Hey Y’all,
I’m sorry I haven’t written for a few weeks. I was waiting and waiting and WAITING to be able to send my next prayer report with an announcement that the well was finished. But we have had several delays and so I decided to write to you anyway and we’ll have the report about the well, hopefully, by early this next week. The most recent delay was that the drilling rig broke on Monday. We are already in the process of trying to get the part for the other machine (that cleans out the wells?!) and so we found ourselves on Monday with both machines broken. But yesterday, Moncho went to get the part for the drilling rig and it didn’t cost much. We are in a contract with 3 other communities here with the engineer to have our wells dug and so they are bound to finish these no matter what. The problem is getting money to fix them and every one of the four communities needs to help equally. We are talking to the mayor about helping with the expenses and that looks very hopeful — so keep praying. Either way though, we will have our well being drilled again by Monday (or maybe tomorrow). The really good news is, in the meantime, that the men called Moncho over last week to show him the dirt that was coming up out of the ground at our well site at about 150 feet — they told him that when there was that particular color of dirt, it meant there was LOTS of water down there. I was so thankful — I know that God promised us “abundant waters” but I was hoping that the men themselves would see that there was something special (supernatural) about our finding water in a place where they originally told us there was NONE. Anyway, please keep praying — we’re almost there!! The other machine will be only needed for about an hour at each of the 4 wells but we still need to get that machine repaired too between the 4 communities. Our well cost us about $200 each for the drill to come and two of the communities had a very hard time coming up with that money even with all their houses collecting.
I am so thankful for the ministries that God has given us at Destino del Reino even before we have the children living there. The Sunday School is going well. We had our third class this past Sunday and we have a few more each week. The children are soooo anxious to learn and they are so appreciative of this opportunity. There are many more children up over the next mountain and we expect many more of them to find their way to Sunday School each week as they word spreads. We need more materials and I am praying that someone in that village, will want to start teaching all those children up there too. These are the same children that we taught in VBS a few weeks past and they have no other opportunities to hear the stories of Jesus now. The children that are coming to our Sunday School live close to Destino del Reino and they are learning so quickly. We started a bible memory verse contest and I think EVERYONE is going to win!! I need toget a lot of prizes ready. We had almost everyone of them say four verses by memory already. They are so cute and some of them had the Bible verse mixed up with the songs and stood in line and said a verse and then would start to say, “My God is so big, so storsng and so mighty, there’s nothing that He cannot do.” . . . We had to tell them that was a song — it was really cute. I was realizing how we all have had so many people praying for us in our lives and God has done wonderful things because of the prayers of others for us. These children do not have that privilege and I am going to write a list below of those that are coming to Sunday School and would you consider each taking a name and begin praying faithfully for that child? If you have a class or group that would take on one of these names, I would appreciate it. If you want a picture of that particular child, I will send one by email for you too. Here is the list:
GIRLS:
Digna (age 8, accepted Jesus our first week of Sunday School 3 weeks ago)
Karla (age 10, accepted Jesus on July 24)
Marina (age 13, accepted Jesus 3 weeks ago in SS)
Gloria (age 14, accepted Jesus on July 24; also in discipleship class on Mondays)
Lesly (age 18, accepted Jesus on July 24; She is also in discipleship class on Mondays)
BOYS:
Luis (18 months but very well behaved in class)
Jaime (age 7, has not yet received Christ, lost his mother recently and is living with our neighbors)
Franklin (age 7, received Christ in first Sunday School class, Aug. 18)
Edgar (age 8, received Christ in first SS class – Aug. 18)
Carlos (age 9, receieved Christ in first SS class -Aug 18)
Franklin (age 10 – received Christ Aug. 18 – first SS class)
Luis (age 12, received Jesus on June 12 when West Acres Baptist was here)
Victor (age 12, received Jesus August 18 – first SS class)
Marlon (age 15, received Christ on Aug. 18 (first SS class)
There are a few others in class but they are family of Moncho or some of Bety’s in-laws’ nieces, etc. I particularly wanted some of you to be praying for these who have no one else in their lives to be praying for them at this point. Most of their parents have just recently accepted Christ too and are coming to the Monday discipleship classes for adults. Thanks for your prayers. These children are so precious and I hope you will each come over at some point in the next few years and see them IN PERSON —
We had really precious times with the discipleship classes the past few weeks too. Two Mondays ago, we had Jorge (a young father) come for the first time and he admitted that he has not yet received Jesus as his Savior but has a lot of interest and wants to come to Bible study. Also, Rosa (a grandmother who lives next door) came and she said she is Catholic and has had religion but has not yet received Jesus as her personal Savior and she is planning to come weekly and learn more too. Please pray for these two. Then this past Monday, a man and his wife and children came to the Bible study. The wife is a sister of our neighbor and they had traveled a long way by bus. The man has not yet accepted Christ either and loved our study. They plan to come that long distance every other week to be at the Bible studies. They really enjoyed following along and filling in the blanks and looking up the Bible passages. The people here are so hungry to know God and there are not enough workers — keep praying for more to come and have a desire to help these people. Jesus said, “the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Pray the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers.” We need to be praying this for these villages in Honduras. Many come and live near the cities but 90% of the people live in these poor villages outside of the cities.
I heard from our friends in Houston that the contents of the bus are going to be shipped out soon. It cost us an additional $900 and that is hard to swallow since we lost $2,300 on the shipment the first time. We were not able to make the shipping company take responsibility for that loss and now we are able to get a much better price for shipping our things through the Episcopalean ministry out of Houston. I am so thankful for those people who are willing to help us receive our things. Thanks for your prayers for safety for our contents and for smooth sailing this time!! We still need a bus but God knows that better than we do. I guess when He is ready, He will provide the money for us to purchase one here in Honduras. Please be praying for us to be able to get a van in the meantime to transport the children in January. Thanks.
Thank you again for all your prayers and faithfulness to this ministry. God is doing awesome things and many are coming to know Jesus personally and we count on your prayers to continue this work. Also thanks for praying for the building of the house. Once the well is complete, we will move on with finishing the first house and preparing it for the children in January (Lord-willing).
Please let me know how to be praying for each of you personally too. We are all ONE TEAM — I’m glad to be your partner in prayer.
Love because of HIS GRACE,
Rhonda
