Hey Everyone,
Thanks for your many many prayers for me. The Lord is so faithful and is working on behalf of this ministry in so many ways and through so many people. It continues to amaze me at all the prayer warriors He has enlisted to be a part of this work and to encourage me in so many ways.
I got several emails today that were encouraging. One precious couple (that I have never even met yet) are offering to give up to $5,000 towards the well based on matching gifts, with the deadline being when I return from my visit on the 14th of December. I don’t know all the details yet but please be praying. This looks like it may be our answer for the $10,000 we need to collect for the well. Thanks to God for such generosity and please pray that the $5,000 will be matched in God’s miraculous way to provide that money SOON!! We need the well in before the rainy season ends the first of January and so the timing would be great too. It would take the company about a week to drill the well once we pay them and another week or so to get the pump put in and buy and install the water tanks for storage. God will do it perfectly — He always does. If this is not His answer, then he will provide another way. It has been such a faith-tester for me but I am encouraged when I feel a real peace in my spirit when I talk about the well and just say, “God knows when we need it and I can trust Him.”
Another precious cousin of mine has offered to start putting money in a van fund and that will be a great encouragement to us too. We need, as you know, some transportation that has a lot more space and is safe for the children SOON!! I am also anxious to get another vehicle because as soon as we have other transportation, I can turn our pick-up over to Pastor Carlos and he will hit the trail running to do ministry in many villages and to serve so many people. It is so hard to see people here that have such a heart to minister and don’t have the wheels to get there!! So please keep praying for these two BIG prayer requests about the well and the van. Of course, don’t forget our great need for a bus soon also. Pastor Carlos and the new young people’s Sunday School class went to do evangelism along the highway a couple of weeks ago and led several to Christ. Most of them were poor people living in little shacks on the side of the road who sell oranges to passing cars. We had a houseful in church on Friday night because we passed by those little houses and picked all these families up. We are desperate for a bus, but, again, God knows best and will do it in His timing. We can buy a very good bus in San Pedro Sula for $8,000 and God will provide it when He knows we need it. He is faithful.
The bad news I mentioned is that we got a late charge from the IRS. The problem was that it was our first time to file a report and it was considered “incomplete”. Sondra has corrected it and got a complete report filed and we are so thankful for the great help she has been, but evidently an “incomplete” report is considered a “late” report to the IRS and they want us to pay more than $2,000. Sondra is going to work with them so please pray for FAVOR in their eyes for our ministry, that they will cancel the late charge. Thanks for praying for us in this regard.
PRAISE GOD — the little girls are back. Cloidie (we call her “Cokey”) and Eidy returned yesterday and were so excited to be home. It ended up that their dad made up the story about the judge needing to see them. He said his family told him that there was so much gossip in Jocon about him giving away his little girls so they wanted him to bring the girls back and show the village that he still had custody of them. They were not cared for well while they were gone that week and came back FILTHY. Cokey had chewing gum all over her stomach and neck and in her hair and when I bathed them, the water turned dark!! Their grandmother proved to me that she doesn’t love them as she says because she stole half of their clothes and wouldn’t return them with the girls. You would think she would want them to have those clothes. Anyway, we are just thanking God for sending them back to us and they have settled right in without any trouble. I am so thankful to have time with them again before leaving for the 3 weeks in the States too.
Jose’s operation was today. His mom came and got him on Monday and said she had a week’s permission from work so she could take him for me. I was so thankful for not having to spend the 4 days in Tegucigalpa away from the other children, but then again, I hate not being there for him as well. Keep praying because he will have a few weeks of pain as his little mouth is healing up. He is such a cheerful little baby though and I know he will work through it quicker than many children his age.
Vanessa is doing well. She just returned from signing a statement against her stepfather to keep him in jail. She is getting bigger now and finally looks pregnant (at least a little). Her doctor is so wonderful. I took her to the appointment on Friday. She was very aware that Vanessa is totally disconnected to this little baby in her womb. The doctor was very loving but frank and explained that if Vanessa didn’t start loving this baby, the baby could be born with a lot of emotional (and maybe even physical) problems. She told her that the baby was as much a victim as was she and that she had to be his support as well. We are going to pray a lot over that baby even while it is still in her womb and know that God will give Vanessa a real love for him while he is in her care in her body. Please help me pray for Vanessa in this situation. Thanks.
Vanessa’s mom is here (she brought Vanessa back on the bus today). She brought little one-year old Jonathan with her too and he is such a doll. Jonathan and his 3- year old brother, Cesar, and 5-year old sister, Blanquita, will be moving in with us on the 15th of December after I have been back for one day (their mother is moving to San Pedro Sula to work) — so pray for us. Pray for the children too as they make the adjustment. Jonathan has still be nursing and needs to learn to use a bottle during the next month and his mom is working on that now. I am so thankful that we can help them and raise them to know Jesus Christ. Marta and I were talking about how easy it is lately with the 6 little ones right now. It was hard the first month because they had not all been trained to obey and to take their naps, etc. They are all so happy and easy to manage now that it almost seems strange at times. The three new little ones will rock the boat a bit, but hopefully for just a few weeks and we will be back on to our “easy” program again. Thanks for praying for them even now before they come.
Eduardo (Marta’s brother) came back with her for a visit. He is the 12-year old boy that was healed about two years ago. He had had pain in his legs so severe day and night that he could not function. He had had this problem his entire life and we prayed for him and God healed him right there on the spot. He immediately accepted Jesus as His Savior that day too, and his mom said she wanted to know Christ because of the power of His healing in Eduardo. We want Eduardo to live with us and help with the kids and mostly because I want him to ESCAPE the influences in Jocon. I think his mom might be willing to let us have him and let him grow in Christ here at our house and in our church. Please pray for us in this regard and for Eduardo. Jocon is such an evil place and there is almost no Christian influence there. I know we cannot rescue all the young men from that place but this one is very special and he will be a great help to me with the children as well.
I got Erick’s grades today and he passed to the 4th grade and had a B average. Some of the other neighbor children are not doing well in school though and I want to help in the school year coming up. I think we need to start a daily study hall for all the children and I will oversee it to keep it quiet as well as help them with their homework. This will be something especially that Edgar needs because he has no help at home. I think we can manage it because when I return, we plan to hire a full-time lady to help us with the house and cooking and washing clothes so she could watch the kids during the hour of study hall everyday. We need to get the new storehouse built underneath the water tower so we can use the storehouse in the church for some desks and chairs. Please pray that God will orchestrate this for us.
We need to be praying too about how we will accomplish the next steps of construction. I will be talking to people in the States about some ideas and we will in the future be depending on groups to come and help us with each stage of construction. We would like to build a church this year with an attached pavillion that can be used for other things but can be opened up when the crowds are bigger for church at times. Please pray for the people to design it, and come to build it for us. There are so many needs but God is soooo big and we will just trust Him to take care of each of these things to enable us to expand the ministry in His perfect plan.
I thank you all for your wise input and especially for your prayers for the situation with Moncho. I had a talk with him yesterday. I had decided to wait and I prayed for several weeks and then God gave me HIS answer. I told Moncho that I had to be a good steward of God’s money in this ministry and couldn’t pay someone a good salary who was not here but maybe an hour a day at times. I told him that we would pay him the same part-time salary that he is used to (when there is not daily work) but for that salary, he needs to come 3 days a week and stay all day long and help in whatever we need, even if it is watching the children. There are so many projects that need to be done here — cutting grass and touch-up painting, etc. If he would be here to run to town for me, etc. it would be such a load off of me. He was very humble and accepting and I had such a relief in that. He is such a precious guy and I just had never laid out any guidelines and requirements before so he was kind of taking advantage of things (which is normal for anyone when the lines are not made clear). I am so thankful for this situation now and know that when the time comes to make more changes, the Holy Spirit will make the next step very clear to me and others who can counsel me well. Thanks sooo much for praying for this — it has been such a burden on my mind. When I return, I will also be taking full control over keeping the finances and that will give me the opportunity to confront a few other situations that need to be corrected as well. Keep praying. I am WAY out of my league in administrative and financial areas and need God’s grace and lots of wisdom — thankfully, He has sent so many to do this for me and help me do it right. I praise Him for that SO MUCH.
Please pray for a lady named Anna. She and her sister, Nellie (who now lives in Atlanta and attends Woodstock Baptist there with her family) grew up in an orphanage here in Honduras and it was a very difficult upbringing for both of them. Nellie asked that we help Anna get out of an abusive situation in El Progresso and help her and her 3 children relocate here. We have things getting set up to help her and we will move her down here after I return from the States. Please pray for all the details to work out for her and that she will be able to come here and be involved in a church family to encourage her. She is a fairly new Christian and I am so excited to be able to help her grow in her relationship with the Lord Jesus.
I leave on Monday morning and I thank you for your prayers for me as I am in the States and also for the children. God has answered so many prayers and I have an incredible peace about leaving them behind for the 20 days. We have many neighbors and friends that will be here most of the time helping out and God is orchestrating it so wonderfully. Again, I will be at my parent’s house (864) 333-5396, if anyone wants to talk to me. I would love to hear from y’all.
I know this was long but I wanted to update you well since you will probably not hear from me for almost a month. Please don’t forget to pray for us while I am out of touch for those weeks though — we are counting on your prayers as always. I appreciate each and everyone of you SO much and praise God for leading you into my life and this ministry.
Love in His WONDERFUL Grace that is always enough!!
Rhonda
