Steve and Bill On Their Way To Guatemala

Good morning everybody! 

Just a quick note to ask for your prayers as Bill and I go to Guatemala. We leave Tuesday, July 18th, and for two weeks we'll be working with Cesar Gonzalez to do Play. Story. Eat. training in several places. 

Steve and Bill with Mike and Roxanne Mathis after painting their house last week to help fund upcoming mission trips

In making the rounds in Guatemala, we will be taking a trip to the jungle, speaking to a group of pastors about the Play. Story. Eat. method, and preparing the way for the Open Range group to come down July 24-31 to work with women's micro-business groups. We will keep you posted! 

10:02 PRAYER

Please pray for us this week as we travel to various places to train teams in the Play. Story. Eat process. Pray that the communication is clear as we train trainers to equip others to use the process to connect their friends to Jesus.

Also, please pray for the Open Range group preparing to come down to Guatemala next week. 

INVEST

Thank God for the generosity of the Open Range family as resources were raised for every participant involved in this upcoming trip. And thanks to you for your continued generosity to Daybreak International! It means more than you can know. 

ENGAGE

If you have a group who might be interested in receiving the Play. Story. Eat. training, let us know! We are able to adapt the material to your group and the time they have available. 

Hope you have a great week! Next time I plan to introduce you to the Open Range Guatemala team. 

Love y'all!   

Steve

PS... Investing Information

You can mail checks to:

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

On PayPal, you can give using the email daybreak.international@gmail.com.

On our websites, you can give at www.PlayStoryEat.com or www.DaybreakInternational.org. 

This July 4th, One More Friend is in Heaven

Happy July 4th! 

Hope you have had a good time with friends and family today. We are enjoying splitting time between KC and Stigler, Oklahoma.

When our family thinks of the fourth of July, we can't help but remember the years we ran a fireworks stand to raise funds for missions and college money. While those were great experiences, we are grateful we aren't doing that these days and can enjoy a more relaxed and less hectic time.

However, raising missions money is still an ongoing reality for us, and last Friday, as I was painting a house with Bill Burrows, I got a call from Cesar. Trying not to get paint on my phone, I answered, "Hola Cesar."

"Esteban, I know you are painting but I needed to call you to tell you that our friend Manrique of Quesada has died." Manrique, a farmer/rancher in his early 50's, has been battling a brain tumor and heart problems the last couple of years. 

"I talked to his daughter Evelin," Cesar continued, "and she insisted I call you to tell you so that you and your friends can be praying for us."

"I will do that," I promised. 

Our friend Manrique, of Quesada, Guatemala. 

As Cesar told me the details of his heart-related problems and of his passing, my mind drifted to January of 2014 when Tom Huffman and Dave Gideon came down with me to do a week of cowboy missions. 

Tom Huffman and Dave Gideon, of Burwell, Nebraska on a cowboy mission trip to Guatemala in January of 2014. 

On one of the days, we were participating in an artificial insemination training in Jutiapa with several cattlemen's associations and a regional dairy association. Since Tom Huffman has been effectively using AI for many years on his ranch near Burwell, Nebraska, he was the out-of-town expert they used to pump up the attendance, while a local veterinarian would do most of the teaching.

A local veterinarian explains the mechanics of artificial insemination to a group in Jutiapa, Guatemala. 

After about an hour of the training, Cesar asked the 55 or so in attendance if they were curious as to why Tom would come to Guatemala to train them. "Si!" several answered. "We want to hear his story."  

Tom told of how in his 30's he was having marriage troubles, he was drinking too much, and his life was a mess. Tom went on to tell how he found Christ and that because of his faith in Jesus, he has had the privilege of meeting people in other countries where he can share his story and invite others to experience what he did.

"Would you like to do what Tom did?" Cesar asked those in attendance.

"Si!" several responded.

Cesar then explained more of what Tom did and led them in a prayer to receive Christ. Of the 55 or so there, 50 of them prayed to receive Christ.

And guess what? Manrique was one of those guys. In fact, Manrique came up to me and gave me his tear-off sheet that indicated his decision for Christ.

Since then we have done a lot in and near Quesada. Even that week we had a trail ride and picnic with Manrique and about 100 friends from their cattlemen's association. At the picnic, more prayed to receive Christ there. 

Our first meeting with friends and family of the cattlemen's association in Quesada, Guatemala. Manrique is in the light green shirt and black cowboy hat on the far right. Standing to his left is Cesar Gonzalez. 

The year following, several youth groups got started, and we had a group of college students from the University of Nebraska in Omaha come be with them. Then ladies groups started spinning out of that same Quesada group. In a few weeks, we will be with them again, and I could go on and on about how one thing has led to another.

But today I want to stop and celebrate the reality that our friend Manrique is in heaven because of your prayers and the faithfulness of a couple of Nebraskan ranchers going on a trip to Guatemala in January of 2014.

10:02 PRAYER

Please pray for Manrique's family and for the work to continue strong and that many others like Manrique would come to know Christ because of the testimony of our friends in Quesada.

In addition, remember to pray for the team from Open Range Fellowship that will be preparing to go to Quesada in a few weeks.    

INVEST

Continue to be on the lookout for those needing financial help for their upcoming trips. Bill and I will be finishing up our paint jobs for mission money in the next couple of weeks, Lord willing. Thanks for your continued generosity to Daybreak International!  

ENGAGE

If you know someone who has AI or veterinary skills, let us know. Unbelievably, God can use this kind of know-how and ability in ways that can go beyond anything we could dream up.

Hope you have a great week! Next time I plan to introduce you to our July Guatemala team. 

Love y'all!   

Steve

PS... Investing Information

You can mail checks to:

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

On PayPal, you can give using the email daybreak.international@gmail.com.

On our websites, you can give at www.PlayStoryEat.com or www.DaybreakInternational.org. 

Play. Story. Eat. Experience a Hit!

"This was the best church experience I have ever had!"

That was just one of the unsolicited responses we got this past weekend as we packed up to leave from our Play. Story. Eat. Experience held at Open Range Fellowship in Lone Jack, Missouri.

Friday night at the Play. Story. Eat. Experience, participants go through the "wagon wheel"--an exercise for everyone to answer five get-acquainted questions in two minutes or less.   

While first planned as the initial training for a team that is going to be in Guatemala in late July, we decided to open it up to anyone interested, and wow! We received great feedback from those who aren't planning on going to Guatemala this year but who were curious to see if the Play. Story. Eat. format might work for them.   

"This helps me see that I can do missions wherever I'm at," another shared.

"I can't wait to start a group!" still another chimed in.  

"I can't go to Guatemala in July, but I definitely want to go in January!" 

The PSE Participants take a break Saturday afternoon for a group photo before the last session.   

10:02 PRAYER

Please pray for the PSE missionaries who are going to be starting groups as a result of the training at Open Range this past weekend.   

Pray for Bill and I as we get out this week to paint for our upcoming mission trips! 

INVEST

Be on the lookout for those needing financial help for their upcoming trips. Thanks for your continued generosity to Daybreak International!  

ENGAGE

If you know someone who attended the PSE Experience in Lone Jack, ask them what they thought! And if you haven't been to one yet, get in touch. We have more coming! 

Hope you have a great week! Next time I plan to introduce you to our July Guatemala team. 

Love y'all!   

Steve

PS... Investing Information

You can mail checks to:

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

On PayPal, you can give using the email daybreak.international@gmail.com.

On our websites, you can give at www.PlayStoryEat.com or www.DaybreakInternational.org. 

Your Prayers and a Baptism Kickstart a New Christian Rancher Group

Good morning everybody!

For about six years, we have traveled to Catacamas, Honduras, to work with cowboys and ranchers and other friends connected to the National University of Agriculture. On one Sunday morning on our last trip, about 40 people gathered at the ranch of a good friend and former senator, Jose Matute. Jose came to Nebraska with a delegation from the university about four years ago, and ever since he has helped Cesar and me get acquainted with many people in the region.

Last year, Jose lost his wife unexpectedly to a stroke, and he has battled his own health issues. Since her death, he has told us that he wants his ranch used for God. With it being less than a mile from the university, we decided to invite the university bull rider team, along with other friends in the region, to Jose's ranch so that we could demonstrate how a Christian Rancher group works. 

Cesar Gonzalez speaking to the gathering at Jose Matute's ranch

Attending on that Sunday morning were about a dozen bull riders, a few of Jose's family, the Andrade family (who had a bull riding son that was murdered a couple of years ago), and friends of Carlos Guifarro, another rancher in the area who also came to Nebraska the year Jose did.

Having some fun after hearing Cesar Gonzalez and Frank Molano speak to the group

As you know, when our groups gather, we do three things. We play. We story. And we eat.

But as an added bonus for this day, Carlos wanted to be baptized! So Frank and Cesar got the honor of baptizing Carlos while Rick Watson and I took pictures. 

Frank says a few words before he and Cesar baptize Carlos. Looking on in the hat is Jose Matute. 

Friends congratulating Carlos

Since that Sunday, we have heard that they have continued to gather at Jose's place, and more than 20 bull riders have been coming, along with the Andrades, Carlos, Jose, and other friends.

10:02 Prayer

Please pray for the PSE group meeting at Jose Matute's ranch. Pray that it not only grows but multiplies as they invite others in the region to join them.

Also ask God to lead Bill and me as we equip a team for discipleship across the street and around the world through the PSE Experience this Friday and Saturday (June 23 -24) at Open Range Fellowship in Lone Jack, Missouri.  

Invest

Thanks for your continued generosity. Bill and I will be painting a couple of houses in the next week or two to raise funds that will help all of us get closer to the vision: "Every person in the Americas has a friend who loves Jesus."

Real cowboys get baptized with their boots on!  

Engage

It's not too late to come and experience for yourself the FUN, CONNECTION, and JOY of the Play. Story. Eat. Experience/Discipleship Process this weekend, June 23-24. Invite your friends in the Kansas City area. Please contact us to register.

Open Range Fellowship, 509 W. Lone Jack/Lee’s Summit Road (map link)
Lone Jack, MO 64070
 
More stories to come!  

Steve

PS... Investing Information

You can mail checks to:

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

On PayPal, you can give using the email daybreak.international@gmail.com.

On our websites, you can give at www.PlayStoryEat.com or www.DaybreakInternational.org. 

Experience the play. story. eat. discipleship process

"What do you want to call your group?" Cesar asked about a dozen 7 to 11 year old Kekchi girls and boys standing near us dripping wet from head to toe. Each held a cracker in one hand and a fruit drink in the other. This was the second day of meeting at the kids' favorite place to swim and where we did an impromptu Play. Story. Eat. group with them and a few of their older siblings and parents. 

"I think I´ll call you the Mojarras (a common fish)!" Cesar added, and the girls turned to one another and cackled in delight. 

Kekchi kids enjoy swimming in their favorite swimming hole.

Clarita, the grand-daughter of one of the Kekchi pastors, leads kids in a song about a shark.

One of the experiments that Cesar and I began on this trip was to see if we could introduce our Kekchi teenagers to ministry by having them lead out in starting PSE groups for children. Kekchi youth face a huge identity crisis because of the rapid changes coming to them as civilization has overcome their villages. Most are wondering where they fit into this new world and are easy prey to negative influences. In April I had heard of a similar problem in India where Sam Stephens, a new friend of mine, has turned the teen identity problem into a creative solution for mobilizing leaders for children´s ministry. In coming days we hope to unfold a similar idea with our Kekchi friends. 

We are all learning from cross-cultural stories and strategies in the PSE Discipleship Process.

PSE Experience Coming June 23 & 24 to Open Range Fellowship in Lone Jack, Missouri

Come and experience for yourself the FUN, CONNECTION, and JOY of the Play. Story. Eat. Discipleship Process. Now that our Cowboy Up version has been tested somewhat in Honduras and Guatemala, it´s coming to the Kansas City area Friday 6/23, 6-9 p.m., and Saturday 6/24, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., at Open Range Fellowship. Friday evening supper and Saturday lunch will be provided. There is no cost for this as we open the doors to anyone wanting this training. But please contact us so we have materials and food ready for you when you come. Note that a part of this experience will include information and preparation for those going on the Guatemalan Women´s mission trip in July and the January 2018 Cowboy/Rodeo/Women's trips. 

Cowboy Church pastors and leaders from more than half a dozen regional cowboy churches are introduced by Frank Slaughter and Dave Puthoff at a May 6 horse training event hosted by Open Range Fellowship of Lone Jack, Missouri.

PSE Experience in the Jungle

On our recent trip to the jungle in Guatemala, besides playing with kids, we had our first Play. Story. Eat. Experience with about 12 pastors and leaders. And I have to say that it went much better than I had anticipated. Maybe it was the fact that time doesn't seem to oppress the Kekchis like it does for those of us who live in a culture that keeps us perpetually busy and driven by the clock. Or maybe it could be their patience in dealing with the translation process when we go back and forth from Spanish to Kekchi. 

As I reflected more, I think there is one other thing that made this experience different than with any other group I have worked with. And that is, when dealing with the Kekchis, life gets boiled down to our most basic and common of human experiences. Through the years, many of my "aha" moments of PSE learning have come in shared experiences with my Kekchi friends. 

Several times when making a point, Cesar or I would say, "Remember when we were together at such and such a place and..." When we would retell that common experience, several around the circle would nod their heads and say, "I remember that well." Our shared experiences was proof enough of what we were learning. 

Yet while many of the stories we used to share with the Kekchis communicated well, the only written material we have is in Spanish and is designed for our cowboy and rancher groups. At the heart of this is our brand new 52-week Cowboy Up PSE Guide for starting Christian Rancher groups with 52 Jesus stories compiled for starting new groups. 

Cowboy Material Adapted for the Kekchis

With the Kekchis, instead of using the language of cowboys and ranchers, we used Jesus´story of the sower and the seed as the key metaphor for the steps of implementation. Since they all live by the rhythm of their planting and harvesting seasons, the teaching seemed to resonate well with them. When we talked about what seed of obedience we were going to sow into the soil of our hearts this week, most talked about the need to share this information with their congregations. My seed of obedience I promised them was that the next time I come back, I will bring a Spanish guide using their terms of sowing seeds of faith and not make them have to become cowboys to have a scripture guide for their groups!  

10:02 Prayer

Please ask God to call people to engage in preparation for discipleship through the PSE Experience at Open Range Fellowship June 23 and 24. Please ask God to provide funding for the Women's Ministry Team going to Guatemala July 24-31. 

Invest

Please consider helping a PSE friend with funds for an upcoming trip. The average cost for a week trip is $1600. It takes the Body of Christ to send missionaries.

Engage

Come and experience for yourself the FUN, CONNECTION, and JOY of the Play. Story. Eat. Experience/Discipleship Process June 23-24. Invite your friends in the Kansas City area.

Open Range Fellowship, 509 W. Lone Jack/Lee’s Summit Road (map link)
Lone Jack, MO 64070
 
Talk to you all soon! 

Steve

PS... Investing Information

You can mail checks to:

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

On PayPal, you can give using the email daybreak.international@gmail.com.

On our websites, you can give at www.PlayStoryEat.com or www.DaybreakInternational.org. 

Your Prayer Matters: Answered in Honduras

Good morning Everybody!
As I write this update, Cesar and I are back in Guatemala after a whirlwind of travel and stops in both Honduras and Guatemala. The past few days we have been in the jungle of Guatemala for our first PlayStoryEat training with a few of our Kekchi friends. After getting accustomed to the rhythms of the jungle with howling monkeys, bathing in the river, and eating strange food, I feel like I am coming out of an alternate universe!  

The last time I updated you, we were in Honduras with Rick Watson and Frank Molano, but I had not shared any specifics about the happenings there. Today, I want to do just that. Note that in a couple of updates, I plan to highlight more on Rick and Frank's trip. This is just the first part!    

Will the Chaos in the University Affect Us?

The past several months, the National University of Agriculture in Catacamas has been in turmoil. In November, after a student uprising and a house cleaning of the primary leaders, classes were suspended and students lost a semester of studies. In January, a few programs restarted, but the week we showed up (May 19), there were other programs just getting restarted. 

In the past few years we have had great relations with everyone we have worked with, and as of last year, leaders of the extension program had asked us to create a curriculum of improving human values as well as help bring specialists in both agriculture and veterinary medicine to interact with their students and their extension programs. We had asked that you pray about this situation and for both students and faculty friends of ours.   

The first morning there, we went to the University to see who we could meet. The only solid contact we had was with the current president of the student bull riding team. He told us he would get his group together, and beyond that, we had no firm appointments. We had been told that the interim committee who is now running the University would be next to impossible to have any contact with us on this trip.  

The Bull Riders Faithful to Their Word

Prayer with the bull riding team of the National University of Agriculture

Driving onto the campus, the atmosphere was clearly more subdued than in years past. But as soon as we entered the gate, Levis, the president of the bull riders, waved at us and told us where we would meet with the others. After a few minutes, a group of about 10 guys gathered, including Omar, the past bull riders president who graduated last year, and who "just happened" to be on campus that day for his new job with an Ag company. Omar had been with us a little over two years ago in the states when a handful of the bull riders came for an exchange with Texas Tech and spent a week with me traveling to visit cowboy churches in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. It was on that trip that Omar and Luis, another bull rider, had ridden in a buckout at the Denton County Cowboy Church. 

Rick and I enjoyed seeing Frank interact with the students as Cesar prompted him to tell his story of how he had gotten right with God. The guys listened intently as he shared how he had strayed from the ways of his father, a pastor to Mexican immigrants, but that one of the first cowboy churches (meeting at Billy Bobs, a famous bar in Fort Worth) became instrumental in getting him back on track and fostering a call to step out in faith to minister to kids and families in the high school rodeos. 

Frank and Cesar taking a minute to relax and talk with bull riders

In addition to being together this particular day, we got to spend parts of two other days with these guys as we shared more about how the Christian Rancher groups are developing in other places, and we introduced them to our latest tool, a 52-week Cowboy Up Guide (cowboy version of PSE Discipleship Guide) for getting groups started using some of the most compelling stories of Jesus as the primary Biblical material.  

Our team with the bull riders and a couple of professors

After we finished talking with the bull riders, it was about lunch time, so Cesar treated everyone to a baleada (a Honduran version of a burrito). As we listened to their stories, we were encouraged by how in several cases they felt that God had taken care of them even though they had lost a semester of school.

Divine Appointment with a University Decision Maker 

We then decided to see if we could find any of our faculty friends. The main guy we were looking for wasn't at his office. We were about to leave when Ramon, another professor, popped out of his door waving frantically. Ramon was with the group who came this past summer to the Denton County Cowboy Church. After catching up with him, Cesar asked if there were any of the new leaders of the university available to talk to us. 

"If we go now, we might catch one of the main leaders out in the field," Ramon answered. "I think he is reviewing plans for the use of the different pastures for the Bovine programs." Ramon hopped in the back seat of the truck, and within 5 minutes we found Leonel and his assistant out in the field. After quick introductions, Cesar told them who we were and asked if he had heard anything about us. 

"Un poco," Leonel said, "But really I don´t know much of anything." Cesar reviewed how we had come to the University several years ago and how we were working to start Christian Rancher groups in the region. 

"Somos muy agradecidos," Cesar said. "We are very grateful for the way that the University helped us get acquainted with leaders in the ranching and agricultural communities. At this point, we don´t depend on the University for contacts with the cattlemen´s associations and the leaders in the extension communities. However, we want you to know that we are available to serve the university in some way out of a sense of gratitude for the past relationship." 

"Probably the area that we need the most help with would be in veterinary medicine," Leonel answered. "If you have friends from the United States willing to come work with us, that would be great." 

Within minutes we had an agreement to keep in touch about these kinds of projects for the future. "Do you need to clear this with anyone else on the main leadership committee?" Cesar asked. 

"No." Leonel said. "I have the authority to proceed without any problems." 

As we walked away, Cesar and I looked at each other and smiled. "Just another day at the office," I said. 

"Yep." Cesar replied. 

10:02 Prayer

Please ask God to prompt more Cowboy Church people like Rick and Frank to be mobilized for a continued harvest in Honduras. Continue to pray for (and thank God for) the connections at the University. Please ask God to call veterinarians to Latin America and ask God for wisdom in planning the veterinary trips in the future.   

Invest

Thank you for your continued generous investment in making sure that "Every person in the Americas has a friend who loves Jesus."

Engage

Please pass the word to anyone with agriculture or veterinary skills that they better get a passport and get ready for an adventure!

If you're in the Kansas City area, please join us for the PlayStoryEat Experience June 23-24 at Open Range Fellowship. More info in the next update.

Talk to you soon! 

Steve 

PS...You can mail checks to:

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

On PayPal, you can give using the email daybreak.international@gmail.com.

On our websites, you can give at www.PlayStoryEat.com or www.DaybreakInternational.org.

Divine Appointment on the Road to Honduras!

Hi Everybody!
I am currently in Catacamas, Honduras, with Cesar, Rick Watson, and Frank Molano. Rick and Frank flew into Honduras yesterday (Thursday, 5/18), and today was our first day of activities here. We met with some of the bull riders from the National University of Agriculture and one of the top officials of the University and have great news to share. But since we will be adding to that story in the next few days, I won't report on that just yet.

In the last update, I mentioned that Cesar and I would be driving from Guatemala to Honduras. On Tuesday, when we were heading for the border, Cesar noticed how much my head was bobbing and said, "Esteban, what do you think if we stop to swim and take a rest?"

"Okay," I said, thinking I was more interested in taking a rest, but I didn't say that.

Stopping to Swim and Relax...

"We have time to cross into Honduras tomorrow. Let's see if staying at Valle El Dorado would be cheap enough for us to stay tonight," Cesar suggested. This is not a normal place for us to stop, because it has a water park and is more of a vacation spot for staying a couple of days to enjoy the amenities. But I didn't object, thinking about the fun we had there with my family about 10 years ago.

Fifteen minutes later, we were standing neck deep in one of the swimming pools, and Cesar asked about some of our cowboy church friends in Texas. I was busy talking about several of those he knew when a man snuck up behind me in the water and asked, "Are you misioneros?"

A Divine Appointment...

"Si," Cesar answered, somewhat hesitating.

"My name is Otto Morales, and I am a pastor and the president of the local pastors association, and I thought I overheard you talking about the ministry."

Once we told him that we were on the way to Honduras to work with cowboys and rancheros, he came closer to us and said, "Hermanos (brothers) you won't believe this, but you are an answer to a prayer I have been praying for a week. I hope you don't mind me taking your time with my story."

"Please tell us," I said.

Otto's Story...

"Several months ago, I had been witnessing to some rancheros, and they came to faith in Jesus. They didn't feel comfortable coming to my church, so I started a men's group on Tuesday nights for them. More got saved, and now we have about 50 men who come. Last Tuesday, I asked the men if we should continue the group or not. They wanted to meet at least a few more times. On the spot I said, 'Next Tuesday we will have a special meeting that you won't want to miss. And God will show us what to do with our group.'" 

Then he looked directly at us. "I have been praying this whole week for direction from God and have gotten nothing. But here you are! I believe God sent you to speak to our group tonight."

Two hours later, Otto's wife fed us a delicious dinner and then we went to the men's gathering. Cesar and I shared our vision for PSE groups and demonstrated how we do them. The guys hung around long after the end of the meeting to talk. To a man, they were dedicating themselves to join us in our strategy to reach guys like themselves in the region.

Steve connects with Otto's group of rancheros!

On the Radio...

As Otto took us back to the hotel, he asked if we could be on the radio with him Wednesday morning. (Otto also hosts a couple of weekly radio shows!) Because we really needed to get on the road, we regretfully declined to show up at the radio station. "But I can call you and interview you by phone as you drive," Otto interjected.

Laughing out loud, we nodded our heads and said, "Esta bien. Sounds good." So on Wednesday we were on the radio for about 30 minutes with Otto and got to tell our story to a wider audience.

One of the ironic points that we brought out was the fact that 17 years ago when Cesar and I first got the idea to do something with cowboys in Guatemala, we were about 15 kilometers from Otto's town. The location didn't escape Otto's attention, and he implored his audience with his final words of the program, "Hermanos, we need to learn from these men and fulfill the mission God has for the rancheros and vaqueros to come to know Him."

10:02 Prayer

Please ask God to give clear "next steps" to Otto and his group. We plan to stop and see them again on our return trip home.

Invest

Thanks for your continued generosity. Several this week have begun to invest in the mission.

Engage

Please forward this email to friends who want to fulfill the great commandments and the great commission. The Play.Story.Eat. Updates and the PSE Discipleship Guide may be helpful.

Next time I hope to tell you the story of what has happened today in Catacamas. I can hardly believe it. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Love y'all!

Steve

PS... Investing Information

You can mail checks to:

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

On PayPal, you can give using the email daybreak.international@gmail.com.

On our websites, you can give at www.PlayStoryEat.com or www.DaybreakInternational.org. 

A Stupid Thing I Did that Mom Doesn't Need to Know!

Happy belated Mother's Day to all! 

As you read this, I am probably somewhere near the border of Guatemala and Honduras, getting ready to get grilled by some nameless border official.  

"Passport Please..."

I know the drill. When I slide my bulging, 8-year-old, frayed, passport under the window, the official will flip through the pages for several minutes searching back and forth through the haphazard collection of stamps I have accrued. Finally, she will find the stamp of my flight into Guatemala last night and nod her head in relief. Then she will get a puzzled look on her face and ask in Spanish, "Donde vas? Que vas a hacer?" ("Where are you going? What are you going to be doing?") "Why would you fly into Guatemala last night only to go to Honduras the next day?"

The grilling will last two or three more minutes. I will offer my spiel of explanations. Then with a final whomp! whomp! I'll get another stamp for my passport collection and enter Honduras. 

Getting grilled by a border official is one thing. But that is nothing compared to the grilling I've received from my mother! Can I get a witness?

I Helped My Mom's Prayer Life... 

My mom comes by this naturally, though. With all the stupid things I have done through the years, I have given her plenty of ammunition for her questions! Truth is, for over half a century I have given my mom a long list of reasons to be a dedicated prayer warrior.  

Since my mom reads every one of these updates with a magnifying glass, today I muster up the courage to tell her of one of the stupid things I did on my last trip.

Confession to My Mom... 

On Friday morning,  February 3rd, I was at Cesar's place in Amberes, anticipating Nola's arrival into Guatemala to join us for the next 10 days. I got up as the sun rose for a morning run. One of my favorite routes near Cesar's house goes up a mountainside on a trail with some beautiful overlooks of the valley. Along the way I have to pass through a couple of clusters of houses where dogs usually bark and yap. 

As I ran through the first housing area, a pack of dogs came running out to bark at me. They had done it to me dozens of times through the years, and all they had done was just bark until I passed their territory. But this day, a tiger-striped mutt chased and then caught up with me and nipped me on the back of my right calf. I stopped and shooed the dogs away with my baseball cap and kept on walking.

After getting away from the dogs, I looked at the back of my leg. I could see that the bite was more like a scratch on the surface of the skin. It didn't really hurt. So I decided that I would finish my run and doctor it up once I got back.

Stupid Thoughts...

As I ran, I thought about the fact that if this dog had rabies, I would probably have to get a series of shots. But it was just a scratch! No big deal, right? 

When I got back to Cesar's and looked at it again, there was a little blood dripping, but I jumped in the shower and quickly cleaned it up. After I got out, I put hand sanitizer on it and covered the wound with a big band-aid.   

I thought about telling Cesar, but I knew that we had a bunch of things to do that day to get ready for Nola arriving that night. Besides, I was overdue for writing an update and needed to get my clothes ready and packed for the next week of activities. So I said nothing. 

Avoidance...

I stayed mum about it at breakfast. Then I went to work checking email and writing. Mid-morning I got a call from Nola in Dallas. She had made it there and was awaiting the flight to Guatemala. I didn't say ANYTHING to her.   

At lunch, I avoided the topic. But a couple hours after lunch, as Cesar and I were gathering ourselves to go to the airport in Guatemala City, Cesar looked down and noticed the band-aid on my calf and said, "Esteban, what happened to your leg?" BUSTED!

Did the Dog Have Rabies?  

When I told him, he got a concerned look on his face, and no matter how much I downplayed it, he knew better. "Esteban, this is not the United States. Street dogs rarely get their immunizations. No matter how insignificant a bite, the dog punctured your skin, and if it has rabies you are infected, and you must get the shots." 

I knew he was right. I should have said something before. Now, because of my withholding of information, we didn't have time to get it checked out. On the way to the airport, Cesar told me that we would need to find a clinic in Quesada Saturday morning before we started the activities with the ladies groups.

Is There a Doctor in the House? 

The next morning in Quesada, we entered a clinic and asked if we could see a doctor. "No tenemos doctor aqui hasta el Lunes." ("We won't have a doctor here until Monday.") After further probing, we found out that if we went to a certain pharmacy, they might be able to help us track down a local doctor. Once there, we learned that he was out of town. After telling the pharmacist my story, she called the doctor. He told her to give me an antibiotic and then come see him Monday.

We also found out that even if the doctor wanted to give me the shots, they didn't have that series of shots on hand. With no other options until Monday, I decided to take the antibiotic and proceed with our schedule. 

Saturday, Sunday, Monday...

We dove into the activities. Saturday was a birthday party for Nola and a meeting with some of the women leaders in the region. Sunday we were in Jalpatagua with a ladies group and a few men from the Cattlemen's Association. Monday, we spent the day with a mayor and his wife in collaboration on future women's related projects. All the while, my bite was healing fine. 

Tuesday...

On Tuesday, we were back close to Cesar's house to meet with longtime friends, Humberto Solares and his wife, Enma, to do a Play.Story.Eat. activity with her class of 9th graders. We were to eat in their home around noon and then about two hours later would meet Enma's class for their last hour of the day. Since we were going to be playing with the teens, Cesar wanted me to look like a soccer player, so I wore my shorts and tennis shoes. 

Steve and Nola sport big smiles with Enma's class of 9th graders !

When we got to the Solares house and sat down to chitchat before lunch, Humberto looked down at my calf and asked "Que paso?" ("What happened?") I then told him about the dog bite. Since Humberto had worked for a former mayor organizing various public health programs, he immediately went into his health care mode. "Do you know where the dog is?" he asked. 

"Si." I answered. "It's about a ten minute walk up a trail from Cesar's house."   

"Esteban, we must find the dog today! Even if your wound is healing, you can't take a chance." Looking down at his watch he said, "We can eat, and then before the class we have time to find the dog." 

After a delicious lunch, we headed out on our search. Since the place was off the beaten path, we couldn't drive. So from Cesar's house, Humberto and I set out on foot. With the sun beating down at the hottest part of the day, I was glad I had my water bottle in hand.

A Wild Dog Hunt...

Finally, we reached the house. As we walked up, the dogs were lazily lying in the shade. "Hola!" Humberto called. "Is the owner of the house here?" Immediately the dogs sprang up and started barking. I looked around and no tiger-striped dog. Soon the lady of the house came out, and we told her of my dilemma. "Are these all of your dogs?" 

"Si." 

"Do you see the dog?" Humberto asked me. 

Here is "Tigra" the dog that bit Steve. ("Tigra" means female tiger in Spanish).

"No." I said, now getting a little worried that maybe I had not remembered as well as I thought. From there we went up to the next house. No dog. For about 30 minutes we talked to people and checked out dogs. Nothing. Finally, when we hit a part of the trail that had no houses, we decided to turn around and walk back to Cesar's. As we came back past the first house, I looked over at the dogs again. "Humberto, there it is!" I declared.

"Are you sure?"

"Si. I'm sure."   

Humberto called out to the woman of the house and told her of my conclusion. Being polite, she waited for Humberto to get through talking about the importance of knowing that her dog was healthy. Finally she said, "Your amigo doesn't need to worry. All my dogs had shots this year. A group came through here vaccinating animals. I think I still have the certificate they gave me."

Tigra's Rabies Vaccination Certificate

Sure enough, she produced her proof. "Hallelujah!" I shouted.

"Gracias a Dios!" Humberto replied. ("Thanks to God!")

 

 

 

The Blessing of Friends Who Have Your Back...

Since that day, I have thanked God for His provision and care. Even though I didn't tell very many people, I knew that people were praying for me and that even if they didn't know what I needed, God did.

Besides the many prayers, I am grateful for friends like Cesar and Humberto who have looked out for me and loved me even when I have been stupid.  

10:02 Prayers...

Pray for safety as we travel in the next few days, and pray that we will be the kind of friends for others like Cesar and Humberto were for me last February. 

Invest...

Thanks for your continued giving. It really is making a difference! 

Engage...

Take a moment to ask the Father who needs a dose of God's love through you today.  Then follow through and love them like Jesus would.

By the way, since that day, when Cesar calls me, he asks if I'm frothing at the mouth or anything. "No. I'm good." I answer. "But I do have this strange desire to chase cats and bark at cars!"

Love y'all!

Steve

PS...You can mail checks to:

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

On PayPal, you can give using the email daybreak.international@gmail.com.

On our websites, you can give at www.PlayStoryEat.com or www.DaybreakInternational.org. 

Ooops! I Forgot!...A Bank Teller Catches You In the Act!

Good morning all!

One of our newest members on our updates called me yesterday and said "Steve, I'd like to send my $10.02 to you, but in your email you didn't tell me where to send it." 

Ooops! My bad. I will include it at the bottom of this page and will do my best to remember to do that for future updates. 

While I've got your attention, I want to tell you that our bank teller is on to us! Yesterday when I went in to get my cash for the upcoming trip to Guatemala and Honduras, I also made a deposit. As the teller was going over the deposit he kept looking back and forth from a particular check to the deposit slip. "Is there supposed to be two cents added to this one?" he asked. I looked down and noticed that we had left off .02 on one of the checks.

"Yes, I believe we missed that one!" I said. "Thanks!" Since I had already told him about going to Guatemala, I added, "In fact, when you see a funny number with an .02 at the end of the amount, it means someone is praying Luke 10:2 for our ministry--that God would send more workers to help."

"Wow! That's cool" the teller responded.  "Hope you have a great trip!" 

Let's keep confusing our bank tellers! Here's the giving info below...

Love y'all!

Steve

Mail checks to:

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

On PayPal, you can give using the email daybreak.international@gmail.com.

On our websites, you can give at www.PlayStoryEat.com or www.DaybreakInternational.org. 

Texas Cowboys Make a Difference in Honduras!

You can help!

In our last update, we encouraged you to begin praying the Luke 10:2 prayer at 10:02 am/pm each day and to begin to give an extra $10.02 a month as a tangible prayer for workers to engage in a harvest that is ripe and ready all around us. Several of you jumped on the bandwagon, and we are grateful to you for that! Keep those cards and letters coming! 

As I write today, I am getting myself prepared to head to Guatemala and then to Honduras starting the Monday after Mother's Day. I would like to tell you about a couple of Texans who will be meeting Cesar Gonzalez and me in Honduras for the week of May 18-24. These guys are true heroes, and I want to tell you why.   

Rick Watson, Cowboy Missions Recruiter 

Rick getting ready to serve as the announcer at the Sergio Andrade benefit bull riding event at Denton County Cowboy Church last summer.

Some of you know Rick and have heard me talk about his role in getting some of his Texas friends to come down to Honduras in the past couple of years. This past summer, he was one of the go-to guys helping us receive a group of Hondurans in Denton, Texas. I think Rick has been on about 5 or 6 trips now. He retired a couple of years ago, and in his spare time he has recruited cowboy missionaries through the connections of friends in the American Fellowship of Cowboy Churches. 

Last year on one of our trips I mentioned to you that Rick's wife, Peggy, was in critical condition dealing with the final stages of Huntington's Disease. I ask you to remember them in your prayers. Rick has been faithfully attending to her needs and has a team of family, friends, and caregivers who lovingly care for Peggy as well. Thanks to them, Rick is able to be away from time to time to serve on these mission trips. 

Frank Milano, Spanish Cowboy Encourager

Frank Milano (orange shirt) and Alfredo Andrade (of Honduras) talk with Nick Gas (cowboy pastor and horse trainer) in a break in the action at the Denton County bull riding event put on in honor of Alfredo's son, Sergio, who was a professional bull rider and friend of ours who was murdered a couple of years ago.

Frank is a cowboy of Mexican descent who grew up in the North Texas region outside of Fort Worth, where Frank's dad was a pastor to Mexican immigrants. In the mid 1980's, Frank was the chaplain at high school rodeo events and had a tremendous ministry that saw many kids come to Christ. Today, many of those "kids" are pastors and leaders of cowboy churches. Currently Frank is serving as an interim pastor at a cowboy church near Fort Worth. 

This past summer when the Hondurans came to Texas, Frank spoke to our mixed group of Texas friends, Hondurans, and one Guatemalan. Opening the scriptures, he shared how Jesus said that seeds don't sprout and produce fruit unless they die first. Then he confessed that he felt like God wanted him to follow through on a promise he made that morning and sow some sacrificial seeds in Guatemala and Honduras. Here is what Frank said that day.  

"Six years ago I lost my wife to complications related to her diabetes," Frank informed. "A year or so before she died, a missionary to South Africa had spoken at our church, and I had felt compelled to give a couple of valuable rings I owned to help her out. One of those rings was one my wife had given me a few years after we had gotten married. When she saw me give those rings, I'll be honest, she was not happy with me! But what was done was done, and I prayed that the rings would be useful to this missionary in some way."

"After my wife died," Frank continued, "I got a big check from the life insurance, and for some reason I bought several rings. I don't know why I did it, particularly. I just bought them. But I have not worn them much at all. Today, I believe God is asking me to give up something I value very much in order to die to myself and plant a few seeds in Honduras and Guatemala."

Frank then pulled out four rings and called up Cesar and three Honduran men to the front. One by one, Frank gave a treasured ring as a token of his prayer that thousands of cowboys and ranchers would be won to Christ. As I dabbed my eyes, I looked around and saw others doing the same. 

Next week, Frank goes down to catch up to the piece of his heart that has gone down before him. 

Let's Bring in the Harvest Together! 

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field." Luke 10:2

10:02 Prayer

Pray for us as we come alongside men and women of peace who are open to explore what God might want to do in their neck of the woods. During our time in Honduras, we plan to be in two regions. First, in Catacamas, we will be with the National University of Agriculture and with several of our Christian Rancher groups in that region. Then we plan to be with new friends wanting to start new groups near Comayagua. 

By the way, the latest news from the University of Agriculture has not sounded good. To those new to the updates, over the past 5 years, friends from this University have introduced us to leaders all over the country.  In that relationship, we have participated in agriculture and veterinary related projects and have used that as a platform to promote Christian Rancher groups. In the shakedown of the past few months, only one of the key leaders that we have worked with was retained. Fortunately, he is a dedicated Christian who has been a good friend to us. 

1. Pray that our connections with the University would continue to be positive and that they will continue to be open to us working with their extension programs. 

2. Pray that the newest Christian Rancher groups would gain momentum and that they themselves would naturally reproduce on their own by their own initiative.

3. Pray that God would use Rick and Frank's stories to point many folks to Jesus. And pray that the new stories that flow from their time in Honduras will spur on more of our friends to join us in this big harvest in Central America.   

4. Pray for Cesar and me as we drive from Guatemala to Honduras. Pray that we have divine appointments along the way. We plan to see several of our key ministry friends both coming and going. Note that after Rick and Frank fly home, Cesar and I plan to spend 3 days doing Play.Story.Eat. training with our Kekchi leaders in the jungle in Guatemala. 

Invest 

Please consider sponsoring a PSE Missionary like Rick or Frank. The average trip cost is $1600 for a 7-day trip. Any amount is helpful and could be strategic in getting more and more of your friends in strategic places where God wants us to be part of His harvest team.

Engage

Plan to go on a PSE Mission Trip to Central America! Here's what is coming up... 

July 18-23, 2017...Guatemala Dental Scout Team trip and Play.Story.Eat. training

July 24-31, 2017...Guatemala Women's Ministry trip

August 12-18, 2017...Guatemala Medical Clinic Construction Team trip

October 8-15, 2017...Honduras Fair and Rodeo trip

January 5-12, 2018...Guatemala Rodeo trip

Love y'all! 

Steve