Hey Everyone,
I wanted to give you a little update about our situation in Honduras right now. We have been on lock-down basically since March 13th. There is a curfew every night at 5:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. and all day long Saturday and Sunday. On top of that, we can only go out on the day that our last digit of our ID is the appropriate number for the day. I have number “7” so every 12 days, I get a turn to shop for groceries, go to the bank and pharmacy, etc. Little by little they have been opening up more stores, but we still cannot go to town to buy more often. My kids and I have been fine with lots of projects to do and work around Destino, as well as entertainment with swimming and soccer, etc. We are blessed. We have all been more consistent in reading our Bibles and giving reports at night about what we learned from the Word that day, as well as praying as a family every other night. So other than a little restlessness at times, we have been doing great.
The rumors are that we will not be able to start school until September and the government says that we cannot have graduations. We celebrate our grads in some way or form in September — maybe present their diplomas in a church service and let them give some testimonies. The money that the parents’ raised for the seniors will go to their senior trip at the beach. Lots of adjustments but we will see God in all of this and that He is still on the throne!! I am so sorry for how awful things have gotten in the US. We pray for President Trump and all of you in those difficulties. Our job never changes no matter what happens around us — we are to be making disciples and proclaiming Christ in all our situations. This world is temporary and we have been clearly reminded lately to not count on tomorrow but live each day for Him and rest in His plans for us.
My biggest concern and prayer request right now is for my four that will be going to Bryan College (Dayton, Tennessee) in a few weeks. Right now the embassy is still closed so they cannot get their appointments to receive their Visas. God’s timing is perfect and I am resting in that because it is getting tight. One other thing is that Blanca and Cesar need 5 more points on their English fluency tests and we are waiting to see if their points are sufficient or they will have to re-test for acceptance. Please pray about those two things for us. I am two months over the 3-month visa I had to be in Honduras and am praying (and hope you will pray as well) that they will not charge me a huge fine for over-extending my time here. There have been flights out of Hondurs to the US for citizens but there are no flights returning to Honduras right now and I cannot abandon my kids by getting stuck in the US for unlimited time. I am praying and waiting for the airports to open in Honduras so I can make a quick trip.
We checked with the man who ships containers to Honduras and he is continuing his business so I wanted to let you know that John Turner at Turner Transportation will be collecting all the materials for school and used clothing and shoes, etc. that need to be shipped. If you would like to help us with ordering from Amazon and sending school supplies to Turner Transportation, 1494 Wrightsboro Road, Augusta, GA 30904, we would appreciate anything you can do to help us this year. We need all kinds of school supplies: crayons, colored pencils, regular pencils, pens, construction paper, printing paper, staplers, glue, spiral notebooks, rulers, etc. etc. For clothing we would be delighted to receive pre-used clothing and shoes. I have the following sizes in my household: Girls sizes 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12 and teen girls size 2, 3, 8, 10 and me (14). Boys sizes: 5, 8, 10, 12, teens 18, men’s small and mediums. Thanks for anything you can do to help us with this shipment. Also if you have any used computers that you could donate for our computer lab, that would be wonderful. We plan to ship by first of August. I have to order their PE shirts for 300 kids and so we need to have everything on its way in early August.
Also, thanks for praying for the funds for my oldest children for their first year at college. We only lack about $5,000 for this semester and I know God is going to provide every cent for them. They want to serve him and He has called them so He will do it. During this semester they can get jobs and some extra help so second semester will not be as difficult to pay, God-willing. Pray for them that they will adjust well and for extra strength for studying in English. I know there will be discouraging times for them but they will learn just how close the Father is to them and how faithful!!!
We have two huge needs as well: We need a Honduran teacher as well as two Americans to come and teach English. Most of the world, I think, is not thinking much about the future right now, just trying to get through the craziness, but we need teachers and God knows that. Pray that he will lay this desire to minister to these children on the hearts of some American young people to come (we would also gladly accept older people). The other huge need that I have is that I need 45 more sponsors for our students coming in for kindergarten in September. We usually ask that the sponsors not only agree to pray regularly for their student but also help with $60 a month for food and school supplies and teachers’ salaries, transportation, etc. I would gladly accept anyone who cannot help financially b ut is willing to pray regularly for a student. Please announce this need in your churches, bible studies, Sunday School classes, etc. I need your help. They can sign up on the website and I will assign a incoming student to them. We have a lot of faithful friends who have prayed and supported their students from kindergarten all the way through high school graduation and they feel that these kids are part of their families. Prayer is the key to these children growing up into leaders for the Kingdom of Christ. Thanks for praying and getting the word out.
Personally, please pray for my blood pressure. It has been a battle to get it balanced out. When I am on the different medicines the doctor has prescribed, it gets WAY too low and I cannot get much done with no energy — the doctor is working closely with me trying to find the right combination though so thanks for the prayers.
I praise God for each and every one of you who pray for us and give and encourage us in so many ways. You are all part of a huge team that is completing a harvest of world-changers yet to be seen.
Love you all. Remember that you cannot answer by hitting “reply” but I would love to hear from any of you at rhondadestino@yahoo.com. Let me know how to be praying for you as well.
In His grace,
Rhonda
