Hey Everyone,

Whew — this summer has passed so quickly.  When I checked to see when my last post went out, I could not hardly believe it had been the first of June!!!  I am so sorry for not keeping you advised more often so that you could be praying for us in more specifics.    We had groups during the summer for sports camps and (as always) Tomball Bible Church sent incredible people to us and really inspired our young people to walk more closely with the Lord.   We also were busy with many projects.   Thankfully, we received a very big donation from Honey Rock Foundation and were able to complete the Trade School (outside covered court for welding and big carpenter projects) as well as two class rooms.   We also were able to finish out the last classroom above the high school in getting ready to have a temporary classroom for the university.

I was very busy during the summer and even up until now because our School Director is out recuperating from surgery in July.   I had to prepare all the class schedules and get everything in order in the offices, etc. for classes which started on Monday.   I actually enjoyed the secretarial work and the organization of the office and am so happy that everything is in its place and accounted for now in the office and supply closets.

We started class on Monday and unfortunately lost a few kids this year.  Several kids left to live with parents in the US.  Evidently there is a law that they can be brought into the US if they already had parents living there.   Hopefully, they will be able to study there and continue a Christian education.  We lost a family as well whose children were just walking too far every day (over an hour each way) and a few kids that we just can’t find — evidently their families moved away from the villages during the summer.  So we start out this new school year with about 255 kids.   That is plenty though and we are able to educate them better with smaller classes.   This year we are especially concentrating on more time spent praying individually with each student.   The teachers generally have over an hour and a half free during their daily schedules so I have taken 15 minutes of their time and scheduled in “prayer with students” on their schedules.   We hope to cover all the kids in the school several times each year and will be sending the sponsors more specific things to be praying for their students.   We hired two new precious high school teachers.  Both of them also work with young people in their churches so they enjoy that age group.    We had about 40 new students coming in this year and I was able to find sponsors for each of them.   I am so grateful to all of you who have taken on the responsibility to pray for these kids regularly by name.   That is the best gift you can give them!!!    We really look forward to a great school year with evident spiritual growth and fruit in the lives of not only the kids but the teachers.   Our teachers meet for prayer and discipleship each week in small groups.   Several of our teachers have told me lately how much they have grown in their walk with Christ because of working at Destino del Reino.

The technical school is hopefully opening in late October or early November.  We need at least 12 students to start classes.   Although we could put an announcement on the radio and receive hundreds of applicants, we are looking for our students through pastors’ references and teachers’ suggestions etc. so that we can find just the young men that God has chosen for this opportunity.   We were given so many many tools for the classrooms and as I said, the buildings are ready, so now we just need to have God’s leading as to who is to participate.   Chris Eng is going to be the supervisor over the tech school but the teachers will be Hondurans paid by an organization which accredits craftsmen in different areas.   They are so excited to help us and will not let us pay for books and materials or teachers’ salaries.  We only have to supply an apartment for the teacher(s) to live in during their particular courses.   We will begin with welding and it is a 5-month course.   The organization will send a teacher with that specialty and then when we start the next program (carpentry, electricity or mechanics) they will send a different teacher with that particular specialty.   I am so amazed how God is providing for our students to be prepared to make a living for their families and have a career where they can serve others for Christ.

The final steps for the university are in place as well.   I believe in October we will be ready to submit all our paperwork for approval.  The gentleman in charge of the committee who will make the decision about opening our university is very eager to help us and he tells us there will be no barriers or obstacles for this to happen.   God is starting to put the nursing program on hearts of people and I have two American nurses who are praying about coming to teach.   We will be starting with agriculture and nursing degrees and during the first year we will apply to add computation or engineering and one other major.  Please continue to pray for the process to go smoothly and also for wisdom as to which students we are to invite into the university as well as wisdom about what other careers we need to add to the program.

Church has been really amazing for us.   God is always right so whatever He tells us to do, no matter how silly or ridiculous it may sound, DO IT!!   He told me to not go looking for a pastor for Destino right now.   He said he wants us to just read the Bible.   Every Thursday night for church we have two different teachers who read chapters of a book of the Bible for at least 30 minutes.   The people are so attentive and follow along and it has been such a blessing to all of us teachers, staff and parents of the kids.   I am understanding more of why God gave me this instruction.   Many of our parents cannot read.   Many of them are Catholic and resist a preacher that is known to be “evangelical” but they do not resist the Word of God.   The past pastors have just used one or two verses in different parts of the Bible to teach a theme of their choice but the people don’t know what is an entire book of the Bible.   Another big thing that has impressed me is that Jesus speaks a lot firmer to us than any pastor would.   For example, have you ever had a pastor declare from the pulpit:  “If you are sinning with your eyes, pluck them out.  It is better that you go around blind on the earth than go to hell with good eyes.”   That is in Mark — we read through the whole book in two church meetings.    Anyway, God is proving Himself so faithful to complete whatever He promises to do in our people and even though he has unconventional ideas for me to implement — He is always right!!!!

Continue to pray for our funds.  God is always faithful in that area as well but just keep praying for more faith for me and for people’s hearts to be burdened to help us support these kids.   Besides the 23 kids in the house (now eating a ton more food since they are mostly teens, ha), we have the kindergarten, elementary, junior high and high school and in a few months opening tech school and university.   As Pastor Wade says, “God always pays for whatever He orders.”   I know that this is His plan for a new generation to reach the world for Christ and these kids are not prepared for anything at high school graduation so we are not completing His orders until they are sent out with careers to use for ministry and living in the world as missionaries with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.   Thanks for your prayers.

I am so grateful to all of you for your faithful prayers for so many years now.  Please continue and remember us always in your prayers.   You are the most important part of this team because I believe that prayer is the most important part of any ministry!!!!

Remember you can’t hit “reply” on this message but you can write me personally at rhondadestino@yahoo.com — I would love to hear from you.

In His grace,

Rhonda

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