Hey Everyone,
We have had such a hard time making it financially lately and I appreciate
so much your prayers. This week we didn’t have the money to buy all the
groceries for the school or for the teachers’ salaries, but finally today
there is enough to pay almost all the teachers (a few are waiting patiently)
and we can buy the rest of the weeks’ groceries.
Zac Rosenbaum, who as you know, is in charge of our sponsorships for the
students at the school, wrote this week about our need to raise the amount
of the sponsorship. This was in response to my suggestion that we needed
more money in the coming year for their PE pants, etc. Well, this prompted
Zac to put on paper our yearly expenses so that he can provide it to the
sponsors to see exactly where their $40 a month goes. It came as a huge
surprise to both of us that the school is actually operating almost $60,000
in the hole. We right now
are in about $6,000 of debt and don’t have the groceries yet for next week
BUT, now I understand WHY. I had never put it all on paper because we have
just made it from month to month with God’s provisions through other gifts
to the general Destino del Reino ministry. Whew — I was shocked and yet
relieved to know where our money was actually going. It costs $300 a week
just for the gas in the two buses. The estimates I gave Zac were actually a
little low in some areas. Anyway, that is the bad news but the GREAT NEWS
(as is always the case with God) is that He has provided every week what we
have needed. We have been more cast on Him for miracles this year than ever
before as we get on our knees and seek His provision for our daily needs.
However, with this new revelation, we are realizing that we need to probably
change the way we do sponsorship for each student. We actually need about
$60 a month per student to cover the year’s expenses at the school. What we
need to do is, first PRAY that God will give us wisdom as to how to
re-arrange the sponsorships. I would first of all like to thank all of you
sponsors for your generosity in giving the $40 a month. For some, you just
say that it is like only sacrificing one meal for your family in a
restaurant each month, but for others, it is truly a bigger sacrifice with
your tight budgets and I thank you for that. In light of this, we need to
know if each of your sponsors would be able to increase your giving by $20
more a month, or if you would like us to look for an additional sponsor to
supplement your student(s)’ tuition. (Also, sponsors, I was wondering if
you might help us find the supplemental person for your students — since
you already have a lot invested in your student(s), maybe you can talk to a
friend to subsidize the sponsorship for us.) Please PLEASE do not be
embarrassed to say that you need to stay with your $40 a month. With the
economy as it is today, I know that you are already sacrificing so much for
the Kingdom of God here at Destino and we appreciate it. We need to know
how many supplemental sponsors we need as soon as possible so that we can
make up the difference and meet our expenses from here on out. Please pray
for us as we look for additional sponsors. When I sent out the recent email
for sponsorships for the final 3 students, including my Blanca, we got many
more responses than we needed. This encourages me to believe there are
others out there that want to sponsor children and can now help us out.
There are probably some too that could not have paid the $40 a month but can
help us with the supplemental $20 per month. The good news too is that the
students will have more people praying for them individually.
Please be praying about this for us. I feel very badly that I did not
calculate earlier the exact expenses so we could have started the year out
with all the right sponsorship needed, but please forgive me. From the
beginning we have always seen God cover all the expenses for us,
miraculously, and I know that He can and will continue to provide, but it
would be better if we actually had the school expenses covered by the
sponsors and we can use the funds that come to Destino generally to continue
building the children’s home and finish up the clinic, etc. We will also be
needing to start building the junior high and technical schools in a couple
of years so if we get the sponsorships complete to cover the school costs,
we can use all of this $60,000 plus each year that we have lacked to build
in the areas that we need to complete God’s purposes here in Destino.
Please be praying as well because Carlos and I are beginning today to meet
with every child in the school individually for 15 minutes (this will take
several months). We want to be assured that they know Jesus Christ as their
savior and also learn how to be praying for them more individually. Be
praying that as the student(s) you sponsor are meeting with us that they
will accept Jesus, if they do not already know him personally and that we
will be able to encourage them in their spiritual growth.
I thank you for your great patience and encouragement to me. We are
learning as we go and God has poured out His mercy on us over and over again
through the hard times. Pray that we will be able to work out all of this
change in the sponsorship program and especially pray for Zac as this is a
new complication to his smooth-running system. He is incredible and we are
so grateful to him for all of his administrative skills and his service to
the Lord and Destino del Reino.
Love to all of you and thanks for your prayers for us.
In His grace,
Rhonda
