Alumni Spotlight – Rhonda Jackson ’77

“It just proves who He can be when we get out of the way,” says Rhonda Jackson ’77 about saying yes to God when He told her to move to Honduras. When Rhonda was a student at Bryan, she did not know what she wanted to do with her life. She changed her major seven times, and when she finally settled on Christian Education, she was still unsure how she would use her degree. Following graduation, Rhonda moved to Texas and began working as a housemother in a children’s home. She later moved to Georgia, where she joined a church that sent a yearly mission’s trip to Honduras. Though Rhonda didn’t know it, God was preparing her for ministry in Honduras. Reflecting on her journey now, Rhonda can see how God led her every step of the way: “You look back and go, how far back did You plan this?”

In 1998, Rhonda joined her church’s Honduras trip at the urging of her pastor. Over the course of the eight-day trip, she fell in love with the Honduran people and knew God was calling her to return. She moved to Honduras in September 1999 with no knowledge of Spanish and little idea of what her ministry would look like.

During her early years in Honduras, Rhonda learned Spanish and integrated herself into the culture. She became burdened to change the future of the Honduran mountain villages by reaching children through the love of Christ. She knew God was calling her to open a children’s home but did not know where to begin. Making it abundantly clear this was the ministry Rhonda was called to, God began providing land, building materials, and construction workers, and Destino del Reino (Destiny of the Kingdom) Children’s Home soon opened its doors. A school and church have since been added to the property, and Destino del Reino ministers to hundreds of people every week.

Rhonda is quick to emphasize that the ministry is not her own: “I’m just on a ride with the Lord.” Through her work in both the United States and Honduras, Rhonda has cared for sixty-six children, and she currently has twenty-six kids living with her. They call her “Tia” (aunt). Rhonda does not receive monthly support from churches, instead relying on the faithfulness of God to provide what is needed. She can tell numerous stories of God’s provision, from the provision of electricity and water in miraculous ways to protection from dangerous situations and healing from injuries.

Bryan College is honored to have a growing relationship with Rhonda and Destino del Reino. Seven of the children Rhonda raised currently attend Bryan College. Coach Jeremy Davidson has taken members of the soccer team down to Honduras twice to minister through soccer. Junior Kyla Phillips has been serving at Destino del Reino this summer through the Acts Project. Rhonda has talked with our Education department about the possibility of Bryan’s students doing their student teaching at the school. Through God’s strength, Rhonda has made a difference in the lives of hundreds of Hondurans, living out the Bryan College mission and lifting up Christ Above All.