Honduras Trip and Expenses

As our regular readers will recall, we brought up a few months ago the idea of moving to Honduras to help some friends who work as missionaries there. The Sowers family has been working in Honduras for 7 years now with an organization called Missionary Ventures International. Their focus there is on working with and equipping local pastors in one of the poorest areas of the world to better reach and serve the people in their villages; they do this via a variety of means, including founding and constructing a bible training center, supporting an existing feeding center and orphanage, providing assistance and support for over 200 pastors in rural areas of western Honduras, providing logistics and delivery of donated supplies and hosting short-term mission teams. The Sowers' website can be seen at www.sowers4pastors.com.

The response to our initial proposal (April 15th & 23rd) was quite positive, and with the current status of the children’s home in Madera we feel the time has come for us to move forward with plans to join the Sowers family and their work in Honduras. As God provides the resources, we are planning to leave Madera sometime in September. After having a few odds and ends of upkeep done on the truck, we plan to drive to Honduras, visiting other missionary acquaintances in Oaxaca and Toluca as we drive south through Mexico and Guatemala. In similar fashion to our original trip from Washington State to Madera, we plan to take with us what we can fit into the back of our truck and into a trailer. We expect to be on the road for the better part of a couple of weeks, and also hope to see some incredible country along the way. Upon our arrival in Honduras we will find a house to rent and furnish it with whatever needed items are not already there or brought with us.

As can be imagined, such a move is not cheap, and we are writing this update both to keep our friends and supporters involved and up-to-date in our plans, and also to ask that you prayerfully consider supporting us in this move. On the way down we will have truck permits and visas to buy, new insurance, fuel and lodging expenses and possible importation taxes; the additional expenses related to the move itself could run a couple thousand dollars. Once in Honduras, we anticipate our monthly expenses to be somewhat more than they currently are, as travel back to the US will be more complicated and more expensive, and we realize that times are hard and extra money is hard to come by these days for a lot of people. We also know that if God wants this project to happen, He has the resources and He will provide. Support and contributions are tax deductible and can be sent to Hockinson Community Church, 15918 NE 182^nd Ave, Brush Prairie, WA 98606 with a note or memo saying it’s for us.

We are looking forward with anticipation to what the near future has in store, and look forward to sharing our experiences with you all. Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our supporters who have walked with us over the past three years. Your support and donations teach us humility and remind us anew each month that all we have and all we are comes from Him, and in ourselves we are nothing.

- Alan & Faith and the Hayes Zoo