Hey Everyone,
I thank you for your constant faithful prayers for me even when you don’t hear from me for several weeks. I really am counting on your prayers and know that God is reminding you to pray even when my emails don’t come regularly to remind you Thanks for your faithfulness.
We had an amazing day today. We have been thinking for some time about bringing the children down from the village above us for Sunday School on Sundays and we started that today. The group that was here for the week from Augusta, Georgia, did a VBS in their school this week and we were able to have more contact with the children and invite them to Sunday School. I was expecting maybe 50 to 60 kids on the bus this morning but instead we had about 120 adults, teens and children come. I was a little overwhelmed thinking of teaching children’s Sunday School to so many and to such a variety of ages, but they were all so very attentive and interested in the lesson. These people are humble and don’t have to be entertained and it was such a joy to teach them this morning. I think we will probably have even more next week — and that group along with the other bus that brought in our other children from the opposite direction, we had about 170 in Sunday School today — WHEW. I have prayed for years though that we could disciple this village. This is the village that we adopted from the very beginning and have taken groups in there and evangelized them, encouraged them, taken lots of medicines, etc. for 8 years now and finally we are going to start teaching them the Word of God on a regularly basis. I am so excited and pray for wisdom and lots of creativity in teaching them. It was such an amazing day!
As I said, we had a group from Georgia this week and they did such an amazing job in just one week in getting our entire school repaired and painted and ready for our new school year. We would never have been ready for school in time without their tireless sacrificial work for Destino. Thank you soooo much, all of you!!
We have a group coming in today from Kentucky to finish off some work that needs to be done as well as a 4-day VBS in the village just above the village from last week. Please be praying that many children will come to a faith in Jesus Christ this week. I am looking forward to having this group here. One member of the group, is Amanda Bruin, who was a teacher at Destino this past year.
Please be praying for all the school sponsors that we are still needing for the upcoming school year — we have to have the financial support for these children as soon as possible. I know that God will put it on just the right hearts for these little precious children and future leaders for Christ Jesus. Pray for us as we prepare all the schedules for the year, hire new assistants for several classes, re-write discipline procedures, look for teachers’ housing, etc. etc. There is so much to do in so very little time that I feel a little stressed but I know that God has this all under perfect control — HIS control. Pray for wisdom for us in all of these decisions.
It is time to be praying about our junior/high school. Just one year from now we have to be finishing up the classrooms for the junior high to start in September 2011. We have been praying about the building of the junior and high schools and feel that the best thing for us to do for the upcoming year is to build the chapel to the right of the school and below it (because of the steep lay of the land) we wil put in the two big junior high class rooms. This building is necessary because we have absolutely no place for the children to meet for their chapel or any meetings with parents, etc. and this has become a real hardship and then we can use the space below for our first two classrooms for the junior high and begin building the “real” junior hgh and high school to the left of the grade school the following year. It is important that we get this classroom space completed as soon as possible because there is a group from the government that has offered to provide all of our children with a high school diploma in agriculture in only 3 years instead of 6 years study, if we have at least 5 acres of land and the classrooms for their studies. They will provide the materials and pay the teachers and this is an incredible opportunity for the children of Destino. We also are planning to invite some children who will be graduating from other grade schools to attend the junior high at Destino because this is an opportunity that veryfew children have available to them. Please be praying for the funds to build this chapel/classroom building. We think it will cost about $60,000 for the chapel above and classrooms below and some have suggested we have a Butler buildling (prefab building) sent on a container to save a lot of money. We need wisdom and money!!! ha. Thanks for your prayers.
We still could use one more American to come and help us with English this year. We have the classrooms covered for the actual teachers of English but need another American willing to come and assist in the classes. Let me know if you are interested. A person coming would need to raise about $350 to $400 a month for expenses and then also for their flights to and from Honduras to US — it is an incredible opportunity to impact the lives of future missionaries for the world.
It is truly amazing all that God is doing at Destino and I am so thankful to be included in God’s plans here. Please pray that we will be so sensitive to the will and plan of God in every decision and not get any of our own “great ideas” but just follow right behind HIM. Thanks for your prayers and for being a part of the team of Destino del Reino. I am so grateful for every one of you who pray faithfully, give, encourage, etc. etc.
In His Grace,
Rhonda
