Hey Everyone,

God is good and all the time He is good — even when things are tough and hard to get through, we can see His faithfulness in it all.  We are doing well at Destino but have had a lot of hard times lately with attempted break-ins and even our night watchman shot someone a few weeks ago — it has been very hard but God has been protecting us and will continue to do so.  There is continual violence around us and yet we are walking on in what God has called us to do here and we know that no one can touch us without our Father’s permission so there really is nothing to fear.  Thanks for praying for us continually for protection and wisdom here.  It is always a tough call between being cautious and using logic and trusting God completely.  But what we believe we are to do right now is put in some more security lights and motion lights on the other side of the school and then build a small tower that our watchman can climb for a better look-out in the night.  Pray for us to know what we need to do to be wise and protect Destino.   Carlos and I come from different approaches on this and he is always telling me “Rhonda, if you hear something in the night, PLEASE do not walk outside and try to figure out what it is!!”   I don’t have enough caution at times but then he is a little too fearful in my opinion too.  We just need GOD’s wisdom in this area.

For those of you who live in Texas, I wanted to give you a schedule of where we might be able to see you:

In Tomball, we’ll be at church at Tomball Bible Church on Sunday morning, May 15th.

In Dallas, we will be at Helen and Craig Rekerdres’ house on Thursday evening, May 19th, and you can call them for directions (214) 826-8008.  Everyone is welcome and I sure hope you come to see me.

In Tomball again, at Mike and Janet Bennett’s house on Friday evening, 20th of May — call them at 281-356-3563 for directions;

Saturday lunchtime, I want to see my girls from Girls Country if any of you can meet at a restaurant — write me a message and we’ll figure out something.  So far I have talked to Crystal and would love to find Annie and Laura, Nikki, Martha, and any others — so help me out on this, girls.  I miss you all.  Also, maybe Tomas can come from San Marcus!!

In Tomball area again, Saturday night, May 21st at Diane and Jimmy Cutaias’ house and you can call them for directions too.

Then we’ll be at Tomball Bible on Sunday morning, I think maybe sharing about Destino in a Sunday School class or something. 

Hope all of you can make it to one of these places to see me.  I will be so encouraged to see so many of you who are so faithful in praying for Destino and for me.

Carlos’ son, Andres, is coming with us to Texas too — it will be his first time in the US and he can practice his English!!!  We are excited for this opportunity that God has provided and praying that we can share more from our hearts about all that has been happening at Destino through many hard times and through the grace of God.

Please pray for us especially right now for the plans for the new junior high — as you can imagine there are a million things to plan out and pray out as we start in a new area.  We are going to invite some young people who graduated from 6th grade from a nearby Christian school for poor children as well and we need wisdom in knowing who is to join us at Destino.  We need more sponsors for these new ones entering, the right teachers, the right class plans, etc. etc.  We also need prayer for the Americans that God would have come to Destino to teach English in the upcoming year.  Two of our teachers are staying and one is returning to us but we need at least 2 more, and I really would love to have 3 more — thanks for your prayers and please let anyone that you think may be interested know about this ministry opportunity.  They do not need to know spanish and do not need a teachers’ certificate — God will equip the called!!!  We have a great curriculum and lots of training and God will give them the wisdom they need to do this job.  The children are so loving and I know God will send the right people to teach them and train them in His leadership

Continue to pray for Carlos — God has done amazing things in his life and the thing that we are convinced and convicted that God wants to do in Carlos right now, is take him out of the labor and put him more in ministry — Carlos has been a workaholic and is such a servant in that area, but he needs to spend more time in the Word and preparation of sermons, and visiting and ministering to the lost, etc.  This is a really hard adjustment for him as he feels guilty when he is not doing physical work but God has made it clear to us that he is to take time away from all of that to refocus and build Destino up spiritually.  I am constantly reminded of the verse, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.”  I do not want us to build Destino in vain in that we are so busy building programs and buildings that we are not taking the spiritual care of the souls that are entrusted to us.  Thanks for praying for Carlos as he has to break some really strong habits of the past and just focus on spirtual leadership and administration at Destino.  God has clearly shown us this is HIS plan and we need to be obedient in this.  At this point, Wendy and Carlos are still on campus and if he can NOT work and change his focus while living here, that will be fine, and if not, he will move to Siguatepeque to help him change his focus.  I believe he can stay here and do this but needs prayer.  Also, with all the break-ins and danger lately, it would probably be wiser for everyone to know there is still a man living out here.

Continue to pray with us for the funds for materials to build the junior high.  The foundation is ready to put in but we need materials and the fathers are ready to come back and volunteer their time once the materials are provided.  If the building is not finished in time for school in september, we will start junior high in the church building like we began our elementary school 6 years ago.  God will provide as HE sees fit.

We have a container coming from Georgia in a couple of months and I will send a list of those things that we need to all of you this next week.  You may live close enough to help us collect all the school supplies, clothing, furniture that we need, but also we need some electronic things that may be cheap enough to be shipped to Georgia, if you happen to have some used things that you could donate to Destino.  I will send that in another email as this is getting to be a very long one.

The kids are doing well — Alexander is still up in La Ceiba area with his mom and I haven’t heard anything from her so believe he is doing well.  We moved in another almost 2-year old from the same family that I recently took in 4 chidlren. They have 11 and do not have enough food for all of them.  There are two babies younger than Estella and I wanted her to have more attention.  She seemed so lost in the crowd.  David is our 2-year old and his mom just called this week and has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and it is really serious.  Please pray for her as she has no one to take care of her and needs so much care and cannot work at this time.  I am so burdened for her.  Her name is Yeni.   She said she is going to have a lawyer write up a statement that David will be mine if something happens to her.  Sammy and Emily are adjusting little by little to having their parents here next door — they still want to spend more nights with me than with their parents but they are learning to enjoy their mom and dad as well.  Please keep praying for them as they adjust to this very new situation for them.  They were both here as babies and never saw their parents fo 5 years, so this is kind of a unique situation.   Blanca is doing okay but I am seeing some attitudes with her as well as all the 6th graders this year.  Please pray that they will be grateful and have a hunger for God that is real and not just be religious and practice a form of godliness but not really know the depth of the Lord’s love for them.  All the others are doing well and growing like weeds — I just realized that all those little toddlers I had growing up are soon going to be a herd of teenagers and that is a little scary, ha.

Thanks to all of you for all your encouragement and love and support.  It is still a battle for me to trust God for the finances every week but it is so ridiculous because he will not stop providing when this is HIS ministry and HIS idea.  I just need a lot more faith to REST completely in His provision in His timing.  Thanks for praying for us and being faithful to help us when the Spirit puts it on your heart. 

I love you all and thank God for such a huge team of prayer warriors standing with us for the Kingdom ministry of Destino del Reino.

In His grace,

Rhonda

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