for him (for about three hours, in the dark), and we were able to catch a ride back to La Entrada, arriving there at about 11pm. We were able to rent the last available hotel room for the night. The next morning, we caught a taxi back to the edge of the huelga, and then we walked all the way back to the Land Cruiser. That was a long, hot walk (about 3 miles)! There was a lot of broken glass all over the road, from the activities during the night. Boy were we relieved to find our vehicle still in one piece! Dad continued to check for opportunities to drive around the huelga, but he found that the roads were too dangerous even for our intrepid Land Cruiser. So, we waited. A huelga is like a cross between a riot and a huge street fair. Usually they don’t get out of hand, but when things do get hot, occasionally people are killed. There were venders selling different types of foods, and lots of people hanging around and chatting - at the same time, a government truck was confiscated from its driver, and set on fire. Frighteningly, fires were also set close to where ten (!) tanker trucks full of propane were parked. Early in the afternoon on the second day of the huelga, rumors began to fly, that negotiations with the government were - or possibly were not - going to proceed (apparently threatening to explode the propane trucks was part of the bargaining), followed by additional rumors that the military would be arriving to intervene in the situation. And finally, word came that the negotiations had been successful, and the huelga would be breaking up. Around 4 pm we were able to start on our way to MK camp again, only 24 hours behind schedule! We were told that the goal of the protestors was to receive better roads and electricity. As a family, we really want to thank everyone who was involved in praying us through this dangerous and somewhat surreal situation. No Time to Breathe in March Our family has had an especially busy March. First, Russell had the great opportunity to be a part of a mission trip with the soccer team from Bryan College. Allen drove him to the north coast city of La Ceiba and dropped him off. While there, Allen also picked up our new bull, the start of our beef herd, and drove home with him in the Land Cruiser. You don’t stop in at hotels when you travel with a bull, so Allen made that a one day round trip. He left here at around 5am and returned at 7pm, with 12+ hours of driving! The next week, we hosted a medical team from Danville Kentucky. That was a fun week, although it was crazy getting everything set up. We needed four translators to help with the team. Over the course of the weeks leading up to this team, Allen lined up eight different translators, all of whom had to cancel, for one reason or another. In the end, with calling in anyone we could possibly think of, and having a nearby Peace Corps volunteer help out, we actually ended up with too many translators! But it was a fun week for everyone, and a blessing to the local communities where the free medical clinics were held. Allen drove this team to the airport, and stayed in the city for the next team, which was arriving two days later. This group consisted of only three men, coming in to teach during our first week of the Pastor Training School. They had a bit of excitement in their travels. Due to missing a flight, and having to reschedule flights as they went, they eventually ended up flying through Guatemala to get here. Not surprisingly, their bags did not arrive with them. Happily, they were reunited with their bags on their return trip! The week of the Pastor School was exhausting, but wonderful - more details on that below. The teachers left on Saturday, and on Monday Allen took off with the girls to MK camp, and started into the Great Huelga Adventure, as reported above! We are all really relieved that March is over! Even Better Than Expected: Pastor Training School Begins We expected the
news of the first pastor training session to be our most exciting
news this month, but the huelga sort of overshadowed it in this
letter. In the big picture of the ministry here, this was a huge
Bibles for Sale In conjunction with the training school, we now have an additional ministry, selling Bibles and Bible study materials, at discounted prices, from our home. The pastors are very serious about acquiring these materials, sometimes spending more than two weeks income to purchase a study Bible (even at our reduced price). This project is, of course, an additional ministry expense for us, as we are selling these materials for less than we paid for them, not even taking into consideration our shipping and transportation costs related to this. We currently have available 8 different Bibles, including inexpensive paperbacks, large letter versions, study Bibles, etc, plus concordances, commentaries, atlases, and Sunday school materials. The total stock consists of 50 different titles. What Else Could We Do? The Special Needs Program continues to grow, in spite of our attempts to contain it. This past month, Dr Julio came to us with some good news, and some bad news. He had come across a group of families in such a dire situation, that they really needed to be in a nutrition program. That was the bad news. The good news was, that if we could get them into a nutrition program now, we should be able to avoid the long term medical problems which affect severely malnourished infants and toddlers. So, what choice did we have? Another 10 families are now in the program, receiving a package of enriched foods each month, worm medicines, vitamins, and medical check ups.
Our Upcoming Trip to Maryland Allen and Trish (but not the kids) will be in Maryland for the month of May, and part of June. We would LOVE to have the chance to connect with friends! We will try to be available as much as we can to talk to Sunday school or homeschool classes, AWANA groups, church services, home groups, etc. Email us if you would like more info, or to set up an opportunity to get together.
We really appreciated your prayer support this month, especially while part of the family was caught in the huelga! Thank you so very much for all of your involvement with this ministry.
Blessings, Allen, Trish,
Kirstin, Russell, Rachel, Chris, Bethany, and David Sowers
February
3, 2007 Dr Julio’s Accident: A Praise!
Gifts for
Gracias 2007 We want to thank you all again for the part you played in the “Gifts for Gracias” Christmas project! Gift recipients this year included approximately 250 pastors and their families (about 1500 people), 18 families in our special needs program (about 100 people), 120 children in the MV feeding centers, and 60 children in the local hospital. In conjunction with the gift distribution, this year we had each pastor fill out a questionnaire. With this information, we are developing a better understanding of the ministries of these pastors, and the needs of their families and their congregations. Although the survey is not entirely finished (due, in part, to Dr Julio’s injury, we had to delay some of the gift distributions, and these are still in progress), we want to share some of the information that we have gleaned so far, about the pastors with whom we work here in the department of Lempira.
Family stuff
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event,
worthy of an entire newsletter of its own. Roger Heintz, a pastor
from Wisconsin, and two members of his congregation, acquired an
excellent curriculum, with an overview of the scriptures, in
Spanish, and also got the publisher’s permission to have these
reproduced. Using these materials, and with the help of two great
Christian translators, they taught about 70 pastors for 3 packed
days of classes. Women from a local church cooked three meals a day
for the training session, and the pastors were housed in a local
church retreat center. The conditions were rustic, but beautiful.
The pastors were extremely attentive and appreciative of the
training, and they interacted with the material in a way which
showed that the material was at a level which worked for them - that
they could comprehend, and were also learning new concepts. We
cannot express how excited we are to have had this overwhelmingly
positive first session. The next pastor training school session will
be held the first week of May, and our local associate, Dr Julio,
will be teaching that month. 
he sustained
only a few broken ribs, and bruising. The doctors at the hospital
x-rayed him three times, as they were unable to believe that these
were his only injuries, based on the severity of the accident, the
condition of the other passengers (who were seated behind him), and
the condition of the vehicle he was riding in! Having Dr Julio at
home recuperating for a few weeks has really brought home to us how
significant a part he plays in our ministry here in Gracias. We want
to thank God for sparing his life, and thank you all for your
continued prayers for everyone involved in this ministry! 