Mysteries Revealed From the Daybreak PSE Summit!

Hello everyone! 

We goofed! 

Tuesday when we updated you on the dental team in Guatemala, we mentioned that there was still room for the upcoming Play. Story. Eat. Experience here in Kansas City. The big reveal? We already had it! Tuesday's update was written last week before the event, but we decided to wait and send it this week--forgetting to strike the first paragraph. Sooooo, if you were getting all geared up to come to KC this weekend, sorry! We have no back-to-the-future trick up our sleeves.  

The First Play. Story. Eat. Experience, March 2017! 

However, that does bring up the question, "How did it go?" Speaking for myself and Bill Burrows, our official Play. Story. Eat. coach, we think it went great! We had 22 of you who came, and the energy and participation was terrific. Thanks to Kenny Warren, we should have some video snippets to use in future training videos on the website. Special thanks also goes to Joyce Burrows, Nola Reed, and Barb Cates for supporting us in the many logistical aspects of the experience! 

News from the Play. Story. Eat. Experience 

There were three things we wanted to accomplish last weekend.

1. Give you a Play. Story. Eat. Experience and a basic understanding of the vision and values that under-gird and inform what we are trying to do.  So much of what we are doing in our projects has to be experienced. We can talk about how we use Play. Story. Eat. to do evangelism, discipleship, and professional seminars, etc., but until you experience it, we don't believe you get the full effect. My job this year is to get better at communicating some of this. In the meantime, we invite you and your friends to experience this with us and help us pass it on to others.      

2. Invite you to consider using this process with family, friends, and co-workers where you live and work. We believe that there are people around you who are not being touched by any current church or Bible study group. They don't have friends who love Jesus. Maybe you are God's agent for doing something about that. We would like to help you do what God is calling you to do. 

3. Change the heroes in the ongoing Daybreak Story. Here is the actual big reveal from the weekend. The future heroes in the story of Daybreak/P.S.E. are not Steve and Cesar. THEY'RE YOU! You are going to be the heroes of God's story as we move into the future. Here's why we are thinking this way.

Why You Will Be The Heroes for Daybreak International 

For years you have heard or read stories about Cesar and me and others in our work who have been slugging away for 17 years in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. God has opened so many doors to us, and it has been incredible. Both Cesar and I could be happy doing what we do for many years with volunteers just like we have done, going to the same places. (Currently that list is at 75+ between Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.) 

But both Cesar and I have become increasingly convicted that to continue doing this ministry like we have done (with us at the center) would be unconscionable, because it would mean that we will not be able to respond to the many invitations coming to us from other countries.

Just on this last trip alone, we received invitations to go to Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Cuba, Brazil, and Argentina. If we had time and money dedicated and the teams ready, with one phone call, we could go right now to any of those countries and see very similar results to what we have experienced in Guatemala and Honduras.

What does that mean? For us it means that we can no longer do this by ourselves. We need to focus on you--on preparing you. In faith, we believe that, ultimately, being responsive to you and whatever God is calling you to do will perfectly align with some of the opportunities that are open to Daybreak.

But what if I’m not a cowboy? Well, what we are finding is that the principles and process we have used with cowboys work with anyone. We believe that almost anything that you could say that God is calling you to do, we could find a way to help you fulfill that commitment. In short, we believe that the principles and process we are using in Latin America are relevant to you here in the U.S. 

So the question is, "Will you play other peoples games, tell your story, listen to their story, and eat their food, no matter who they are?" 

One Part of Our 2017 Strategy Revealed

This year we would like to raise up 250 Play. Story. Eat. Missionaries. Over this weekend we had about a dozen of us say that we will be the first ones. What that means is a commitment to join Jesus in being faithful to His Great Commission (Matthew 28) and being intentional about developing transformational friendships by playing, storying, and eating with people.  

So to bring the Play. Story. Eat. Experience to you, help us out! Currently, we have scheduled the Play. Story. Eat. Experience for September 8-10 in Carthage, Missouri, and November 10-12 in the Sand Hills of Nebraska. We also have it scheduled in Spanish in Guatemala and Honduras.

If you would like for us to come to you, that just might be possible! Let's talk!  

Steve

Coming in 2017--Dental Team Guatemala

Hi Everybody! 

We are excited about our upcoming PSE Experience next weekend and have a good group signed up! We still have room for a handful more of you to join us. Let us know! 

Water Update

The last time that I wrote you a full update, I was down in Guatemala and mentioned some water project needs in the jungle. Since then several called to coordinate efforts to help. Thanks to the generosity of Orangecrest Community Church in Riverside, California, the next one is paid for and ready to go!

And by the way, last week when I called Cesar to touch base, he happened to be in the jungle in a place where he could get a signal on his phone. When he answered I could hear some of my Kekchi friends laughing in the background. They had just finished installing one water system and were driving to town to get more supplies for the second. By the time you read this, the two projects mentioned in the last update should be fully functioning. Jose, one of my Kekchi pastor buddies grabbed the phone from Cesar and told me to tell everyone "Thanks!"  So from our friends in the jungle to you..."Muchas Gracias!" 

More Untold Stories Coming

Since that update, so much has happened in other places. I haven't told you about the day we made a deal with a mayor in the jungle to bring him some cowboys, or the day we ran a 10K "marathon" and played soccer, or the day my wife Nola danced with about a dozen senior men, or the ladies who threw Nola a birthday party, or the mayor's wife who wants us to bring women to teach various skills, or the day we spoke to a school, or about the last day in Guatemala when we were relaxing on the beach and bumped into a Cattlemen's Association President who invited us to bring a rodeo team to one of the largest rodeos next January!  

Excuse me for a minute while my head spins! Okay. I'm back. I get kind of dizzy thinking about all this! And don't worry, I won't try to tell you all of these stories right now! Over the next few weeks I hope to share them one by one.  

Our Heroes from Second Baptist Church in Springfield 

Today I have to tell you about our friends at Second Baptist in Springfield, Missouri. Bill Burrows and I attended their annual missions conference. Here's a link to an interview they did with us on Saturday night, February 25th. Go to the 11:30 mark, and you'll find us. 

For the past 3 or 4 years, Second Baptist has invited us to be among other missionaries to talk with their people about the ongoing ministry opportunities in Central America and invite them to join us in the various projects. Mark Green and Dean Kucharski have been instrumental in leading the charge with a couple of teams that have done both cowboy-related trips and construction on a medical clinic last year. But this year we are planning to add a new twist: dental!

Construction on Medical Clinic Paves the Way for Dental Team 

August 12-18, a Second Baptist team will be going down to finish the clinic at Cesar's place in Amberes. All that's left is laying a tile floor, electrical work, and installing a bathroom and sinks.

In September or October, a dental team from Second plans to go down to inaugurate the building and do a two-day clinic. That team will then go with us to the jungle to do two different one-day clinics in that region. 

Dr. Jose Caceres, a member of Second Baptist and a native of Nicaragua, with his wife Rebecca, is leading the dental team and will be doing a scouting trip in July to lay the groundwork with Cesar. Collaborating with Jose will be friends from I-Tec, a company started in 1996 by Steve Saint.

"End of the Spear" Connection to Dental Team 

Steve's dad, Nate Saint, was one of the missionaries murdered many years ago in Ecuador. The movie, "The End of the Spear," was made about Steve and his dad. We met Steve's son Jaime, who is VP of this company, during the conference.   

Jaime shared how they have created medical tools that can be carried in backpacks to hike into remote areas where medical personnel can use them to provide medical care. He even demonstrated how a 34-pound dental pack turns into a dental chair! Way cool! Bottom line: the Second Baptist team has already used this equipment in other countries and plans to do the same with us. 

Dental Team Needs 

Incidentally, this team will be purchasing and preparing the equipment for this project. Currently we are looking to raise about $3,000 for dental instruments to be purchased in Guatemala when Dr. Jose Caceres goes down in July. After the team uses the equipment, it will be left for continued use. My understanding is that Second Baptist plans to purchase the dental backpacks that their teams can use in multiple projects in multiple countries. For now, they are exploring all the logistics in this kind of ongoing ministry.  

If you have any interest in any of this, or know of someone who needs to be a part of it, let us know!  

Talk to you soon! 

Steve 

PS...If the link above to the Second Baptist video didn't work, here it is for one more try!  Again, just go to the 11:30 minute mark. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ci7yd3Nxag

New Location: Daybreak's Play.Story.Eat. Experience March 17-19

Hi Everybody! 

Our original location was tied to us needing rooms to stay in, and as it turns out, almost everyone who has signed up is either local or will stay with a friend. So...to save some shekels, we’ve changed our location to the Best Western near the Kansas Speedway in the Legends area of Kansas City, Kansas.

New Location

Best Western Premier KC Speedway Inn & Suites
10401 France Family Dr.
Kansas City, Kansas 66111
(913) 334-4440

Schedule:

Friday, March 17 - begin at 6 p.m. (Sandwiches & salad provided at 5:45 p.m.)
Saturday March 18 - 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with an afternoon break
Sunday March 19 - 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Payment Options:

Experience Cost: $59 per person, including all meals and snacks for the time we are together

You may pay at the door OR online at PlayStoryEat.com OR mail a check to -

Daybreak International
11628 Oakmont St.
Overland Park, KS 66210

Please wear comfortable clothes. Not all our time will be sitting and talking. Embedded into the schedule are times to play (like we do in our work).

It's Not Too Late to Sign Up!

Currently we have about 24 people signed up. We have room for about 12 more to slide in, even at the last minute. To sign up, respond to this email. If you have any special issues, concerns, or questions, please let us know. We look forward to seeing you!

Love y'all.
Steve

P.S. Talked to Cesar in the jungle just as one of the two water projects was installed! In the background, I heard some of my friends hootin' and hollerin'! They wanted me to tell everyone in the Daybreak family “thanks!”
 

Water Project Brings Living Water

Hi all! 

Today I want to focus on some water projects we have been involved with in the jungle. While my recent trip there was not primarily dedicated to water, we carved out part of our time to evaluate the water-related needs for a couple of villages we have been working with for over 10 years. 

Completed Project in San Manzanila

Before I tell you about those, let me say that our project that was completed in the Fall of 2016 is working well. This is the one that Lance Green was involved in when he went down in September. Funding came from the village itself and from friends of Grace Baptist Church of Oak Grove, Missouri. 

The project unfolded naturally after playing soccer with the village in March of last year. After practically the whole village responded to the gospel message at the soccer game, we spent one day eating with them and seeing the water system they had created. It was a crank-turned operation that certainly worked. But they were trying to make it better. Since we had some funds dedicated for this kind of project already in our coffers, we were able to respond quickly. We added a generator and a tank and some know-how from several people. The community did all the tubing, and the celebration was sweet! 

 

 

New Projects Are in the Works...

After the success of the project in San Manzanila, more money came in for water projects through Ray Gurney and Cross Creek Baptist Mission in Grain Valley, Missouri. Along with that was a donation from Orange Crest Community Church in Riverside, California, for parasite medication for the village of Sepoc. Since all of that is related to water issues, we took the time on this trip to see how we could help two other villages obtain clean water for both bathing and drinking. 

Water-Fetching Gymnastics for our Friends in Sepoc...

I must admit that the folks in Sepoc are some of my favorite people in the world. On almost every trip I take in the jungle, I spend at least one night at pastor Jose´s hut. He and I have a bond that is beyond words, and last March they threw me a 54th birthday party I will never forget. 

During the rainy season, Sepoc´s primary water hole is about a quarter mile from the center of the village. But during drier seasons (like it was on this trip) the closer source dries up and the next closest spring is about a mile away going up and over a rocky hill. It´s a pretty good workout for any able-bodied person, but for anyone not as nimble on their feet it would be tough. When I was there this time, I had already hiked over 3 hours to various villages, then when it was dark, I went with Jose by flashlight to the spring to take a spit bath. I must say that even an exercise nut like me would get tired of this daily ritual.   

Thank God for Clean Water!

While both spring water sources for Sepoc are good and clean, when you have people stepping in and out of the water nearby, contamination happens. And hence the parasite issue. So, the plan is to pipe the water from the second spring by gravity into a big holding tank. From there the water will be pumped up to another tank on the mountainside where water can flow by gravity in pipes to the village. In a deal we worked out with the regional mayor of the department, they promised to provide the PVC tubing to get the water down into the village. 

Women Trying to Get to the Well

The other water project we are working on is with the village of Ochul Choch. This is a remote village that is an hour and a half hike up and over a mountain from Sepoc. It has a great source of mountain spring water, but in drier seasons, the only way to get to this water is down a notched log that goes down 30 feet to a cave where the spring comes out. In visiting the spring, two of the women told us that they had slipped and fallen down this past year. One of those ladies was the wife of Lorenzo, the pastor of the little church there. He told me that his wife fell so hard that she struggled to get out and was unable to work for many days. Another lady looked like she must have been at least 60 years old, and I winced thinking about her falling. I wondered what women back home would do if every time someone in the household needed water, she had to climb up and down the height of a typical suburban two story home to fetch it. 

While it sounds challenging, this project is a lot easier than the Sepoc one, because the water just has to be pumped up out of the hole into one large tank. Cesar plans to come back to them in early March to install everything. We already bought the main holding tank and by now the men of Ochul Choch have probably already built the platform for it.  

Living Water...

While we were in Ochul Choch, the ladies knocked themselves out preparing their special spicy turkey soup. After eating together, we gathered in the church hut to talk. Since we had been talking about water, Cesar had me share the Jesus story of the Samaritan woman at the well. This story speaks volumes to me on so many issues. But I think that the ladies in Ochul Choch really felt a strong identification with the woman in the story. The reality of their lives so closely matches the lifestyles of the Bible characters. And when Jesus talks about living water, the whole metaphor just rings so powerfully to the people in this culture. 

I added my own story of the first time I met a Kekchi woman at a well nearly 13 years ago. I won´t try to redo that here, but those ladies in Ochul Choch were howling with laughter as I shared my foibles in communicating back then with no cultural sensitivity at all! 

 

 

Future Projects...Future Funding

Since the projects we have just mentioned have already been funded, we are not asking for anything extra for them. However, in reflecting on what has happened in these water projects, and the impact they can have in opening people up to talking about the living water of Jesus, we want to keep being responsive to future water projects as they come up. It has only been because of folks with a heart for this kind of ministry that we have been able to respond as quickly as we have on these stories I have mentioned. 

If you have interest in helping us continue to respond, keep those cards and letters coming! We will funnel those funds to the projects that come up as we continue to work with our friends in the jungle regions. 

Love y’all! 

Steve
 

Divine Appointments Near Comayagua Honduras

Hi everybody!

I have one more story I would like to share from our trip to Honduras.

Belia and Jose Miguel´s Bulls...

In my last update, I introduced you to Belia and Jose Miguel Argeal. They have stepped up to help us stay in better communication with folks wanting to start Christian Rancher groups in Honduras. Toward the end of our time there, they insisted we travel about 6 hours from Catacamas to Comayagua for a rodeo. Belia´s family would be providing the bulls for the bull riding event in San Sebastian.  

We hit it off well with Belia´s family, and were quickly invited into the inner circle of the cattlemen´s association and a big meal with all the parade participants. When going into a place for the first time, we usually don´t know who is who and what is really going on until after an event. In this case, Belia and Jose Miguel whispered to us as we went along to help us realize that we were really hitting it off with mayors and leaders and such. While all that was fine and good, something else happened that blew us away.   

The Random Meeting that Surprised Us Most...

When we pulled up in our truck to the rodeo arena to look it over for future events, we had slowed down trying to figure out where to park, when a man and a woman started waving frantically at us. At first, we thought we had pulled up into an area that was off limits. But then we looked closer. It was Heling and Flor Nolasco, a bull fighter and his wife, who had been a part of our first baptism last April in Juticalpa! I jumped out of the truck and we laughed as we hugged one another. This couple, along with Jose, their 13-year-old son, were a part of a group of bull riders and rodeo personnel who had come to Christ and wanted to get baptized in a horse trough right outside the arena in Juticalpa on one Sunday morning a almost a year ago. When I looked closer at them, both Flor and Heling had their Denton County Cowboy Church hats on!

Bull Fighting Runs in the Family...

After sitting down to catch up, we realized that though they travel with the rodeos, their home was only about 15 minutes away in a village called Lamani. So we took a little detour and enjoyed getting to know their story better. We drove to their home and met Heling´s mother and soon we were looking at pictures of Heling´s dad, who was a bull fighter and had died after getting run over by an out-of-control bull when Heling was only two years old. As we looked at pictures and marveled at how Heling was living out his late father´s dream, we could also see God reaching out to this family. It seems that their decision to follow Jesus is strong, and we talked about them starting a couple of different Christian Rancher groups--one would be in their home and another with folks they travel with.

Now that we are in touch again, we feel that with Belia and Jose Miguel on the ground in Honduras, we can help folks like the Nolascos a lot better. Please pray for the success of these friends of ours as they learn how to use the Play.Story.Eat. format with their friends and family.

Love y’all!

Steve

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!