Good morning from Honduras!!
It has been a while since I posted an update and I am sorry I am so late in keeping you informed. I have been busier than usual with the beginning of classes last month and also not having a worker to help in the nights, as well as teaching English in the high school. I am so VERY thankful though that God has given me strength to keep on with all the work here and having energy to do it all — He is so faithful to not only lead me into what His will is for this ministry, but also to give me the energy I need. My son, Cesar, has returned from college, married and now working at Destino del Reino. He is a trained strength and conditioning coach and I am reaping the fruit of his training. He is working with me each week to build up my strength again after being so ill last year. I had not just become weak but LAZY and now with just a few hours a week, I am getting stronger again. I am so thankful for this gift.
Cesar and Josue (who is finishing up his training in the US in physical therapy) are planning to open a gym/clinic to use their training and talents to work with young athletes (and others as well) in the city. They have located a run-down gym that needs some work and are considering taking that on. We are praying for the funds to fix the gym up and then to purchase the equipment they will need. Thanks for your prayers for these young men as they seek to disciple young people in Honduras through the use of their training. They need wisdom about where to buy the machines they need and how to best ship them to Honduras. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for their ministry!!
Another big prayer request concerns my daughter, Abi (age 19). She had done well on the university entrance exam and was about a week away from moving to the capitol to begin classes in occupational therapy, and we had a conversation about what she wanted to do with occupational therapy and why she had selected that career. As it turns out, she said that she didn’t have any other ideas. I asked what she thought she would like to do with that career and she responded “go into other parts of the world and help people”. By the time we finished our conversation, she had decided that she wanted to “go into other parts of the world” now. She had a special interest in Africa, we got a contact from Pastor Wade, and at the end of April she heads to Kenya, Africa to work in a ministry there with an orphanage, school, and youth ministry. She is so excited and I am excited for her (and a little nervous), but I told her there is nothing more exciting than flinging out your life to be used by God however He wants to use you, and just watching Him work miracles in your life. Thanks for your prayers for Abi. Blanca will accompany her and stay a week with her to get her settled in. We have met the African pastor and his wife and they are so precious. Abi will stay however long she feels that God wants her there. We will miss her but what an adventure awaits her!!
Well, school has begun once again and I feel that we have a good staff this year. We let 6 teachers go last year and had a tough time finding the right new replacements for this year. We actually had four new teachers begin the first week and then resign — said they didn’t like our rules– but I know God was weeding out the ones that weren’t His choice and we adjusted quickly and now have a really good group of new teachers. Thanks for your prayers for wisdom and also flexibility — I get too frustrated sometimes over complications in staff, etc. and if I just wait patiently, the Lord works out every detail just as HE wants!! We have about 370 students this year and they are so happy to be back in school after 3 months out. I am especially happy to share with you that at least 16 of our junior high students have accepted Christ as their personal Savior in the past few weeks during Bible class. Our Honduran pastor, Dalis, is the teacher for the high school and junior high school classes. This year he is using Pastor Wade’s book studies on Ephesians and Colosians and a few other books. I am so thankful for these resources to help with our Bible classes. Dalis teaches books of the Bible in the Bible classes and then he has a class on doctrines for two other grades each week. We also have an excellent Bible teacher for the elementary classes twice a week and I gave all my beautiful flannelgraph materials to her and she is doing an excellent job as well.
The new high school building is coming along so beautifully. We only lack the cement slab that is the roof (and floor for the second level) and then the ceramic, paint ,windows and doors. All of that will probably take another 6 weeks and a lot more money so please be praying for the funds we need to come in. God made it clear to me when it was time to start the building and I believe He will finish what he started so thanks for praying with me for this huge need. God is so amazing how He provides not only for our regular needs each week (food for about 400 each week, salaries for all teachers, school supplies, gas for buses, electricity, insurance, etc.) and still provides enough to take on new projects. Sometimes I just need more courage to trust Him more each week to provide as he has done so faithfully for 25 years now. At times I think it would be so great if someone sent us a million dollars and we could just do this work without wondering where the money would come in each week — BUT, then I would not need to have faith and wait and pray for God to provide — that is what He delights in — our constant waiting on Him and FAITH!! I need more faith — as the man in the Bible story said “Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief.” That is my prayer as well.
There are two viruses going around right now and we need prayer!!! One is a sore throat, cold symptoms and a cough that will not stop. The other is a stomach virus. We cancelled classes today so that maybe with a 3-day weekend some of the students and teachers will have a chance to recuperate. We will sterilize all the desks and doorknobs etc. before we resume classes and hopefully, with prayer, we can start again next week healthier!! Thanks for your prayers for that.
My aunt and uncle will be moving to live at Destino del Reino in May. Please be praying for this transition. We have prayed for many years about starting a home for the elderly at Destino and I believe this is the beginning of that ministry. We are in the process of widening doors and preparing a new bathroom in the downstairs apartment for them. They are going to be a huge asset to the ministry here — there are several homes around the world who have purposely combined children’s homes with homes for the elderly — and it is a benefit and encouragment to both ages. My aunt and uncle have spent their lives working in children’s homes and with youth and I know they will be such an encouragment to my children. My uncle is also a counselor and I look forward to his working with my older kids. Amazingly, a sweet lady who has been friends with them for years has felt God calling her to come with them to Destino and she will be helping them in their adjustment and needs as well as helping teach English classes in the school. Her name is Patty — please be praying for her as she makes this huge change in her life as well. She has experience in elderly care and believes that maybe the Lord is bringing her here to help us open a personal care home for more patients in the future. After we finish the high school building next year, if God continues to lead in that direction, we will start building a home specifially for the elderly. Thanks for your prayers for all of those plans as well.
Please be praying for our two mission groups coming this summer — camp for 5th and 6th graders, and camp for junior high and high schoolers. These camps have a tremendous impact on our youth so please be praying for wisdom for the leaders. Also a small group of soccer players plan to come the first week of May to work with our soccer teams so please pray for those details to be worked out as well.
My two college boys are home this week (Sammy and Jonathan) and they brought a friend who is the goalie on the soccer team from Germany. Jonathan will graduate from Bryan on May 2 and Sammy has one more semester after that, when he will come back to Honduras and begin medical school. Jonathan is interested in starting an advertising company in Siguatepeque — I don’t believe there are any at this time so that will be a great new opportunity for him. Thanks for your prayers for all of my grown children as they seek what God has for their lives. Emily is in nursing school now, just taking general classes so she is living at home and teaching half days in our school. Blanca is full-time teaching English and the kids adore her. Carlos and Franklin are working in the US at this point and need wisdom for their futures as well.
Jonathan took school pictures while he was here this week and we will be putting them in the mail to all of you sponsors in the next few weeks. There were at least 30 kids sick who did not get their pics made so their letters will be coming to you in May since we do not have anyone coming and returning to the US to mail them before May. Thanks so much for all your sponsorship funds as well as the many prayers. These kids really need your prayers so much. I still lack a few more sponsors for the year so let me know if you are interested.
Thank you so much for your faithful prayers for all these needs. I am so blessed to have such a team as you all bringing all our requests before our Father.
Remember you can’t hit “reply” on this message, but I would love to hear from any of you at rhondadestino@yahoo.com
Also, our accountant wanted to let you know that although PayPal works well most of the time (donate@destinodelreino.org is the link), if you use Secure Give, they automatically print out the tax credit statements at the end of the year and that is a real advantage — as well they take out less of the donations that you give. Their link is https://app.securegive.com/destinodelreino
Thanks again for your faithful love and prayers.
In His amazing grace,
Rhonda
