Hey Everyone,
I don’t have a lot of news really. We have just been living from day to day with things getting easier all the time. The newest children have finally adjusted completely and are learning to obey and are sleeping through the night and life is getting so much easier for all of us. We are making a better plan as to the house chores and watching kids too and that has made life much easier for me. I was trying to do most everything myself and feeling like I shouldn’t ask the others to help much (crazy) but anyway, now we are setting up a good schedule and I am getting more rest. Thank you so much for your prayers and the many messages of encouragement last week. I know my message sounded a little bit whiney and I didn’t mean to be complaining but I was really struggling and I thank you for praying for me so faithfully.
It is really not too hard with the 6 little ones because we have Erick, Vanessa and Marta all helping me. So, as I said, if I can just make a schedule as to when each person is in charge of watching the kids, I will have a lot of time to recuperate each day. They also go to bed so early and we have the 2-hour nap period during the afternoon. Marta and Erick will be out of school for their 3 month break in just another week so that will really make life easier.
We are going to get Vanessa’s three siblings in the next month too so it is good that we are getting more organized. Jonathan (1), Cesar (3) and Blanca (5) are their names and they are so cute. Their mom has finally found work in San Pedro Sula. She had to go find some work after she had her husband put in jail for raping Vanessa, so she is really suffering now and we will raise her children here at Destino del Reino.
We got a call yesterday about another 2 1/2 year old girl in Jocon that desperately needs a home as well. God is bringing the children so quickly. Please pray that the funds will continue to come in so that we can finish up the second house in the next 4 months and that God will send the houseparents that He has chosen for that home soon as well. We will probably have my house filled up again as soon as we move the 6 others to the new house in April or May. Word is spreading around Jocon and people are finally realizing there is a place that can provide for their starving children. It is so fun to see this opening up before us. God told me what He was going to do but I doubted sometimes in the beginning when there didn’t appear to be a lot of interest from the people in Jocon and the Yoro areas. But He is always RIGHT and never lies and it was just a matter of His perfect timing.
Sometimes I ask y’all to pray for things and then forget to tell you when God answers those prayers. I had asked prayer about our accounting system and the need for a CPA to help us out. Laurie Underwood has done an excellent job but felt she was out of her range of expertise with reports to the IRS, etc. My sweet friend, Sondra Lockhart has agreed to take responsibility for that. I had not even thought of asking her, forgetting that she had just taken the exams for her CPA. God has blessed us so much with her help and please pray for her because she has to do a lot of backlog stuff and also has to help me figure out the best way to work with her from over here — there are a lot of complications with the bank system here in Honduras, etc. We just need real wisdom in those areas. One other problem is that I have not been able to receive any money for personal things at all. When I first came over, people were supporting me like other missionaries are supported, but as the ministry grew, I just started putting all that money into the ministry. Now that we are an official ministry, I cannot receive any money without causing complications with tax withholding, Social Security, etc. I am going to see if a church in the States can handle any support that people want to send me directly and that way they will receive the tax-exemptions but it will not be designated to Destino and cause problems for us there. Please pray for that because I really need a little spending money at times —
Also God has provided a sweet lady, Rita, to take charge of our thank-you notes. I had thought it had been taken care of in the past but it didn’t work out and so now, hopefully, by the end of this month, you will receive (some are very very late) thank-you notes for your generous giving. I’m so sorry about not acknowledging these gifts earlier. This ministry has grown so fast and there are so many things to work out in details so thanks for all your patience with me..
My roommate from college, Vicki, whom I haven’t seen in about 26 years, is coming to see me in a week and I can hardly wait. Her mother is coming with her and they will be staying for 4 days. It is too short but I am just so grateful that they are willing to come here and see me even for that amount of time. It will be a WONDERFUL reunion. Her mom is a nurse so we may do a little medical clinic in one of the villages for one morning to help distribute more of my medicines. The cold weather is here now and many many children are suffering with colds and sore throats, etc. My kids are all having drippy noses right now too and we are pulling out all of the winter clothes we can find. Some friends in Texas provided the $250 for building a fireplace and that will get started next Monday. That will really help to break the cold off of this cement house at night. Mary Atwell found them all some warm pajamas with feet in them and they are so proud of them at night when they put them on. With it being rainy season too, it gets really cold in the evenings. This should last until about the first of January and we will have the warm weather again.
My parents are in China leading another mission trip, and they are planning to return here on the 4th of November again with many supplies that I need right now. I am so thankful that God in His wisdom gave us land so close to the Air Force Base and provided for my parents to fly here free because of their retirement from the Army — what a GREAT blessing this has been. Not only to see my parents so easily but to have a way to bring supplies over for free!! God is good!
A friend, Clay, in Texas has offered to make a video presentation of Destino for me to share with churches and so I have been busy taking lots of pictures. The kids love to model so it has been pretty easy. They are all so cute and are so happy usually. The evenings before bedtime get a little bit hard because the babies are ready for bed and I am trying to feed the bigger ones at the same time — but basically, they are all precious and doing great. It is really amazing how happy they are. They love to sing their Sunday School songs all day long. I am hoarse a lot of the time from singing “I May Never March in the Infantry — I’m in the Lord’s Army” for them. They like me to sing while they all line up and march around the porch. I wish I had that on video!! ha.
Well, as I said, I don’t have a lot of news but I wanted to let you know that we are doing well and that I am doing much better emotionally and physically and I thank you for all the prayers. You are so good to me and faithful to remember this ministry in prayer.
Love in His Grace,
Rhonda