August 23, 2001
 
Dear friends and family,                                                        

We have had an exciting week.  Tuesday, Toby took me out to Lifeline's
Ocotillo work.  I had a couple of patients that needed to see their doctors. 
Also Gustavo, Eloisa, and I are working on a project to show the video Sex,
Truth, and Lies by Focus on the Family to the two villages where we live.  We
are wanting to promote a big gathering of young people to discuss with them
STD's.  AIDS is spreading through the Merendons so we are wanting to start
with the teenagers and work our way down with the younger people.  I was
helping out with the Ocotillo clinic when Toby returned from his trip outside
the city.  He was not supposed to be back for a couple hours while he did his
work.  He told me we had to go quickly because the Honduran adoption agency
was at our house (and we were 1 1/2 hours away).  We drove as quickly as
possible.  We were shocked though that they were at our house since this was
not supposed to take place for several months.  Plus no one has been able to
or even tried to find their way to our house without us taking them up
there.  We were shocked they were able to find their way.
 
While we were rushing up to the house, the ladies from IHNFA went around our
village asking people what they thought about us as prospective parents.  It
just so happened that there was a gathering of men at the little store by our
house.  They bought cokes and talked to the men.  San Antonio del Peru, where
we live, is not a very nice place many times.  So we were really excited when
the ladies told everyone thought very highly of us.  We invited them into the
house and visited for a while.  They really enjoyed the fact that we had a
name picked out and called our future daughter by her name-Cassandra.  They
were so nice and encouraging to us.  We also showed them the clinic and
church.  They were really happy about everything that we said and showed them.
 
You may be asking why are we so excited about all this.  We were supposed to
have our interview first (which will be September 20th and 21st) with IHNFA
that will be the psychological testing and so on.  Then this was supposed to
be presented to the judge.  Then the judge was supposed to order the home
study to be done.  The embassy paper work says it usually takes a long time
for the judge to give this order.  After we have the interview next month, we
will be able to present both the interview paperwork and the home study to
the judge.  This is going to cut a lot of time for us. 

Don Roberto, who owns a store below the clinic, talked to the IHNFA
ladies.  He has always pressured us as to when we were going to have children
or adopt.  He demanded to know when we would get Cassandra.  They told him
probably within a week after the interview.  So by the end of September we
could have Cassandra.  We always take into account this is Honduras and
things take twice as long as necessary.  We are excited that a little over a
week after we submitted our request to adopt, IHNFA came to do the home study
since this just does not happen in Honduras.  If you would please pray that
everything goes well for the interview and that the judge would quickly
decide to let us adopt Cassandra.  If we can legally take her out of the
country by Thanksgiving or Christmas we will return to the states to show her
off :-)
 
Please pray that we will be able to get the house done before Cassandra
arrives.  Toby's dad and his friend are coming on Tuesday.  This week Toby
has tried to buy everything that they will need to do their work.  It has
been frustrating for him.  He checks out prices and goes back to buy
something and it is out of stock.  We received a quote on a window and the
guy doubled it when Toby went back to make the purchase.  He went to find
someone to make the metal bars for the window and the guy was in San Pedro. 
It continues on and on.  Today he is trying to get everything down as quickly
as possible since tomorrow they are closing our road for a week.  We will
have to take another road that is not as safe and takes us way out of our
way.  Hurricane Chantal has really given us muddy roads all over. We
appreciate and ask for your continued prayers.
 
Toby and Amy


PS  Amy's sister Beth was involved in a nearly head on collision Wednesday
evening August 22 so we are delayed with that and other things in getting
this to you.  Beth has a broken collarbone, abrasions on the path of the seat
belt, a bruised spleen, a nearly sprained ankle, a slight nick on a lung, and
is generally miserable from being hit by a teen running a red light, at least
50 mph, when Beth was making a left turn on a green arrow. People from the
churches and family are providing support with care for the children and
meals.