Open Range Team Connects with Women's Groups

Good morning everyone!

Even though I have been slow to report in to tell you so, your prayers were answered in big ways for the Open Range team that came down to Guatemala a couple of weeks ago. In the six days on the ground, they got to interact with and minister to three women's groups and one senior citizens group. If I had been more on the ball, I could have highlighted how each day many ladies (and a few men) came to know Christ, and you would have heard how each day we shared in lots of fun, food, and laughter. 

Since there are lots of good stories from the week, I will try to spread it out over one or two more updates. Today I want to highlight our first day with a ladies' micro-business group in San Jose Acatempa. This village is a place where 50 to 60 years ago, gypsy families began to settle down to grow coffee in the foothills of the surrounding mountains. Because of the seasonal ups and downs of growing coffee, most of the families also do other agriculture-related work. This group of women gather to learn and encourage each member to come up with entrepreneurial ways to make things to sell.   

The leadership team for a women's micro-business group in San Jose Acatempa, Guatemala, shows samples of the work of one of the ladies. Irma, the president of the group, is the second lady from the left. 

Back in February, Irma, the president of this ladies group, and her husband Rolando had come to a birthday party that friends near Quesada threw for my wife, Nola, when she was with me in Guatemala. After connecting with Cesar about their group, we scheduled to connect with them at Irma's house on this trip. 

Besides having to learn how to dance the national dance and make tortillas, the biggest challenge for our team was having to eat all the foods that the ladies brought to the meeting! Besides the coffee, there were quesadillas (a cornbread made with cheese), recado soup (that had portions of liver in it), goat cheese, a rice drink, pineapples, papayas, tamales, frozen bannanas dipped in chocolate and lots of tortillas and beans. While really tasty, there was so much food that toward the end of the day, when someone would bring out something else to taste, even some of the Guatemala ladies wanted to cry, "No mas!"

The group in San Jose Acatempa eating together 

During our story-telling times each day, Laura, Linda, or Carla would be called upon to share their faith story, and out of that Cesar would invite them to pray to receive Christ. On this particular day, several ladies did so for the first time, and Irma's husband Rolando did so as well! I know that as a group, we could sense that your prayers were being answered each day as the stories connected so well with those present. 

Linda Wright receives a gift from Irma thanking her for coming and sharing her story with them. 

Laura Slaughter (left) and Carla Macias (third from the right) pose for a pic with the tortilla-making ladies.  

Carla is proud of her tortilla she made! 

For me, one of the big surprises came when Mirna, a leader from El Durazno, a village about an hour and a half away from Irma's house, arrived. Mirna seemed a little surprised to see me, but I didn't pay much attention, because I was busy greeting others who were arriving. After Mirna spoke with Cesar for a few minutes, he waved me over. "Esteban, you have to hear what she just told me!" 

"I don't know if you remember, but you were in my village when I was a teenager!" Mirna began. "Two weeks ago I was speaking with my mother about the many opportunities I have to share my faith in Jesus with the ladies in these groups, but my pastor doesn't understand it and believes I should be in the church's services more often. I feel such a burden to use the platform God has given me, but I don't know how to do it."

Cesar with Mirna as she shows us the coffee produced from her village  

Mirna continued, "My mother then pulled out a picture of you and your family and said, 'These people could help you if you could find them.' I agreed, but how would I find them? So I said a prayer, 'Lord, help me find these people or at least someone who can help me.'"

"When Irma invited me to this meeting and described what you and Cesar were doing with Rancheros Cristianos groups, I thought, This sounds like the kind of thing I need to know about.' But how would I have ever guessed that when I walked up today you would be the same ones from the picture!!"

As Mirna shared her stories, I couldn't help but have flashbacks of being in her village and playing soccer with the kids and translating for Nola as she spent time with other women there. For me, I must admit that I was holding back a few tears and so grateful to God for letting me get a glimpse of what He is up to.

I'm not sure about all that heaven will be, but I figure that I got a taste of it that day in San Jose Acatempa!

More stories to come as Laura has a birthday, Michael and Carla show their dance moves, and we all eat till we feel we will pop! 

10:02 PRAYER

Thank God for the safe goings and comings of our Open Range team. Pray for Mirna and other leaders like her who are being raised up to lead in these women's groups.  

INVEST

Thanks to you and others, God is continuing to provide for all our needs.  

ENGAGE

Be alert to new opportunities to receive Play. Story. Eat. training. We will keep you posted!  

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.

Open Range Team made it to Guatemala!

Hi Everybody! 

The Open Range Fellowship team from Lone Jack, Missouri, arrived in Guatemala late Monday night. Tuesday they are scheduled to be at a senior citizens center in Santa Cruz Naranjo. Wednesday through Saturday they will be connecting with women's groups in the Santa Rosa region. We would appreciate your prayers!   

After a long day of travel, the Open Range team is excited to be in Guatemala! Pictured from left to right are Cesar Gonzalez, Elliott Langhofer, Michael Macias, Carla Macias, Steve Reed, Laura Slaughter, Linda Wright, and Bill Burrows. 

10:02 PRAYER

Pray that God will use the stories of each member of the Open Range team in a great way this week. Pray that the unity of this group will be contagious and that people will want to connect more and more with God and others in the Play. Story. Eat. process.    

We will keep you posted!

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. a Hit in Guatemala!

Hi everybody! 

After a crazy day of travel adventures on Tuesday (and God´s amazing grace allowing us to get on an oversold flight), we made it to Guatemala about 8 hours later than the original plan. After a short night, we hit the ground running today with our first official Play. Story. Eat. training event.

The 35 participants came from probably 7 or 8 different places. Here are a few pics. 

The group enjoys sharing a meal together.

Tomorrow we head to the jungle to spend one day of training with our friends there. 

10:02 PRAYER

Continue to pray for us this week as we travel to various places to train teams in the Play. Story. Eat. process. Pray that the team from today will start new groups and train others as well.   

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. 

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.