Hey Everyone,
I wanted to give you an update. No, we don’t have our answer to our financial needs yet but God is doing awesome things in the middle of the crisis and, really, because of the crisis. I was doing my Bible study this week in Believing God, and when I read the passage in 2 Corinthians 1, the Holy Spirit really spoke to my heart as to at least a few of the reasons he is allowing this trial. Paul is talking about his many afflictions and says that these came SO THAT we might not trust in ourselves but in God. Although we don’t realize it, when we are not trusting in God, the only other option is that we are trusting ourselves or our abilities, or our bank account. As much as I do not enjoy living from meal to the next and completely desperate for God to save us out of this situation, He IS enjoying it — He delights in the fact that we are completely cast on HIM and no other. Faith is the only way we can please Him “Without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God.” and so this is one of His favorite times, as much as I hate admitting that, ha. The second reason, Paul says is SO THAT through the prayers of the saints MANY will give thanks to God.” By my having to call out to so many of you in emails and Facebook to join us in prayer, when God does choose to answer this financial need that we have, there will be MUCH rejoicing among MANY saints and MUCH glory given to God. So I am rejoicing because of what God is up to in our lives here at Destino del Reino through this troubled time. So many times I pray two things, (1) Lord, please get me out of this difficult problem or trial or burden, and (2) please, Lord, help me grow in faith and in my spiritual life. Well, those prayers are really opposites — we can have one or the other. I cannot name one time in my life when things were good, that I was growing spiritually. God loves us so much that he answers the second request and that doesn’t usually include answering the first request to rescue us out of a hard situation. So thanks for your continued prayers for us and not only for the finances we need but mostly that we will grow in faith through every minute of this hard time.
I wanted to tell you some wonderful things going on here too. As many of you know, my kids have over 28 chapters (not verses) of the Bible by memory. Sometimes, I wonder if they are really learning or just memorizing, although it is in their minds and will help them in the future. Several times lately I have been talking about something concerning the Lord or a situation, and Cokie (age 7) has said, “and Tia, that is what God says in Psalm 120, or in Psalm 8 or whatever. . . and she quotes the Word of God to me. That just thrills my heart so much. The other day, Sammy was talking about Jesus (he talks about him most of the time) and Blanca said to me, “Tia, Sammy loves God so much, doesn’t he?” It is true, he is amazing. He is 4 years old and yesterday afternoon we were talking about someone dying and I said, “but when we die, those of us that love Jesus Christ, we will go to heaven,” and all of a sudden Sammy started jumping up and down with his hands in the air with joy and said, “and we’ll say, ‘we’re home, we’re home, ‘w’e’re home.” I cried and am now again just thinking that a child knows the truth better than me most of the time.
What a privilege to be changing the next generation for Jesus Christ.
I am teaching Bible this year, as you know and God is doing great things. We started spiritual warfare today and I was concerned about the 2nd grade because they are the youngest class that I teach and wasn’t sure how they would understand it all. But they really caught on and we had a wonderful class. It has been so good to me to study this again too. It is hard for us to face that we are at battle all the time. We really want to think that we can remain neutral or take a vacation or a day off from the war, but the truth is the moment that we are not aggressively standing the Word of God and using our weapons of prayer and the armor on, we are either being deceived, tempted, lied to, oppressed, or whatever by Satan. I told the kids that Adam and Eve were the first battle and when they lost it, they sold us all out to Satan’s control. In the Spirit of God we can be victorious over Satan but it is a battle and we have to use our weapons that God has provided for us and walk in the Spirit or there is NO WAY we will ever win against him in our daily walk. Carlos had to proofread my study sheets that I prepared for this series and he told me this morning that it really helped him reading that again. I am soooo excited to be training up this next generation of children to be warriors and to win and know their weapons and the Victorious One, Jesus Christ.
Well, this was long and I know you just got one from me lately, but I have so much rejoicing going on in my heart and I wanted to share with you as well. Thanks for your love for us and BELIEVING GOD with us that this hard time will pass exactly when God is ready for it to be done and His work in us is completed. He is still obviously working and blessing us in spite of the financial problems. One thing He did recently that just gave me goosepimples was to see His perfect planning of our school band (to be formed soon). I only put out word that we needed band instruments. I did not ask for a certain amount of trumpets, clarinets, bass, etc. Well, people in Georgia donated some and they are being held at my dad’s house to send on the container with the tractor. People in Texas donated some and they will come in our container that is coming today. I was talking to Daddy on the phone this week and he started telling me what I would have to have for a basic band — how many of each instruments. So I pulled up the list that was coming from Texas this week and, as you probably have guessed, WE HAD EXACTLY THE AMOUNT OF EACH INSTRUMENT THAT WILL BE NECESSARY TO HAVE THE BAND — no planning on our part whatsoever. Is God amazing or what????
Love you and praising Him with you for all that He is accomplishing in us, even when it hurts.
Rhonda
