Honduras
EMERGENCY FOOD RESPONSE
A severe drought is pushing families from chronic malnutrition toward starvation
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For years, Sowers4Pastors has been careful to distinguish the chronic malnutrition found in these mountain communities from starvation. That distinction is beginning to disappear.
A severe drought struck during the most important growing season, and many subsistence farmers lost most or all of the corn and beans they were counting on to feed their families for the year. Some families are already out of food. Others are stretching what remains by eating only one or two meals a day.
These aren’t crops grown primarily to sell. They are the family’s food supply.
The crisis is compounded by heavy losses in the coffee harvest. Coffee provides one of the few important sources of cash income in the area, both for farm owners and for families who depend on seasonal harvesting work. Many families are now facing both sides of the crisis at once: the food they grow is gone, and the income they would use to buy food is disappearing too.
Sowers4Pastors is responding by providing 50-pound grocery bags containing beans, rice, enriched corn flour, enriched oatmeal and sugar. Each bag costs approximately $36.
Across all of Sowers4Pastors’ programs, about 2,500 children receive program benefits. Providing just one grocery bag for each of them represents approximately $90,000 in emergency food—and Sowers4Pastors hopes to go beyond that by also providing food through local pastors for other families in their communities.
Our own May LCC roster included 332 children—241 sponsored and 91 still waiting for sponsors. Providing one 50-pound grocery bag for every child on that roster would mean: 332 CHILDREN • $11,952 • 16,600 POUNDS OF FOOD
If you currently sponsor a child, would you consider making a one-time gift of $36 for each child you sponsor? If you’re able to do more, additional gifts will help Sowers4Pastors respond to the broader need.
And if you aren’t currently sponsoring a child but would like to deepen your connection to this ministry, consider sponsoring a child through Sowers4Pastors.
Most importantly, please pray for rain, for families already facing hunger, for pastors caring for their communities while facing many of the same needs themselves, and for Sowers4Pastors as they purchase, package, transport and distribute an enormous amount of food.
Arenales, Lempira, Honduras
For over ten years, our church has partnered with the Sowers family to support and serve children, families, and pastors in Western Honduras. The Sowers family’s mission (Sowers4Pastors.com) is to empower the work of Honduran missionaries, evangelists, and pastors to reach people in their communities with God’s love and the Good News of the Gospel. Through a variety of ministry work such as pastor & teacher training, providing reliable transportation, constructing churches and bridges, and providing resources for sponsorship and feeding programs, the Sowers ministry has been serving in Honduras for over 20 years.
Life Community Church has a unique role in that we are the only church serving the village of Arenales in Western Honduras and partnering with their local pastor, Pastor Marvin. Pastor Marvin works diligently serving and teaching children and families in the schools, churches, and surrounding villages of Arenales. Our church has sent multiple teams to train local pastors, pass out backpacks with much needed supplies, help with construction projects at the schools, and lead a Vacation Bible School for over 500 kids. Life Community continues to partner with the Sowers family and Pastor Marvin by sponsoring children at two of the local schools in Arenales.
SPONSORSHIPS
Children in Arenales face many challenges. Insufficient shelter, food, clothing, and medical care are common. Children who are able to attend the local public schools struggle to afford the required uniforms and school supplies. Many young people drop out of school after 6th grade to work in order to help support the family. Common health problems include parasitic infestations, asthma, respiratory illnesses, and malnutrition.
Your support will provide your sponsored child with two nutritious meals each week, provided through the ministry of Sowers4Pastors to your child's church. Your child will receive a backpack full of required school supplies, school shoes, annual medical check-up, and Bible teaching (utilizing Honduras-specific Sunday school curriculum and materials). In addition, your support will supply meals for other children in the Sowers' feeding programs in other parts of western Honduras.
LETTER WRITING
As sponsors, you have the chance to enhance your financial support by nurturing a personal connection with the children you sponsor. This can be achieved through three letter-writing campaigns each year. To assist you in staying organized and planning ahead, here’s our updated schedule for letter collection and distribution:
- Collected in January - Distributed in January/February
- Collected in June* - Distributed in July/August
- Collected in August - Distributed in September/October