Hey Y’all,

Thanks for all your prayers. I know that I usually start out my letters to you with the same phrase, but I am very much aware that it is yoru prayers that keep me going and I can’t thank you enough for that. I have such joy in the middle of this chaos at times and so much energy and I know that is because of the prayer support from all of you. God is soooo good ALL THE TIME!!

We got the two new little girls from Jocon yesterday. They are the two whose mother committed suicide this past month and they are 1 and 3. The baby is named Chloede and the 3 year old is Eidy. The names here are so different and hard to get used to at times. They are really sweet but have had a hard day today. Their daddy brought them – -he must be about 20 years old and just left this morning so this is their first half a day without him. They also have not been disciplined before in anyway and did not want to obey anything but are learning so quickly in just a few hours and are actually starting to laugh now!! Yeah!! They are like the other kids in Jocon, you have to teach them to use the inside plumbing as they are used to going to the bathroom whereever they happen to be playing, so we have some more training to do there too! ha. I had a sweet talk with their daddy on the way back to the bus this morning. I told I admired him for making this hard decision but that I would take care of them well. That the best thing he could do for them now was to seek God through a relationship with Jesus Christ. God only hears the prayers of those that know Jesus Christ personally and that the most important thing he could do for his children was to be praying for them throughout their lives. He seemed to understand and I pray that he can overcome his drinking and drug problems — life in Jocon is so rough and that will take a major miracle!! But God can do it.

Yesterday after Sunday School, Bety talked to Vanesa personally and Vanesa accepted Jesus as her savior. She is such a sweet girl and I am so glad that she has come to live with us for the few months until her baby is due. Maybe this is why God brought her here specifically. Bety said the Holy Spirit kept talking to her about Vanesa for two days and she knew she was supposed to talk to her about her salvation yesterday. It was so great!

Yesterday Carlos started the Sunday School for young people and they had a good crowd here. Everyone enjoys him so much and he will really cause them to want to grow in their relationships with Jesus Christ. He is going to come on Wednesday for the whole day and just visit in all the houses around our area and then spend the afternoon at Las Jermanias visiting with those people. The next men’s session is already coming up on Saturday night so he wants to speak to many of them. There are also a couple of men up there that want to practice some music with him with their guitars for the next session and that was such a great idea! So keep praying that God will continue to grow up these people in Him!!

We had our first weekend visitation for the families this Saturday. Unfortunately, Erick’s mom decided to come on Friday afternoon and spend the night and next morning. I had to explain to her that this is not a hotel and I cannot have house guests all the time and she needs tocome on Saturday like the others do. She was very understanding but it is so hard for me to be firm with people sometimes. Then the mother of Samanta and Jose showed up late in the day but she did not stay very long. I was so glad that she decided to visit them this month because Samanta really needed to see her. She is working in another city and said she would try to come again next month.

Marta’s cousin showed up on Saturday as well with a friend and they all came to spend several nights until today (without my knowledge) so with the father of the new girls and all of us, it was quite a fiascal this weekend. I explained to Marta that people cannot just come here and spend the night all the time and she let the othres know. I think that people just expect that they can come anytime and stay and eat, etc. because this is a ministry but this is also our home and we really need to preserve the peace here with all these children at stake. Anyway, pray for me in these situations. I just need more grace. I have so much energy and joy to serve the children, but when I get thrown all these extra things, it just becomes too much sometimes.

I am finally over the eye infection !!! Yeah — that was a horrible experience and thankfully it has not re-spread in the family again. Everyone is finally well!

Things are going so smooth that it can’t hardly believe it sometimes. In fact, we are reducing our help again. We had hired two people to help us and didn’t need both of them, and now we realize we don’t really need the second person either, except 3 days a week for washing clothes and helping with a little cooking. Vanesa is such a good little worker and she really likes to be busy. Erick is a great helper and needs to learn that housework is not for women (as all Honduran men will tell you) and then Marta of course is a wonderful help. So between all of us, there is not enough work for an extra person to do. We have lots of hours playing with the kids and still have the housework done frist thing in the morning. So I know this is just from God that we would have such an easy life with 10 of us in this home!! ha. Thanks for all your prayers for all of us. I am so thankful for all your encouragement. If God lays one specific child on your heart, please pray for them faithfully by name. That is the best thing we can do for each of them.

Vanesa – age 12, pregnant and a new Christian

Erick – age 10 and doesn’t like school much

Fernando – age 3 (strong-willed and needs to be more compassionate with the other children)

Carlos – age 3 — very insecure still

Eidy – age 3 — just moved in and knows all the facts about her mom’s suicide and is adjusting to so many hard things right now

Samanta – age 2 — still pretty insecure and cries a lot over very little things – needs lots of security and love

Jose – age 1 — his last operation for cleft pallette is on the 19th of November — otherwise he is doing great

Chloede – age 1 — she is very unhappy so far so pray for a quick adjustment. She is still calling all of us Mama and really is feeling lost without her daddy and her mama.

Marta – keep praying for her studies. She is really struggling in math especially and I can’t help her with it all being in Spanish.

I’m hoping to know more about the well situation soon. There was a mix-up in communication and my friends in Houston thought I was looking for a drilling rig for their group to use, b ut instead we have to hire the man here to use his own equipment and we just need to have the money in the bank before we start him working on it. So pray for us to be able to clear this all up and know exactly what we are supposed to do to get the water in the house one day soon! What a glorious day that will be!!

Well, I think that is all the news for today. There is so much going on and the kids are so sweet and learning more every day but I know you are all very busy and I thank you for reading my LOOOONG updates each week and praying for these things specifically.

Love in His AWESOME GRACE,

Rhonda

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