Hey Destino Team,
I sure sense an urgent need for your prayers right now. I don’t know if I am just going through a little pity party or something but I feel so burdened lately with so much responsibility here and knowing all the while that I do not have all the ability I need to cover it all. Please be praying for me that I will continue to leave my burdens with the Father and KNOW that He will provide all that is necessary, not only financially, but emotionally, spiritually, physically, etc. It is overwhelming when I see the big picture sometimes and knowing that now we are to add 40 more children to our responsibility in the school and another whole program. But He called us to do it and it really is HIM that will do it through us. Thanks for praying and letting me tell you my battles. Pray too that I will stay in the Word and recognize that God is the only one that I can count on but He is ENOUGH!
As many of you know, I have a struggle with trying to please people and always wanting people to like me and the Bible warns us that “pleasing people is a snare” — it has been a hard time this past few months with knowing we had to let some of our teachers and assistents go. For Carlos and I to make administrative decisions that we believe are in the best interest of the students and ministry, it means that we cannot always operate in mercy, as we would prefer. As we expected, all the former employees are angry at us for not returning them and it is so hard to know that. We have loved them all. They went to the Dept. of Labor to claim their “rights” and yet we had planned to pay them every thing we owe them. It is hard to be doubted like that and to be called to make an appearance when they could have just come to us. It is part of the anger though and their resentment for losing their positions, and I understand that. During all the conferences, we realized that our contracts were not written as they should be and we are going to re-do them and cancel out the payments at the end of the year from now on and not carry over until the next year, the “rights” they have. In Honduran law, a teacher works about 8 months a year and receives a little more than 15 months’ of pay. It is so hard on us as a ministry without earnings and yet every teacher, no matter if they say they understand we have no money and we are ministering for God to raise up a new generation, goes straight to the Labor Dept. and demands everything they can get out of us. I wish there were some Hondurans that had a heart for ministry as well but there doesn’t appear to be any with that mind set. Please pray for us in this area — it feels so lonely to know we are the only ones that will sacrifice for these children. As the Word says, “the love of money is the root of all evil.” and that is so apparent here lately. Another woman had worked for us for several years and she got mad at one of our visiting mothers at the children’s home, left the job mad and never came back. Then went to the Labor Dept. and lied that she had been fired — there is just nothing you can do to stand up to lies. Even though we had several witnesses that would vouch for us, the Labor Dept. ALWAYS favors the employee. Anyway, enough about all of that — just know that we need prayer for wisdom in how to do things differently in the future, to hire the right people in the first place, that more Americans will come as missionaries and cover some of these positions in the school for us, that we will not take these assaults personally, and that we will continue on in this ministry no matter what is ahead of us. It is tougher than I can really describe to you.
We are encouraged with the four new Honduran teachers we have hired for this upcoming year though. Two are for the junior high and two are for first and second grades. They were all so sure of their salvation and walk with the Lord during their interviews and we are praying they will catch the heart of the ministry here quickly and serve as unto the Lord and not for their pay. This year we are making some changes too — as our Christian lawyer reminded us last week, “How grow the teachers spiritually, so grow the students.” We are having several spirtiual retreats for the teachers this year as well as a Christian missionary friend is considering being the counselor of the teachers and will come to the school once a week and meet and pray with them individually. Pray for this all to work out and that we will be able to raise up true disciples among our teachers as well as the students.
Keep praying for the materials that are being put on the container. They are planning to ship it in the next few weeks and we need a lot of school supplies still and one big need is that they are looking to find a 15-passenger van for us to put on that container. We are desperately needing more transportation. We had 19 in our 5-passenger X-Terra yesterday evening — we made it okay but I am sure that is not safe, ha. God knows what we need and we are praying that He will put it on the hearts of the people to put in there what things maybe we have not even realized we need yet. He knows all the future and the present needs we have and we will rest in Him to pack that container right — please pray for that as well.
It seems that God makes me wait later and later every year for our needs for the upcoming school year. We didn’t know what Americans were coming the past two years until mid-July (one month before they were due here) and this year we waited until the first week of August to know we had all our teachers lined up. Our newest addition for this upcoming year is Daniel Copa, from Tomball, Texas and he is fluent in Spanish (Argentine heritage) and is so eager to come and serve as both English teacher and PE coach. We are so thankful that God has put it on his heart to come as well as our other new American, Jenna — from the same part of Texas as well. Amanda Bruin is going to be our supervisor over the English curriculum and teachers and returning after spending the past year teaching in Kentucky — Amanda Bowen is faithfully returning for her third year — and we appreciate her endurance and faithful love for the chidren. Sheena Rader, our precious retired lady from Augusta, is returning another year and says she will be here until Jesus comes back — and I sure hope so. She has been such a trooper and is doing a great job and we thank the Lord for all of HIS choices for English t eachers this year. We are so blessed. We are praying for lots more for the upcoming year and so if you know anyone interested in teaching English next year, please have them contact me.
We REALLY need your help in looking for more school sponsors ASAP for this year. We have 30 new entering 4-k kids and 8 new kids from another village entering into our junior high. Please pray for this huge need for us. We really want these children prayed for and we need the sponsorship to feed them, clothe them and educate them. We believe we are raising up a new generation for Christ in a very corrupt country and also trusting God that many of these children will be missionaries in other countries in the last days before Jesus returns. You could not make a better eternal investment than in these children so please pray for the sponsors we need for each one of them. Several people came from the US on teams this summer and got to go to the homes of the children they have been supporting for several years — that was such a blessing to both parties!!! God will do it even though it sounds a little more than I can imagine now — 38 new sponsors! But He is FAITHFUL.
Pray for our battle with having church services at Destino. Every single Friday night before church it not only begins to rain but STORMS like you have never seen — we know it is no accident — we have all kinds of other problems every Friday, like clockwork, and we recognize the battle is not natural but supernatural. Please pray for Carlos in his preparation and steadfastness to be the pastor God has called him to be and for the people to come and hear the Word and to be brought up in the Truth.
Carlos and I will be traveling to Augusta on Wednesday (10th) for one week — thank the Lord for free Buddy passes on Delta again. (Trey, you are so generous). Carlos will be speaking at a treatment center in Wilmington, NC on Sunday evening (14th) so please pray for him especially that evening. We will be picking up teachers’ uniforms, more supplies ,etc. and be back here a week later ready to meet the teachers and start training for the new school year. As I said we lack a lot of funds still for books, paying off the ex-teacher debts, etc. so pray for us in that area specifically and that I WILL WAIT ON THE LORD in faith!!
The day the teachers arrive from the US, we also will be bringing in a group from Trinity on the Hill in Augusta to do medical brigades and evangelism. Pray for much fruit. Gary, the president of the board of Destino, is bringing the group in and, I thank God he is very organized and still very gracious and I know that, in spite of the timing with school, etc., it will be a wonderful week for all of us.
Well, I know this is long and I am sorry for taking up so much of your time but we really need you to be praying for us and I hope that you are receiving my emails and remembering us. We need a LOT of prayer right now, more than usual it seems, and we count on you to hold us up in prayer as the men held up Moses’ arms during the battles of Israel — please don’t ever quit holding us up!!
Love to all of you.
In His grace (which is ENOUGH)
Rhonda
