Merendon Mountain Mission

● Toby is currently teaching his students on the books of Acts and Matthew. He takes his students through a book touching lightly on variety of subjects and the overall theme of the book. In a later study, he takes the students more deeply into the book with a more challenging study. Toby continues to work on developing their thinking and reasoning skills.

Over the next two months, before we return to the states for furlough, Toby will also be teaching the students on evangelism. He has been giving the students two or

Toby’s students and Cassandra three questions each week to ask non-Christians. The answers that they receive really at the water park shock them. Toby uses the questions and the answers they received to show the stu-

dents where and how to find the truth in the Bible. When this part of their training is done each student will be paired with a minister in a local church to visit people in the mountain and evangel- ize. Please pray that they would become very effective in evangelism.

● Toby had a great time taking 8 of his students, along with Cassandra and Jonathan, to Zizima water park the last week in March. Zizima water park is located in San Pedro Sula. It is very clean and safe for chil- dren and families. Some of these students work and/or attend school while attending Toby’s class. They come from very poor homes and do not have much to expand their minds. Toby is always looking for new things to stretch their thinking beyond their mountain homes. The water park did that and more.

The students had never experienced anything like a water park. At first the huge slides were intimidat- ing. Cassandra and Jonathan showed them the slides were safe and how much fun they were. It did not take long for the students to became enthusiastic and join in. As you can see in the picture above, there was not a dry one among them. Everyone had an incredible time!

San Antonio Church Celebrates 10 Years

The San Antonio church celebrated its 10th anniversary in March. The church gathered together for a great time praising God for all that He has done. The people en- joyed time visiting, looking at pictures of the last 10 years and sharing a meal. Everyone had a wonderful time.

The church also used this time to introduce and welcome Johana to the mountain. Jphana is from El Salvador and recently married one of our ministers. It is a blessing for

At the Clinic

Amy has seen several cases of very high blood pressure at the clinic in the past several weeks. After consulting various doctors, she has added another anti- hypertensive medication to dispense in hopes to bring the blood pressures down. She will continue to do follow up with the patients to see if the new medication is helping.

With the many deaths in the past month in the mountain churches, Amy has also been busy working with those who are grieving and depressed.

Toby and Amy hired a carpenter to make a new bed for Jonathan as he had out- grown his toddler bed. While working on the bed, the carpenter cut off almost all of his index finger and part of his thumb. The Hills did not know about the accident for a week. A bad infection had set in. Amy was able to help the carpenter get with a surgeon to work on his hand. The surgeon had to re- move his index finger, but he still has his thumb. The infection is cleared up and the carpenter is recovering.

Patients waiting to be seen at clinic

Johana

us to see married couples in leadership that can be an example to the church.

Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)Leonel’s Work

Leonel has been spending a lot of time working with Marvin Saul’s family. Marvin is the little boy that was malnourished that we are helping to feed. Leonel has taken sev- eral trips to visit the family. Because there are no roads to the village, the trip takes 3 hours each way, most of it walking.

Leonel counsels the immediate family and talks with the extended family about the issues they are dealing with and shares the love of God with them. He has talked with the father several times trying to work through why he is abusing his wife and children and how the father can change his life.

Marvin Saul

Marvin continues to gain weight and is looking healthy. We pray that the work Leonel is doing with the family will lead them to Jesus and a safer home environment.

Honduran Customs

During the month of March there were several deaths in the churches in the mountains. Dona Vicenta was one person that we knew very well. Dona had been taken to the hospital several times throughout the years due to congestive heart failure. This time she did not make it to the hospital.

In Honduras when someone dies, the body must be buried within 24 hours, unless you have the money to embalm. The cost of embalming is not something that the mountain people can afford. Dona was brought to our house for Amy to pronounce her dead.

Having an all-night wake is very important to the people in the mountain. Dona’s wake was called within 30 minutes of her dying. It was interesting to help the families from the pronouncement of death to the burial. The men Toby has trained took charge of all the details. They arranged for her to be carried to the church for her wake, brought family members from the city and the mountain to the wake, prepared the grave site, and counseled the grieving family. They continue to work with the family through the grieving process.

It is a joy that we can see the men Toby has worked with step up to take the lead with their families and to continue to work to help their friends and family through difficult times.

Please send support to:

Merendon Mountain Mission

1435 Van Winkle Joplin, MO 64801

W ebsite: www . Merendon. net

Email: TobAmyHill@aol.com

Many thanks for your continued support and prayers!

Our Prayer Requests

*Leonel would obtain a visa to come to the US this summer. *Toby’s students would understand their Bible studies and be able to evangelize effectively. *That the students would boldly speak the truth in love. *Amy’s new residency would be completed.

*More support to be raised this summer. *God would open doors to visit new churches this summer who we can share the ministry. *All the details for furlough this summer would come together. *Our safety in Honduras. *Money for Sunday school material. *The San Antonio church wants to build a new church that has easier access.

Praises

*Amy received a temporary residency card until November 1. *Amy received her Honduran driver’s license. *Leonel received his Honduran passport. *A wonderful celebration of the San Antonio church 10th anni- versary.

*Don Antonio’s hand was quickly repaired after accident. *Sarah’s Spanish is improving. *Several people in the San Antonio church are planning on getting married.

*Toby has two new students.

Cassandra, Sarah and Jonathan
Jonathan turned 6 years old on December 29th and is in kindergarten. Jonathan loves to climb on anything, no matter what it is. He is very imaginative and can think of all sorts of situations for his men as they defeat the evil people climbing buildings or go- ing through obstacle courses. One of his favorite things to do is to wrestle with his daddy or cousin Ky. He enjoys the outdoors whether it is going to the soccer field or fixing our water line. His favorite game to play with the Hondurans is tag. Coco and Chocolate are his two Chocolate Labrador Retrievers.
Sarah is 7 years old and in 2nd grade. Anything that is feminine delights Sarah. Dressing up, putting on make-up, doing her nails and going shopping are some of her favor- ite things. With being girly, she loves butterflies, but she also likes to climb trees and ride her bike. Sarah absolutely adores baby animals. She has a bunny and a Cocker Spaniel. We currently have 7 puppies with which she loves to play.
Cassandra turned 11 years old on January 13th and is in 5th grade. She is turning into a beautiful young lady. Cassandra loves anything that is artistic whether making crafts or making up skits for her friends, siblings and herself to perform, which she does an excellent job with. Cassandra has made several pen pal friends. She enjoys keeping in touch with them. She just got her own email account which helps her keep in contact with her friends in the US. Cassandra has a bunny.
All of the kids love to play in water whether in the bathtub, at the pool or waterpark, or the beach. Daddy occasionally takes the kids hiking in the mountain which they all greatly enjoy. They also enjoy watching movies. All the kids are doing well in school. We are incredibly blessed with loving, affectionate, and wonderful kids.
Shipments and Financial Needs
Shipments: The mission will no longer be able to accept packages sent to us here in Honduras. Because of Honduran law, we are required to pay $2 per pound of the shipments, as well as a tax on the content. This tax could be up to 37%. We greatly appreciate the generosity and kindness of our supporters, but the cost to the mission is becoming too great.
We have recently received permission to have items sent from the U.S. to Honduras on a container with a fellow missionary. We have been able to have a shipment sent to us of things that we got on furlough but were not able to bring home in our luggage. We hope to only use this generosity once or twice a year, if at all.
Financial Needs: Although we cannot accept shipments, there are still several things that the mission is in need of. If you can help with any of these items, please send a check to Linda Weaver, 3705 Johnson Dr., Joplin, MO 64801. Your gifts are appreciated!
Battery for white SUV Gate Generator for office Books for Toby’s students Repairs on guest to make room for classes and to accommodate guests Fans
Ceramic tile for church floor Chairs for church
Our Prayer Requests
* Safety and protection. * Amy’s residency. * Wife for Leonel. * Degenerated disc in Toby’s back. * Families that are suffering from abuse. * Obtaining property for the church.
* Ministers
Praises
* Janet Hudson visiting to help with our children for 6 weeks. * The four couples that were recently married. * Church was painted and ceiling tiles up.
* Mr. and Mrs. Harry Hermann for the gift of chairs. * Garden City Church for providing food for the wedding. * Cornerstone Church for providing funds for a table and chairs for Toby’s students. * Port Orange Church and Forestdale Church for their Christmas gifts to our family. * Port Orange Church for providing additional funds for the clinic. * Various members of Marvin Saul’s family want to be baptized.
Please send support to:
Merendon Mountain Mission I/C Linda Weaver
3705 Johnson Drive Joplin, MO 64801
Website: www.Merendon.net
Email: TobAmyHill@aol.com
Many thanks for your continued support and prayers!

Jonathan turned 6 on December 29. He had a great time celebrating his birthday at Pizza Hut where there is a large play area that the kids really enjoy. Unfortunately, the day after his birthday he fell and broke his arm. He is healing quickly and had his cast removed on January 24.
Jonathan’s Birthday cake
Cassandra’s new birthday dress
• Amy has received a copy of her residency, which is a big praise. She submitted her copy to immigration so it could be sent to the capital to be in- scribed. The San Pedro Sula Immigration Department said that she should have the inscribed card back in a month. This should be the last step in com- pleting Amy’s residency.
• Amy’s mother bought the grandchildren a trampoline for Christmas. It has been great for building relationships. The people here in the mountain, even the adults, are hav- ing an awesome time playing on it.
Working on the new trampoline
Updates on the mission and clinic
• Toby’s students are busy harvesting coffee. Classes are not well attended during harvesting sea- son. Typically the harvest is over by the end of December. This year the harvest is lasting several weeks longer than we have ever experienced. The crop is very large and is worth more money than usual. The people working the harvest are making three times what they normally make in a season. For many the coffee harvest is the main source of income for their family for the year. Please pray that the students will return to class as soon as the harvest is over.
• There were a total of seven local kids and adults that attended The Central America CIY confer- ence in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Everyone had a wonderful time.
• We are very proud of the Penitas Arriba church. We have worked to make each church function independently. Toby’s role is to train Sunday School teachers, leaders, and ministers to make the church stronger and more effective. The leadership of the Penitas Arriba church is taking ownership of the church and starting to function as a New Testament Church. The church is financially helping those in need. They are starting to make the needed repairs to the church with their own money. This is a huge step for the church.
• Fergie first visited the clinic when she was two months old. She weighed only 5 lbs. The clinic has been providing milk for her for the last year. Fergie recently returned to the clinic. She is now 13 months old and weighs 17 lbs. She looks very healthy and happy. It was great to be able to tell the family that she no longer needed the clinics assistance with milk.
Dona Julia is a founding member of the Penitas Arriba church. She came to the clinic with a blood pressure of 286/86, the highest blood pressure ever treated at the clinic in the past14 years. Toby rushed her to the hospital for additional treatment. She is currently staying with her son until her blood pressure is controlled.
A note from Janet
Just before Christmas, Janet Hudson came from Mooresville, IN to spend six weeks with us. She was a blessing in helping with schooling and shared lots of encouragement with our family.
Below she shares her thoughts about the mission:
Toby is really establishing a New Testament Church, and training the locals to be ca- pable leaders and preachers in this country. I really believe that they have the concept of starting God’s church and equipping the locals to establish and carry on the Lord’s church. It is wonderful to see God working and what HE can accomplish when the New Testament is taught to a people.
What a joy to see Amy (a nurse) doing a wonderful ministry in the clinic here. She is desperately needed and busy with her work there.
The effort here is not without much dedication and trial on the part of the missionaries-but that is not what I hear about nor the focus of the work here. So much is being accomplished and is worth every effort, prayer, and dollar we can put into helping it go forward.
Janet is returning home in early February. She will be greatly missed by our family. Our hope is that she will be able to return later this year. The work that she did for our family is greatly appreciated.
Our Prayer Requests
* Safety and protection. * Amy will soon receive her residency. * Wife for Leonel. * The Lord would give wisdom and insight to the leaders of the San Antonio church. * San Antonio church as they experience heavy spiritual attack. * Jonathan’s arm to continue to heal, and his speech would improve.
Praises
* Jonathan’s arm is healing well. * Penitas church is taking ownership of their church. * Amy’s residency awaiting last step. * Fergie no longer needs milk assistance. * Dona Julia’s blood pressure is doing better. * Kyler Reynolds and Janet Hudson’s work here. * Penitas church was filled for New Year’s Eve service.
Please send support to:
Merendon Mountain Mission I/C Linda Weaver
3705 Johnson Drive Joplin, MO 64801
Website: www.Merendon.net
Email: TobAmyHill@aol.com
Many thanks for your continued support and prayers!

Soccer is the main sport of Honduras. While many Hondurans spend a lot of time watching or playing the sport, very few have ever been trained in the techniques or drilled in the basics of the game.
Honduras was recently in the 2012 World Cup for the first time in 25 years. Hondu- ras could be a much bigger contender in professional soccer if they trained their youth in the technical skills of soccer.
April 2012
Jesse, Riley and Troy
We were excited to recently have Riley Morgan, Troy Smith and Jes- se Smith visit with us for a week from Indiana to conduct a soccer camp. They spent the week training the students from two local elementary and high schools in soccer techniques and drills. At the end of the week there was a tournament in the mountain, and other schools were invited to play. There was a noticeable improvement in
Running drills at soccer camp
the players from the soccer camp. The two schools that were part of the soc- cer camp took first and second place in the tournament.
While Riley, Troy and Jesse were here they also had a youth night. The youth had a great time playing on the trampoline and playing games. The guys formed some great relationships and did an excellent job! We are proud of the work they did here.
Kids attending soccer camp
Updates on the mission and clinic
• We are so excited that the Penitas church is starting to mentor the younger women in the church. One of the young ladies is Yaneri Rodriguez, who got married as soon as she turned 16 years old. Yaneri comes from a very bad family. Julia is slowly taking her through the book of Prov- erbs sharing God’s wisdom and will for our lives. Please pray for Yaneri that she can grow in her faith and in wisdom.
• We recently had a pizza party for Toby’s students. They had a great time watching movies, playing on the trampoline and eating pizza. Toby told his students that he would like to send them to Colegio Biblico, if they work to get their high school diploma. Three of his students are now work- ing hard toward that goal. Toby is currently teaching the books of Acts and 1 & 2 Corinthians.
• We were blessed to have a medical brigade come to the mountain. We are grateful to the Ruth Paz foundation for allowing the brigade to work with us. We were able to see over 300 pa- tients. One lady had a serious hernia that needed immediate surgery. She is at home recovering. Another little toddler touched a hot motorcycle receiving 2nd degree burns. He received treatment from the doctors. Ariel, the son of the minister from the Penitas church, had been diagnosed with needing brain surgery. A Neurosurgeon from the brigade was able to look at a CT scan we recently had done on Ariel and diagnosed the problem. Ariel will now not need surgery.
• Amy had a one month old, full term baby come to the clinic weighing 4 lbs. The mother was only feeding him rice water. The baby’s skin was starting to break down and become infected due to malnutrition. Please pray for this baby.
• Another one of our boy patients fell off the steps at his house and rammed a stick through his eye pushing the eye out of the socket. We were able to get the boy transportation to the hospi- tal. The doctors said he will be fine and will not lose his eye or his sight. What a blessing!
Amy’s residency
After 4 years of many set backs and legal work, Amy finally has her permanent Honduran residency! Residency in Honduras is very important. Each person is required to keep their residen- cy card on them at all times. At any time, the Honduran police can ask to see your residency card. To use any type of credit card or do business you are required to show your residency card. Also, you cannot get a Driver’s License with out a Residency Card.
Honduran law requires that if you do not have a Residency Card that you leave the country each month for a specific amount of time and then re-enter the country. Amy had a special paper from the Honduran government that gave her permission to stay in the country, but the paper had to be renewed each month.
The main problem throughout this process was that Amy’s first residency (according to the old law) was under her maiden name. The new Honduran law states that your residency and pass- port must match in names. Due to the coup there have been, and continue to be, many changes in the government. There was a lot of confusion with the government on how to go through the legal process to change the residency status from Amy’s maiden name to her married name.
After a long process with the Honduran government, Amy received her Residency Card last month. Thank you for your continued prayers during this process. We are so thankful that the pro- cess is over and everything is now legal.
Our Prayer Requests
* Safety, protection and provision. * Toby’s Spanish. * Wife for Leonel. * Jonathan’s speech to improve.
* Malnourished baby. * Yaneri’s discipleship.
Praises
* Amy’s residency is complete. * Medical brigade was able to see approximately 300 patients. * Medical brigade was able to leave the mission a large supply of medication for clinic. * Ariel does not need surgery and should lead a normal life. * There have been three baptisms since the beginning of the year.
Mission cnd clinic needs
* Funds to repair white truck ($1500). * Chairs for the Penitas Church. * Two pianos, one for each of the churches. * Fans for the church as it is very hot in the building most of the year. *Fetoscope, Litman Stethoscope, and new blood pressure cuff. *Books in Spanish.
Please send support to:
Merendon Mountain Mission I/C Linda Weaver
3705 Johnson Drive Joplin, MO 64801
Website: www.Merendon.net
Email: TobAmyHill@aol.com
Many thanks for your continued support and prayers!

Misson Work
•Toby’s classes: A month ago, Toby had several new students start coming to classes. Many of the students are not Christians, or are new Christians, so Toby decided to start a new class with them that teach- es what the Bible says about itself. Since Toby has students with a wide range of beliefs, this class brings up many great discussions. Whenever a student has a question about something, Toby takes them through Scripture to see what the Bible says about that subject. The students are continually amazed that answers to their questions are in the Bible. Please pray for the students that are contemplating baptism.
•New church work: Five months ago, a family from our church had move to another city. They have been searching for a new church, but could not find one that is preaching the Word. The couple asked Toby to come to their town to teach and give communion. A couple weeks ago, Toby and Henry, the Penitas Arriba minister, visited the area. The people were very friendly. The host family killed one of their chickens to pro- vide a nice meal for Toby and Henry. Toby has been going every Sunday with a group of people from the mountain to teach and share communion with the people. Please pray for this new work.
•Leonel teaching: San Pedro Sula, Honduras, now has more deaths than any other city in the world. This statistic is largely due to gang activity and illegal drug trade. Children are drawn into the life of gangs and drugs at a very young age. This has been a concern of the mission for some time and we have been looking for a way that we could work to enable children to resist being drawn into gangs and drug activity.
The parents in our community are realizing that their children need to learn the ba- sics of good character to be able to stand up against those trying to entice them into lives that will lead to destruction. Leonel, one of the ministers with the mission, has met with the teachers and parents to discuss what the parents most want their children to learn, and what would be the most beneficial for the children. We were then able to get material that met those needs for Leonel to use to teach the children. Leonel is currently teaching in the local schools three times per week. We are excited that the parents saw a need and a way to fulfill it. We pray this training will help the children and parents see the difference that a life of good character can make.
Leonel teaching in a local school
Hill family news
•April 21 – 26 is a special time for the Hill family every year. We celebrated Sarah’s 8th birthday on April 21 and Amy birthday on April 23.This year we celebrated 10 years of bringing Cassandra home on April 26. We were told that each one of our children were an
impossibility to have. Cassandra adoption was a long battle and we thought we would not get the adoption process finalized. We were told there was no possibil- ity that Amy could get pregnant. When we had Sarah we were told that it was a miracle and that it was impossible for her to get pregnant again. Two years later we had. God has blessed us tremendously with our family.
Cassandra
Sarah
•Several years ago we had a membership to a gym that had a wonderful Olympic sized swimming pool. We used the pool frequently, until there was a sewage leak into the pool. Amy got a infection from the pool and had battled sinus and bronchial issues for several years. Amy has recently had an infection that has not responded to treatment. She has been through many tests and treatments, to no avail. Currently she has bronchitis that has taken a toll on her body. For three days she was borderline of being admitted to the hospital. Although she is starting to feel better, the infection seems to return frequently. Please pray that she will be cured of this infection and regain her strength.
Clinic news
Last week, a baby came into the clinic. The mother was very worried because the baby had a fever and wasn’t eating. When we unwrapped the baby from the snug blanket she was wrapped in, she was a concerning shade yellow. Toby rushed the baby to the hospital where she got immediate attention. We found out the baby has a heart murmur, severe anemia, and hepatitis. Please keep her in your prayers.
A month ago there was an accident when a truck fell over on a mountain road. The man riding in the back of the truck was thrown out, taking off several layers of skin. The man came in the clinic 35 days after the accident and the skin still looked very serious. Amy cleaned up the wound and gave instructions on how to keep it clean, which is difficult with all the dust we have in the mountain. She also gave him some antibiotics to fight the infection.
Another man came to the clinic with a chemical irritation/burn. He was spraying the fields when a strong wind blew the poison back on him. He was in quite a bit of pain. A recent study came out that many men who work the fields in surrounding countries are dying from the poisonous spray used on the fields and from dehydration. Amy is working to teach the men what to do to prevent this from happening to them.
Mt. Gilead Church visiting
We are excited that Toby’s home church, Mt. Gilead Christian Church, will be coming to Honduras to work with the mission in May. The group will be bringing several people, including a medical doctor and a nurse. With their help, we will be able to conduct 3 to 4 medical clinics in various places in the mountain area. They will also be working on some much needed updating to the church building. New electrical work and fix- ing the bathrooms so they are functional will be top on the priority list. Leonel is building a home in the moun- tains and could use some help, also.
The Mt. Gilead group will also be conducting a couple Vacation Bible School sessions while here. This is a favorite of the children here, and we are looking forward to how God uses them in the lives of the local people.
Please pray for safe travel and God to be glorified with the work that that Mt. Gilead does here.
Please send support to:
Merendon Mountain Mission
1435 Van Winkle Joplin, MO 64801
Website: www.Merendon.net
Email: TobAmyHill@aol.com
Many thanks for your continued support and prayers!
Our Prayer Requests
* Safety, protection and provision. * God would take away the infection that Amy has had for sev- eral years . * New church work in La Lima. * For those who are making decisions to be baptized . * Leonel as he prepares and teaches character in local schools. * Mt. Gilead Church as they prepare to bring down a mission team.
Praises
* Sarah’s 8th birthday and Cassandra’s 10th Gotcha Day . * Leonel is allowed to teach character in the local schools . * New church work in La Lima has been well received. * Toby is starting new class.
* Mt. Gilead Church bringing mission team. * Recent baptism.
Mission and clinic needs
* Blood pressure cuffs * Blood sugar monitor * Sutures/blades/suture kits * Fans for the churches *Fetoscope *Books in Spanish

Mt. Gilead team visit
We were blessed by the recent visit of a team of seven people from Mt. Gilead Church in Mooresville, In. We enjoyed having each all of them and appreciate the love they showed to our family and the mountain people. Along with being a great encouragement to us personally, they also completed a tremendous amount of work at the church and clinic.
At the clinic, the group installed ceiling tiles in some of the classrooms, installed a new sink cabinet, and other various improvements. Dave Burns fixed the electricity in our home and the clinic, which is a great help for us on a daily basis.
June 2012
Mt. Gilead group photo
At the church, the group painted two rooms and built a cement walkway from the church entrance to the bathrooms. This has been so nice to have.
We made two different home visits where Byron Hoogwerf’s experiences as a cardiologist were inval- uable. Both patients he visited suffer from congestive heart failure, and Byron knew exactly what medications would best help their issues.
When we returned from the home visits, a man named Jaime was waiting on our doorstep. He had walked for two hours in order to receive medical help. He had almost completely severed three fingers on his
Byron treating a patient
dominant hand, and he was losing a lot of blood. Byron handled the emergency flawlessly. In fact, he literally took the shirt off of his back and wrapped Jaime’s hand tightly in order to stop the bleeding. The decision was made to take Jaime to a hospital in San Pedro. A plas- tic surgeon mended Jaime’s fingers, nerves, tendons, and bones. The surgery was so suc- cessful, that as long as he doesn’t use the hand for three months, Jaime will regain full use.
Another blessing is that generous donors have offered to fully pay for Jaime’s treatment. We are praising God for saving Jaime’s hand.
In addition to the home visits, we conducted two mobile clinics in the mountain where we treated over 600 patients. The group also organized and conducted
VBS programs at two locations, which were a big success. Dave Thurman, minister at Mt. Gilead, taught and preached to Toby’s students.
For years Dave Burns has provided books and Bibles for students that have memo- rized James 1. This has been a great blessing for to our ministry and the students that have worked so hard. The church presented Dave with a certificate of appreciation.
Man with injured hand
Thank you to Dave Thurman, Dave Burns, Link Demott, Jeff & Kim Thomas, Byron Hoogwerf and An- gela Riggio for your kindness, compassion, and hard work! Your visit to us was great.
Mission work
Leonel continues to teach character classes in the local schools and homes. He has recently taught on how to obey God’s Word and how to be attentive to their actions in all areas of their lives. The children are enjoying the classes and have been disappointed if Leonel is not able to come to a schedule class.
Cassandra has also been busy working with children in the mountain, and learning about the im- portance of a good education. She writes:
The schools here do not teach much information. The children at church cannot read, write, or do arithmetic. On Tuesdays, I teach the kids what they need to know. I help them with writing and reading. I do a little math with them every Tuesday. I am helping them form their letters better, make spaces between the words, and capitalize the beginning of a sentence, names, and places. They finish elementary at sixth grade, and then they start high school. The teenagers do not know information that third graders know in the United States. I am enjoying helping my friends learn things that will help them have better lives.
Clinic news
The clinic has been very busy recently. I saw a child in respiratory distress who went to the hospital, but was not admitted. The mother brought the child back to me and asked me to take care of him. His sister was really sick as well, but she was not in crisis. Because they have no electricity in their home, the children will stayedat the clinic for five days so they could be nebulized at regular intervals.
Other cases have included a sixteen year-old female who came in with complications from a miscar- riage who I referred to the hospital to get an ultrasound, a girl who came in with an abscess that had to be drained and a man had to have his ear cleaned out.
There are many people needing medical care in the mountains. The majority of the patients that I see are without other medical help, or the means to pay for medical treatment. The government hospitals will see people, but sometimes it takes six months to a year to get an appointment due to the large volumes of people they see. The government hospitals charge a fraction of the cost, but sometimes the people still can’t afford treatment. The mission has all along paid for the worst cases that need immediate attention, but due to the economic crisis in the US, and escalating costs of living in Honduras, the mission can no longer afford to help people pay for surgeries. We can refer them for care and negotiate a lower price, but most families can not even afford the reduced prices.
There are several specific needs where the mountain people could use your help. The most con- cerning case right now is a little girl that has problems with her electrical system, which is impairing the function of her brain. Even though she is taking anti-seizure medications, she is still suffering from repeated seizures. The condition is so severe that she is unable to eat solid foods, so she must rely on Pediasure and baby formula to maintain adequate nutrition. The cost of her nutritional needs are a full week’s wages for the family. If you are able to help this family, $30 per week would proved the nutrition she needs. This would be a huge blessing for her family.
Another pressing need is a little boy who needs surgery to have his tonsils removed. This is the worst case I have personally seen of severely enlarged tonsils. They are so enlarged that he has difficulty eating, and he can’t sleep. If you are able to help with the financial cost of this surgery, this little boy’s physi- cal life could be greatly improved.
Prayer Requests
* Safety and security. * Group meeting in La Lima, and the students there. * Children that are learning about character. * Cassandra’s teeth that need to fall out on their own. * Toby as he teaches and trains more students in leadership. * Finding a surgeon to do a tonsillectomy at an affordable price. * Jaime’s hand would completely heal and he will have full use of it. * Our water situation will be fixed.
Praises
* Mt. Gilead group was a tremendous blessing. * Nelson’s neck is ok and healing. * Jaime and Geraldo’s hand injuries are healing. * Visiting medical team able to see approximately 600 patients. * Cassandra’s teaching with the kids at church is going well.
* Character lessons that Leonel is leading are going great. * School year is completed for the Hill household. * Were able to find inexpensive parts to repair Land Rover.
Mission and clinic needs
* Funds to purchase chairs for the churches. * Funds to purchase fans for the churches. * Funds to assist the girl who is having seizures and the boy who needs surgery.
Please send support to:
Merendon Mountain Mission
1435 Van Winkle Joplin, MO 64801
Website: www.Merendon.net
Email: TobAmyHill@aol.com
Many thanks for your continued support and prayers!

Starratt Road Christian Church visit
Earlier this month, we had a group from Starratt Road Christian Church visit to work with the mission for a week. The group of Claire Dore, James Albritton, and Meagan Freeze were a huge help and encouragement to us.
The mountain children had the week off from school, and there were five different
VBS programs being conducted in the mountain. The group helped with games and crafts at
each VBS. All of the kids really enjoyed the special attention. Helping with
The group also spent time painting a two rooms at the church, putting up some much needed ceiling tile, and other various jobs around the church.
We are thankful to each of them for being such a blessing to us and the mountain people.
A note about sending packages
crafts at VBS
Family happenings
• Celebrating Toby’s birthday Toby celebrated his birthday July 5, and his students wanted to have a surprise party for him. Our
kids have missed the tradition of going to the family cabin in the states to roast hot dogs and marshmallows, and celebrate the 4th of July. We decided to have a surprise party for Toby by having an Independence Day celebration, and introducing the students to our American traditions.
Our kids taught everyone how to roast hotdogs and marshmallows over the fire, and how to make s’mores. Leonel taught campfire songs and games. The students had fun learning our American traditions and have asked us to do it again sometime. Toby was very surprised by the party, and had a great time cele- brating his birthday with family and friends. •Security issues
Safety and security are becoming more of an issue in Honduras. Our children have felt the restrictions from the changes we have had to make in their lives. They cannot play outside unattended, and cannot go off of our property. •Sports camp
Because of the limitations to the kids’ activities, we decided to enroll them in a sports camp to allow them to learn new skills, play with other kids, and get some exercise. Cassandra, Sarah, and Jonathan were thrilled with camp. They attended each morning for a month. They had instruction in swimming, karate, soccer, basketball, crafts, and dance. They each made new friends and had a great time. •Sarah’s baptism
Jonathan with a new friend
Cassandra spending time with friends
We are so excited to share with you that our daughter, Sarah, was baptized July 10. Toby has been teaching her what it means to be a Chris-
tian, and through many discussions she has developed an understanding of salvation. Toby baptized her at the gym where the kids participated in sports camp. It was great to have our staff there, which are our Honduran family. Her swim instructor and some campers were there to witness, as well. It was an exciting day for our family.
Toby baptizing Sarah
We greatly appreciate the generosity of those that want to send us packages. Due to Honduran fees on packages we receive, we ask that you contact us before sending anything. The Honduran fee is $2.65 per pound, plus an additional 17-38% tax on the value of the items. The mission does not have the funds to cover the high cost of receiving packages. Thank you again for your generosity to our family, and understanding our position.
Mission news
One of the mountain ministers has taken a job in the city. He can no longer preach for a group of peo- ple meeting together in Las Cruces. He has asked Toby and Leonel to take over for him. Leonel will be lead- ing the services since Toby teaches classes at the same time.
A minister in La Virtud, Manuel, has asked us to help him with the youth. Toby and Leonel are work- ing with Manuel to see how they can assist him.
Toby has been going to La Lima for the last several months to lead a church service. A man that has been attending the service was baptized on July 9. It was wonderful to witness this man giving his life to God. Two other people in the church have asked to be baptized.
While the Starratt Road Christian Church group was here, we went to five differ- ent villages to conduct VBS programs. Each of these villages have asked Leonel to come back to their schools and teach character lessons. This is a great opportunity to get into the local schools to introduce the children to the Bible. We are thankful that this door has been open to us.
Toby has been looking for a way to help ministers become self-supporting so they can devote time to starting new churches, without having to also have one or more full time jobs. He has recently been learning about aguaponics, a way to grow a large number of vegetables in a small area. Toby, Leonel, and Enrique have been building an aguaponic on our property in hopes that it will be a success. The startup cost of another aguaponic would be $600, and a minister could continue it without additional financial assistance. An aguaphonic would provide ongoing food for a minister and his family. If this is a success, it will enable us to send out men to start new churches.
The mission recently purchased hair clippers for a woman whose husband has abandoned her and their children. She is known in our area for doing a great job with men’s hair. This small purchase will enable her to provide for her family.
Toby and Leonel working on the aquaponic on our property
Prayer Requests
* Safety, protection, and provision for the mission and staff. * Work in La Lima, Las Cruces, and La Virtud . * Leonel would find a wife. * Leonel as he begins preaching for a group in Las Cruces. * Jonathan’s speech would improve.
* Aguaponics will be a success. * Amy’s health would improve.
Praises
* Sarah was baptized. * Claire Dore, James Albritton, and Meagan Freeze from Starratt Road, and the work they did here in the mountain. * Successful VBS programs. * Jaime’s hand is healing well. * Character classes and new work in Las Cruces going well. * Leonel is able to teach character classes in 5 schools. * Toby’s surprise birthday party was a great success. * Hill children enjoyed a sports camp. * Man baptized in La Lima. * Leonel’s roof is about ready to be put on his home. * Leonel’s motorcycle is being repaired. * Youth group going well in Penitas.
Mission and clinic needs
* Funds to purchase chairs for the churches. * Funds to purchase fans for the churches. * Funds to purchase tile for the churches. * Funds for a Fetoscope.
Please send support to:
Merendon Mountain Mission
1435 Van Winkle Joplin, MO 64801
Website: www.Merendon.net
Email: TobAmyHill@aol.com
Many thanks for your continued support and prayers!

Dear friends and family of Merendon Mountain Mission, By now, many of you know we have had to unexpectedly travel the US. A few weeks ago, Amy had to
go to the emergency room in Honduras for asthma related respiratory distress. On the advice of doctors, our family left Honduras immediately due to Amy’s health.
Amy’s health problems began four years ago when she went swimming in a public pool that had a leak from the city sewer, and developed an infection. The infection can be treated, but has never been com- pletely eradicated, and it has slowly weakened her lungs. Several years ago, in an effort to get rid of the in- fection, Amy’s ENT prescribed very strong antibiotic injections, which caused her to go into anaphylactic shock. Because of that reaction, Amy now has to take Prednisone, an oral steroid, whenever she takes anti- biotics, to prevent an allergic reaction from happening. Because of the allergy to many antibiotics, there are very few options when Amy needs treatment. Honduras has been experiencing a unusual rainy season. This wet, humid environment aggravates her on-going respiratory issues. For the last three months, Amy has been on antibiotics, Prednisone, and nebulizing treatments, but has not gotten any better. This culminated a few weeks ago when Amy went into respiratory distress and was admitted to the hospital.
The doctors in Honduras advised Amy to travel to the states immediately to aviod the humid, rainy weather in the mountains. Her doctors feel that it is best for her health to remain in a climate controlled envi- ronment, which is just not feasible in Honduras where electricity is lost almost daily. After much discussion with the doctors, Toby and Amy decided it would be best to follow the medical advice and go to the US for six months until the rainy season in the mountains is over.
We are so grateful for our staff in Honduras. While Amy was in the hospital, the staff took care of our children and home. They helped the children pack for our lengthy trip to the US. The love and care they showed to us was incredible. Without them, we could not have prepared for the trip to the US in two days.
We have never had such an extended amount of time in the US. We feel that God has provided the opportunity for our family to experience a typical American life for these months. When we have visited the US in the past, it has been to visit supporters. We usually visit 20 to 25 churches in three months which re- sults in a lot of traveling. During this, we will be living in one place for an extended period of time. With this unique opportunity, we have encouraged the girls to become involved in playing Bible Bowl, which we are all very excited about. We hope to get them involved in a homeschool group, as well. We also hope to involve the kids in other recreational lessons that are not possible as part of our lives in Honduras. Just being able to safely be out after dark will open up a whole new world to our family.
One of the things that has concerned us most was the decision to homeschool Jonathan or take the opportunity of being in the US and enroll him in public school. Jonathan has some speech issues that make it hard to understand him in conversation. Because of this, we decided that it would be best to put him in school where he can receive speech therapy. In San Pedro Sula, there is only one therapist that provides speech therapy in English and her therapy sessions are completely filled and very expensive. The speech therapist at the elementary school has been a wonderful blessing. She plans to give him as much therapy as possible and she will provide us with instruction and material to continue his therapy when we return to Honduras. We are very grateful for his speech therapist and very happy that that his kindergarten teacher is from Mt. Gilead.
Our plan is for our family to return to Honduras in February, once the rainy season has ended and the weather will not complicate Amy’s recovery. Toby hopes to go back to Honduras once or twice during our stay here to keep tabs on the mission, clinic and our home.
Once we return to Honduras, we will be looking for new ministry opportunities in another part of Hon- duras. We love the Honduran people and want to continue to minister in the country. We would also like to maintain our residency in Honduras, without the time and expense involved in setting up residency in another country. We need to find a place in Honduras that has a climate more conducive to Amy’s health. There are many areas in Honduras that need to hear the gospel and need a health care clinic. We have been in talks
with government officials who are assisting us to find a new place to minister. Please join us in praying that God would open doors to the opportunities in Honduras.
Our family was blessed to stay with Toby’s parents when we traveled to the US with such short no- tice. Dave and Caroljo Burns have generously offered to allow us to use their home in Mooresville, In, for the remainder of our stay. We recently moved into their home and are thankful for their generosity in the use of their home, and also a vehicle to drive.
The work at the mission will continue in our absence. Please be praying for Leonel as he takes over the work that Toby was doing in the mountains. He will continue to teach character classes at five schools, along with working with two new church plants, as well as the Penitas Arriba Church. Anabel will give medi- cation to the established clinic patients with chronic health conditions that Amy has been treating.
Although this has been a stressful transition for us, we are blessed to have the love and support of all of you. We will continue to have monthly financial responsibilities in Honduras, in addition to $500 in monthly utilities while in the US. We also have the unexpected cost of traveling expenses. We are so thankful for your support during this time, and appreciate your financial support more than ever with all our additional expens- es. We continue to give God the glory for all he has provided for us.
With love, Toby, Amy, Cassandra, Sarah and Jonathan
Partner with Forest Dale to help with travel expenses
To help pay off the $2500 in air fare charges that we incurred with our recent unexpected travel, For- est Dale Christian Church has offered to match dollar-for-dollar any contributions raised between now and the end of 2012. For each dollar that we are able to raise, Forest Dale will match that contribution, up to a total of $1250. We are grateful for this generous gift, and feel blessed by Forest Dale.
If you can help with contributions, please send to the address below and be sure to mark that the funds are specifically for travel expenses.
Thank you to those that can help, and thank you Forest Dale!
Please send support to:
Merendon Mountain Mission
1435 Van Winkle Joplin, MO 64801
Website: www.Merendon.net
Email: TobAmyHill@aol.com
Prayer Requests
* Amy’s health would be completely restored. * Amy’s infection will be identified and able to be treated. * Jonathan’s speech would improve with daily school therapy. * Our family adjusting to sudden change in culture. * God’s wisdom and guidance over the next few months. * Leonel’s workload that has significantly increased. * God would show us where to begin new work in Honduras.
Praises
* Amy was able to get to the hospital for treatment. * Excellent care Amy received in hospital. * Jonathan able to have daily speech therapy at school. * David and Caroljo Burns allowing us to use their home and vehicle while we are in the US. * Our staff in Honduras, who took care of our children and packed our things so we could leave Honduras on short notice. * Amy is regaining strength and beginning to feel better. * Forest Dale matching funds for travel expenses.
Mission and clinic needs
* $2,500 for plane tickets for our family to travel to the US. * Funds for new transmission for vehicle in Honduras. * $500 for additional monthly utilities while in the US.
Many thanks for your continued support and prayers!

Click here to check out the lastest from Merendon Mountain Mission.

Prayer requests

• God’s protection and provision for the mission.
• A Godly wife for Leonel.
• Our nephew preparing to visit in March to learn about missionary work.
• Wisdom for Toby as he prepares to mentor his nephew in mission work.
• San Antonio church as they prepare for 10 year anniversary celebration.
• Bible students as they learn and grow in Christ.
• Amy’s residency process to be completed.
• Leonel would be able to obtain his Honduran passport and a Visa to travel to the U.S.
• Marvin Saul’s abusive home would become peaceful.
• Our upcoming furlough plans.

Praises

• Johnny and Dilcia were married after several years of living together.
• Mission’s white SUV was repaired and can now be used.
• Lexington Church providing a tremendous love offering.
• Teaching material provided by George Faull.
• Mauricio, one of our ministers, was married.
• Anabel’s sister Iris was baptized.
• The clinic was able to give 33 women pap smears.
• We have been provided housing and a vehicle while on furlough.