Hey Everyone,
As always, I want to start by thanking you for praying for us here at Destino del Reino. I am very aware that that is exactly why God is pouring out so much blessing on us — you are praying for us and God is answering in powerful ways — He is so amazing!!!
I am pretty exhausted this week after putting together Erick’s wedding in just two weeks’ time. Thankfully, Allison and Ernie Sizemore helped me and also Jenna and Bethany (two of our American teachers) came to help decorate as well the day of the wedding. Erick’s wife, Maried, is precious. She and Erick have been friends since grade school and she has her education in elementary education but is continuing on at the university for a degree in that area. Erick and Maried are living in the little white house behind our house and Erick continues to work for Destino and Maried is our substitute teacher (which we have needed for some time). It is very handy to have them here so close to us. They are very young but are believers in Jesus Christ and His Spirit will enable them to build a solid marriage. They are best friends and that makes the adjustments so much more easy for them. I gave them one condition if they were to live here at Destino and that is that they will meet once a week for one year with Pastor Pablo and his wife, Esther, for counseling on how to build a solid relationship with one another and with Jesus Christ. They were more than willing to do that. The kids love Erick so much so I had to make a rule right away that they cannot visit him unless they are invited. The wedding was beautiful, God-honoring and a real testimony to the guests. A wedding in Honduras is not a common thing and so we were so thankful that we were able to have a beautiful testimony as to how to do things God’s way.
We have a new little boy this week. Christopher is Blanca, Jonathan and Cesar’s little 3-year old brother and he has come to live with us permanently so that their mom can find work. She had to finally leave their father and I assured her that if she moved out and lived a life for Jesus that He will lead her and guide her and take care of her. It was a very bad situation and she had to get out. Please pray for Christopher to adjust quickly. I don’t think he has had many rules before but he will learn quickly from the other children.
We continue to praise God for the spiritual growth we are seeing in the students, their teachers, the workers here, the members of the church, etc. I praise God for bringing our pastors, Efrain and Pablo — please pray faithfully for these two precious godly leaders that God has provided for Destino. I’m sure Satan is not happy with these new changes and will constantly be attacking. Thanks for covering them in prayer.
We’ve been busy moving things around. I moved downstairs and took Erick’s old room — I actually have my own bathroom now so I feel so spoiled. Being downstairs has brought a little more accountability for the boys’ downstairs — I don’t have to say anything but they just calm down a lot faster at night, knowing I am in the next room, ha ha. I’m getting a lot more exercise too, going up and down the stairs — many times by accident because I can’t remember where my room is — getting old and forgetful!!
My parents are doing pretty well, considering. Daddy was in the hospital for over a week with urinary tract infection and a blockage — he was miserable but is now happy again at home. Mama is slowly but surely feeling better from her broken shoulder and wrist. Please pray for my sister, Kathi, this week. She is calling around and trying to find a good nursing home for my parents and we need one where they can stay in the same room and it will be a price they can afford. Thanks for your prayers. There is a quote by Jim Elliott that says, A life cannot be surrendered in one day, it is a life long process.” I know they are having to surrender in areas they never imagined and please pray for them as they make so many adjustments. My dad was completely energetic and healthy one year ago this week — so many changes they were not prepared for but our God is faithful in every step and turn in our lives — please pray for my mom, especially, that she will trust the Father with her future. I know she is scared of so many changes. Being away is hard, but at the same time, I know that God loves it when we are completely dependent on HIM ALONE — so I know I am where I am supposed to be and Kathi is where she is supposed to be and we can trust our Father to watch over them, teach them to trust Him more and not miss a beat in His perfect plan for them during this hard time of life.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Our accountant sent out all the contribution receipts for 2013 this week. Please write to me if you do not receive yours by next week — we may need to update or correct your mailing address. Thanks — also I just want to say thanks again to all of you who gave so generously to Destino this past year — it is so amazing how God provides through your selfless giving. I know that he will reward you greatly though — he promises to reward those that just give a cup of cold water in His name — I can’t imagine how he will reward you for such giving.
We will be sending a container a little earlier this year. In the next month, I will be sending out a list of needs on the container and maybe y’all can get your churches to help us gather some of the needed items for this container. Thanks for praying for us to get it on time this year. We are having some barrels of liquid insulation to be sprayed in our classrooms and the men who will be doing the work will need the container to have arrived in June in order to accomplish this before school starts in August.
Please pray for our accreditation papers. They are on their very last step and we need the government to send them through approved. We are late in getting them but we had so many delays with different officers and various attorneys, etc. Thankfully, this accreditation will be not only for our junior high but also for our high school which starts next school year.
Keep praying for the funds to continue to come in as we are building the top floor of the junior/high school building. We will start the bathrooms as well this month. They are on the other side of the building from the elementary school, so the construction will not disturb the classes in progress. I know this is God’s work and He will provide as He decides it is time. As soon as we finish this building, we will be praying for the funds to start on the gymnasium. Again, though, God’s timing will be clear as He provides.
A HUGE prayer request and praise is that Travis Hester called me last week. You may remember that he and his wife, Julie, helped us at Destino a few years ago and we really really wanted Travis to come on full-time as our agriculture director and get the farms going, etc. God just didn’t work it out how I wanted it and I could not imagine WHY NOT??? It was a perfect situation, I thought. Well, surprise, surprise, God knows better!!! Travis in the meantime has been working around the world and building a micro business organization to train up and enable the poor to sustain their families. The International Baptist Mission Board has hired him to take on this area of their ministry and they asked him recently if he knew of another project they could add to their other outreaches. He had them look at Destino’s website and they have approved a project to begin at Destino del Reino. It will be agriculture and aguaculture (raising of fish — we already have a pond on our land). I don’t know much about it yet but I see the hand of God in the timing and the plan — it is perfect. I have been praying for something for our high school students to do to start earning some of their education at Destino. We will ruin them if we keep hand-feeding them everything for their education. There is a balance though because if we push them too hard and just ask them to find work and pay us a little bit to help them mature and become more responsible, it is a good chance they would just quit studying and start looking for menial jobs to help their families and miss the chance for a better higher education and training. With these projects right here at Destino, they can help us in exchange for their education learn the skills necessary to build their own businesses in these areas. I don’t understand the details and how many parents will also be involved in these projects, but I do know we need to pray for God to work it all out and for Travis as he heads these projects up for Destino. I am amazed at God’s goodness — at His perfect plan for HIS ministry, Destino del Reino. HE started this work, and HE will finish it in His perfect timing and His perfect way. I just stand in amazement.
Remember you can’t hit “reply” with this message, but if you want to write me, my email is rhondadestino@yahoo.com. I would love to hear from you and know how to pray for you as well.
Love in His grace,
Rhonda
