Hey Everyone,
Thanks for all your diligent and faithful prayers for us here in Honduras. God is faithful always and we are continually amazed at His goodness and your encouragement in prayers and giving.
I have not written for several months to give an update — been really busy, even more than usual. So sorry for not reporting sooner on our need for prayer in various areas.
School is continuing to go well. We got off to a slow start with hiring teachers and overcoming a bad virus in the school and having to close several days to try and get the students and teachers back on their feet. But things are running smoothly now and we thank the Father for all He is doing in our students’ lives. The 5th and 6th graders just finished up a week of camp with a group from Atlanta. I am so thankful for the deep teaching and challenges they received from the leaders and know that God worked and will continue to work in their lives. We are looking forward to our next camp for the teenagers coming up on the 22-27 so please be praying for the group from Tomball Texas as they prepare to minister to our junior high and high schoolers. These camps always make a huge impact on our students and we are so grateful for the faithful men and women who come to serve them.
We have had some big changes here at the home this past few months. My aunt and uncle (Terry and Don Frazee) have moved to Destino to live. They are doing better in their strength here with Cesar working with them in strengthening and conditioning them. Terry needs to fully recuperate from her recent knee replacement and is coming along great. Don is getting stronger and walking further every day and we are encouraged to have them here with us. They have a really sweet lady working weekdays to clean and care for them and we provide meals from the school cafeteria and from our house in the afternoons and evenings. Thanks for praying for them to heal and get stronger each day.
One of our students, Derek, is living with us now — not sure if it is permanent but he needed a place for now and he is doing so well. He is the student whose brother passed away a few weeks ago. His mom has found work now and cannot care for Derek. He is in the 5th grade and has been in our school since he was 5 so is very well behaved and sweet.
The construction is really coming along now. We will finish with our contract in three weeks and should be ready to put students in the three classrooms in the next month. We still need the money to finish buying the doors and windows, putting in a septic tank, and paint. We are so close though and so grateful for God’s provision for a new building to give us room for the growing amount of students at Destino. Thanks for all your prayers for this wonderful project.
Tomorrow Abi will be going to get her passport and then we can make travel plans for her to leave for Kenya. Blanca will accompany her on the trip and return after a week. She plans to work in an orphanage and school with Pastor Julius in Kenya, Africa. She does not know how long she will stay and will leave the return date open. Be praying for her as we make the plans and for her to be used of the Lord in a great way and teach her to rely fully on Him. We had a lot of road blocks in the planning of her mission. Her father died several years ago and the death certificate had never been registered. For her to fly alone under age 21, she had to have her mother’s written permission and a copy of the death certificate to prove there was no father alive to give his permission. It has been time-consuming and frustrating but she has finally received that document and is excited again to get going. Thanks for your prayers for her.
My boys in the United States are all doing well. Sammy stayed in Tennessee this summer to play on a semi-pro soccer team in Cleveland. He has one more semester in college before returning to Honduras and possibly studying medicine. Josue is still training in rehabilitation and also helping with the soccer team that Sammy is playing on. They are living together in a house in Dayton. Carlos and Franklin have good jobs and are content to stay in the US for as long as they have permission.
Emily has learned that she is able to start medical school and is doing on-line classes this year and will need to move to Tegucigalpa to study for the following years. That city is very dangerous but we know God can protect her. Blanca is teaching full-time in the school here at Destino and plans to marry German in November. Jonathan has returned home after graduating from Bryan College in May. He plans to use his degree in communications to open an advertising business here in our city. He is a great help here at Destino in the meantime.
Cesar and Kelly are happy to be married and working at Destino for now. They plan to build a house at the far end of our land on a mountain top with a great view. Cesar and Josue are still praying about opening a gym for working with young athletes in the city.
My three boys in high school have been actively playing on a soccer league in town. It is a lot more time and effort for transportation but they are having a really good experience with a new coach and more opportunities to play around Honduras.
All the younger kids are doing well. We can’t believe Hannah will be 6 years old in just 2 months. She still wears size 2’s and 3’s but is so healthy and is a miracle. She is our youngest and is so loved by the whole household.
Personally I need prayer as always for discipline with my time. I have a LOT to do each day and sometimes just don’t have the will or strength to do it all. But God is faithful and I thank you for your prayers.
Thanks for your prayers — I really count on them always.
Remember you can’t hit “reply” to this email, but you can write me personally at rhondadestino@yahoo.com I would love to hear from you and know how to be praying for you as well.
Always in His grace,
Rhonda
