Dear friends and family,

We are now in the states for three months of furlough. For us this furlough means we will be speaking to at least 11 churches and attending three conferences. We will be spending time visiting and sharing with individuals about the ministry of Merendon Mountain Mission. Another thing we will be doing is looking for resources that will be helpful to the mission. We will also be evaluating the last two years and planning what to do for the upcoming year.

We are currently at a missionary training conference for three weeks with a week and a half completed. Although we have completed 2 years on the field, Kevin Dooley (Director of F.A.M.E.) felt this program would be very advantageous for us.  At the SPLICE conference we have discussed many issues so far. The topics so far have been: personal values, what brings us closest to God, how to maintain spiritual vitality on the field, where we are spiritually, where are our weaknesses spiritually, Biblical teachings on stress and how that applies to the missionary life, which areas create stress for us (social, temperament, resources, environmental, sickness, and spiritual), confronting, and how to deal with a hostage situation. We have enjoyed the conference. We are 30 miles west of Colorado Springs at 9, 500 feet above sea level. Pinecrest is a retreat center with very natural setting with a laid back atmosphere. We have our own cabin and bathroom and a wonderful gas log fireplace that keeps us warm since it is extremely cold here for us. We have enjoyed getting to know 28 other missionaries and share our experiences with each other.

We apologize for it being so long since putting out a newsletter. We will update you now on our last month on the field before furlough. We have spent the last 3 1/2 months trying to bring Juan Gutierrez to Honduras from the Dominican Republic. He will be working with discipling, evangelizing, and preaching in various villages. We are hoping he will come soon so he can help Emilio while we are away. Emilio feels extremely overwhelmed by all his responsibility right now. Please pray that Juan will arrive soon. Also pray for Emilio as he tries to handle all the responsibilities of the Penitas church.

In the short time since we have been home many people have asked us what happened with the thief situation. Our response typically is "we got on the plane." As soon as we got on the plane we knew we were safe. For those of you who do not know the situation, a brief summary. During the summer one of the places where the groups stayed was robbed. We were pretty sure who headed it up but had no proof. One day we came home at 3 p.m. and found one thief Yovani walking with a carry-on from the group. He tried to throw it down the mountain but it got caught in the brush. This guy has stolen so much from our area. Toby went to town and reported it to the police. He spent 3 months working on getting Yovani arrested. Something happened to make Yami believe our lives were in danger. She went to the bank in town and told our bank manager that Yovani was going up the mountain to kill us. He was supposed to be hiding in the jungle in front of our house waiting to get us when we opened the gate. Our wonderful friends, Joel Augustus, Greg Tracy, and Amable Rivera went up to check out the situation and felt it was OK for us to go home. We were told to be very careful. We spent our last two weeks preparing to come home. We had to write paychecks for our four workers and make legal documents of what our workers were to do while we are gone. We also had to explain several times their responsibilities and what should be done if they have problems. Packing up our house for three months and storing it at a friends house. Renewing our residency for the next year so it would not expire while we are home. Telling the various ministries that Toby has been working with goodbye.

We have some prayer requests for you. Please pray for our safety while we travel for the various speaking dates. That we would remain healthy. We have both been sick off and on for the last 2 months, and my allergies have been giving me problems here in the mountains of Colorado. Please pray that our fertility treatments will be successful. Remember the ministry in Honduras while we are gone. We hope to see many who will receive this while we are home this time. Thank you for your prayers support.

God bless,

Toby and Amy