UNITEDSTATESSALUDOS!MEXICOfromSOUTHAMERICAHONDUtAIBAJIO
CHRISTIAN MISSIONMissionaries Since 1972 Vol. 42, Number 1Pure
Water at the Bible Institute. . .Formany yearsthe watersource at
theinstitute has beena concern. Laboratory reportsabout its
safetyhavebeen conflicting. Those of us whodrinkit seemto get
sickinitially,but thendevelop an immunity. It has been a
greatconcern of the Hoffsforthe health of the students and groups
that have stayed on the institute property. Thelogistics of
transporting bottled water are complex, but PRAISE GOD,
thoseissuesarenowa thing of the past!The Fairfeld Christian Church
in Kokomo, Indiana, donated an ultravioletwater purifier. Not only
did they purchaseit, but they, in coordination with Mark, arranged
itstransportation and threemencamedownto helpinstall it. Because
using purifiedwater to flush toilets would have been extravagant,
they did a majorre-plumb thattookpurewater to the points of use-
especially the kitchens.Those of youwhoenjoy clean water cannot
understand how wonderful it is to turn on a faucet andgetadrink.
The men also succeeded infixing several mechanical problemsthat had
baffled Mark and Bill.Thank you - Bill, Steve,and Don!Bill and
Margy Hoff2227 N.W. 79th Ave. Box P2025DoraI,FL 33122-1615Phone
(Honduras): 011-504-566-2440e-mail:
[email protected]: bajiochristian.orgBajio
Christian MissionActn: Lyn Mclnt}'re34428YucaipaBlvd. E-192Yucaipa,
CA 92399Phone: 909-797-4628February 2011.Graduates now total 31. .
,OnDecember the 4th, graduation washeldfor the National Bible
Institute. Thegraduation took placein the home church of two ofthe
students. This decisionwas made becauseall three graduates were
from San Pedro Sula, thus makingit possiblefor more cooperationand
a larger attendance (about 120). The ladies of a nearby church
prepared the meal. Arrivingat the point of graduation
waschallenging for one of our students. He hadlost a semester when
he returned to finishhisuniversity courses in business
administration.But, he was very animatedto finish with his class
and graduate, so the two other professorsand Bill spent a couple of
months ofintensive classeswith him.He was very motivated, so it was
possible for him to take the classes that he had previouslymissed
beforegraduation.The actual ceremony washeldin a brand new church
building in Ocotillo, a neighborhoodon the northeast side of San
Pedro Sula. The celebration beganwith a modestmeal of arroz con
polio (rice with chicken.) Then the assembly sang a series of
songslead by Antonio Orellano.Heand Amable Rivera had donated a lot
of their time andenergies to teachat theinstitute. Alumni, Emilio
Aldana, shared a message fi"om theWord of Godto exhort the
graduates in theirministries. Bill presented the menwiththeir
diplomas, and Mark awarded them the institute's gifts which
consisted of a Bible,a Bibledictionary, a concordance, and Oldand
New Testament commentaries to helpthem in their future ministries.
Afterwards, the ladies served cake and coffee. It was awonderful
time of fellowship withbelievers that the Hoffshave come to know
throughcamps and other churchactivities. There was a largeamount of
foodleft over which was delivered to alocalorphanage.If you have
followed our newsletters you will note thatthere were only three
graduatesinstead of four. One ofthe students was a new Christian
who had previouslyabused drugs. In the interim, between the end of
classesand graduation, he returned to drugs, abandoning hiswife and
three girls. Those who have never been addictscan not understand
the pull of thosesubstances. Pleaseprayfor Donaldo!Celebrations at
the I.C.F. Church. . .In the InternationalChristian Fellowship, the
believers enjoy Holidays. Thanksgiving wascelebrated on the Sunday
before the holiday. Since the hotel where they normally meetdoesnot
allow themto take in food, they rented a meeting roomelsewhere.
(Thisis theonly Lord's day in the year they do not meet in the
hotel.) The meal is a highly organized"pot luck": members sign up
in advance to bring a couple of dishes. There were six
turkeyscooked this year. There were about 130 people in attendance.
A worship service followedthemeal. Instead of a sermon, four
members shared their testimonies and stories abouttheir walks with
the Lord. It wasa memorable event.The children'sChristmas program
is a highlight of the season. Under Joy's directionand with the
help of other adults, the childrenpractice from October until the
program takes place in December. When the great day came, the
children did very well: they spokeloudly and clearly and didn't
make any memorablemistakes. In the play, a grandmother explained
different aspects of Christmas to hergrandchildren, while
simultaneously,other children acted out the story of Christ's
birth. The parents were proud of their children.Other activities
that members of the church participated in were the ladies' "cookie
exchange" and the "white elephant" gift exchange.One Saturday each
month, the ladies gather for two hours of fellowshipwhich includes
a small meal, a devotional, and games. InDecember theyhad a "cookie
exchange." The Tuesday evening Bible studygroup took one Tuesday to
have a "white elephant" giftexchange. This was a first for them.
There was a lot of laughter in both groups.TheChristmas Eve service
is mentioned in Margy's acticle on Christmas.Family Christmas 2010
. . .On Christmas Eve we visited Markand Joyto sharein our
giftexchange as afamily before rushingoff" to church to set up for
the Christmas Eve service.Joy along with three other members led
the congregation in some traditionalChristmas songs.
Thiswasfollowed by a drama presented by twochurchmembers. They were
very dramatic as one tried to convincethe other to accept Christ.
Bill led the candlelightcommunion service. The 75 people in
attendance enjoyed thesmallplate of manygoodies thatthe hotel had
prepared.Thisservice beganat 6 p.m. in order to giveplenty of time
for the members^:1ifrtoenjoytheirfamilies and friends
afterwards.Most families in Latin America enjoy Christmas with
their families late in the eveningand finish withfood and gift
openingon Christmas morning. For us, we enjoyed a largemeal at
MarkandJoy's house with ten of ourfriends.Bill and I left for the
airport on Christmas morning. Our flight was scheduled to go to
Miami and then on to Knoxville. Although thiswas Christmas day, we
decidedto spendChristmas Eve in SanPedroandthen the following
Sundaywith Beka and family. Whenwearrivedat the boarding gate in
San Pedrowe waitedandwaitedand waited. Wewere eventually told that
the plane wouldarrivethreehours late due to mechanical problems.
Wendy's provided each of us with a combo meal or a salad and drink
during our wait. Knowing that we would not make our connectionin
Miami, a young lady who attends our church and works for American
Airlines, cut usnew tickets to fly to Chicago and then Knoxville
the next morning. Wewere given vouchers for a room and a meal in
Miami. AlthoughChicago had a heavy snow we made our connection and
flewon to Knoxville. Our plane had to wait on the runway while
anotherplane was de-iced. A little later we heard that a plane had
slid off the runway and the airport was closed. God was taking care
of us.What a joy it was to arrive at "Zach's" house. He was ail
excited about Christmas. Beka bought a skate board for us to give
to him.He had a new automatic Nerf gun. which he used for a gun
battle with his grandpa. We exchanged gifts with the family,
includingAlfredo's parents, and then had a delicious meal which
Beka had prepared. Did it matter that Christmas was a day latenot
at all!!!We had a great timewhilein Knoxville, Theweather was cold
andit snowed off and on during our stay. Beka tookZachoutside onthe
sledand evenconvinced Bill to go one time. Bekagot off workearly
mostdays, Alfredo is cunently unemployed, and Zachwason vacation or
hadsnowdaysoff most of the time we werethere. We did not venture
out of Knoxville except to go to my dentalappointment in Lexington.
Alfredo drove us and, of course, Zach was with us. Zach has a
stuffed monkey named "Monkey Dough"whichaccompanies him most
places. Bekamakessurethatthe monkey staysin the truck or car whenon
a journey, but she wasn'talongso Zachtook it into Arby's wherewe
had our meal before returning home. Thefollowing day we realized
that "Monkey Dough"was nowhere to be found. Alfredo remembered
Zachtaking the monkey into the restaurant and sitting him by the
window. Bill calledand confirmed the stuffed friendwas indeed at
the Arby'srestaurant. So thatevening, before the next snow arrived,
Alfredo andBilltraveled1 1/2 hours north for this special monkey.
The cashier even gave Alfredo a free milk shake when he
arrived!!!While in the housewe played games, watched children's
videos, and ate a lot. Bill helped with a couple of repair
projects. It took quiteawhile to packin order to returnhome. We had
purchased somethingsbut we alsobrought backphotoalbums that I had
sent to theSlateswhen there was so muchunrestin Honduras. Bekahad
some toys that she wanted usto bringbackfor the kids herewho
arelessfortimate than Zach. Maybe we could have fit a couple of
toothpicksin our luggage but not much more! 11Christmas 2010 will
always be a very memorabletime.Mission Services2004 E. Magnolia
Ave.Knoxville, TN 37917RETURN SERVICE REQUESTEDPrayet and
PraisePray for:" The threerecent graduates" Donaldo, the former
student that returned to drugs" Guidance for the Bible Institute--
More students" The church members in their various ministries Bill
and Margy's health SafetyPraise for:~ The former students whoare
active in evangelism~ The three recent graduates~ The new water
purification system at the BibleInstitute~ The church members who
were recently baptized The special time of celebrating the holidays
withfamily and friendsNon Profit Org.US. Postage PaidKnoxville,
TNPermit #374Church members receiving their baptismal
certificates.Georgia SharpeFrom: Bill andMargy
Hoff[[email protected]]Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 201111:46
AMTo: Undisclosed-Recipient:;Subject: Our latest news June
2011Attachments: May'11Reduc.pdfDear Friend and family,It has been
awhile since we communicated with you. During the months of April
and May we were in the Statesvisiting family and friends. Some
family we have never seen and others we may not see until the Lord
returns.The trip took us across the entire U.S. from Indiana to
Oregon via Kansas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada,Southem and Northern
California, then back through Colorado, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky
and Tennessee.Margy and I both got to see all of our siblings. In
Oregon we got to see a niece,a great-niece and her little
boythatwehad never seen before. Ourgreat-niece (my sister Jackie's
only grandchild) celebrated her21^ birthdaywhile we were there. The
trip also included seeing Bill's mother in las Vegas on Easter and
Mother's day. Herhealth is in a very slow decline, but she remains
sweet and reasonably contented in the dementia care unit. It is
agreat facility.Margy had several birthday celebrations. It was a
fun time.We saved the best to last. It was our visit with
Beka,Alfredo, and Zach. They are wonderful hosts. Margy had to
change her dental work until two days before weflew out of
Indianapolis. The morning we left Knoxville Zach was up and knew
that I was going to have a toothpulled. He said. Grandma I can pull
your tooth. I just wiggle it around in the morning and by the end
ofthe dayit is out. I offered him my thanks but suggested that the
dentist would do it this time!!!Our journey took us 9000 miles with
wonderful visits. Thank you Rick and Becky Rowan (Joy's parents)
forhosting us for so many days and picking us up and taking us to
the airport.Attached is a PDF document. It is Mark and Joy's
newsletter about our new ministry. If you have troubleopening it,
please let us know. We are excited about what God is doing in the
churches of Honduras.Thank you for your prayers and financial
support.UNITEDSTATBMEXICOSOUTHAMERCAMissionaries Since
1972SALUDOS!fromBAJIO CHRISTIAN MISSIONVol. 42, Number 2Bill and
Margy HoffnilN.W. 79di Ave. Box P2025DoraJ, FL
33122-1615Phone(Honduras):011-504-566-2440e-mail:
[email protected]: bajiochristian.orgBajio
Christian MissionAttn: Lyn Mclntyre34428 Yucaipa Blvd.
E-192Yucaipa, CA 92399Phone: 909-797-4628August 2011Palm Branches
to Prefab. . .A few months ago, our son Mark, was asked to help
another missionary with transporting his work team. Mark was very
interested inhis program of prefabricated buildings, so he went
along. The structure that was being built was essentially
prefabricated trusses anduprightswhich serve as a roof for the
church to meet under until then they can encloseit with concrete
blocks. The large work teamput up two of thesechurch buildings in a
week.Later,when we werevisiting thesmallcongregation in Guangolola
to promote the Leadership Training program, we observed a realneed
for a building. They were meeting under a few palm branches thrown
on some boards. Mark was convinced that the prefabricated idea
would be perfect to helpthis impoverished new church. So rather
thanreinvent the wheel, we borrowed a trussfrom themissionary, and
after modifying measurements to fit the lot size, we had a welder
build eight half trusses that could be assembled easily on site.
Then we had the footers dug and bolts placed. The only thing that
we lacked was manual labor to put it up.FamilyCamp provided the
perfect opportunity to recruit help. Mark got commitmentsfrom about
ten church leaders to come and helpraise the building. That morning
we loaded the whole project on the trailer and Mark's pickup and
drove up the mountain with it. Theassembly of the trusses and their
support legs went quickly. Pushing them up was a little more
difficult. The last part of the structurerequiredmostly the work of
two men up high. By 5 p.m. the entire structure was done and the
next morning five of us put all of thegalvanized metal roofing on
by midday. By God's grace no one was injured, even when a rung
broke on a scaffold. It was an awesometime of rejoicing for the
church and the men who had dedicated themselves to blessing
them.nwBefore Building the Trusses Installing Roofing Finished
ProductSeminars. . .When we received the invitation to come to
Honduras, it was to participate in leadership training We don't
believe thatcall haschanged, but circumstances have changed.
Recruitment of studentsfor pastoralministryhas become very
difficult, this is partly dueto thenation's economy. Asa result, we
simply could not getenoughstudents to warrant beginning classes
this year.There are, however, committed believers wholovetheLord
and want toservehim butfeel incompetent. Some of them are men who
wouldloveto serve as pastors but needtraining forthe job. Others
are women whodesire to teachin theirchurches. Frequently,
theycannot go to a locatedBible institute because of their family
obligations, Because of this, BillandMark havetaken a break fromthe
classroom setting at the Instituteand have begun a series of
seminarsthat they take to the churches. Thetwo-year program is
being taught to participants at six different churches Rural
Churchn.on various days of the month. Class sizes range from three
tothree dozen. The material we are using (Preparacion y
Mobi-lizacion)was developed in Hondurasover the course of
thirtyyears. It demands thatthestudent teach others the same
lesson.Joy accompanies Mark and Bill on two of the seminars.In
Capital CityFamily Camp . . .Formanyyearsthe churches in Honduras
havegotten togetherand held a Family Camp. This is organized by the
pastorsthroughout the country. It is one of the unifying events
that helpremind the believers of the "one body" nature of the
church.This year there were about165 people in attendance. The
campwas once again held at the Bible Institute. The
fellowship,games, dramas, worship and food wereall verywelldone.
Thethemefor the campwas "Victorious Christian Families,"
andthepreaching wasexcellent. . r. . . ,Evening Service in the
ChapelThe food was typical: beans, rice, cooked bananas and lots of
eggs and tortillas. That is what people eat at home. The cost was
about 7dollars for two and a half days. Becausethe Institute
facility is loanedwithout charge, the camp profited a small amount
whichprobablywill be reinvested in more beds and fans, There was a
shortageof about 40 beds this year, so some peoplehad to bringtheir
ownmattresses to put on the floor. In the future there may be
modifications to the buildings to help house more campers. The
constructionof more bunk beds will also help. In spite of those
limitations, the campers had a great experience.The little children
loved the above ground pool that someonedonated to the camp, and
the ziplinewas especially popular withyoung people. The steel cable
started about 50 feet off the groundin a large Kapok tree and ran
150 yards to another tree and thenwas tied off on the winch on
Mark's Ford. To rideit one had toclimb a rope ladder to the top
where Jim Riley (who designedit) would clip their harness to the
pulleys, un-clip them fromthe safety rope, and shove themoff.
Jimand Mark ran over70campers and a handful of local children
downthe wire withoutincident. The only regret was notbeingableto
have more thanonetrip per camper. (Bill, like mostof the older
campers, stayed onthe ground. He worked the pulleyremrn
andharnessplacement.)Worship TeamAClass in the Shadea- fJiThree
Churches CombinedWaiting to Swim Zip-line FunOur Trip ...On April
5th we left for a 2-month trip to the States. The purpose of the
trip was to visit family and friends and to get me (Margy)some new
digital hearing aids. There are various members of my family that
we have never met so we needed the extended trip to takeus to
northern Oregon.After spending a short time with the Rowans we went
to Audibel (a place that sells and repairs hearing aids) in Dexter,
Missouri. Theowner blessed me with my first hearing aids years ago
while he was on a mission trip in Honduras. But my hearing had
grown considerably worse, so I needed more powerful aids. After
getting my hearing checked in Honduras, Bill contacted him again.
We made anappointmentand arrived about one half hour early at their
office. Larry, the owner, talked to us for a little while and then
said that hisson would program some new hearing aids. They informed
us that one hour earlier a lady walked into their office with a set
of hearingaids. Her husbandhad passed away and she wanted to donate
them to someonein need. The aids were worth $3,000 a piece.
Thesewere much better hearing aids than they planned on giving me.
What a miracle!! What a way to begin our trip!!Bill was asked to
preach the first Sunday that we werein theStates,April 10th,
inKansas. We werespending a few days with Darryl Olson (our
mission's president) and his wife. Marge. We have knownthem since
our first years in Mexico.From Kansas, we continuedtraveling and
visiting friends and family on our way to Lincoln City,
Oregon.While there we stayed with Jill and Javier Zarate (my niece
and her husband). We also saw my brother-in-law and his wife, my
nephew and his wife, and my great niece and her son. These are
family membersof my sister who passed away in 2000. The Lord only
knows if we will ever return to Oregon, but it wasgreat seeing
them.While in the States, we were able to visit with Bill's mother
on Easter and Mothers' Day. We also stayedwith my sister in Arizona
and spent time with Bill's siblings and their spouses. I celebrated
my 70th birthday with a Debi Oliva, a good friend, in Springfield,
MO.We were anxious to see our grandson, Zach (and his parents) in
Knoxville, TN. While we were there mydaughter threw me a surprise
birthday party. Because it was Memorial Day weekend, we spent
qualitytime together. Bill and I decided that we might not take
such a long road trip again. It was exhausting.Familv inKnoxville
Zach with Leaf-Blower Marg}''s Party"NDariyl and MargieOlsonBill
with MotherZach with orangeand white cast.Margy's70'*' Birthday
Parties . . .Thanks to family and friends, Margy had several
birthday parties, both in the Statesand in Honduras. The last one
was planned by Mark and Joy and took place in a localchurch in San
Pedro Sula. The English church family was invited along with
severalfriends from the States who had come for Anthony Gilen's
wedding. Two other ladieswerehonored at the celebration because
they had birthdays at about the same time.Two Brothers Marryin the
Same Summer ..It was an unusual summer for our English speaking
church members. TheRussian family in thecongregation has three
boys. Their youngest son,Anthony, was married on June11th.
Billwasasked to perform the wedding in Spanish. Thewedding took
place in Tegucigalpa which is theMargy's Party in HondurascAnthony
and Majelle Chu/vh FamilyMission Services2004 E. Magnolia
Ave.Knoxville, TN 37917RETURN SERVICE REQUESTEDNon Profit Org.U.S.
Postage PaidPCnoxville, TNPermit #374capitol of Honduras and is
about a 5-hour drive from San Pedro Sula. Bill and Mark had three
days of seminars in that area so theyplanned to be there already.
Joy and I rode with some other church members who were also
attending. We all stayed at a beautifulhotel and had a lot of fun
celebrating with Anthony and his new ^vife Majelle.Soon after the
wedding, one of his twin brothers, Paul,announcedthat he was
gettingmarried on August 20th.Once againBill was asked to perform
the ceremony,but thistime it would bein English. It tookplaceonthe
beach in front of Telamar, a very nice resort aboutan hour and a
half drive from San Pedro Sula. It wasa beautiful wedding. A
tropical storm was supposedto hit the areabut turned north just in
timeand theweather cleared up by the time the weddingbegan.
Thereception was very nice, and once againmany members of our
church family had a great time together. Paul and Cesia Audience at
BeachPrayer and PraisePraises: Seminars going well.Zach has his
cast removed. He fractured his arm and had awaterproof cast on for
2 months.~ Church has new roof~ Family Camp at Bible Institute
enrolled 165.Prayers:~ For Seminar participants to grow and reach
out.~ For safety while traveling.~ For good health. God's care for
Honduras during this hurricane season.Georgia
SharpeFrom:Sent:To:Subject:God's timingBill andMargy Hoff
[[email protected]]Thursday, December 15, 2011 11:55
AMundisclosed-recipients:Christmas LetterBut when the fullness of
thetime came,God sent out his Son, bom toa woman, bom under the
law,that he might redeem those who were under the law,that we might
receive the adoption of children.Galatians 4:4-5In the fullness of
time; God sent his Son. That is the whole reason we celebrate
Christmas. All who receive Himare adopted as children of God. God
is patient, desiring that no one should perish, desirous that all
receiveadoption by knowledge of, and submission to Jesus Christ.
Even at Christmas we must remember that the"fullness of time" is
coming around again: Jesus will come a second time ~ this time to
gather God's adoptedchildren. Then God will end time, ending both
heaven and earth. Those who have made him Lord will livetimelessly,
rejoicing andbasking in theglory of the Everlasting. This is
themessage of Christmas! The virginBirth, the angels, the
shepherds, and thewise men all point us to theSON of GOD who died
for us andis theresurrected Lord of All.It is beautiful in San
PedroSula today. The sun is shining off and on. There has been a
lot of rain theselastcouple of months, so it has stayed cooler than
usual for a long period of time, for which we are grateful.The Lord
hasblessed us richly this past year. We were able to visit our
families in the States and enjoy ourchurch family here.In February,
the seminar style leadership training courses were begun. Mark and
Bill, and sometimes Joy,visited church leadership teamsin the
Cliristian churches throughout Honduras. Over 50 students are
involvedin the six church locations. The great thing about these
seminars is that the students are encouraged to teachtheir fiiends
and neighbors the material that they have been taught, as well as
learn more about the Bible andhow to apply it.In April and May, we
were in the States and traveled over 7,000 miles visiting family
and friends. Shortly afterarriving, Margy visited the audiologists
and received two $3,000 hearing aids without charge. We truly
praisedthe Lord for that miracle. Our trip ended in Knoxville where
we visited Rebecca and family over the Memorialday weekend. We
decided that we would not travel that far in a future trip.We have
had a lot ofhealth issues this year but we are grateful for good
doctors in Honduras. Most ofyou knowthat Joy lost the hearing in
her left ear while they were on a trip in the States last October.
We are praying for amiracle that her hearing may return.The English
speaking church has seen members come and go. We have two
missionaryfamilies leaving thisnext year. Margy will be especially
missing her fnend that has been in the same Bible study for over 18
years.We will be leaving for Knoxville next week for Christmas.
Sharing a Christmas with Zach should be a lot offun. The plan for
Christmas day is to help feed the homeless in Knoxville as part
ofthe Salvation Armyprogram. Alfredo, Beka, and Zach worked in the
Rescue Mission Thanksgiving day. Margy called Zach the dayafter
Thanksgiving and asked what he had done for Thanksgiving. He
replied, "feed the homeless."A couple ofmonths ago we received the
news that we would be grandparents again. Next May, Zach will
havealittle brother or sister. We are all excited.We pray that you
will have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.God Bless,Bill and
Margy