Lives Transformed with One Simple, Recurring Question

Good morning everybody!

As I write this piece, I am in Guatemala back at Cesar´s house after a week of roughing it in the jungle. By the time you read this, my wife Nola will probably be here to join us for 10 days. After a month of “baching it” with Cesar and hearing his snoring every night, I´m looking forward to trading him in for Nola! While she is here, we will celebrate her birthday (February 4th) and will be doing some women´s meetings in several of the towns where we have Christian Rancher groups. At the end of our time here, we plan to do some relaxing at the beach and some sightseeing with Cesar and Elba.

Back to some Honduras Stories

Because of the pace of our travels, I have some catching up to do in the next few updates. Today, I want to go back a couple of weeks to our time in Honduras and share a couple of thoughts that came out of one question we ask in our Christian Rancher groups. 

But before I do that, let me say that many of you have asked about the University of Agriculture. From what we know, the interim leadership team is sorting out the problems, and classes are scheduled to begin again next month. The last we heard from our friends there, the president did step down, and 200 security people were let go. But nobody we have worked with closely has lost their job. Beyond that, we really don´t know much. We expect that the projects we were planning to do with them will have to wait. We continue to pray for our student friends and faculty who want to get back to class. 

The Silver Lining in the University´s Problems...

One of the unexpected benefits of the pause in the work at the University, was the fact that we got to know Belia and Jose Miguel Argeal, a Christian couple who work at the school. Both are mid-level professors in the Agriculture college, and both graduated from the college about 8 or 9 years ago. Jose Miguel was a bull rider for 12 years, so he and Belia have become faculty sponsors of the Bull Riding Club from the University. Because they weren't having to report to classes when we were there, they were able to travel with us to most of the places we worked, which for Cesar and me was a huge blessing. Belia´s dad is a rancher, and she knows and loves the life of those in the cowboy culture. She is a gifted organizer and administrator, and Jose Miguel is an authentic cowboy who also grew up on a ranch and in an evangelical church.  

Within the first day of working together it became obvious that they could be the primary contacts for the work in Honduras. Already we are collaborating with Belia on the Rancheros Cristianos version of the Play.Story.Eat. Update. And in another update I will share about going to Belia´s hometown.

Rough Roads Sometimes Lead to Beautiful Places...

On one of the days that we worked with Belia and Jose Miguel, we drove almost 3 hours over bumpy and winding dirt roads from Catacamas to Poncaya to meet with one of our Christian Rancher groups. We met on the ranch of a friend who has several tilapia ponds in a picturesque tropical setting. So, after walking around his place, some of the wives had fried up whole fishes for about 20 of us to eat together. (Yes it was delicious!)

After eating, we pulled our chairs together under a big shade tree and got to the story time. Cesar spontaneously asked if one of the guys had a story from the Bible that they could share from memory. After a little bit of silence, David, one of the ranchers, mentioned that one of his favorite stories was that of the prodigal son. 

“Tell it to us the best you can remember,” Cesar said. 

So David, in typical Hispanic flair, animated the story with his hands and his body to share how a father had two sons and one ran off with his portion of his inheritance. When David got to the end of the story to tell of how the younger son came home in shame to a loving father, I think I saw David wipe a tear from his eye. And that´s when we asked the question.

The Question We Ask in Our Work with Cowboys...

“Ësteban, ask the question,” Cesar chimed in. “Okay,” I replied. “Here is the question."

"What bull are you going to ride?"

"What does God want you to do this week after hearing this story?”

Several chimed in about the idea of coming back to God. But David got real with us.

“I have a bull that I have gotta ride that is probably the toughest thing that I may ever have to do,” he began. “I have a neighbor who, this week, I vowed to kill.” When we chuckled a bit thinking he was joking, he pleaded with us, “No! Seriously! You can ask my wife. I was prepared to get my gun and in a few days either kill them or try to sell my ranch and move.” He paused and no one said anything. “But after thinking about this story, I am certain that God does not want me to do that. My heart has wandered from God, and I need to come back to His ways. I will not kill that person, and I will ask God to direct me about how to talk to them.”

Too Late for a Friend...

The next day we were looking for a friend named Saturnino in Culmi, another small town in the region. Saturnino and one other guy from Culmi had come to Nebraska a few years ago, and we wanted to check in with them and the president of the cattlemen´s association there. They had wanted to start a group, but we hadn't been there in a while. In addition, we wanted to check in with Norma, a cook who worked in our hotel a few years in a row, who started a Discovery Bible study group in her humble house that is in Culmi. Each week 20 people cram into her home.  

We met the president at the arena for the association, and when we asked about Saturnino, he said, “I guess you haven´t heard. He was murdered a few months ago.”

“What happened?” Cesar asked.

“Well, he had gotten in an argument with a cousin of his, and a few days later, one of that guy’s brothers winds up dead. He assumed that Saturnino hired a hit man to do it. So a few weeks later, Saturnino walked into the city hall to meet someone there. Knowing that he needed to be vigilant, Saturnino had his body guard wait for him outside. When Saturnino came out the front door, this cousin of his jumped out with an automatic weapon, and from a few feet away, gunned him down with dozens of bullets from his head down to his chest. Saturnino´s body guard sprang into action and shot the other guy dead and then picked up Saturnino and rushed him to a local doctor. But it was too late. Two men were dead.”

What if?

When Cesar and I walked away, we looked at each other and almost in unison said to one another, “That could have been David.” The other day, David was right there where Saturnino was, but because of the Christian Rancher group and one bold question, his life and the lives of others were probably saved.

What if Saturnino had a group before his fatal day that asked him, “What bull are you going to ride this week?” Would he be alive today?

What about you and me? Based on what God is teaching you, what bull do you need to ride this week? No matter how big or small this one thing may seem, it is your next step in following Jesus. Tell someone about your vow, and then invite them to ask you how you did the next time you meet.  

More Honduras stories to come.

Don't forget to sign up for the Play. Story. Eat. Daybreak International Retreat in Kansas City on March 17-19.

Love y’all. 
Steve
 

Rodeo Team Heroes - Will you be the next hero?

Hi Everybody!

As you read this, Cesar and I are probably in the jungle in Guatemala and will be out of contact for a few days. I wrote this a few days ago to feature the guys on the recent Guatemala Rodeo team. But as you read this, consider the different skills and personalities that we need for our teams and pray that more guys like these step up to the challenge. In April we need two more teams. More on that later.

Sam Anderson: the Anchor

Every team needs an anchor. At least one guy needs to step up to be the primary recruiter for that project. For this team it was Sam. A few weeks ago I shared with you about Sam's contribution in the rodeo the night that we didn't have a horse for Lew Sterrett to break. Let me add to Sam's story. When Lew and Clint weren't with us for the last two days of the week of activities, Sam stepped up to be our horse whisperer. One day he did it with a group of horse trainers in Jutiapa, and another day he did it with a cattlemen's association in Jalpatagua.

One of the genius moves that Sam made was when, in Jalpatagua, they had brought four horses to be trained, but there was no adequate round pen at the location to use to work a horse. Praying for guidance, Sam remembered a talk Lew had done with our team about how God works with us in four arenas that perfectly match up to the four arenas a horse trainer uses as he develops his horses. That day, Sam noticed that all four of the horses perfectly illustrated the arenas that God works us through. So he presented each horse and made comments. Cesar added salsa to the message and led folks in a prayer to turn their lives over to Jesus. Over 60 gave us the tear-off portions of the testimonies to indicate their decision to follow Christ.

Dr. Marty Langhofer: Vet on a Mission

Marty is one of the most talented and brilliant guys I have ever met. He can sing, play the harmonica, rope anything in sight, and tell stories right and left! Besides being a world renowned expert on anything related to the mouth of an animal, he is passionate about using his veterinary talents to reach people for Christ. Marty has been involved in mission projects with the Christian Veterinary Missions group and has been to Romania over 20 times. Because he is really a cowboy at heart, he jumped at the opportunity to come on this trip. We think that God is about to do something special in using his vet skills and his veterinarian network to reach cowboys and ranchers in Central America. If you are a vet, we could sure use you on future trips. And some will be focused on veterinarian projects. Stay tuned!

Michael Macias: the Servant/Personal Evangelist

On every team, we need people who are quick to share their testimony or make a friend. Michael did that really well this trip. As an added bonus, he helped me and the group by covering part of the responsibility in translating for the group. In addition, Michael is such a positive guy to have around, and at several points he encouraged me by his words and acts of service. One of the crazy connections of this team is the fact that one of Michael's daughters is married to Marty's brother's son. And Michael and Marty didn't know about each other until shortly before this trip!

Denny Ledgerwood: the Validator

One of the team factors that always helps is having someone personify the results of a church or ministry that focuses on cowboys or ranchers. Denny's personal story of getting involved at Open Range Fellowship spoke to the regular guys and gals who respond to God through Cowboy Churches and what we would call Christian Rancher groups. In addition, his story about helping out as a volunteer with an equine therapy program, called Horse Power, served as a validation for several of the people we met in Guatemala who want to start an equine therapy program for special needs children. One of the days that people asked me about those people who do equine therapy, I called Denny over, and he happened to be wearing the Horse Power t-shirt! Believe it or not, your story is validation to someone like you that following Jesus is worth our full devotion.

Clint Bailey: the Bull Rider

In a previous update, I highlighted Clint's story with the bull riders and how they responded to his testimony. I also mentioned that he and Lew had to rough it without their luggage. On top of that, Clint had a lot going on back home. As the father of 4 younger children, Clint's wife probably deserves a medal dealing with a frozen water pipe break while looking after the kids while he was gone. On almost any trip, bull riders help us capture the heart of what we want to do. Part of this comes in the way we talk about how, after every Bible story, everyone needs to "ride a bull." That is, we all need to name that one thing we are going to do about what we just learned that day and commit to one another that before we get back together, “I'm going to ride my bull.”

Lew Sterrett: the Horse Whisperer

Horse trainers take notice. Horses bring some of the most powerful messages and illustrations to cowboys. A couple of weeks ago, I highlighted some of Lew's contributions. For those who know Lew, his effectiveness that week was par for the course. He does incredible things with horses all the time. And for many years his ministry, Sermon on the Mount, has touched many. We would highly recommend him to anyone. But please note. For us, horse trainers don't necessarily have to be able to speak to a crowd while they work. Cesar and I can work with the trainer to share the message as he works the horses. The basic message is always the same. The way the trainer is working with this horse is the way God works with us.

Ray Gurney: the Pastor

Even though we don't often look for preachers for our trips, we do need pastors. That is, we need someone to shepherd the team. And Ray Gurney is one of the best at doing this. By the way, this was Ray's 21st trip to Guatemala! In the 10 years that he has been coming, that averages out to be about 2 a year. In Ray's case, he has done cowboy trips, jungle trips, motorcycle trips, water projects: you name it, Ray has probably been on one of our various kinds of trips. What I like about Ray is that he always becomes the true pastor of the group. He is good at looking after folks, and he always has a great way of helping us see the spiritual battles facing us in a way that draws us to pray and trust God. When we started realizing the high stakes involved in doing this project, I asked Ray to come because I knew that we would be facing spiritual opposition. And true to form, Ray helped us at several key points.

 

Dave Herriman: the Photographer

Because we are trying to better document what we are doing for training and recruiting, we need tech, video, and photography gifts in the mix. And this is not just for the trips, but for working with us back home. When Sam spoke to the Open Range group about needing a photographer, Dave stepped up. He is a former AP reporter and has taught computer classes at Longview Community College. He is also passionate about photography and he took hundreds of pictures and videos on this trip. In addition, Dave will be helping us with a new website www.cowboymissions.com. Realizing the growing need to use the technologies at our disposal in a more strategic way, we believe guys like Dave can help us recruit and mobilize others with these skills to help us get the tools people need to start new groups and organize mission teams.

You: Our Friends and Prayer Team

Last but not least, I must mention you. I know that many of you were praying fervently for us on this trip. For me, I felt that support at several points. The most tangible day I felt your prayers was in the arena when I had to translate Lew and dialogue with Cesar and a rodeo announcer. Since that was a first for me to do in front of a crowd that large, I would have thought I would be nervous. But that whole time, I felt relaxed and more mentally “on” than I think I was the whole week. In a sense, I felt carried by your prayers. I know the other guys felt the same. So on behalf of our team, thanks!

When I get back to civilization, Nola will be joining me for a week of working with women. And ladies be forewarned. We need you too! As much as this cowboy thing has been dominated by men, the women are carrying the torch in increasing ways. Maybe I will share more on that next time.

Thanks for your continued prayers.  

Please Join Us.

PLAY. STORY. EAT Retreat in Kansas City on March 17-19.
Location: Hyatt Place Kansas City Airport
Times: Friday, March 17 - begin at 6 p.m.
Saturday - 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with an afternoon break
Sunday - 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Retreat Cost: $59 per person, including all meals and snacks for the time we are together (Note: Dinner on Friday is on your own before we begin.)

Love y'all!

Steve  

PS...Here are the dates for two Rodeo teams needed soon. Both are in Honduras. If you are interested, let us know.

April 14 to 20: Rodeo team needed in Comayagua Honduras

April 21 to 28: Rodeo team needed in Catacamas Honduras

Julio's Story

Good morning everybody!

Just wanted to feature the ongoing story of our friend Julio. For a quick review, Julio is a guy who Bill Burrows and I worked with in Lansing prison last year. Julio was born to drug dealing parents in Honduras. Both of them died when he was about 8 years old, and for several years an older sister and some relatives took care of him. When he was 12 he came to the States illegally with another brother to be with his sister who had married an American citizen. They were living in a small town near Manhattan, Kansas.

Prison Outreach Program Reached Julio

All was going well, and Julio was scheduled to get his residency papers all cleared up when he got in trouble with the law and at 18 was sentenced to 6 years in prison. About halfway through his sentence he was led to Christ through a Brothers in Blue program in prison. Brothers in Blue was started by friends of Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship ministry. They took him through a year-long discipleship program, and then last year, Bill and I mentored him in a Bible study that was one of our experimental groups for the Play. Story. Eat. Bible study. When his sentence was up in July, he was transferred to a deportation holding facility. Finally, three months later, in October of this past year, he was put on a plane for Honduras.

From Prison to Working at a Call Center

The last time I mentioned his story, I asked you to pray for Julio as he was working as a welder making doors for a prison in San Pedro Sula. I also mentioned that he was interviewing for a job speaking English in a call center. Well, he did get the job! Believe it or not, he is making calls on behalf of a network of dentists in the United States! Currently he makes about $400 a month in that job. The average wage for a worker in Honduras is less than $200 a month. So Julio feels good that he is getting a steady job to get him on his feet.  

Finally, Our First Meeting in Honduras!

After about 6 months of not seeing each other, I finally got to see Julio for the first time since he was in prison in Lansing. And I have to admit that for me it was a day of celebration. Julio spent a weekend with us in Catacamas and met some of my friends doing various kinds of ministry. One guy in particular has started Discovery Bible studies in prison among the very people that murdered some of his family. When Julio heard his story, they immediately hit it off well. Another friend is a pastor, and another is working with a few of our Christian Rancher groups. When we came back through San Pedro to drive back to Guatemala, we met with Julio and a few of his friends who are starting a new group together. Because of the nature of gang activity in San Pedro, everyone has to be careful as to where and when they travel in the city.

A Search for Family

As we ate Chinese food together and talked about how a Play.Story.Eat. group works, we heard a little of each of their stories. Of the 7 present, every single one of them had an absentee father who was either dead, in prison, or in the United States. When we talked about having friends that were like family, they all resonated with the idea. In fact, Julio showed me a tattoo he had gotten in prison. Across his back is one word: "Familia." He and his friends are looking for a family. In fact, gangs thrive where there is a scarcity of healthy family life.  

Pray for Julio and his friends as they start their group. They plan to play soccer together and invite some friends to join them. Pray that as they become family to one another, they can infect many others with the connection we have with one another in Jesus.

Please join us.  

PLAY. STORY. EAT. Retreat in Kansas City on March 17-19.

Location: Hyatt Place Kansas City Airport

Times: Friday, March 17 - begin at 6 p.m.

Saturday - 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with an afternoon break

Sunday - 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Retreat Cost: $59 per person, including all meals and snacks for the time we are together (Note: Dinner on Friday is on your own before we begin.)

Love yáll!

Steve

Where in the world are Steve and Cesar?

Hi Everybody! 
Johnny Cash used to sing a catchy song called "I've Been Everywhere" that probably captures the feeling Cesar and I have at this moment in our travels. Since doing the rodeo in Agua Blanca, Guatemala, we have been to quite a few places. Yesterday, when relaying some information about our travels back home to Bill Burrows, I realized that describing all the places we have been and are going is something of a "where's Waldo" kind of activity. 

I have been wanting to update you on all that we have been doing, but truthfully, we have been so busy going places that I couldn't keep up. Even so, we would really appreciate your continued prayers. Here’s a geographic tour of where we have been and where we are going.

Where we have been so far...

After Agua Blanca, we were in Jalpatagua, Guatemala, with the rodeo team. Then we were in Jutiapa, Guatemala, with the rodeo team. 

After sending that team home, we drove from Cesar's house in Amberes to the Atlantic coast near Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, and leapfrogged into Honduras near Puerto Cortes. From there we drove to San Pedro Sula and picked up Julio Mendoza, a guy who we worked with in the prison in Lansing. (He's doing well, and I can't wait to share some of his story!) 

From San Pedro, we drove to Tegucigalpa and then up into Catacamas where we have been staying for most of this past week. Each day here, we have met a group in a different place in this region. Last Sunday we were at the rodeo in San Francisco de la Paz. Tuesday, we were on a ranch near Poncaya with a dynamic new Christian Rancher group. Yesterday we were in Culmi laying the tracks for a team to come there in the next year. Each of those events and places went super well...but not everything is going well...

National University of Agriculture in Honduras in Crisis...

In the past few years we have been relating to this university located here in Catacamas in various ways. We even were prepared on this trip to present an outline of a program on Relational Leadership for their extension program. Well, a couple of months ago, the president of the university disciplined some students who had done a hazing kind of thing on campus, and in a crazy string of events, it blew up. The president resigned under pressure, and investigations are under way. Since we have been here in Catacamas, even though classes should have already begun after the Christmas holidays, no one is allowed on campus. Our main contact is in hot water over the situation, and we have not talked with him. Today, we are supposed to talk with his right-hand man, who is a dedicated Christian that we trust. 

Even though this may sound like it has limited us, it really hasn't. We have plenty of friends and more than enough open doors to us that we have been continuing without slowing down much. We just feel bad for our friends. So please be in prayer for this situation. 

Where we are going...

Tomorrow, January 21, we will be headed to Comayagua to a big rodeo there to speak to the bull riders and the rodeo leaders. This is near a big U.S. military base here in Honduras. 

Tuesday and Wednesday, January 24 and 25, we are going to meet up with Julio in San Pedro Sula, where he is starting his first group since arriving in Honduras after getting deported out of Lansing prison where Bill Burrows and I served as his mentor last year.

To the jungle in Guatemala...

January 26, we cross the border near Puerto Cortes back into Guatemala. Near Rio Dulce, we will meet up with a team of soccer players who will travel from there with us to the jungle near Por Venir. There we will spend the week doing soccer competitions, evaluating water projects, and running a "marathon!" I put "marathon" in quotes, because Cesar has me set up to race the Kekchis from one village to another and back. We have no idea how far it is, but they are calling it a marathon! Supposedly it is on the new dirt road. I anticipate being humbled by the young Kekchi boys that can fly like the wind! 

Nola comes to join us in Guatemala! 

February 1st, we plan to travel back to Cesar's place in Amberes. February 3rd, Nola flies down to Guatemala to spend 9 days with us! On February 4th, Nola's birthday, we will be in El Jicaro with a group of ladies who came to our home this past August. Then we will do ladies events on the 5th in Jalpatagua, the 6th in Quesada, the 7th in Santa Rosa de Lima, and on the 8th we will be at a senior center in Santa Cruz Narranjo. The 9th through the 11th we plan to go to the pacific beach near Monterico. 

February 12th, we fly home! 

As I write all this, I guarantee that something will change. It always does. But your continued prayers as we come and go are always appreciated. 

Love y'all! 

Steve

Guatemalan Rodeo Wrapup

Here is the second installment to our rodeo experience in Agua Blanca, Guatemala. 

Lew Sterrett

When I left you hanging in the last update, we were anticipating Lew getting to do his horse presentation on Saturday (1/7/17) evening. Lew is one of the foremost horse trainers in the world and has written several books, including Life Lessons from a Horse Whisperer. He has worked with thousands of horses through the years in his ministry, Sermon on the Mount. He works with an unbroken horse in front of a live audience, and, using the interaction with the horse, he shares a Christian message. Since every horse can be a little different, each message can have a slightly different flavor. To see Lew in action you can go to www.SermonontheMount.org. 

Hurry Up So We Can Dance! 

When we got to the arena on Saturday evening, the stands were already about half full. The promoters immediately asked, ¨Would it be possible to do your presentation in exactly an hour? We have a dance after the rodeo, and we need them to have a couple of hours before midnight.¨

So without a whole lot of introduction, we hurriedly got Lew and his stallion out in the arena. Since Lew didn't have his headset, we had to improvise the delivery of the message. Cesar and I each had a handheld microphone, and we stood behind the arena entry gate. As Lew would yell out to us what he was doing, I would translate what he said. Periodically, Cesar and the rodeo announcer would make comments and add some interaction to the dialogue. We tried to make it feel like a sporting event where you have a play-by-play announcer and then one or two others to add color commentary. 

With the stands nearly full, Lew approached the horse and began. ¨We are like this horse. We begin life, and we are wild.¨ As we watched we could see that Lew had a big challenge. This horse was scared. It was running around desperately looking for a way out. By now the stands were full, and the horse seemed spooked by the crowd surrounding him.  

Words from the Owner

The rodeo announcer noticed the horse´s owner standing nearby. When Lew got to the place where he was stroking the back of the horse, the announcer asked the owner, ¨What do you think about this so far?¨

¨That horse has gone nuts on us when we have tried to touch his back,¨ he said. ¨This is unbelievable.¨ 

Little by little Lew made the case that God works with us much the same way that he was working with the horse. God wants us to trust Him, and once we do, He can use us to do things we never dreamed were possible. 

When we got to the 50-minute mark, I told Lew over the PA, ¨Lew, we have 10 minutes.¨ Lew nodded. 

Will He Ride It?

At that point I didn't think Lew was going to have the time to safely get the saddle on the horse and ride it like he often does. But Lew narrowed his focus and asked Clint for the saddle blanket. Once the horse was comfortable with that, Lew asked for the saddle. At the one hour mark, Lew was testing the reaction of the horse with his body leaned over the saddle. Then in one quick motion, he mounted the horse. Clint got out in the ring to help guide the stallion in a galloping circle with Lew riding majestically in the saddle.

Lew stopped the horse. With the stallion standing perfectly still, Lew got on his knees in the saddle. He took his hat off and, looking heavenward, pointed to the sky. None of us will ever forget that image stamped on our memories of Lew pointing us all to God while kneeling on that wild horse.   

An Invitation

When Lew got done, the promoters brought our whole team out into the arena, and Lew shared a few more words. By now the arena was packed beyond full. There was no room in any of the aisles. ¨Would you like these Christian Ranchers from the United States to come back next year?¨ the announcer asked the crowd. 

¨Si!!!¨ they yelled in response. 

Testimony of the Bull Riders

We walked out of the ring. The bull riders were loosening up and stretching to get ready for their entrance. You might recall from my last update, at lunch that very day, everyone had responded to Clint´s testimony inviting them to follow Jesus. Because of that interaction, it felt almost like the reuniting of long lost brothers. We shared high fives, hugs and encouragement. As we watched our friends competing in the bull riding event, I pulled Clint over and asked, ¨How do you feel knowing that every one of these guys are now believers?¨

¨Words can´t describe it.¨

For the rest of the night, when one of the riders had a good ride, the announcer would pull him aside to interview him. Every one of them that I heard thanked God first. When they interviewed one of the Brazilians, in a unique Portuguese accent, he mentioned how much he appreciated being with the North American team and how we all wanted to point people to God.  

I am loading up the truck with Cesar in a few minutes to head to Honduras. I still have more to share about this past week. Stay tuned! 

Love yáll! 

Steve

PS... As of this writing, the guys were having more airplane complications and had to stay overnight in Dallas. Hopefully they will be home when you read this!

What a Ride! News from Guatemala Rodeo Team

Hi Everybody!
This morning, (Wednesday 1/11/17) we dropped our Rodeo team off at the airport after a great week of work. Here are some of the highlights and low-lights.

Airline Fun

Out of the 9 of us on the team, 8 had significant delays to deal with. The worst was with Lew Sterrett and Clint Bailey. They were supposed to arrive Thursday night (1/5/17) but their flight was cancelled. The next flight got them to Guatemala Friday morning but their luggage didn't make it! Since we all had to be in Agua Blanca Friday afternoon, there was no time to wait for the luggage, so we went straight from the airport to the Rodeo. Lew had a headset in his luggage that we could have used for his presentations, but we had to go! And thankfully as you will read, we made do. Just having Lew and Clint with us was a huge bonus for us. They might not have smelled too good on the plane going home, but they were used in a great way!  

(editor´s note: Thankfully, on Monday Clint, Lew, and Marty had no issues in getting home, and all their luggage was at the airport in Guatemala City for their return home. This morning the remaining six were delayed 7 hours in Guatemala City! But they have all informed me that they had such a good experience. I don´t believe they needed a plane to fly home! 

Bottom line: Every guy on the team was incredibly flexible and skilled at each of their roles on the team this past week. It may take me several updates to share a few of their stories, so hang on to your hat! 

PLAY.  Agua Blanca Rodeo

Our mission before the rodeo began was to connect with hundreds of people would be in the stands with nothing to do . Their arena seats about 2500. But somehow they can cram closer to 3500 in that space! When we reached the arena, we realized that we had a big problem. There was no wild horse for Lew to do his presentation. Somehow, our Guatemalan friends in Agua Blanca didn't understand what he really needed. They dutifully brought 3 horses to the event that were already saddled and broke! What to do? That´s when our team got to work adjusting to the new reality. 

When we were asked to enter the arena as a team, I would guess that the stands were about half full. After Cesar and I introduced each one, Marty Langhofer played a toe tapping harmonica number and then we sang Amazing Grace. Then we invited children and women to come down from the stands to try their hand at roping a plastic steer-head. Those who roped the steer could win a prize. The kids loved it. The women were very tentative, but the ice was broken and people seemed at ease with us being there. 

When we got done with that, leaders of the event pulled our team together to recognize for Cesar and our team thanking us for our participation. All the while the stands kept filling up.  

STORY. Sam Anderson Steps Up

What were we going to do for the horse presentation? Well, Sam has done a lot of Civil War reenactments and had brought a rebel uniform. So instead of Lew doing a wild horse demonstration and message, Sam got on one of the horses made available to us and told a Civil War story while on horseback. I walked around the arena with him to translate phrase by phrase. The story was about a sharp shooter that had shot an enemy soldier only to find out when he rolled him over that he was his only son. Sam used that to talk about how God gave his only Son for us. Cesar wrapped it all up and it all seemed to work pretty well. 

After that, we introduced Lew and invited people to come the next night for his wild horse presentation. By this point, the stands were close to full and our time was up. So we got off center stage as the bull riders were introduced in a loud, raucous style that would match the hype of any NBA team announcing their starting 5 players.  

Connection to the Bull Riders

After the bull rider introductions, Clint began hitting it off with the bull riders back behind the chutes. As a 6 year veteran of the PBR, Clint has retired from that to do horse training near Tyler, Texas. Because Lew had asked him to come and help back him up on his horse presentations, Clint never dreamed that he would be doing anything but working with horses on this trip. Once a couple of them learned of his background though, others came up to meet him. Several were believers who wanted to stay in touch. Cesar noticed the connection and invited all the bull riders and the rodeo staging team to come the next day for a lunch and a talk. 

While talking with the guys, Clint told me how impressed he was at the skill level of the riders and of the quality of the bulls. When I translated that message to several of them standing around after their rides, you could just see them light up with Clint´s affirmation.

Play.Story.Eat. with Bull Riders

Saturday at lunch, we met the bull riders at the arena to eat and introduce them to what we do. First, we had them try their hand at roping the steer head. Cesar had about half a dozen prizes for them to win. They quickly relaxed and started teasing and razzing each other as they took turns. After all the prizes were won, we gathered into a circle and Cesar set the stage for Clint to give his testimony. We were kind of mean to him though. Clint wanted to use notes and we asked him to put them away and just speak from his heart. Clint talked about how he made a decision to follow Jesus at a very young age, but that as a teenager he got to hanging around a bad crowd that was getting him into drugs and alcohol. But then bull riding became his salvation. Once he got serious about it, he started studying some of the great bull riders and noticed that several were dedicated Christians. That made him curious. 

Thanks to a couple of fellow bull riders, they pulled him into studying the Bible and he started trying to be more intentional in living out his faith. The image that Clint gave that stuck with the bull riders was his advice to keep your eyes on the neck of the bull and not look away and lose your concentration. In the same way, we are to keep our eyes on Jesus and no matter what kind of bad ride we might be on, Jesus will lead us to do His will in the way that will not only help us bounce back after a rough ride, but use us to point others to Him. Clint felt like he had his eyes focused on the world for way too long, but was now seeking to serve Jesus and keep his focus on following Him. 

Bull Riders Respond

Cesar followed with an invitation for them to respond to what they heard. I believe it is safe to say that every single one of the bull riders and the staging team responded in some way to the invitation. Using the testimony tear-off tool, 19 indicated that they had prayed to receive Christ for the first time. 15 more of them marked their cards indicating that they were interested in being a part of a Christian Rancher Group as they travel together. The coordinator for the riders promised that he would help them continue. 

As we ate together, the connections with one another just solidified. Interestingly enough, while most of the bull riders are from Guatemala, 4 of the guys come from Brazil, one came from Honduras, one from El Salvador, a few from Mexico, and one from Cuba! For each of them, they begged us to stay in touch and help them do something like this in their countries!  

Lew Sterrett has a Ride we will never forget

Fortunately, on Saturday morning a horse was located that was perfect for Lew´s presentation. After Lew got to check it out at a friend´s ranch, we all got excited about Saturday night. I need to get my bags packed for me and Cesar to go to Honduras tomorrow, so I will pause at this point and bring you the rest of that story next time. 

Thanks for your Prayers! 

By the way, your prayers for a unified and effective team was certainly felt by all of us. And on behalf of all of us, thanks for praying! 

More to come! Love yáll!  

Steve

PS...Thanks for your notes about the new format. We love hearing from you.

Guatemalan Rodeo Update

Hi Everybody!
Just a quick note from Guatemala about the coming events this week. We would sure appreciate your prayers as we get ready for the big Rodeo this week in Agua Blanca. On Tuesday, I arrived with Ray Gurney and Dave Herriman. Wednesday Sam Anderson, Denny Ledgerwood, and Michael Macias will get here. On Thursday, Lew Sterrettt, Clint Bailey, and Marty Langhofer are scheduled to arrive. 

Big Days at the Rodeo

Friday to Sunday the whole team will be doing activities in and around Agua Blanca. In the mornings and afternoons we will be meeting with individuals and smaller groups, like cattlemen associations. Then each evening we will be doing presentations and activities before the main rodeo starts. Right now the plan is to have part of our team prepared to do children's activities like roping steer heads. And the other part of the team will focus on the horse presentations and messages related to that. 

One thing we tell our teams is that whatever the schedule is for the day, and whatever the plan is, prepare for it to be changed at the last minute! For those who have come multiple times, they can tell many stories of how whatever WE planned didn't happen on a particular day, but that something better happened that we couldn't have imagined. So as the week unfolds we will keep you posted on how it all shakes out.

Preparations for the Next Few Days

Tomorrow, with our team that is here, we will practice some of our routines for the rodeo and prepare our props and equipment. Also we will be having breakfast with leaders in the region who are doing various ministries targeting cowboys, special needs children, soccer players, motorcycle enthusiasts, and Christian radio leaders. The bottom line here is that we have been using the Play. Story. Eat. methodology with each of these groups and have found that it has drawn diverse people together and helped forge friendships and increasing numbers of people taking another step with God.  

On Monday, Lew, Clint, and Marty fly home. The rest of us will be at an event in Jutiapa with a cattlemen association and a dairy group.

Pray for Spiritual Strength

So far things have fallen into place so easily for this team. But we know that we will be entering into some territories of the evil one and expect to have some spiritual push back. Even so, we believe that God is going to trump anything and everything that could be thrown into the mix as barriers to folks getting a taste of what God wants for them. Pray for a strong and united team as we work together. 

In a couple of days I hope to be able to check in with you again. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement. It means a lot. Talk to you soon! 

Steve

P.S. - This is the second time we have used the new format to send out the Update. If you have any issues or comments about any of this please let us know. We want to work out all the kinks as best as we can. Thanks!

Daybreak Update meets Play Story Eat!

Welcome to the new platform for the Daybreak Update! 

It's all tied to the unveiling of our new website - PlayStoryEat.com.

Why the change?  

You can now control your own subscription to the Update.

From now on you can subscribe or unsubscribe or change your email yourself. You might notice this option at the bottom of this email.

We want to make you a hero! 

We believe that the things we have learned to do in Central America can be easily applied to you and your friends here in the United States. It all revolves around the three things we do in our work…We play. We tell stories. And we eat! You can use some of the activities you enjoy doing to build stronger friendships, bring people to faith, and help every participant grow in faith.

We want to rally around the Daybreak vision.

What is it? 

That every person in the Americas has friends who love Jesus. 

We want to partner with you to build friendships with marginalized and forgotten people who don't know Jesus. And we want to encourage one another to be the kind of person who truly DOES love Jesus. We think that this combination of friendship and authentic faith can be contagious.

Behind the Scenes Changes in 2017

Bill Burrows job will expand to help me get more done!

For the past couple of years Bill has worked part-time with Daybreak as he has led some of us in a prison ministry and done various other things. Gradually his role has increased to the point where we need him almost full time. We haven't created a new job title yet, but he will partner with me in helping folks be a part of the Daybreak vision.

Besides taking on some of my administrative duties, Bill will collaborate with me on the Play. Story. Eat. process and the creation of a new curriculum for a diploma program with the National University of Agriculture in Honduras. (Explained below).

Diploma Program with the Honduras National University of Agriculture.

For the past few years we have worked with this university in bringing talent in Agriculture or Veterinary medicine to their school. Through the years their leaders have introduced us to their extensions that cover the entire country of Honduras. When we first started working with them there were 15 of these extensions. Since then they have expanded to over 60!  

We've been invited to provide a curriculum and some instruction to those in this extension program. Once a month, producers who want to learn best practices from the university come to a three-day training. Cesar and I have spoken to these groups several times on the topic of “human values.” In each talk, we have shared a biblical principle that fit the context.

This summer, they asked us for more. They want us to come up with a one-year diploma program on Relational Leadership. To lend credibility to our material, we would like for a few Ag and Vet med experts to join us about three times a year for this ongoing connection.   

We changed the Play. Story. Eat. Summit date to March 17-19.

Please make a note of the change. This is the retreat for those who are stakeholders in some way with Daybreak International and it is for anyone who is interested in getting more Play. Story. Eat. training. 

It will happen in Kansas City from Friday afternoon March 17th to Sunday morning March 19th. We are working on the exact location and the costs right now. If you know that you are available and would like to sign up, please let me know! Stay tuned for more!  

We want to make it easier for you to give.

We are incredibly grateful for the faithful folks who have given to this crazy mission endeavor through the years. The truth is, we haven't made it very easy for you. In the coming days we plan to make it easier on both the DaybreakInternational.org site and on the PlayStoryEat.com site.

As always, if you want to send a check it can go to:

Daybreak International, 11628 Oakmont St., Overland Park, KS 66210

Your support makes a huge difference as we expand what we are doing in producing new websites in both English and Spanish, add more staff (like Bill), and offer more resources.   

Thanks again for your prayers. The next update will let you know about our Guatemala rodeo team schedule.

Love y'all!  

Steve

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