Hey Everyone,
I wanted to give y’all a quick report on how to be praying.
We had a great week last week with my parents and Jim and Linda here. Jim and Daddy got a lot more of the electrical work figured out and finished wiring under the house for the downstairs patio and the apartment to be finished for volunteers. They also hung all the ceiling fans. Mama and Linda and I painted the house. We finished all the painting except for the two bathrooms in the hall for the children because the workers were in there doing the tile work around the showers and we didn’t want to get in their way. The house REALLY looks like a home now and it is getting more and more exciting every day.
Linda and Jim returned to Augusta on Tuesday on a regular flight because the military plane did not come. My parents are still here and are leaving today to return to the States. The first thing I thought of when I realized my parents were delayed at the military base was that maybe God wanted them to make some more contacts for the ministry. They meet so many people at the base there that can help us with the ministry in various ways. Sure enough, they came back with a whole list of people that were suggested as knowing how to get the bus and van here inexpensively. Please be praying as they return to the States and make these contacts. We are under a crunch for time that I did not realize until yesterday. The new president of Honduras is making some new laws (making the rich richer and the poor poorer –and desperate). One of his new laws is that no vehicle older than 1995 can come into Honduras. We need to get the bus and van here before that law is approved. So PLEASE pray fervently for us to know who to ship it with and that the Lord will provide the money soon. Thanks.
God is giving us above and beyond what I dared to even hope for — Linda is planning to raise the money in the next month for our tile floor. I was willing to live on cement floors but this will be so much easier and probably healthier for the children too. What a blessing!!
The slab for the second house will be finished on Wednesday this week and Moncho has done a great job in getting the right people and keeping them busy at their work. I praise God for sending Moncho to me. He knows the people and the work and is a good supervisor. Our main worker has been drinking a lot on the weekends and Moncho had to talk to him about his work performance. Also the men have not been working hard because they are paid by the day and see the work coming to an end. Moncho was very firm with them and we are back on track again. We will keep some of them on in the next 4 weeks for finishing up the apartment, finishing the patio and also 3 of them in the first house to do the final woodwork and kitchen counters. Please keep praying for our workers to be diligent. They prefer to work contract work because they know how much they will make and the faster the work, the sooner they can go on to other jobs and make more money. We do not do contract work but day-by-day so we need them to be hard-working even without that motivation. I know that God has provided us with everything we have needed and everyONE we have needed and He will do this work completely and excellently. We can trust Him to do this. The new president is making the minimum wage more than double what it was and that will mean that many people can’t afford to hire workers and we will have a lot of people out of work — or even more sneaking into the States!! The taxes have been raised and now churches have to pay taxes also. Unfortunately, we have this president for the next 4 years. So pray for the poor here!!
Keep praying about the WELL — when we get this well in, it will be a MIRACLE!! The man who is doing the well is actually affiliated with the government and he only planned to do a few projects in this area. We are the last one he will do in Siguatepeque. He has to finish the well he is working on now, and should be here to our land by late next week. I want to have enough water to be able to run a spicket to my poor neighbors (4 houses) who right now walk a LONG ways to a stagnant pool to get their water — this would be such an opportunity to show the Love of JESUS to these neighbors.
Please be praying for the group coming on June 8-18 for the construction of the second house. Please pray especially for Pam Kitchens as she heads this group up and it is a very tense week as they have to accomplish so much in so little time. Pray that all the materials are delivered beforehand too. Pray as we take half of the group into the nearby village for door-to-door evangelism every day. I have such a desire to minister to my neighboring 4 houses as well as the village nearby — the people are so poor and they do not know the Lord Jesus. I hope to start Sunday School very soon after we move in for the children in the area. We may have to build our church building soon because I believe we will draw many many many children in on Sunday mornings.
Keep praying for the children that God wants to live in this first house. We will be finalizing the papers in late June or July and then moving in once the septic system is done and the water well is in and the bus has arrived with the generator from Houston — hopefully that will be by July!! I am asking God to ONLY send those who He knows will be future leaders and missionaries for Honduras. There are MANY needs here but the purpose of this home is to raise up disciples and so we will have less children in our homes than most orphanages because we need to provide nurturing and love and one-on-one teaching and discipling as they grow up. So thanks for your prayers in that.
Thank you for praying for all these needs — I know I listed a lot of things but I know you want to be a part of this ministry and your prayers are so needed and God is answering them. Thank you for your love for me and encouragement and I look forward to hearing from each of you as to how I can be praying specifically for the needs in your lives and families.
The Lord reminded me of the verse this week: “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put your confidence in man.” (Ps. 118:8) — He ONLY is the one that has put this vision into reality and He is bringing it all to perfection. He is absolutely ABLE and I praise Him that this has nothing to do with me and my inadequacies and inexperience – but HE WILL DO IT!! What an awesome God and Father we have in Him.
I love you all,
In His GREAT love and grace,
Rhonda
