Hi everybody!
I’ve been home for a few days and have been a little slow in getting the rest of the story told of our recent trip to Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Before I get into that, I’m excited that I got home with a few days to spare to welcome our 6th grandchild (and second grand-daughter!) into this world! See the cute pic at the end of this update!
10:02 PRAYER
Pray for our friends and students starting groups near La Ceiba. Pray that God will continue to draw others into the groups and that many spiritual conversations and friendships will form to make this a place where the gospel moves rapidly to other places in the region. Also pray during the week of June 21-29 for a First Baptist Benbrook, Texas, team of four going to the jungle. Pastor Todd Pylant and worship leader Tim Tucker will be part of that group. This team will be hiking in some remote areas where new churches are starting. We expect it to be quite an adventure! Please pray.
ENGAGE
Note that on Saturday, June 22nd, there is a PSE training event being held at LifeQuest Church in Belton, Missouri. All in the Kansas City region are welcome to attend. Just let us know if you are coming by replying to this email if you are not part of the LifeQuest group signup process.
INVEST
Bill Burrows and I have been painting houses lately to make ends meet on the ministry front. Please know that our travel expenses are growing with all the new movements and places. Thanks for your continued partnership!
CLICK HERE FOR THE EASY BUTTON TO INVEST.
Today I want to share a little of what happened in La Ceiba, Honduras. As you might recall from our last update, Cesar Gonzalez, Frank Molano, and I had just come out of the jungle in Guatemala for a pastors PSE training and had headed to the Atlantic coastal town of La Ceiba.
Frank Molano, of Fort Worth Texas, shares a story with some students of the John F. Kennedy School of Agriculture near La Ceiba, Honduras. Frank invested 18 years in ministry working as a chaplain to high school rodeo families in Texas and was part of the first cowboy church started in Texas. Frank’s stories really connected with this group.
We wanted to follow up on our trip this past February when we received permission from a large cattlemen’s association in La Ceiba to use a spot on their premises to start a Christian Rancher group. In addition, we wanted to go back to the John F. Kennedy School of Agriculture to follow up there. It just so happened that the dates we chose to go back were the exact dates of the big annual fair for the association. Even though they were excited we were there for their biggest event of the year, most of that group was too preoccupied to do much with us.
On the Saturday of the week of the fair, about a mile stretch of downtown La Ceiba, Honduras, was lined with thousands of people gathering to celebrate the annual fair and rodeo.
So we turned our focus to the ag students. On that Friday, we spent the day with them at the university, and then they came to the fairgrounds on Saturday, and we continued our Play. Story. Eat. conversation in the spot where the association had given us permission to meet. On that first day, we introduced ourselves and did a quick Play. Story. Eat. sampling.
Two professors from the university convened a group of students that they thought might be interested in hearing our story of working with the National University of Agriculture in Catacamas, Honduras, and Christian Rancher groups.
After introductions, Cesar gets us organized to have a tug-of-war and then some other impromptu relays and games.
In playing and sharing stories together, we learned that most of this group were bull riders. When Cesar talked about how every time our groups gather, we ride a bull, they got excited! Before we could say that it was a phrase we use to make a commitment to do something about a scripture or Bible story, they had talked their professors into letting them round up some bulls and do a bull riding demonstration!
Cesar talks with the bull riders. They wanted to go get some Brahma bulls from the university’s herd and bring them to the campus arena for a bull riding.
Rounding up the herd to select the four or five bulls for riding
Now it’s show time!
This was the best ride of the day!
After toppling a rider, this bull is trying to see what one of our friends has in his hand.
Here’s the official photo of our first day together.
We had a great time that first day. While we were eating a baleada together (a Honduran burrito), Cesar talked the professors of the university into getting a bus the next day to bring the group to the fair. The students were stoked about that and left excited about meeting us the next day. In addition, we had arranged for Fernanda and Leonardo, two graduated former students who had been a part of a group we started several years ago at the National University of Agriculture in Catacamas, Honduras, to meet us there. They are agronomists now and have moved back to their hometown just down the road from this university. Along with them was our friend, Adonay, who is a dedicated Christian willing to start a Christian Rancher group with a handful of other guys from the Cattlemen’s Association.
From left to right is Fernanda, her fiance, Leonardo, Cesar, Frank, Adonay, and me. Adonay is the leader of the new Christian Rancher group that is getting started in this location at the fairgrounds of the La Ceiba Cattlemens Association. This group is committed to sponsoring the student group. Some of our Texas friends might remember Fernanda and Leonardo coming to Texas in 2015 with a group of bull riders for an exchange program at Texas Tech.
Amazingly, the second day with our bull rider friends from the JFK School of Agriculture went even better than the first! As we did more of the Play. Story. Eat. process, we all connected even more. A part of the fun included the brand skit we sometimes do. This version wound up with a prize winning bull being a part of the act! Even more amazing was that at the end of our time together, in a strong voice, every person prayed to receive Christ as Cesar and Frank led them in that time. Now they are committed to getting together to do the PSE process every week!
With some highly prized show animals nearby, Cesar talked the handler of this bull to come be a part of our brand skit! The point of the skit is to determine who your real owner is when you die.
Here is a rich and famous man in the skit. He has his fame as his brand.
But when he dies, his owner (the devil) takes him away!
This is my favorite picture. After the skit and the testimonies, it was time to pray, and here Cesar was tying it all together to invite those who wanted to do so, to pray to receive Christ and have His brand seared on their lives. A moment later, all eagerly did so as Frank led them phrase by phrase to pray a prayer of salvation. After hugs and high fives, we walked away understanding we were now family. Please pray for this new group of spiritual friends!
Please Remember to:
10:02 PRAY
Pray for our friends and students starting groups near La Ceiba. Pray that God will continue to draw others into the groups and that many spiritual conversations and friendships will form to make this a place where the gospel moves rapidly to other places in the region. Also pray during the week of June 21-29 for a First Baptist Benbrook, Texas, team of four going to the jungle. Pastor Todd Pylant and worship leader Tim Tucker will be part of that group. This team will be hiking in some remote areas where new churches are starting. We expect it to be quite an adventure! Please pray.
ENGAGE
Note that on Saturday, June 22nd, there is a PSE training event being held at LifeQuest Church in Belton, Missouri. All in the Kansas City region are welcome to attend. Just let us know if you are coming by replying to this email if you are not part of the LifeQuest group signup process.
INVEST
Bill Burrows and I have been painting houses lately to make ends meet on the ministry front. Please know that our travel expenses are growing with all the new movements and places. Thanks for your continued partnership!
CLICK HERE FOR THE EASY BUTTON TO INVEST.
Note too that I will be heading to Dallas by bus (long story) to expedite a passport renewal on Tuesday, June 18th, and Lord willing, I will fly to Guatemala on Wednesday, June 19th, for a couple of meetings before the FBC Benbrook team arrives on Friday. I’d appreciate your prayers on all this. Thanks!
Love y’all!
Steve
Our grand-daughter, Bridget, holds Adalyn, her new baby sister! Bobbi and Ryan Reed are the proud parents. All are doing well!