Published QuarterlySALUDOS!fromBAJIO CHRISTIAN MISSIONVol. 28,
Number1PERSONAL GLIMPSESM/M BiU HoffApdo. 3166San Pedro
SulaHonduras, Central America504-56-3796Corporate OfficeP.O. Box
61013Las Vegas, NV89160-2013Spring 1997Hoffs 27th AnniversaryLast
Sunday our familyhad the biggest surprisethat we have ever
experienced. About 3 p.m. aconstruction work team that Tom
Schneller had organized, arrived from Indianapolis. They all came
by ourhouse on their way to the hotel. We had met most ofthemfrom
previous trips, but didn't expect to see themthat soon. I was
sitting in the livingroomtalking tosomefriends whenthistall,
thinguywalkedinandsaid, "Hi Mom." 1looked at him and didn't
recognizehim. Everyone was looking at me and waiting for
myreaction. Finally, Tom said, "That is your son,
Margy."1flewacross the room and grabbed Mark and huggedand kissed
him. Joy stood by his side and received thesame welcome. Rebecca
was standing at the door andwhen she saw Mark, she said, "No way,
noway, noway" as Mark walkedby her to greet me. Bill said that he
recognized Joy butnot Mark ashe walkedby him.The work team had two
people cancel; one because of illness and the other because of a
death in the family.The tickets were non-refundable. Rob,
thegroup's leader, hadstayed in our house two years ago: sowhen he
wasunable to find a replacement from his church, he thought about
our son. Mark was leading a hike at a camp in southernIndiana with
his youth group. The camp staff located him to tell him about
anurgent phone call. That was less than24 hours before departure.
He said that he probably made ten phone calls before he knewwhy he
was being contacted.Joy was at Johnson Bible College and started
for Indiana only 13 hours before the plane left. So neither one of
themhad much notice, but resolved to keep their arrival a surprise
to us. Joy Rowan is Mark's fiancee. She is fromIndianaand her
family attends the Hazelwood Christian Church in Clayton, Indiana.
She is a third year student at Johnson BibleCollege studying
elementary education. Our familyfirst met Joywhenshe camewithawork
teamtoHondurastwoyearsago. Since that timeshe andMark have became
acquainted. We enjoyed her company during the festivitiesof Mark's
graduation lastMay. On New Year's Eve Mark gave her an engagement
ring and the wedding is set for July 26th. We feelveryblessed that
she will become part of our family.LastChristmas was thefirst time
that Markwas unable tospend the holidays withus. We weresaddened,
but felt content that he could share it withJoy's family. But the
Lord blessed all of us by givingMark and Joy these free tickets to
come and spend aweek. We thoroughly enjoyed our time together.
Godis good.Mark andJoyADREAM REALIZEDRichard Gring and son, Daniel,
install screens.Students preparing mealSeven students, two
barbers.After four years of prayer and preparation, classesbegan at
the Instituto Biblico Cristiano with five students present. The
first teacher, Dick Gring, arrivedwithhisson,Daniel, on
January11th. Dick and hisfamily were the missionaries that Billand
Margy wenttovisitin 1969 in Santa Tecla, El Salvador. They werepart
of a mission group that spent two weeks with theGring family.
Little did they know, that after spendingthese weeks together, they
wouldwedninemonthslater. So Dick is along time friend and the one
theHoffs "blame" for their marriage.Dickwasanexcellent first
teacherfor thestudents. He taughtNew Testament survey, but
moreimportantly, taught the students to search theScriptures for
their answers. If one of the students made astatement, Dick would
ask themwhere Itwas found intheBible. It wasduringhis staythat
thestudentsdecided to "fast" one day a week. It was alsoduringthe
first month that the students began holding Biblestudies in nearby
homes. The sixth student arrived aweekafterclassesbegan,
andtwoweekslater theseventh student came.Daniel spentmost ofhis
time doingcarpentrywork. He built windowframes, and made shelving
andclosets. Hiswork was greatly appreciated. During thisfirst month
Bill was very busy running. He ran lookingfor a cook, he ran to buy
food for the institute, he ranto buy materials for Daniel, he ran
for the many thingsthat were needed to begin aBible institute.Dick
and Daniel spent the weekends withthe Hofffamily. Bill
broughtthemhome each Fridayafternoonand then they retumed with Bill
on Monday mornings.Al Young teaching.The students also returned
home to help Intheir churches on theweekends.The second teacher, A1
Young, arrived in Honduras two daysbefore the Grings left. Sunday
afternoon, February 9th, Bill, Dick,and A1 spent exchanging
information about the Bible institute. A1was preparedwhen his time
cametoteach. HeknewsomeSpanish but was not capable of teaching In
thelanguage, so Billhad to act as Interpreter. Al taught thebook
ofHebrewsand aspecial seminar on tongue speaking from 1Corinthians
during hisBve weeks at the institute.Itwas during this busy time of
running and interpreting that Billand Margybegan looking forhelpin
their mission work. Aftermuch prayer, a young lady named Blanca was
hired to help in thepurchasing for the institute and to work in the
office. Margy workswith Blanca in the mornings at the
Christianschool. Blanca studiesat the university in the evenings,
but her afternoons were free. Shewas quite happy to earn a little
extra money. She speaks Englishand is able to write letters with a
little help. Blanca has spent muchof her time, thus far,
translating English material into Spanish forthe teachers at the
Institute.Whenever, a teacher is not available, Bill fills in. He
spent oneweek in March teaching the book of 1Peter. He vyill be
doing mostof the teaching during the month of April. Two
moreteachers havevolunteered their time for the month of May.Please
pray for the Bible institute. Pray that the Lord willsendmore
students, more teachers, and an academic dean.A
PREMATGREANNOUNCEMENTOn rare occasions these articles are written
slightly In advancebecause of the lag between writing and
distribution. This time the Blancapractice trapped Bill. He wrote
the "Electrification" article in thelast newsletter, trusting that
the contractor, who installed the transformer, would install the
three remaining poles and stretchthe wire that week. But in the
"third world" sometimes things don't work that wayI In fact, the
contractor's boom truck brokedown and the parts had to come from
theUnited States. (At the time of this writing they still haven't
arrived.)Seeing that the installation was being delayed.
Billborrowed a flat bed truck and transported the poles. The poles
arereinforced concrete, thirty-five feet long, and weigh 2300
pounds each. Having them on site didn't help much, because hehad
nothing with which toplace them in their holes. Finally,
Billlocated a backhoe that could lift them. After he put up
allthree, the contractor informed him that he had mistakenly placed
one in a hole dug for a guy wire anchor. Bill then had tolocate
another tractor and move the pole, but the operator was not as
skilled as the first, and he broke the pole at groundlevel. With
the students' help, and two block and tackles, Billpulled the pole
into position, and then mixed and poured cementaround the base.
This cement was extended up three feet intoa collar to reinforce
the pole. (One does not throw away atwo hundred dollar pole.)
During thistime the institute used the lightplant in the evenings.
After the concrete hardened,the contractor hung the wire and the
electrical company approved the installation. Now, the institute
really does have power!fee.Where has the water gone?A cow broke the
pipe!THE PARSONAGE IS OCCOPIEDIn previous "Saludos" the Hoffs have
mentioned the construction of the church parsonage which sits
beside the largetent under which the congregation meets. The
property was purchased in January of 1996 and construction on the
buildinghas taken place as funds have permitted.in March, a group
of men from theChapel Rock Christian Church in Indianapolis,
Indiana, and from thePlum CreekChristian Church in Butler, Kentucky
came to help finish the building that they had started a year ago.
The building they wereworking on was designed to have a second
story. The church members had put up the steel beams to support the
inter-floor,but the expensive and hard part of the v/ork fell to
the work team. Theyplaced the sheet metal that would hold up the
concrete, they wove thereinforcing bar, and they mixed and poured
concrete. Following that,a couple of men worked on electrical
installation, while others installedplumbing, and still others laid
concrete floor tile on the downstairs floor.As the floor
progressed, three men began to weld up the steel staircasethat
provides access to the upstairs.Basically, they transformed a
shellof abuilding into a house for the minister in one week.
Working untilthree A.M. the moming oftheir departure, some ofthe
men installed thedoors. Julio Corea, the pastor, movedin onSunday
afternoon.Billobserved that because of the increasing price of
wood, the Miller arcwelderthat
Margy'snephewgavehimhasbeeninvaluableintheconstruction of both the
Bible institute and church buildings. It has alsohelped in many
repairjobs during the past years. So Billsends a specialthanks to
J.R. Pelham of Ashfork, Arizona.PRAYER PRAISEPraise for:the people
that made it possible for Mark and Joy tosurprise Bill, Margy,
andRebecca and spend aweek vknth them.the group fromIndiana and
Kentucky that came to work on the churchparsonage. The pastor has
moved into the building and no longer has to payrent. Another great
advantage is that the chairs don't have to be transportedeach
Sunday and the church bus can be parked on the property without
fearof vandalism.the visit with Tom Schneller, the Hoffs' former
co-worker. He stayed with them for nine days. Eventhough Tom was
very busy, the Hoffs enjoyed the time of fellowship with him.the
seven students at the BibleInstitute. Also for the firsttwo
teachers, Dick Gring and A1 Young,that have giventhe students a
solid foundation In The Word. Also for Daniel Gring whohelpedin
many ways during his time in Honduras.Bill and Margy's 27th
annivereaiy which was celebrated with both their children.
(March21)Pray for:the Bible Institute. Pray that the Lord willsend
more students, more teachers, and an academic dean.Mark and Joy as
they prepare for their wedding onJuly 26th.Rebeccaasshefinishesher
senior yearhere(especiallyherclassIn calculus)
andpreparestocontinue her education at Johnson Bible College.Bill
and Margy's health, especially for Margy as she has tohave constant
dental work,the country of Honduras. The crime continues
toIncrease: bank robberies are daily occurrences.Parsonage at San
Pedro church.Basic office - computer with E-mailAnewblessing
foroffice and institute.The hospitals areoverflowing with machete
and gunshot victims. Thirteen percent of the population is HIV
positive.Published bytheRossville Christian Church411Spruce
POB107Rossville, KS 66533FORWARD AND RETURNPOSTAGEGUARANTEEDADDRESS
CORRECTIONREQUESTEDMON-PROFITORQ.U.S. POSTAaEPAIDROSSVILLE,
KSPERMIT NO. 6UNrTB>srA'n5SALUDOS!M/M Bill HoffApdo. 3166San
Pedro SulaHonduras, Central America504-56-3796Corporate OfficeP.O.
Box 61013Las Vegas, NV89160-2013MEXICO/ %SOUTHAMERICAfromBAJIO
CHRISTIAN MISSIONPublished Quarterly Vol. 28, Number 2 Fall
1997THETWOSHALLBECOMEONEMark &JoySchnellers and the Hoffs. The
Fields are missionaries wholive about an hour from San Pedro
Sula.All of Bill's immediate family; his parents, histwo brothers
and their wives, his sister and herhusband, as well as a cousin and
his wife came for thewedding. Manyphotos weretakenofthe
fifteenHoffs that day. Mark andJoy visited Niagara
Fallsontheirhoneymoon. TheynowresideatJohnsonBible College where
Joy is continuing her studies inthe elementary education program
and Mark worksas an electricianin Knoxville.May I present to you
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Hoff! This climaxed theweddingceremonyof Markand
JoyonJuly26 at theHazelwoodChristian Church in Clayton,
Indiana.Thebride was beautiful. Thechurchwas full. Family and
friendswere bountiful. The minister had performeda very personal
andtouchingweddingceremony. The local people were tremendous hosts
to BillandMargy. It truly was a blessed day from the Lord.Bill and
Margy planned theirsummer triparoundthisimportantevent. There were
over two hundred people in attendance on this veryhot, humid day in
Indiana. Friends attended that the Hoffs hadn't seeninten years.
Mark's best man's parents were former missionaries in
Mexicowholived onlya fewblocks fromBill andMargy. Thus,
MarkandNathan, who was only three months older than Mark, grewup as
bestfriends. The familynow livesin Minnesota. Dick Brook was
Mark'sschoolteacherin eighth grade. He left Mexico and returned to
Michiganwhere hemarriedand nowhas two children. What a surprise it
wasforthe Hoff family to greet himandhisfamily! The Dungan family,
formerco-workers oftheHoffsandlong-time friends who nowreside
atJohnsonBibleCollege, came for the important event. The
Schnellers, who wereco-workersofBillandMargy both inMexicoandthen
in Honduras, camefromKentuckyalong withtheFields whoare mutual
friends of theA hunch ofHoffsTHELOSS OF A FRIENDI never considered
Howard Trout my father-in-law. He wasto me afriend. In part,
perhaps, it was because Margy had already been out on herown for a
few years beforeI knew her. I remember driving to
PhoenixtoaskhispermissiontomarryMargy.Heconsented,but hemust
havehadhisdoubts about mebecause I amyounger thanMargy.As the years
went by, I developed a special appreciation for Howard.He was a
devout Christian whowould drive two score miles every Lord'sday to
be in worship. He was also a devoted and loving husband. His
firstwife, Irene, died after 28 years of marriage. He remarried
shortly beforeMargy and I met. He and Lila also celebrated 28 years
together before hisdeath. Together they were always seeking to help
our ministry and theministry of other missionaries and
ministers.Howard was physically a big man, but his heart was even
bigger. Hewasgentleandpatient. Hedrovestreetcars andtrolley-buses
inPittsburghand Cleveland many years ago. Because of Irene's
health, he moved thefamily to Arizona in 1955, even though he
didn't have a job. There heworkedfor GoodyearAerospaceuntil he
retired. Afterretirementhedroveschool buses part-time (talk about
patience) for a while.About four months ago Howard'shealth began to
deteriorate. Thedoctors gave him a clean bill of health, but still
he was losing weight andappetite. Lila took himto many doctors, but
theycould not determinetheproblem. Jackie, the middle daughter,
camewithher family from Oregonlast May for a visit.Wehadplanned on
flyingtoArizona following thewedding, but then , , , r
,Dianne,theyoungestsister, calledonJuly6thsayingthat
theirdadhadpre-, , yearsfor a Saguaro Cactus tosproutitsJirst
arm.leuKemia.Margy andI modified ourschedule toseehimbefore
thewedding. Bythattime hewasunder careof some verycompassionateand
capable doctors from Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. They told us that
there wasnothing they could do forhim. That was
quiteablowforeveryone, even though wehadallread about
thatprobability ontheinternet. Wewere blessed tospend threedays
with himbefore going east forthewedding. Thedayafterthewedding,
hepartook of theLord'sSupper brought tohimby hisminister,
andlaterthat night, slipped out of this lifeinto a better one.
Wemade all possible haste to return to Wickenburg andhelp Lila. Is
notthe Lord good allowing us a few extra days with a lovedone? We
can only praise Him!AMOTHER'S EMOTIONS: PERSONAL GLIMPSESOnly a
mother would knowhowanother feels when herlast child leaves home. I
had no idea how my mother sufferedwhen her three daughters all left
home the same year. I wasworkingin the accountingdepartment of the
telephonecompany and my sister, Jackie, was practicing as a
beautician,when Dianne, the youngest sister, graduated
fromhighschool.It seemed a good year for us giris to leave home and
go tocollege.MysisterandI wereabletosavesomemoneyandwedecided to go
to Pacific Christian College, located at that timein Long Beach,
California. Dianne chose to go to the University of NorthernArizona
in Flagstaff, Arizona.Pacific Christian was four hundred miles from
Goodyear,Arizona, where myparents lived. Mymother was so
lonesomethat she had my Dad drive to the college almost every
otherweekend. They came with a picnic basket and anyone whowas at
the college got a free meal on Saturdays. (Two previousstudents
mentioned these picnics whenthey sent condolencesto me followingmy
father's death.)Now it is my turn to have my two children gone. The
bigdifference is thattheyaren't justfour hundredmilesfromhome, but
a continent away. It takes a full day to fly and makethe necessary
connections from San Pedro Sula to Knoxville,Tennessee.
Theyareonlya phonecall away,of course, (ifmoney permits), but more
importantly, they are only an e-mailaway. Nothing brings me greater
joythan checking e-mail andhaving a letter from Mark or Rebecca.Am
I being sentimental right now? Maybe I am, since Inot only"lost"my
twochildren onthis trip; Mark toamarriage and Rebecca to a college,
but also my father. Oh! Irejoice that theyareall doing well.
Myfather especiallywellhe is with the Lord. That same Lord is with
me also. Heis giving me strength during the times that I feel a
little downwithmylosses. Asthehymngoes, "Count your blessings,name
themoneby one" andI am doing that.MargyPLUSESANDMINUSES -
UPSANDDOWNSThe Institute Biblico Cristiano has been in existence
foreight months. During that time the students have studied
abouthalfofthe Old Testament and a third ofthe New. The need fora
preacher training school is even more pronounced now thanwhen Bill
and Margy arrived in Honduras fouryears ago. Theuse of inadequately
trained men in the pulpit has the potentialto permanently damage
theflituregrowth of the RestorationMovement in Central America.
Where do untrained individuals turn to find theirtheology? Do
theylearn from the radio(where there is a vast array ofstrange
doctrines)? Do they seekit inbooks bydiverseauthors
(withdistinctiveteachingsabout the Word ofGod)? Do they revert to
the only trainingthey have known (many come from churches that
distort theWord of God)? Or even worse, dothey seekhelp
fromneighboringchurches, fromself proclaimedprophetsandapostles:
whomJudedescribes "These men are...shepherdswho feed only
themselves?"The fact is, that the men who stand inthe pulpit are in
needofresources so that they can preach effectively. Ifthe
churchcannot provideintellectual and doctrinal foundations,
theywillseekthemfromthe"wolvesin sheep's clothing"whowrite books,
teach false doctrines, and lead people intospiritual errors. The
reason for a Bible Institute is to providefoundations.One of the
continuing needs of theBible Instituteis torecruit new students
andprofessors. For example, after thesummer breakonlysixstudents of
theeightthat hadbeenattending, returned. So, Bill needsto recruit
additionalstudents. At the same time, in order to efficiently run
the school,Billalsodesperatelyneedsthehelpof afull
timedeanofstudents andtheassistance of several visiting professors.
Itgoes without saying that he is so occupied with teaching thathe
does not have time to do the needed recruitment well.Please pray
for more help for the
institute.REBECCAANDLONG-TIMEFRIENDROOMTOGETHER/Rebecca's
GraduationRebecca graduated from the "Escuela International
Sampedrana" on June6th. The ceremony took place at 9a.m. in the
newly-constructedair-conditionedCafetorium (Cafeteria-Auditorium)
complex. That evening the graduates andtheir guests attended a
dinner-dance at the ArabClub. The graduates were
allbeautifullydressed inlong-white formal gowns. Thus, thirteen
years ofRebecca's educationin foreign countries came to an
end.Rebeccais now a student at JohnsonBible College in Knoxville,
Tennessee. OnJune11th sheflew
tothestateswhereshehelpedMarksetupanapartment that later Joy and
Mark would occupy. Rebecca worked at the collegeduring the summer:
the majority of the time in housekeeping.Long-time friend, Lizzie
Metz, is Rebecca's roommate at the college.
BillandMargyareveryhappywiththisdecision. The
MetzfamilyattendtheSeymour HeightsChristian
Churchnearthecollege.The Hoffs werepart of this congregationfor
thetwo differentyears thatBill wasonthefacultyatJohnson. Pleasepray
for Rebeccaand Lizzieas theyshare their livesand increase
theirknowledge oftheBible throughJohnson BibleCollege. Proudparents
and graduate.MIRACLES STILLHAPPENMonday evening, August 25th, the
Hoffs invited twooftheirfriendsfor supper. Both of themwere
"bachelors"because their wives were in the States. The first fnend
whoarrived was rather upset. He told Bill that he hadjust left
hishand-held radio in the taxi. It was worth about $500. WhenBill
heardthis he was reallyupset. He tried to call on hisradio but
therewas noresponse. Thefriendwas ratherresigned to the fact ofhis
loss. But Bill was far from contentwith the situation.The other
guest arrived and was told about the problem.Aminute or two later
Bill said that he was going outside andtowalkdownthestreet
andlookfor the taxi. Thetwogentlemen immediately followed. Less
than a minute laterthey returnedand told Margythat they had the
radio. Sheasked what had happened.The taxi driver, notknowing
exactly which house hispassenger had entered, because he had
dropped him off atthe comerabout ablockaway, was searchingfor
him.Whenhesawthe HofTsguest, hereturned the radio. Arewardwas
givenhimfor his honesty. Thesecond guestcould not believe what had
happened. That kind ofhonestyis unusual in Honduras. What a
testimony of God's powerfor a man who is beginning to walk with the
Lord.9'ONs'M 'aniAssoyaivdaovisods-nO^OXIdOid-NONPRAYER'N'
PRAISEPray for:*Margy's stepmother, Lila, as she
adjuststolivingwithouther husband.* More students and helpersfor
the Bible Institute* the First Christian Church in Yuma, Arizona.
They havejust suffered the suddenloss of theirminister, PaulKuder,
toleukemia. Pray for his wife and four children and their
families.* thecompletehealingof Bill'sleft arm. Hesufferedasevere
machete wound.* safety as we travel. New laws require that all
parties ofanaccident with injuries be jailed.Praise for:* Mark and
Joy's beautiful wedding. They are both doingwell. Joy is continuing
her studies in elementary education atJohnson Bible College. Mark
is working as an electrician in thecity of Knoxville.* Rebecca as
she is content studying at J.B.C.*safetythat MargyandBill
hadwhiletravelinginthestates. Also for the ease with which
necessary changesin theirschedule were made due to Margy's father's
sickness and death.* theshort termhelpat theBible Institute which
includedAmable Rivera, a national evangelist, and then Tom Fife
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