Note from Amy's dad:  since returning from Honduras April 26 I haven't had
time to post this e-mail. A May newsletter will follow in a day or two.

Dear family and friends,

We are at the beginning process of adoption and requesting a newborn baby girl. With the system here the baby could be as old as 9 months. Our lawyer tells us we should have a baby by December. All the papers are in.  Our lawyer took them to Tegucigalpa to five different ministries that have to authenticate the documents. Pray for us, as this is a very trying process in a third world country.  At the same time we are doing property title transfers and pushing the paper work for a Honduras nursing license.

One day when we were at the lawyers office one of things we learned we needed to adopt was owning property.  Since then we have been given the property. Madonna Burgett Spratt and husband John just gave us title.  Toby's dad, Keith Hill, and Lon Milburne plan to come this summer to help us with providing a room for our new family member. An inspection will be made of our home and thought they wouldn't insist on a separate room for a Honduran adopting they likely will with us.

May 18-26 we will host our first medical group. We will take our team to La Union, Las Brisas and Penitas. We hope to see 1000 patients during that week. Pray with us that the people will be open to evangelism taking place during the brigade and that we will be up to seeing all the patients.

In June, Josh Dunham, a college student from Missouri who is studying nursing, will come to learn what it is like to be a medical missionary and whether he wants to do that work in his future.  He will be with us for two months.

Amy is working on receiving a Honduran nursing license. She will then practice more freely without concern that the government could close everything down without notice. The authentication process for this is nearing completion. Pray with us that things will go smoothly.  The doctors we work with are delighted with this development and have asked that Amy consider teaching in the nursing schools here as time is available. (When
would that be?)

We have had four baptisms recently and Yami's husband Martin Diaz was among them. Thirty people came to watch the baptisms, and we found many feared a person would be drowned in such a thing.  Some of the people in La Union prepared a baptismal pool/ swimming area in the Rio Frio River for such occasions.

March 8th we had our first church wedding.  The couple had really been married for 60 years, but Amable's parents wanted to be an example to the community and the service was conducted by former minister here Amable Rivera. Yami is now moved to La Union where her husband has a farm. They are quite happy to be together particularly Sucelli who likes to be with her dad, Martin. We have had monthly clinics in Martin's home village for three years and now there is a permanent clinic.  Coffee crops are worthless and the people are hurting financially so have the clinic more local helps in that way as people have to pay to ride.

We have been offered three and a half acres with a two story spacious house in La Union, and it is available for $6000.  It would be perfect for clinic and church activities. Yami and Martin could live in the house also.   Martin's uncle Don Hencho provides a place in his house for the clinic, but it would be nice if we could expand a bit and have a location where we could house future short term mission teams.

A rooster in the village caught a young boy off guard and spurred him cutting a gash from the mouth nearly to the ear.  No anesthesia in the village so the brave young boy was stitched up by Yami. No whimper or cry the whole time.  We now have anesthesia in La Union. Dad brought down a truck and candy for him.

During a break usual here the week before Easter, Amy wrote a paper for credits at Cincinnati Bible College and for Nursing certification.  We attended a SPLICE training program while home last fall and the paper related to that experience.

Yami was really busy during this week too, with pneumonia patients, the boy who was spurred, training her new assistant Iris, and a little girl cut off the tip of a finger.  April 20 and 21 we had 10 doctors from the city with a brigade.  We took our place in the process.  Yami saw 140 patients needing worm medicine.  In all over 1000 people came for medical care in the two days at Tomala. We saw an eight month old boy whose genitals were not formed.  After much consultation we hope to have him receive corrective surgery in the States.

A few weeks ago Toby brought eight men from his Bible study group in La Union to attend a worship service at Penitas Arriba, our base.  The guys stayed up visiting until 11 PM. Sunday after church one of our ladies had a nice lunch for them.  Beans and tortillas with rice... and then they went on up to La Union for the regular Sunday Study time.  It was a great time for fellowship and relationship building.

We had a Monday through Wednesday revival in the week before dad came. An evangelist from Guatemala did a great job. Around 300 people attended each night.
People from the Gonzales Church (a LIFELINE work in the city) led music.  The church people were delighted they did all the preparation themselves and it all went so smoothly.  The Penitas church has come a long way.  Incredible!

We have had a number of children with very high temps and in some cases we decided to take them to the Ocotillo clinic northeast of San Pedro Sula where Drs. Gustavo and Eloisa Garcia work.  It seem we had done what was needed and the babies are doing quite well now.

Dad's visit was to see a week's work in the Merendons. Normal days are not available, so he tried to observe both Toby's work and the clinic work.  A very busy week April 19-26. No touristy things, just a "bug on the wall" observation. He was very very impressed.  A part of the purpose of the visit was to celebrate Amy's 28th birthday.  
Monday evening was gift giving.  Mom sent a dress, dad a Minolta camera, Beth
a dress and Toby and dad found a Cocker Spaniel puppy in the city.  Amy had Cocker Spaniels in the house most of her years growing up and has wanted one for some time. Ebony is a black three month old cuddler who is on my lap as I type this letter at home.

I realize this letter is quite long, but it is hard to condense it will all that has gone on. Thank you for your continued interest.

God bless,   Toby and Amy Hill