MISSION PREDISAN • CATACAMAS, HONDURAS • WWW.PREDISAN.ORG
PREDISAN NEWSLETTER: SPRING 2008: Thank you Larry and Gail, Other News and Highlights !
CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE NEWSLETTER & SEE SELECTED STORIES BELOW OUR DAY IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH KYLE !  The day started early for the five gringos heading to the mountains with Kyle Huhtanen, Predisan missionary and director of Predisan's growing Healthy Communities Program, in early March.
It was an early 6 a.m. when Kyle Huhtanen and trusted driver Don Gil Martinez loaded us up, and we began our bumpy and winding journey across hill and river. Kyle was generous to share his day with us, visitors from Oklahoma City and Atlanta.
Our Land Cruiser stopped often as he greeted community leaders, consulted quickly with mountain residents or checked on work progress. He is viewed, obviously, with affection and respect.
So what did we do that day? We stopped early at the Las Cabas mountain clinic, and met nurse Marlen Soto as she walked up the hill to open the clinic for the day. Then we were on to CEDECO, Predisan's mountain work center, where a delicious breakfast was waiting.
We spent a large part of the day at the Froylan Turcios elementary school where nurse Irene Ramirez, Predisan health worker Alvaro Escobar and others were involved in the Healthy Schools Program. Each child received a fluoride treatment, a basic physical exam and a height and weight check, plotted on a growth chart. Local mothers prepared the daily snack, a vital supplement to the children's diet.
Later, Kyle led some of us on a narrow path uphill and down to the home of a woman renown for her clay pottery. Kyle hopes to help her market it as a source of much-needed income. We saw latrines and other projects Predisan and local citizens have partnered on, and heard about the work of Bernardo Cobos, Predisan's new mountain chaplain.
As we rode along, Kyle talked and we listened. His passion for the Healthy Communities Program - a collection of initiatives that partner Predisan's people with local citizens to bring physical, spiritual, and economic health to the 49 communities Predisan serves - is great. We were inspired at his commitment and his ability, with the Lord's help, to make wonderful things happen.
We returned to Catacamas, dusty, sore, tired and deeply thankful that Kyle had shared his day with us. – Lindy Adams
Above, Kyle at the mountain school with Irene Ramirez, one of the first nurses Predisan trained for the mountains. Kyle is supported by the Northlake Church of Christ, Tucker, Ga.
CEREPA AREA REFURBISHED BY NEW HOPE CHURCH FRIENDS 
Planning, grit, focus, rallying the troops and lots of hard work were part of the efforts of three women from the New Hope Church of Christ, Edmond, Okla., who transformed the women's area at CEREPA, Predisan's addiction treatment center, during a whirlwind trip to Predisan in March.
The three, Debbie Beam, Sharon May and Rita Ford (seated center above), took the huge, empty women's space with little furniture and transformed it into an area that reinforces the worth and value of the women who seek help at CEREPA. Among staff members above are Julio Benitez (white shirt), CEREPA director, and Wendy Marcia (front left), CEREPA administrator. The CEREPA project was made possible by the generosity of these three wonderful friends of Predisan and the New Hope church. Your help has brought hope and validation to CEREPA! BRIAN'S CREATIVE WORK HONORED AT PREDISAN CHAPEL  Wonderful Predisan friend, Brian Ikeda of Atlanta, is honored during morning chapel at the Good Samaritan Clinic by Keydy Flores, assistant to the executive director. For the past four years – and he's now working on the fifth – Brian has donated his great talents to design the Predisan Annual Report.
Brian made the trip to Catacamas, his first, in early March to conduct interviews and shoot photography for this year's report, "People of Hope." Brian's wife, Page, has also been active in Predisan's work as the designer of materials for the annual Walks for Honduras. Brian and Page are members of the Northlake Church of Christ, Tucker, Ga., Predisan's largest contributor in 2007.
Thank you Brian and Page for your servant hearts! EAST BRAINERD PUPPETS DELIGHT SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS
Twenty members of the East Brainerd Church of Christ, Chattanooga, Tenn., traveled to Predisan in March, led by Glen Gray, involvement minister, and Mark Warren, Predisan-USA board member. The group was involved in four diverse areas of work: an eye brigade, an evangelism team, a puppet team, and a lecture series for local church members and Predisan staff. The puppet brigade, above, delighted Predisan's 135 scholarship students and their parents at a monthly meeting March 6, using a soundtrack in Spanish to teach biblical lessons. In the background is the Good Samaritan Clinic. In recent years East Brainerd has sent more volunteers to Predisan each year than any other church or ministry. Thank you, East Brainerd for your servant hearts!
FREDY LOPEZ'S AMAZING STORY  Fredy Lopez, Predisan's associate director in Catacamas, has an amazing story to tell.
Born along with 10 siblings into abject poverty, he went to work at age six picking wild fruit and selling it to neighbors.
When he wasn't to be allowed to attend an honorary event because of his shabby school uniform, Fredy, characteristically, went to work to change things. He never gave up, even though his father's battle with addiction robbed the family of almost all resources.
Fredy's determination and grit have brought him many achievements and much happiness, which he quickly credits to the Lord. For ten years, Fredy has shared his talents and abilities with Predisan, and few are more committed to the ministry's work and mission. Above, Fredy and his wife Delsy with three of their four children.
Click here for FREDY'S first-person STORY.
WINTER 2007 NEWSLETTER: CLICK HERE FOR ALL OUR COVERAGE To donate by Paypal or Credit Card, click below. Mail checks to Predisan-USA, 1625 Cooledge Road, Tucker, GA 30084.
DONATE ONLINE HERE Mission Predisan • Catacamas, HondurasIn 2007, Predisan provided more than 40,000 health and educational contacts through our nine clinics and health centers. We thank God for all of you whose donations and sacrificial service have sustained us! Martha Rivera, executive director Doña Doris Clark, founding missionary Dr. Amanda Madrid, founding medical director Kyle Huhtanen, missionary and director, Healthy Communities |