Hey Everyone — PLEASE PRAY —
As many of you know, we have been in a battle over our electric bills. We are charged about $1,500 a month and that is outrageous for Honduras typical bills. We were never supposed to have to pay for several years after the Houston light company brought in electricity to Destino del Reino for free and we paid (through your donations) for all the poles and other materials here to bring the electricity about 3 miles on down the road. This provided MANY more customers for the light company here and they had told us we would get 4 or 5 yaers free for that help to them. Well, they never gave us even one month free and instead charge us enormous monthly amounts now for 6 years or so. Well, as you know, we started finding out through the mayor of Siguatepeque and other ministry leaders that we should not ever be charged at all because we are making no money in this ministry and are providing education to 250 very poor children etc. We have been in the process of getting this taken care of and our moms in the school have been locating people to help us get not only the future bills excluded but also to write-off the $3,000 we have owed for two months when this whole possibility came up. The parents believed if we wait for them to work with this other agency, then they would not make us pay the outstanding $3,000 nor the $2,500 deposit that the electric company has started demanding of everyone. So we have been waiting this out but today THEY CAME AND CUT OUR LIGHTS OFF and we need to do something quick. I just want to clear up for everyone that we do always pay our bills on time but this was a situation where even the mayor believed we should not pay until they work it all out. Now, Carlos is in town trying to figure out what to do and to have an emergency meeting with the mayor and a lawyer who helps with these kinds of exemptions in the government. We need prayer and $5,500 immediately. They assure us that if we pay these back two months and their demanded deposit, then we will be able to exempt light bills for the future (not sure if I believe them but we are in the process of trying to get this sealed for Destino). Carlos is so angry at the injustice of it all and I hate it too but as I told him, God put us in a country that has been declared as one of the most corrupt in the world, and God knew that before he put us here to change the next generation. It is God’s money and this is HIS problem so we have to not lose our tempers over something that we cannot fix. Please pray for wisdom, provision and the favor of God for at least not having to pay future electric bills. If God doesn’t provide, I guess we’ll go back to living for a while without lights, but it is going to be tough because that also cuts off the water for us and I now have 20 kids and not just 4 or 5 like I did when we used to live without electricity, and we didn’t have a school with all those children in the past. But, as I said, GOD KNOWS — I just ask for your prayers NOW!!! I am so grateful to have all of you praying with and for us and I will be anxiously waiting on the Father for His provision and answers to this need.
Love to all of you,
Rhonda
