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MISSION PREDISAN • CATACAMAS, HONDURAS • WWW.PREDISAN.ORG
Contributions may also be mailed to: Predisan-USA, 1625 Cooledge Road, Tucker, GA 30084
READ OUR LATEST NEWS AND FEATURES:
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WALKS FOR HONDURAS: Great Media Coverage
The Oklahoma Christian Talon, Greater Atlanta Christian School and The Christian Chronicle report on these vital fund-raising events. (For a higher resolution version, e-mail
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)
 ARNOLD'S STORY:
His desire is to have a better latrine for his family, and a Georgia church and new friends supply that and much more. (At left, Arnold and Braden Clinebell)
A two-year pilot program in Santa Rita barrio trains local leaders - from a patriarch to a bright teenager - to identify the sick and refer them for medical care.
In 2008, groups from nine U.S. churches and one school
traveled mountain roads and forded rivers to build a deeper connection with God's people in remote communities. The experience of the Potter's School offers one rich example.
After a five-year tenure, marked by important achievements, Robert Dotson will leave Predisan in April.
PREDISAN NEWSLETTER: WINTER 2008
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MICHELE'S STORY: 132 HOUSEHOLDS, 30 QUESTIONS, 9 WEEKS OF MY LIFE!
Michele Gourley, an M.D./M.P.H. student at East Tennessee State University, spent 9 weeks in the mountains studying malnutrition in children. She shares her work in this article, excerpted below.
Usually my learning has come from studying books, spending hours in a classroom, and carefully darkening a series of circles on a piece of paper.
However, this past spring my classroom was the mountains of Honduras and the houses of the people who live there; my notes were the surveys I completed; and my circles were the marks made in response to the answers of the survey questions.
As part of the requirements for the Masters in Public Health Program, I spent nine weeks working with the staff of Predisan and the Healthy Schools Program, researching the possible causes of malnutrition of children who attend school in the mountains by visiting their homes and surveying their parents.
132 surveys, 132 households, 30 something questions, 9 weeks of my life. Several hours under the Honduran sun and several miles walked. 14 schools. 3 communities. And what did I learn from all this?
WALKS FOR HONDURAS IN CHATTANOOGA, ATLANTA, OKC & DALLAS RAISE $360,000!
Last year more than $240,000 was raised for Predisan at four WALKS FOR HONDURAS, and this year, with the completion of our final walk in Dallas, our total reached $360,000! 2008 has been a very challenging year for Predisan for fund-raising, but through the walks we were able to finish the year and fund all our programs.
WE DEEPLY APPRECIATE EACH OF YOU FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN!
As we look ahead to the great challenges of 2009, and these uncertain times, we ask you to once again partner with us as we work to bring help and hope to the people of Honduras.
OKC 2008 WALK: More than 500 walkers on the Oklahoma Christian University campus
of the 625 total walk donors and participants.
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PREDISAN NEWSLETTER: SUMMER 2008:
Walk for Honduras!, Water Comes to Luis Romero, Michelle's Amazing 9 Weeks, A Special Baby Shower!
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PREDISAN NEWSLETTER: SPRING 2008:
Thank you Larry and Gail, Other News and Highlights !
CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE NEWSLETTER & SEE SELECTED STORIES BELOW
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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.
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.
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Mission Predisan • Catacamas, Honduras
In 2007, Predisan provided more than 42,000 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 |
