Hey Everyone,
I am sorry that I haven’t written in several weeks. I have been to the USA for 9 days and then got back a week ago with lots to do. I had good visits in the States but mostly talked to people a little and rested a lot. We have so much on our plate this summer that I really needed that time away. I missed th kids terribly though and didn’t really want to be gone that long.
I brought my niece back with me and it has been a really precious time together. She will translate for the West Acres group that is coming in tonight too and then leave with them on the following Sunday. Pray for the group. The plan is to do several days of medical/eyeglass and evangelism in El Socorro, a day of just evangelism and a day at the prison with medical and evangelism. Also the men (or most of them anyway) will be doing construction at the house. Our workers ended up getting the whole first floor (medical/dental clinic) done and so this group will be pouring the foundation on the clinic to start the third house for kids. Wow, this is going fast.
We are so blessed because we have a group that has donated all the cost of building the school and so we are able to start construction on that immediately after this group leaves. We need lots of prayer to get the 4 classrooms, bathrooms and offices done before February. Thanks for remembering us in prayer.
We had a few more miracles lately. One is that we found the greatest lawyer you can imagine. We got the name from Padraic (another missionary friend) and we went to Tegucigalpa to meet with him on Monday. He was not only an experienced lawyer in getting the official papers for ministries, but he is a precious pastor and spent more time speaking encouragement into Carlos and I than he did talk about the business part. It was amazing the vision he gave us that God was going to do bigger things than we can imagine and we need to leave our papers open-ended for great growth and not be too narrow in our specifications abou the ministry. He even said he believed we should build the whole thing under the name of Destino del Reino CHURCH and the biblical way to do things is to have all ministries flowing from the church. He said he believed that we should have it be the Destino del Reino Church of HONDURAS because he believes God will probably build a Destino del Reino, Guatemala, etc. Wow, that opened our dreams up even bigger and since we are praying to raise up many many missionaries for Central Amercia, this is very likely to happen in the future. We cam away so encouraged. He also looked so intentily and lovingly into Carlos’ eyes and told him how much that God was going to use him becuase of his contrite and humble heart and that this was a huge responsibility but he absolutely HAS to get away for a whole day often and be able to hear the voice of God if he is to remain on the right track in this ministry. It was so great and I was so encouraged to have him have such a loving pastor’s heart for Carlos. It was definitely the Holy Spirit that orchestrated that meeting and his response to us.
Another huge miracle is that the electric company here was telling us that we have to pay an initial fee for each wat of power on our transformer. We have a very powerful transformer and the cost was to be over $5,000 — The head of the company came out yesterday to turn off our electricity because we had not paid it, but we had been told by an engineer that we could appeal for a discount. Carlos went to meet with them at 6:00 last night and came back home laughing. They reduced our price from $5,000 to $200 — we couldn’t believe it. Then they said we should pay about $200 a month for the past 6 or 8 months of electricity and then said if we could get them a used fax machine for their office, they would write that debt off. Ha. Can you believe that? Carlos has to get the final signature in Tegucigalpa on Monday and will ask them then what happened to the plan to let us have free electricit yfor 3 years — so please pray for that to come to pass as well.
We are all doing great (except for a virus going around our house — me having the worst case so please pray). We have some new goats — named Tina and Cheetah and the kids really enjoy them.
Josue is opening up every day more and more and we are so happy to see him adjusting. I am pretty convinced now that he had what they call “failure to thrive syndrome” where the children are never touched and have no life in their eyes, etc. He didn’t express any emotion when we first got him, even when he was hurt falling down he would not cry, but now he is more and more emotional and open every day. Please keep praying for him.
My friends David and April Weber are her for the next month and are wonderful helpers. They are so obviously sent by God to all of us and Zac (who is here for the summer from Texas) had prayed for someone to disciple him and that is their forte. God is bigger than anything we can ever imagine.
Thanks for all your prayers for us. We have so much ahead in the weeks to come and months but God will give us grace for each new day. The kids are so happy and the church is growing every week. We have so many young men coming to church that we can’t believe it. At first I was doubtful and believed they were coming to just have something new and exciting to try, but they all listen intently to Carlos’ messages and are really hungry for more of God. Thanks for your continued prayers.
Please pray for a young couple and their baby (Miguel age 18 and Sayda age 15) who accepted Christ as their Savior on my front porch two Sundays ago. They showed up in the afternoon in the rain and God moved my heart to share wit hthem. They need to be in church but live to far up the muddy hills to come in the night. Pray for them to come SUnday mornings for the adult class and that he will nurture them spiritually through us.
I love all of you and thank you for your prayers. The group just arrived and I better run and help them with the luggage.
Love you in His grace (which is bigger and better than we could ever have believed).
Love,
Rhonda
