Shoes for Folks in Honduras
This project started by Guf and Mary Guffey is taking on a life of it’s own Basically, you can purchase a new or near new pair of shoes, for female or male, or for children for between 50 to 75 cents plus a contribution for in-country distribution . The Guffeys will pick them up and deliver them to the disaster warehouse in Decatur, they get put on the storm relief container and delivered to the warehouse in La Ceiba. What a deal. If you are interested, get the money to Sharon Bowie checked marked for Guffey’s shoe fund, and let the Guffeys know what you want.
So far they have $600 with a goal of $750. Remember you get to say where the shoes go. They plan to put in their order the first week of Jan.
What a great program.
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I hope that everyone is aware that in response to the recent floods and mudslides in Honduras, AHMEN is planning on sending a second container that will be specifically designated for Storm Relief. Hopefully we will have a container full of food, clothing, and household items by early to mid January. The container will be loaded out of the disaster warehouse in Decatur. Bro Ray Crump (RayLCr@aol.com ) is the responsible person for this effort. Please coordinate with Ray about any collections of materials that you might have.
Over the past few years I have become ever more convinced that God’s hand is always active in our lives and He is continually providing us with opportunities to serve His cause here on earth. It just so happens that when we spoke with select groups of the three churches in Auburn that continually provide assistance to AHMEN, a person unknown to us spoke up and asked if we felt that those people stricken by the flooding could use new or slightly used shoes. Our answer was, of course, “yes!” This has led us to Soles4Souls ( http://www.soles4souls.org/ ).   This is a wonderful ministry that is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. But their national distribution center is right here in Alabama in Roanoke (that’s about 20 miles from our home). 
We have been in contact with S4S regarding acquiring up to 1500 pairs of shoes for inclusion on the relief container. Since we are considered local, we would be able to pick up the shoes and thereby eliminate the $1 -$2.00 per pair shipping and handling charge. There would still be a basic processing charge of $.50 - $.75 per pair for the shoes. At this point we have $100 of money that has been donated to the relief effort that can be used to acquire these shoes. Mary spoke with Tom this morning and he has pledged to pay for shoes for all the kids in the Limon Nurture Program. He suggested that others within AHMEN might be willing to donate funds to cover the basic processing costs of these shoes. Some of you might recall that we used a similar approach a little over a year ago to raise funds for the surplus tables and chairs that are now used in the Limon Nurture Program.
So here is the proposal. If you would like to donate any amount of money to this shoe project, then send a check to Sharon Bowie / 516 Ridgeview Drive / Jasper, AL 35504. Please designate the “shoe program” in the memo section on the check. Also send Mary an e-mail indicating how much money you are contributing.  Right after Christmas, we will then go and get the shoes from Roanoke.  All monies that are received will be used to purchase shoe for general distribution by Sister Eleanor unless otherwise specified. If however someone wants to designate the destination of the shoes (such as Tom’s desire to provide shoes for the kids of the Nurture Center) then be certain 1^st to provide enough money to provide shoes for everyone at that destination and 2^nd to include extra money to help in the cost of in-country distribution. 
This is an excellent opportunity to provide much needed assistance to the people of Honduras during this time of great need. S4S requires considerable evidence of compliance however. They require that we provide a report of exactly where and how the shoes are dispensed. This must include pictures and written descriptions.  As a result we will need to provide Cruzadas with a proportion of the total funds to help offset their costs.
I hope that each of you will consider this opportunity. We will pick up the shoes, box them according to type and designation, and hold them here until time to load the container. We will then deliver them to Decatur. Our reasoning for holding the boxes of shoes here is to avoid potential rodent damage at the Disaster Warehouse in Decatur.
Thanks, guf

CAROLINA HONDURAS HEALTH FOUNDATION

Sights, Sounds, and Smells of September 2008
September of 2008 gives me both warm feelings and frustrations as I think back of my recent mission trip to Limon. The warm feelings come from a stocked pharmacy in the Carolina Clinic in a little village on the north coast of Honduras. These villagers have medicines available to them! That may not seem like a great thing, but “out here” it is a God-send, said a local. This village also has dedicated church and community leaders who really care for their own. More miles further to the east, lies another clinic in Cirobya, recently finished and equipped with modern medical needs. It hosted the first-ever medical seminar this September. I am in awe of the love, the dedication, and the day-to-day struggles these Christians (and non-Christians) exert.
Warm feelings also come from the librarian who just BEAMED as a recent missionary team spruced up the town library. Now, new books sit on shelves, made with sweat and love, next to older ones. The library was dedicated, many years ago, to the first Garifuna physician from the village. But “now it looks like a library” remarked his daughter, Gloria. Continued

             

Ecoteas.  One library at the public school.

Punta Piedra.  One library at the public school.

Cusunna.  One library at the Community building.

Ciraboya.  One library at the public school.

Irriona.  One library at the public school.

Toca Machu.  One library at the Community building.

Puerta Nueva.  One library at the public school.
Our medical team saw patients for four days and had two days of training with fifteen Honduran doctors and nurses at the hospital in Ciraboya.
The evangelism team worked with the soup kitchen children in Limon doing Bible School and teaching the children hygiene and providing them with essentials.
The construction team built shelves at the community building for the new library and painted and decorated
the walls.
We will be adding additional books to these libraries until they are fully stocked.
Thanks again for your help on the road.
Your friend in Christ
Benny Rowe
Click here for more pictures

Requests from Sister Eleanor
Sister Eleanor called the Dr. Camp with a few special requests for assistance.:

• She needs a washing machine for all the folks who come by the mission compound to spend the night, etc.
• The girl’s dorm needs a washing machine for the girls
• She needs a nail gun with any size nails for construction
• She needs two ceiling fans with lights for the main mission compound

Jane Cox and Allison Lakey have already added those items to the manifest. Please spread the word to anyone you know that might have one or more of the above items to put on the container we are loading on Nov. 8 th in Arley.

Also, she can come to our Nov 22 meeting in Birmingham, Al. We need someone to coordinate her visit,, transportation, place to sleep, etc. Please let me know if:

• You are willing to coordinate her visit
• You would like her to talk at your church, etc and/or would like for her to stay in your home.

Vaya con Dios,

Tom Camp: 205-384-8023 or llamacamp@hughes.net

Global Mission Healthcare Conference
This is the conference that Mary and I attended last year and will be attending this year along with Brent and Doris Brady. It is an excellent conference that attracts medical missionaries from all over the world. It is held at the Southeast Christian Church. The Church has a very large campus with a sanctuary that seats 7-9,000 people (I forget the exact number, but it is the largest sanctuary that I’ve ever been in). The conference website is https://www.medicalmissions.com/.  Interestingly the International Livestock Exhibit occurs at the same time in the same city, if you have youngsters or others you’d like to take along but who don’t want to attend the Healthcare conference. We have attended this Livestock Exhibit also (years ago when our son was into showing steers) and it is truly a marvelous event.
We have been promoting attendance at the healthcare conference for some time now. It is an excellent opportunity to hear major speakers (see https://www.medicalmissions.com/conference/speakers for this year’s list of keynote speakers), network with healthcare missionaries and attend a number of very focused breakout group meetings (see https://www.medicalmissions.com/conference/breakout for this year’s list of breakout sessions) . Last year Mary loved meeting Steve Saint (the real life little boy in movie “End of the Spear”). We recommend this conference to anyone with an interest in medical missions.
Guf & Friends.

Sarah and Friend
Last time you got a summary of my regular routine. However, there’s not much regular routine involved in mission work. So while I came to Utila to teach English at the Methodist School, my experience has included so much more than that. I got here in February and got my classes up and running and soon everything else was running, too. Rev. Janet and I hosted our first mission team from the States in April. They were followed by five other teams throughout the summer. We had the privilege of helping these teams find their way around Utila and make all the necessary arrangements to make sure they had what they needed for their projects. We also hosted three individual volunteers who came for extended periods of time to help teach at the school. Needless to say, it was a busy summer. It was so awesome though! We got to meet folks from all over the world (one team was from Canada), hear their stories and ideas, and work together to help the Utila community.
One of the highlights was meeting the AHMEN teams and working with them during their time in Utila. As many of you know, Dr. Tom loves to pick up “strays,” and I’m proud to count myself among them. He graciously included me in his team’s activities and asked me to contribute to the AHMEN website. From there, he invited me to join his September team to Limon. I gladly accepted his offer. After hosting teams and volunteers all year, it was such a treat to be part of a visiting team again. I was reminded of all the blessings that come from getting to know the other team members and the “family dynamic” involved in that process. While my primary task was the educational part of the team, I also got the opportunity to help with the medical component. I had never been a part of medical missions so that was great exposure for me. I have a lot of admiration and respect for the doctors, nurses, and technicians who give their time and talents to such a great need! I spent a lot of time with Brent and Doris Brady and got to see firsthand all the energy and effort it takes to be full-time translators for a team. Think about it, there were two of them and like twenty of us needing help communicating with the locals. Kudos to Brent and Doris for keeping up and doing such a great job! Indeed, there are so many elements to a mission team. It is truly a “God-thing” when it all comes together. God’s grace and love are so evident. I definitely got an extra dose of both during our week in Limon. Fortunately, it didn’t end when the week was over….the friendships, memories and blessings remain.
Basking in the “Son,”
Sarah

Limon Nurture Project
Limon Nurture Project becoming a realit in  Limon, Honduras

On our recent trip to Limon, the team was working on moving the Limon Soup Kitchen to the Limon Nurture Project.

This is Deb Windham working with kids on personal hygiene after a “hot dog” lunch in which the kids ate the ketchup off the buns before attacking the hot dog.  The hot dogs were a first at the Limon Nurture Center.

Deb work on helping them with personal hygiene was also a first for the orphans of the Limon Nurture Center.

Grant Application from UMVIM 2009
This is the time for getting in your grant applications for next year’s mission.
In the past, AHMEN has utilized the grants for such things as scholarships for youth going to Honduras, “seed money” for various projects like Limon Nurture Center, School buses, woodworking school, Library Projects, Larry Pitt’s ministry to build homes in the mountains, and much more.
For more on this, take a look at: http://www.northalabamaumc.org/
Click: Ministries (on left side of column)
Click: Volunteers in Mission (near bottom)
Click: UMVIM Forms (about ½ way down on left)
Click: click either or both: individual or team
Two things to be aware of:
1.      The early bird gets the worm.
2.      You must send a follow up report
Good Luck and thank you United Methodist Church, Volunteers in Mission.

Important Fall/Winter ’08 Dates
Oct 18^th – Pre Loading Christmas Container at Arley. Bring all of your boxes and your manifest

Nov. 8 – loading Christmas Container at Arley - Bring your $400 and three team members

Nov. 22 – AHMEN Team Leadership Annual Meeting - Discovery United Methodist Church
Bring all of your folks who need/want to participate at some leadership level

AHMEN Leadership Annual Meeting
Each year for the past ??? years, the various members, team leaders, project leaders, future leaders, interested persons, and potential team members to Honduras have gotten together.

Why?
Review what has happened so far.
Discuss how to better coordinate the work.
Organize container shipping to Honduras.
Pass on knowledge, ideas, etc to each other.
Set dates and goals for the coming year.
Coordinate projects for the coming year.
Explore new areas God has shown people to work in.
SHARE with each other.
RE-ESTABLISH relationships

When: Nov. 22, 2008

Where: Discovery United Methodist Church, Birmingham, Al

Time: 9 A.M. to when you want to leave

Lunch: The Discovery Church is cooking on their World Famous Giant BBQ Grill.
Cost: Just bring a little money to help the Discovery folks offset the cost of the food.

What else to bring?  We do want to hear what you did this year and what are your plans for next year.  Bring whatever you think will show the rest of us what you want to share with us. 

It is has been suggested that you might want to bring power point, video, pictures, or what ever for us to see.  You might want to set up your computer, video, etc.  This is up to you.

Who should come?
At least 1 or 2 representatives from each team.
Anyone who is interested
Anyone who can add to the knowledge of the organization
At least 1 or 2 folks who can talk about the various projects
Anyone with ideas for new projects.
Anyone looking for team members
Anyone looking for a team to join.

You can see from this, that you are welcome, encourage your teammates to come, and bring potential teammates.
If you haven’t been before, call someone who has and ask him or her about it meeting. – It is FUN and Interesting.
Map to Discovery United Methodist Church to follow
Vaya con Dios,
Tom Camp llamacamp@hughes.net

One of the main ways AHMEN is able to accomplish it's goals is thru sponsorships. This is a system in which an individual or groups make regular contributions to support a particular project or person.
Thanks to the folks listed below for their support of the AHMEN projects and kids in sponsorship:
Dr. Tom and Deborah Arnold North Ala. Conf. of the United Methodist Church

Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, Adult Sunday School Class (3 different classes support girls @ dorm) Jasper, Al

Larry Whitehead Warehouse Fabrics Inc. Winfield, Al

Larry Pitts
Larry Pitts Ministries - Yvonne Seaman

J.T. Ray and Company Florence, Al

Yvonne Seaman C.D. and Linda Tripp

Dr. Jerry & Jean Boshell

Christ United Methodist Church, Adult Sunday School Class

Rick and Jilda Watson - The Overalls

Civitan Club of Jasper

Bobby and Sherry Granada

New Vision Community Church

Richard and Sharon Bowie
Bowie Pharmacy

Judy Camp

Ellis Wade, Houston Woods, Arley, Al

C.D. and Linda Tripp

O.H. Brown,
CPA Jasper, Al

George E. Deavors,
CPA Jasper, Al

Skip Tucker Montgomery, Al

Rodney Redmill
Redmill Plumbing Jasper, Al

Tony Sparks
Walker County Bank Jasper, Al

John Paul Mitchell
John Mitchell Realty Jasper, Al

Russell Colvin
Blackwater Forge, Jasper, Al

Terry Gurganus
First National Bank Jasper, Al

Pat Gustin,
Gustin & Robinson Law Firm,
Jasper, Al

Walker Baptist Hospital,
Jasper, Al

Winfield Fabrics
Winfield, Alabama

Walker Recovery Center,
Jasper, Al

Rotary Club of Jasper