Thanks, Everyone, for your patience lately.  I have sent several short notes out but not a real update for about a month, I guess.

Things are going really good in so many ways.  Carlos is so full of joy.  I had never realized how very burdened he was with all the stress of this ministry until we decided he should take a year’s sabbatical.  He is still here fora few weeks but, just knowing that he is not responsible anymore, has really changed him.  I never realized until this past few weeks how much stress can harm someone in so many ways.  It has dramatically affected Carlos in many ways — he hardly ever slept a full night, was always sick, struggled with temptations of escape, explosive in anger at times, etc.  God has clearly confirmed that he needs to get out of this load for a year and seek the Lord and more d irection for Destino and just come and help as needed.   I have this little tickle of expectation in my spirit about just how much this ministry is going to be growing in the next few years and this is a very needed part of that future growth spiritually.   Please be praying for Carlos during this time.  Wendy continues as our director at the school and is doing a great job.   

As for me, you can pray for me to learn the same REST while I am still under these great responsibilities.  I know that the Lord can teach me to REST in Him every day.  Carlos shared a very good illustration in Bible class in school last week and it has left a permanent picture in my mind which I hope will alert me when I try to carry my own burdens.  He said to imagine a person loaded heavily down with firewood on their head.  (This illustration works much better here in Honduras, I know) .  He is struggling up a hill, climbing under that load of firewood and along comes a big truck and gives him a ride up the hill.  Now imagine how very ridiculous would be for that person to continue holding that heavy load on his head when he was riding in a powerful truck!!!   That is me most of the time — completely provided for and led by our powerful and wise God and yet having the odacity to believe that I need to continue to carry my own load and responsibilities.  In I Peter, the verse that  COMMANDS us to cast all our cares on Him, is followed by the warning to watch out for Satan who is like a roaring lion trying to devour us.  If I am so burdened down, I cannot fight the enemy and have no strength left to continue walking offensively to change the world around me for Christ — I am barely sustaining myself.  Please pray for me to really LEARN this lesson and determine to cast all my cares and burdens on HIM every single day — this ministry is His, so the debts and problems are also HIS and not mine.   If I can start practicing this, then I will have a year (or more) of sabbatical like Carlos but still here in the ministry full-time.

I thank the Lord too for our new internet at Destino.  We can now use Skype and I have three Christian sisters that have Skype dates with me weekly to pray together.  I haven’t had this much real fellowship in prayer since I lived in the US.  God is so good to provide this for me during these hard times.   Also, when we have an extra $500 sometime next summer, Lord-willing, we can have another tower put in and connected and we will have internet in the school for the children to learn how to study and research on-line.  Of course, we will need some people to come in and get all the computers set up and put on a protection from the pornograhy etc.   God is really blessing these children with the most advanced education and they can be ready to serve Him in any country and in any way.

Please be praying for the sixth grade class.  They are the class that will graduate in mid-June and hopefully be our first class to enter the junior high.   Several of them are getting really bad attitudes of rebellion and ingratitude and Carlos has seriously warned them that they are not guaranteed a spot in the junior high just because they have graduated from elementary school at Destino.  I told them several times in the past few weeks that if they do NOTHING, I know exactly what their lives will be like — just look around them at this society and their neighborhoods — all the girls are pregnant and alone and the boys are in gangs at about 12 years old.  If they don’t do something aggressive about seeking God in their lives, there is not going to be any change from the generation before them.   We are so concerned for many of them and will be so disappointed if they cannot go on through all the education that is being provided for them.  Please be praying for them with us.   

Quite a few fathers showed up this morning to work on the construction of the junior high.   They are having a meeting this afternoon and the board of fathers is going to really ENCOURAGE firmly all the fathers to participate.  We can build this school so much more economically than the elementary school if these fathers will donate their time.  Most of them are unemployed anyway and have the time and strength to do the labor.   We got enough money in this week to keep them busy for another week.  Please pray that we get enough money in each week to continue buying the materials because it is hard to keep them motivated if they quit for a few weeks and come back, etc.  Right now they are making a roll of names so that they don’t all come on the same day and can even out the labor.  We also don’t want to have to let the construction manager go if there are not materials each week because he needs to have continued work as well or may have to go somewhere else.  God knows all these needs and I know He will answer our prayers in this regard.   I think my “great idea” about sending in the $10 and skipping a meal during the month must have just been a “Rhonda idea’ because it has not been very successful.  Only about 25 people have done that and I thank you 25 and God will use that money, but maybe the Lord just wants us to wait on him each week and not have a big amount up front right now.  Anyway, it is HIS problem and not mine!!!   Thanks for praying with us.

I am going to be going to Texas, Lord-willing, in May to visit with some people that have been praying and supporting Destino for years now.   My ticket is being provided and I will be in both Houston and Dallas.  If anyone would like to have me share about the ministry in your church, Sunday School class, home group, etc. please let me know right away so we can plan out the best dates and times to be in each city.   I can’t wait to see all of you Texans that I love so much.  

Please be praying as well for the American teachers we need for next year.  I thought we had it all worked out with 5 of them returning and then all of a sudden, yesterday, two told me they were still praying and undecided.  We actually could use at least 1 more even if those two do decide to continue — I know God has the perfect plan for the education of these children and will work it all out but we need to know pretty quickly.  So if anyone is interested in applying to teach English here at Destino next year, beginning in mid August, please let us hear from you.   The curriculum is very good and the children are precious and I know you will be blessed to be a part of raising up the next generation for Christ in Honduras. 

My kids are all doing well.  I have one new thing that has happened.  My little Alexander, age 5, has returned to live with his mom.  She had not been a good mom when I got Alex in my care at 1 year old but God has changed her life, she has a husband and a safe place to live and she is willing to work with him every day to try to get him in a special education school and training.  We were not sure how he would do because he has never been away from us but I also wasn’t sure about what his mind is thinking emotionally and if he is really attached to us or not.  Well he is doing great and evidently hasn’t been anything but happy since he left, even though his mom was almost a stranger to him.  God is working this out and we praise Him for that.  Alex’s convulsions were increasing and he needs a lot more personal attention and this seems to be the best thing for him.  Thanks for praying for him.  We miss him but know he is better off this way right now.  The mama knows she can bring him back at any point if he wants to come or it gets to be too much for her so we’ll just continue to pray for God’s leading in this.

Our elderly couple is doing great.  They cook outside and continue to take care of themselves very well.  We just buy the groceries they need, etc.  They are so funny.  I think they have reverted back to children — they ask me permission every time they  go off the property, ha.  I feel stupid but they seem to really like that I am their “mama”.  

Pray for the container that will be coming in the next couple of months.  I have a long list of needs and if you are in the Georgia area, I’ll get that list out to some of you to try to help collect things for this container.  Trinity on the Hill is paying for the container so that is set and we need a lot of things for the opening of the junior high, dental clinic, hospitality house, etc.  Thanks for praying for all we need to be supplied. 

Well there are a million other things going on here all the time but that is the basics for prayer right now.   We continue to pray for more sponsors for the children and the daily needs we have and pray for me to have faith to just REST and WAIT on God’s faithful provisions.  You can imagine the stress of feeding 250 people each day, if I waiver away from faith in HIM!!!

Love in His grace,

Rhonda

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