Hey everyone-
Thanks so much for all of your prayer support. I can see God’s perfect timing and plan in so many things continually– I met with Pastor Cesar on Saturday and he was so excited about what God is bringing about in this home for the Yoro mountain children. He has a great heart for ministry and wants to not only cover me with prayer but for his church to be very active in serving us in any way they can. He confirmed that God gave the land to the home in the right place – Siguatepeque – he said it is so accessible to both major cities with airports for groups to enter; it has the most Christian population; the most fruits and vegetables, and also it is the absolute center point of all of Central America – We have believed God wants to reach all of Central America through this home and the children who are brought up there – so how perfect that God would put us in the exact center!
I spoke later with Luis Vega. He is a Honduran Christian who helps lots of missionaries. Robin Horner, in Tennessee, suggested I contact Luis. God’s planning was again so evident. Luis has been helping another orphanage from start to finish – and therefore, he knows all the right contacts to work out the papers and licenses, etc. He said he has attorneys who cost less and get the papers pushed through in a very few months – what should take a year will probably take about 3 or 4 months. Praise God!!! The first thing I have to do this week is get the papers to the land in my name – we can build on it at any point after that because I am allowed to have land in my name. But I am going to put an agreement in writhing that as soon as the name of the home is registered and approved, the land will be transferred into the name of the children’s home. Luis is going to call a lawyer in Siguatepeque for me to take care of the land papers and ask him for a lower price – so pray for that please. Then Luis is getting me a copy of the bylaws of the other orphanage and showing me how to write up ours – we need to keep the approval very broad and include anything we think we may ever possibly do on the land, i.e. church planting training, medical clinics, schools, livestock, pastor training centers, etc. etc. so that we will be covered for anything and everything God has us do in the future on our land. I have to name 5-7 Hondurans for the board – I think I have them already, I just need to talk to two other men who are with a ministry called “Hell’s Fury and Heaven’s Gate” and I’ll have enough. The board is really just for the papers and doesn’t really function in any way. Luis said they don’t expect you to actually have them do the work; it is a normal thing only. But, just in case, I have been praying and selected people I know and trust. Pastor Cesar and his wife, Norma, Olga (mother of Betty), Betty and Muncho and these other two men I mentioned. I can be on the board after I get my residency – another thing Luis is working on for me.
Another obvious sign of God’s guiding continually is that yesterday morning during the Sunday school time, Pastor Cesar talked to a woman about the children’s home. Her best friend is the chief of all the electricity around here and she is going to contact him for us. Another man who Betty’s sister talked to has talked to has a lot of sources to also help with the licensing and for a less expensive price. Please pray for all of these to work together and that I will have the finances sufficient to pay each attorney – I’m sure “God has all of this perfectly planned to.
The name “Destino del Reino” may change – Pastor Cesar and Betty and Muncho have said that “destino” is kind of a strange work to Hondurans and they thing more in terms of “luck” or “fate” – I really felt like that was what it was to be called – but I may be wrong. It is important what the name reflects to the parents so continue to pray for guidance for that this week. We are all praying and thinking on it. I did hear Pastor Cesar call it Destino del Reino later in our conversation so maybe it is ringing true to him now too. We’ll see – I certainly don’t want to be stubborn on anything unless I know it is absolutely what God told me. I need to be teachable and flexible on anything I don’t hear clearly from the lord. As I told Cesar, the Lord is going to get absolutely, positively, all the glory in this project because He has chosen to use someone who knows nothing about what she is doing and cannot claim any of her own knowledge and ability, other than I’m kind of good at rocking babies – ha.
Anyway, this has been kind of long and detailed – but the plan more simply is – I put the land in my name first and later the name of the home. Also, this week I have to write the bylaws and talk to a few more people about being on the board. Then I can give all the paper work to Luis and he will start the process with the attorney in Tegucigalpa to get registered – it may take about 3 months. After giving Luis the paperwork this week, I can return to Jocon and start talking to the parents in those areas. Betty and Muncho will drive me to Jocon because I have so many supplies and can’t ride the buses safely. I will return to Siguatepeque in mid- April when Pam Kitchens with Missions in Integrity planst to come to check on materials etc. for building the Hannah House in July, possibly. Pray for Pam (in Fort Worth) and Mike (in Houston) as they work together to figure out the basic building plans so that when completed all houses and buildings will have a uniformity to them – they need wisdom and I praise God for providing people with so much experience in so many areas.
I have been so amazed at God’s continual guidance – this is truly His thing and I am just enjoying riding along! I thought of that when I was reading in Exodus 19 where God told the people that He had brought them through the wilderness on eagle’s wings – it has been a very smooth ride and what a view I’ve had of the awesome wisdom and power of God!
Please write and tell me how to pray for each of you also. I do have lots of time for praying – I haven’t had a lot of work to do in Siguatepeque between meeting with people, but it has been good for me to be alone again and quiet to hear from the Spirit.
I am talking to Angie at the church about starting an account for the children’s home itself, separate from my personal support money each month, so pray that I will know how to best work out that situation. I want to have a place to put whatever funds God brings in through His people and I’m not sure the best way to do that. At this point, if God lays it on your heart to give financially, send it to Grace Baptist evangelical Mission, 1725 Silbey Road, Augusta, GA 30909; or if God puts it in your heart to do something physically for the building or land, etc. you can write to Mike Bennett in Houston by email at: rmben@gateway.net. He will coordinate the buildings, labor, well drilling etc. I praise God for putting people in my life who know how to do all these things—
Thanks again for your prayers and keep it up – pray for me to continually feel the presence of the Lord and be encouraged in Him. Pray I will stay teachable and never possessive in anyway, as this is NOT my work! And yet, I need to stick to the things that God has specifically revealed to be HIS plan for the home and not let others’ opinions change those parts.
I love you all and praise God for so many who love Him and care about His children in Honduras.
In Christ,
Rhonda
