Hey Everyone,
Thanks for your faithful prayers for us here at Destino del Reino. I apologize because I just checked the date of my last update and it was 4 months ago. So sorry.
We have been really busy and God is continuing to amaze me at all He is doing here. Thanks for remembering us in prayer as well as financial support. We are so blessed to have each of you on the Destino team and thank God for sending you all to us to be a part of His work here in Honduras.
I just talked this morning to my three older children who have arrived safely in Spain to begin their summer ministry trip. They are in the southern tip of Spain and Shaun and Abby have some incredible ministry opportunities for them planned. Some of those are going up into the northern part of Spain to work with some missionaries who are starting an evangelistic work in an area where there is absolutely no ministry and the people need the gospel. They will be working at a camp in Barcelona for three weeks later on. On a daily basis will they be praying and strategizing with the Suitts as to how to reach the 100,000’s of north African immigrants living in that part of Spain as well as the thousands who weekly arrive on the beach from other countries. There is SO much work to be done to bring these people groups to Christ so pray for them to hear clearly from God as to the best method of reaching these people. They will use soccer to get to know the young people on the beaches, and Blanca will be teaching Spanish to the immigrants on weekends. I know God has big things to do through them but also He will do amazing things in the lives of my three children — showing them the needs in the world and how they can meet those needs. Thanks for your prayers for them. Several of you have given financially to their trip and if you want to contribute we are still trying to pay all their expenses. You can send a check to Destino del Reino, P.O. Box 814, Evans, GA 30809. Also if you would like to be on their list for receiving weekly updates, let me know and I will add you. Thanks so much.
We have started school (since end of February) and it is going well. We have some amazing teachers this year and I am so excited to see these children grow in Christ this year. We have doubled up on the Bible classes (twice a week instead of once). We have hired our pastor to teach Bible and doctrine classes to the upper grades. Please pray that our children will be grounded in the Word of God and truly know WHY we believe the Bible and be more prepared when false doctrines are introduced to them.
I have been teaching 9th, 10th and 11th grade English. I love getting to know the students better by being with them several times a week. What I have realized though is that we are in dire need of some more English teachers at Destino del Reino. Please pray and also talk to others about this need. The teachers do not need to have teaching degrees nor be fluent in Spanish. They just need to come with a heart to love these children and teach them some English. We have good materials and just need some willing volunteers. Thanks for praying that God will send us some Americans for the next school year.
Bryan College has approved their education majors to do their student teaching at Destino del Reino and we have our first two coming the first of August, so that will help us finish off our year with some good help in English. We finish classes the first of November and need some more student teachers or American volunteers to come in February. Thanks for praying for this need.
As you know, God told me to send my kids to Bryan College — a private Christian liberal arts college in Tennessee. I haven’t had a salary in 25 years and of course our ministry just operates no donations from individuals and we are not church-supported. So obeying him in this situation was really a step of faith — BUT GOD has proved himself so faithful. This time next year, five of my kids will be graduating from Bryan and we owe nothing. God has abundantly provided and is faithful to “pay for what he orders”. Just a few weeks back, I thought we owed $78,000 more and was really concerned about where that money was going to come from. I found out that someone we have never met, decided that he was to pay off the entire debt for my 7 kids who are studying there this year. So again God showed up and amazed us. He just keeps doing bigger miracles for us and I know he plans to do amazing things for His glory and the Kingdom through these graduates!!! Thanks for always praying for us — for God’s provision and also for more faith to just rest in Him when things get tight.
Cesar stayed in the US to play on a semi-pro team in Albany Georgia this summer and seems to really be enjoying it. We miss him but he wants God to use his talent in soccer to minister to other people and he is very excited to see new doors open for him as he graduates soon. Thanks for praying for his safety — healing for his aching knees, and that God will use him this summer with a spiritual influence with the other players and coaches. He will be our next one that goes to Spain to help the Suitts after he graduates in December. All of my kids are at that point of not having a clue where God is going to take them but trusting Him to have just the right plan for their lives in being used for His glory.
Three of my boys came home for the summer and are helping so much here with all the work that needs to be done. We need 1,400 uniform shirts printed for the upcoming school year. Because we have the machines, etc. to print them ourselves, we are saving about $4,000 each year. We are so grateful that the boys are here to get that done. Also, Josue had to get an internship for his degree in physical therapy and amazingly, God opened the door for him to do that with the Honduran national soccer team whose home base is right here in Siguatepeque. He is loving every minute of this work and they have been surprised at how much he is able to do and knows already about sports medicine. Sammy may have an opportunity to go train with them for a few weeks as well. Jonathan is helping so much with painting, cutting lawns, etc. I am re-doing the 20-year old bathrooms so we have a lot of painting to get done.
Be praying for the two groups coming in June. June 9-16 is a group coming from Atlanta that are going to run a camp of discipleship for our fifth and sixth graders. Statistics show that most people that are raised in Christian homes or Christian schools come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ around 11 or 12 so we are really excited for this group to come and have small groups and individual ministry with our students who have learned so much about Christ but have not truly learned to surrender to him and walk in Him. Thanks for your prayers. Then June 22 – 29 is our yearly sports discipleship camp with Tomball Bible Church in Texas. This camp is for the junior high and high school students and this group has for probably 14 years had a huge influence on our teens in discipleship work. So thankful so please be praying.
Pastor Wade and Pastor Kevin will be here the first week of June to train more Honduran pastors in disciple-making. It has been amazing over the past 2 years how many pastors from all over Honduras have started discipleship in their churches and are seeing MUCH fruit because of the teaching from Wade and Kevin. They stay in our lodge and they receive food and transportation for free and it is amazing how God is using this ministry. It will change all of Honduras if we continue discipling people and the pastors don’t just preach from the pulpit each week. Thanks for your prayers for these pastors.
We have been blessed with another bus which was purchased in an auction in Tennessee. We have been able to find another motor for our newest bus which has been grounded for quite a while and we have found a good mechanic to fix the problems on 3 other buses. It has been really rough lately keeping enough buses running for hauling in our 350 students each day and more than 400 to church on Friday nights. But we made it thus far and God is providing. We also have purchased a van in South Carolina which we were in desperate need of as well. We found a man that lives in the next village up the road and he hauls vehicles from the Us every 15 days by land. He will pick up our bus and van (as well as a golf cart and riding lawn mower that have been given to us) next week and will have them here to us two weeks later. It is much cheaper to go by land and he will not put miles on the vehicles because they will be on a big tractor trailer. Please pray for these things to arrive safely. It costs about $10,000 for us to get these things shipped so please be praying for all the funds to come in to cover those costs. God is sooooo good and we will be so extra-blessed when those things arrive.
Our soccer teams begin their seasons in the city next week. We have 4 categories of age-levels playing. We as always pray that our students will be a light to the community and that other teams and coaches will recognize Christ in our players. We have written (with the help of Pastor Wade, the coach from Bryan College, my kids and several other players) a book of devotionals geared for soccer players and will be using that with our teams. Please be praying for our 5 coaches that they will be able to disciple our players through devotional and prayer times. This is a great tool in raising up disciples, using their favorite subject–SOCCER!
Thanks for your prayers for me personally. I am so blessed to feel so good and be so healthy at 71 years old. God heals up every ache that I develop and am amazed how he keeps me energetic. I was feeling a little sorry for myself the other day because I have a few of my young teenagers getting into a little trouble (normal stuff) and I thought “all my friends my age get to be grandparents and just love on their grandchildren, and here I am still having to be the bad person that disciplines my kids.” ha ha. But that was just a fleeting moment because I know that I am SOOOO blessed to be the mama to such precious children!!!! Thanks for your continued prayers for me — for health and energy and more faith ( I still panic at times when the money gets low).
Thanks again for your prayers and faithfulness to us.
Remember you can’t hit “reply” to this email but you can write me at rhondadestino@yahoo.com and I would love to hear from you.
Love in His grace,
Rhonda