Second Draft

Richard=20 E. Kurtz

215-568-3100

November=20 14, 2007

kurtz@woodcock.com

Members and Friends

Trinity Presbyterian = Church

Members and Friends

Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church

Members and Friends

First Lancaster Presbyterian Church

Friends and Supporters=20 Everywhere

Re: Honduras=20 Mission Trip =96 October 12 through October 16, 2007

Friends:

Thank you for = supporting our=20 group from Trinity Presbyterian, Grace Covenant Presbyterian, First = Lancaster=20 Presbyterian, Mission Relief Services and Central American Relief = Services while=20 we traveled to Honduras to work with our friends from Christian = Commission for=20 Development (CCD) and to observe the damage caused by Hurricane = Felix.

The = purposes of this=20 trip included fostering our growing relationship with the government of=20 Honduras, meeting with our medical friends in Honduras including Dr. = Moreno and=20 his family, and meeting with the newly retained nurse practitioner, = Francis, who=20 will work for us full time in the mountain area in southwest = Honduras. We=20 also conducted a medical clinic and inspected the logistics chain for = medical=20 and humanitarian supplies which we ship from Mission Relief Services to=20 Honduras.

First = and foremost,=20 our Honduran friends are safe and well. The Hurricane moved slowly = across=20 Honduras from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific, dumping lots of rain in = the=20 mountains where we visit. Roads were washed out and the mountain = villages=20 are slightly more inaccessible than before, but the clothing, and = medications=20 shipped through Mission Relief Services are being distributed and they = are much=20 appreciated.

Reception at Casa = Presidencial

The = government of=20 Honduras is very interested in working with our mission group from the = United=20 States. The First Lady of Honduras, Xiomara Castro de Zelaya, has taken=20 responsibility for developing a good working relationship with medical = missions=20 from the United States. Representatives of the Office of the First Lady, = DESPACHO DE LA PRIMERA DAMA met us at the airport in=20 Tegucigalpa.

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They = hosted a=20 reception for us in a beautiful reception area of what is the equivalent = of our=20 White House. Over light refreshments and traditional Honduran food, we = exchanged=20 information about the mission of C.A.R.E., Mission Relief Services and = the ad=20 hoc group of interested doctors, nurses, and support people who are = ministering=20 to the needs of the people in the mountains of southwest Honduras.

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Jan, Steve and Roger = present collage=20 of pictures to the First Lady=92s staff.

Our = group presented=20 the First Lady with a collage of pictures of the children of Honduras. = The=20 picture was very graciously received by the First Lady=92s staff.

After = the reception=20 the group traveled to the CCD facilities at Monte Carmelo. After dinner, = a=20 professor at the University of Honduras, gave a very interesting talk on = the=20 history and future of Honduras.

New Christian=20 Commission for Development Offices and Distribution Center

On = Saturday, October=20 13, 2007, we visited new CCD facilities in southwest Honduras. The = Hotel=20 in the center of the quaint old town of Perspire was a short = walking=20 distance to the huge old cathedral originally built by the Spanish. = In the=20 adjacent school buildings, we visited facilities which have been offered = to CCD=20 for use as medical, dental and ophthalmic clinics. One room already has = a=20 slightly used dental chair. We need frames and lenses for this facility. = Trained=20 ophthalmologists from the United States will work with local doctors to = treat=20 all eye problems. Cataracts will be diagnosed in this clinic. = The=20 patient will be transported to Tegucigalpa for cataract = surgery.=20 Cataract surgery costs approximately one hundred dollars for each=20 operation. This includes anesthetic and the five dollar bus fare = to=20 Tegucigalpa. Another room in the school (Grades 1-6) = is=20 already set up as a computer lab. CCD will also have access to this room = to use=20 for computer training, medical and dental seminars.

Herman, the mayor of Pespire joined us = for lunch at=20 La Casada. The mayor administers the towns of Pespire, = San=20 Antonio, San Isidro and San Jose. The Mayor discussed = several=20 interesting projects including the medical, dental and eye care projects = for=20 which he promised cooperation. Another interesting project in which CCD = can=20 participate is =93micro lending=94. Micro Lending is based on the = old credit=20 union concept. The new twist is that very small loans are made to = a large=20 number of people who are interested in starting enterprises which need = only=20 small amounts of capital. Loans as small as twenty-five dollars to = purchase and stock a street vendor=92s cart have been made. This = is a very=20 successful project in many developing countries and we look forward to = seeing it=20 develop in southwest Honduras. Jong Lee from First=20 Presbyterian Church in Lancaster came with us on this trip to determine = what can=20 be done to encourage this development. Dick in the computer lab.

In the = afternoon a few=20 of us split from the main group to visit a new motel in Nacaome where we = will=20 stay during our January mission trip. It took a few extra minutes = to get=20 into the hotel because of intense police activity occasioned by the = visit of the=20 President of Honduras. He hosted a large number of people at a = program he=20 conducted in the hotel . The rooms are beautiful, the restaurant looks = inviting=20 and there are numerous meeting facilities. It is definitely the = high end=20 of the hotel business in southwest Honduras. Staff at the hotel = promised=20 to treat our group of Presbyterian workers to the same hospitality as = they=20 accorded the President of Honduras. Join us in January. You = will=20 like this Hotel.

We spent = the rest of=20 the afternoon at the new CCD offices and facilities on the outskirts of = San=20 Lorenzo, on the Pacific Coast of Honduras. These facilities = were=20 leased a few months ago to provide a distribution center for supplies = for our=20 mission in southwest Honduras. Medications and dental supplies are = being=20 carefully inventoried and stored. From this location, medications = can be=20 distributed to the mountain villages which are nearby. We met = Francis, who=20 is a charming Nurse Practitioner and is newly employed by CCD to = supervise the=20 distribution of medicines. Note to the members of Trinity = Presbyterian=20 Church: Your OUTREACH Contributions to Honduras are being used to = partially fund=20 Francis=92s employment in southwest Honduras.

Churches at=20 Morocopy and Porte Grande

On Sunday, October 14^th,⁼the group=20 split in order to visit both of the churches which are the focus of the = group=92s=20 effort in southwest Honduras. Both churches are in the mountains = above the=20 Pacific Coast in Honduras. The churches are only a few miles apart = as the=20 crow flies, but they are many miles apart as our 4-wheel drive vehicles = traveled=20 over the treacherous mountain roads to get to them.

Dr. Susan Pillsbury and Jan Masland, = R.N.=20 teamed up with their long time friend, Dr. Adolfo Moreno and = his=20 wife, who is also an M.D., to conduct medical clinics at the small = church near=20 Morocopay. They prescribed much needed medications for the large = number=20 (over one-hundred) of patients who visit this church a few times a year = for=20 attendance to their medical needs. Dr. Alex Moreno, and his = significant other, Hortenzia, did a dental clinic which was very=20 competently conducted given the lack of modern dental equipment and=20 supplies. CCD=92s newly employed nurse practitioner, = Francis,=20 participated for the first time in a clinic. Reverend Raquel = Vasquez=20 attended to her growing flock of dedicated Presbyterians = who live=20 a happy, but malnutritioned, life in the Honduras mountains. = Reverend=20 Vasquez showed the group a wall of the church which needs to be = re-stuccoed. We=20 will investigate working on this stuccoing project. For a more complete=20 description of previous medical and dental clinics, go to either of the=20 websites, http://www.trinityberwyn.com/ = and http://www.wheresdrrongone.com/<= /A>.

The other church visited by Dave Reid, = Steve=20 Mentzer, Dick Kurtz and Jorge Arguijo is the = Iglesia=20 Presbyteriana Mar de Galilea in the mountains above Puerto = Grande.=20 We were warmly greeted by the pastor, Reverend Neptaly = Posadas.=20 He proudly showed us the footings for a new addition to the church = which=20 will have a second floor and will expand the capacity of this tidy = little=20 mountain-top church. He also showed us the new doors for the = church which=20 we helped purchase on our last trip. The doors have been hand = carved and=20 are finished beautifully.

&= nbsp; =20 The principle purpose of our visit was to discuss what the church needs = from a=20 construction team which will be part of our group when it visits the = church in=20 January, 2008. This discussion covered a wide range of projects, = but=20 returned repeatedly to Pastor Posadas=92 desire for completion of = the new=20 roof which is needed for the manse. Life is very difficult for the = Posadas=20 family, wife and 4 children. When it rains for days in a row = during the=20 rainy season all of their belongings are wet for months on end. = We=20 studied detailed costs estimates for the materials required for this new = roof.=20 Members and local craftsman will provide the labor gratis. = The total=20 cost for the needed materials is $1,789. We agreed on a plan for = the roof=20 project and we will immediately send $200 as a down-payment and a token = of our=20 interest in the roof. We will attempt to raise as much of the = remaining=20 $1,589 as possible before our next visit in January, 2008. During = that=20 visit our construction team will do what we can to help the local people = who=20 will be doing most of the work on the roof project during our visit. = Our=20 construction team will also paint a new concrete block Sunday School = Building=20 which was constructed by workers from Tampa Bay Presbyterian.

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Please pray for a successful effort on these = construction=20 projects which are new to our team.

Hospital Escuela, Operation New = Life, And=20 Micro-Lending

On Monday, October 15^th we visited = and had=20 conferences with many of the participants and collaborators in the = Honduras=20 relief effort. First, we visited the pediatric ward of the = Hospital=20 Escuela, the teaching hospital in Tegucigalpa. = Lidia,=20 the head nurse of the pediatric ward greeted us. We have = shipped many=20 supplies to this pediatric ward. We viewed some of this equipment = being=20 used, including a small television conveniently located for all children = to=20 view. Chairs, cribs and crib mattresses from the Hershey = Medical Center=20 from whence they were transported by a Dole Fruit Container to = Honduras are=20 put to good use in the Hospital Escuela. Dave Reid took = pictures of=20 the children on his digital camera, and when he showed the picture on = the camera=20 screen the children were delighted.

At the Hospital Escuela we met a group = of surgeons=20 from Little Rock, Arkansas, who are part of = Operation=20 New Life. Several times a year, Operation New Life = brings=20 surgeons to the Hospital Escuela to perform surgery in the = hospital=20 operating room. On this day a group of plastic surgeons were = performing=20 their wizardry on afflicted Hondurans. Dr. Bill Alfonso had = already=20 performed an incredible surgical reconstruction in which he had = implanted a bone=20 from the patient=92s leg into the patient=92s face. Then he had = grafted fat=20 from the patient onto the bone implant. In a few months the patient=92s = face will=20 look approximately the same as before his horrible burn accident. = Dr.=20 Alfonso expected to perform several more of these life changing = operations=20 before his busy day was finished. Jim Harrison received a = list of=20 needed supplies which can be stored in the Hospital Escuela for = future=20 use by this group. We hope to participate in this undertaking by=20 contributing to Mission Relief Services , 10 Strode Avenue, = Coatesville,=20 PA, 19320 to cover the cost of shipping the container. The eye = clinic=20 which is near the Hospital Escuela was closed for the holiday but = we did=20 identify the place where our cataract stricken patients from southwest = Honduras=20 can be brought for cataract surgery.

Micro Financier Prisma = deHonduras

Micro Financier Prisma deHonduras is a = world-wide=20 micro-lending organization. The office we visited is responsible = for loan=20 origination and collection for all internet loans made in Honduras.=20 Individuals can make loans over the internet by going to the = website http://www.kiva.org/. This = organization is=20 dedicated to helping people help themselves by taking small loans for = various=20 enterprises. They make loans in amounts of approximately $100 to = $10,000.=20 The Prisma mission is to combat poverty through micro-lending. = This=20 is a natural source of funding for individuals who have been identified = by CCD=20 as meriting assistance in establishing a new venture. As an = example, Ruben=20 is a conscientious driver for CCD who supplements his small CCD salary = by=20 driving a taxi. He drives with a taxi placard which is owned by = another=20 person. Ruben would like to purchase his own taxi placard. We = envision=20 that CCD will help Ruben accomplish his goal by helping him complete his = application for a loan from Prisma.

During dinner at a Chinese Restaurant on October = 15^th, Dr. Susan Pillsbury presented CCD with a check = for $500=20 from Grace Presbyterian . The money is to be used for the purchase = of=20 materials for two of the construction projects identified by the pastors = of the=20 churches. This stipend will cover the estimated costs of $260 for=20 stuccoing the walls of the church at Morocopay and a deposit of = $200=20 toward the cost of the roof on the Pastors Manse in the church, = Iglesia=20 Presbyteriana Mar de Galilea.

USAID and Habitat for Humanity =

On Tuesday morning, October 16^th, = most of the=20 group met with representatives of the U.S. Agency for International = Development.=20 The manager of Health Care Programs, including family planning for = Honduras, told us even the Catholic women in Honduras are participating = in=20 family planning. They are in need of contraceptives for = distribution to=20 participating women. The USAID has a warehouse in = Chalteca=20 where supplies are stored. Through Mission Relief Services we = believe=20 we can provide a shipment of needed supplies for distribution from this=20 warehouse.

Dave Reid and I visited the = offices of=20 Habitat for Humanity in Honduras. Habitat has = constructed=20 housing in northern Honduras for many years, but has just recently = started=20 operations in southern Honduras. Our driver, Ruben, lives in = a house=20 in Tegucigalpa constructed by Habitat for Humanity.=20 Habitat has never operated in southwest Honduras, but we hope = to=20 change that by working with them on construction projects at the = Morocopay=20 and Puerto Grande Presbyterian Churches.

This concluded our busy days in Honduras. We = returned home=20 very tired, but very satisfied with our efforts in Honduras.

List of Participants

Steve Mentzer, First Lancaster Presbyterian = Church,=20 Central American Relief Effort (C.A.R.E.)

James Harrison, Medical Relief Services, = Coatesville,=20 PA.

Jan Masland, First Lancaster Presbyterian = Church

Dr. Susan Pillsbury, Grace Covenant Presbyterian = Church

Dave Reid, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Berwyn, = PA

Dick Kurtz, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Berwyn, = PA

Roger Sandt ,Member of the Board, C.A.R.E.

Jong Lee, Member of the Board, C.A.R.E.

Emily and Dave Towers, First Lancaster = Presbyterian=20 Church

Sincerely,

Richard E. Kurtz

REK/dlm