Dear friends and family,                               

    We have been really busy lately with visitors and friends coming to stay
with us.  Josh Dunham has been interning with us and will continue to be with
us until August 16th.   He has been learning a lot in the clinic working with
me as well as learning from being with Toby in his work.  We have really
appreciated Josh's great attitude and his willingness to do whatever.  A week
after we returned from the States after my surgery, Sam Ogdon came to visit. 
It was perfect timing.  The guys were able to get a lot of work done on the
house.  From Sunday until today, we entertained missionary Johnny Orr's son
and two of his friends.  They came to see the medical work here in the
Merendons.  They worked at the clinic with me Monday and Wednesday.  They
also went out with me to Madonna Spratt's clinics where I am seeing patients
every two weeks while she is home on furlough.  On August 28th Toby's dad
Keith and his friend Lon will come to the house to do a lot of finish work  
and detail work on the house.

    Many of you may know that we are having to remodel the house for when
Cassandra comes.  Toby has been really busy with national workers getting the
house ready.  We know have Cassandra's room set up in the old office.  The
new office more or less set up where there used to be the porch. Toby's old
tool storage area is where our new walk in closet is being finished. It will
also be a secure area to lock things up when we are away.  The front part of
the porch will be an extended living room from our old bedroom. Here we will
be able to invite nationals in and not have to worry about them casing the
house for thieves in the area.  My laundry area/storage room has been
lightened by ceiling tile and white calk (we will paint it soon).  Our new
room, which used to be the dining/family area still needs to be walled off to
create the new dining room and our bedroom. 

    Toby's discipleship groups have been going well.  The people are really
paying attention to what the Bible says.  They are reading their Bibles and
memorizing verses.  Toby has been really encouraged by his discipleship
group's increased desire to know the Bible.  In April, we worked with
Lifeline's doctors at a medical brigade in Tomala.  They have started
evangelizing the area which is five miles or so from La Union.  Herman, the
minister with Ebenezer Church of Christ has praised Toby for all his hard
work in the area saying that Toby has opened hearts which has made people
receptive to the gospel and that they are reaping the benefits.

    The clinic work is going well.  I have taken a little 4 year old boy to
the heart doctor several times.  Although he has a murmur it is not serious
and will not cause him any problems.  Currently I am working on arranging
surgery for two cleft palate cases.  One is a little two month old baby who
needs surgery for the first time.  The second is a teenager who needs surgery
for the final stages of repair.  I also took a boy to see a dermatologist who
has had a severe skin infection for 12 years.  We hope and pray he is doing
better.  Please pray that everything will work out for Jose Daniel's
surgery.  Pray that Dr. Shelton with Children's Hospital in Cincinnati will
be able to know without examining him what surgery(s) he will need as he has
to have everything very well laid out before presenting it to the review
committee for access to special international surgery funds.

    In the clinic, I have had several difficult cases that were very time
consuming.  I had a couple of pregnant patient's with borderline
hypertension.  Both with marked anemia at the end of their pregnancy.  One
elderly man with ulcer related to poor circulation that he has had for 20
years.  Severe fungal infections.  Machete wounds left unattended for a
couple of days.  Several severely malnourished children.  One baby that might
die from malnoutrition/diarrea and there is nothing I can do. We have taken
the baby to the hospital but they just sent us away without much help.  One
lady who came has seven major problems.  I spent an hour in consultation with
her making sure that none of the medicine would interact badly.  That is what
I can remember of recent cases off the top of my head.  We just set up our
computer in the new office after a month of it being down for the house
renovations. I can again type some of these stories as they come about.  We
have been very grateful for the TV and VCR that Josh brought down.  We use it
every day at clinic for evangelism.  Thanks also to Sam and Gwen Stone for
blessing us with children Bible stories on video that the people are really
enjoying.  Veggie Tales has been a big hit, in Spanish of course.  We are
also showing "Sex, Lies, and the Truth" put out by Focus on the Family.  It
is our understanding that 1 in 4 people in San Pedro Sula now have AIDS and
it is beginning to spread into the mountains.  This video is very effective
for getting the people's attention on this devastating disease and
prevention.  We are planning on doing a youth rally soon and using the
video.  Dr. Gustavo Garcia and  his wife Dr. Eloisa, who work for Lifeline,
have agreed to come up and do a program using this video as a basis and
extending from there.

    We learned a week or two ago that we will not receive Cassandra for
another five or six months.  After dealing with the disappointment, we
realize that God has his reasons and so we are trusting in that.  Please pray
that we will receive her before the elections or switch of powers if that
occurs since all of our lawyer's connections are tied to the current party. 
We appreciate all your prayers.

God bless,

Toby and Amy Hill