Hey Everyone,
I hope you are all praying for us regularly — I sure am counting on that right now. We have had so many struggles lately and have really fought off the discouragement. We are having battles on every hand — disgruntled ex-employee causing problems, financial struggles, sickness, marriage struggles (Carlos) and many more things going on. Please just keep praying for us. We are planning to go to El Socorro and turn that village around for Christ this summer and that is probably the reason we are under a lot of attack right now. That village has been a stronghold for Satan for many years now and I am sure he is not pleased that we are about to invade his territory. We are praying that we can learn from all of these struggles and only become stronger in our faith and in your determination to STAND when we are attacked. God is greater though and is ALWAYS the victor. “Now thanks be to God who ALWAYS leads us into triumph in Christ Jesus.” (II Cor. 2:14)
We need prayer for the situation with the ex-employee. We have to go to the Dept. of Labor in the next week and defend ourselves from her claims for a LOT of money (she only worked here for 5 months but claims we owe her a lot of vacation, sick time, etc). Please pray for us in this matter. We have learned so much from this experience and I know the Lord allowed it so that we will prepare ourselves better with written contracts and agreements, etc. for future employees. It could have been a lot worse had she worked here for a year or more. So thanks for your prayers. It is so discouraging to have someone that you think is a friend a fellow Christian and then have the lies and deceitfulness from her trying to destroy our ministry. What a shock!
Please be praying for Carlos and Wendy. They have really had some battles in their marriage lately and they are aware that “we do not battle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, . . .” and they are learning to fight the real Enemy instead of one another. God is going to make them stronger than ever through this and I am confident that He will win the victory in their family. THey just need a lot of prayer right now.
On a happier note — the little teenaged mother of Sammy accepted Jesus Christ as her savior when she came to visit him last Saturday. Martha and I had both heard the Spirit tell us that we needed to share Christ with the father when he returned this month but we weren’t expecting the little young mom to come too. Instead of the man receiving Christ, she did and we are so happy for her. She is adopted and unwanted and so I think she fell for Sammy’s father (an old man with a wife and 6 children) because he was good to her. Now that she has the love of Jesus Christ in her life, we are praying that she will not feel the need for this man and will get out of that relationship. Thanks for praying for her as well with us.
We have been told that representatives from the government are going to come to Destino del Reino this next week to see the place and then they will be able to approve our final papers for our Honduras organization status. Please be praying for this to go well. After they visit, they will pass the papers on to IHNFA (the Honduran version of Child Protective Services or Family and Children Services) and they will have to approve us and then we will have our official papers. This is so crucial and we will be counting on your prayers for that.
Please be praying as well about the third house. I haven’t heard anything for sure but it looks like maybe we will have to wait another year to get that funding. I want to be on God’s timetable though so I don’t want to push anything that He is not doing. Just pray that if it is God’s will to build it this year, the funding will be provided immediately. We would have to start the foundation in the next two weeks to have it ready for the group from West Acres to put up the walls and roof the week of July 10th. I know this is God’s ministry though and He will be faithful to do it HIS way and we need to rest in that. It is hard though sometimes not knowing how to prepare for groups and the plans for the summer and fall construction teams. We are still of course absolutely needing to get the school ready for next year and maybe the Lord just wants us to focus on that this year. Anyway, thanks for prayer for wisdom and the timing to be clear to us.
We have a special older man helping us now two days a week. A precious retired couple, Shirley and Clarence Mathis came to Honduras 4 years ago to work for a conference center here. Due to a few health problems, Clarence is unable to work in the way that he had previously but he has an incredible mind for construction and every other type of maintenance work and so we are having the privilege of tapping into that knowledge here at Destino del Reino. He comes 2 days a week and Carlos has immediately been drilling him for ideas, etc. The kids call them Grandpa and Grandma and are enjoying having Grandpa around so much now. God just provides the greatest people to help us and encourage us here at Destino and I am so grateful for this new help especially.
The students are doing great in school and are so happy. I am so amazed how they are really trying to use their English already — they are ahead of their teacher, I’m afraid. I really don’t know what I am doing in teaching and just keep praying for the Lord to give me wisdom how to teach them effectively until He sends us an English teacher to live here.
We’ve had a lot of company lately and are about to start having regular company for the rest of the summer and into the fall. My request for prayer is that I will learn to relax and not try to be “Miss Perfect Hostess” for everyone. I think that is why I get so worn out with people here — I don’t know how to just let them do their own thing and not feel responsible if they are not all having a wonderful time every minute. I want to enjoy the visitors but not feel the pressure this summer so that is a big prayer need for me.
Thanks for praying for our new little 22-month old Josue. He is really coming around and feeling at home now. The kids are so good to him so I know he feels very loved here in this sweet little family. Sammy is growing so much and smiles all the time. We didn’t get our two new little girls that we thought were coming from Yoro, but we had prayed that God would prevent their coming if it was not his will and we can rest in that.
Church is growing by leaps and bounds. We have more and more visitors every week and most of them are already coming in from El Socorro and also from the school children’s families. Please pray for us to know how to b est teach all of these new believers and to really raise them up in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. There is so much work to be done here and very few laborers so it is tough sometimes to figure out what we can do and when we just have to wait on God to provide more people to help. Keep praying for the right houseparents to fill the second house by next fall — I know that God is laying it on someone’s heart and will make it clear to us in the perfect timing.
Thanks for praying about my boils (or whatever they were) — I think it was a staph infection and I have been on a lot of antibiotics. They have all cleared up now and I am so relieved for the pain to be gone. Now, though I have a HORRIBLE cold and deep chest cough and will appreciate your prayers for that. It is so hard to care for 9 little ones when I am weak and tired. Thankfully, Erick and Eduard and Martha are good helpers in the afternoons though.
There is so much more to share but just pray for us and I know God will show you exactly what our biggest needs are for prayer. He is using all of you to keep us going and I appreciate so much your faithfulness to this ministry in prayer and every other type of support. I am so blessed to be a part of what God is doing here at Destino and I can’t wait until everyone of you gets to come and see it all first-hand. Keep praying for the groups that are coming this summer — that we will hear from the Spirit as to exactly what He has for them to do here in Honduras during their stays.
I love each of you and will look forward to hearing how I can be praying for you personally as well.
Sorry this is so long — again, there is much to share and many needs for prayer.
Love in His Grace,
Rhonda
