SALUDOS!

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

from
SOUTH AMERICA

BAJIO CHRISTIAN MISSION

HONDUtAI

Bill and Margy Hoff

2227 N.W. 79th Ave. Box P2025

DoraI,FL 33122-1615

Phone (Honduras): 011-504-566-2440

e-mail: billandmargyhoff@gmail.com
website: bajiochristian.org
Bajio Christian Mission
Actn: Lyn Mclnt}'re

34428 Yucaipa Blvd. E-192

Yucaipa, CA 92399
Phone: 909-797-4628

February 2011

Vol. 42, Number 1

Missionaries Since 1972

Pure Water at the Bible Institute . . .

For many years the water source at the institute has been a concern. Laboratory re
ports about its safety have been conflicting. Those of us who drink it seem to get sick
initially, but then develop an immunity. It has been a great concern of the Hoffs for
the health of the students and groups that have stayed on the institute property. The
logistics of transporting bottled water are complex, but PRAISE GOD, those issues are
now a thing of the past!

The Fairfeld Christian Church in Kokomo, Indiana, donated an ultraviolet water puri
fier. Not only did they purchase it, but they, in coordination with Mark, arranged its
transportation and three men came down to help install it. Because using purified
water to flush toilets would have been extravagant, they did a major re-plumb that
took pure water to the points of use
- especially the kitchens.
Those of you who enjoy clean wa
ter cannot understand how wonder

ful it is to turn on a faucet and get

a drink. The men also succeeded in

fixing several mechanical problems

that had baffled Mark and Bill.

Thank you - Bill, Steve, and Don!

Graduates now total 31. . ,

On December the 4th, graduation was held for the National Bible Institute. The graduation took place in the home church of two of
the students. This decision was made because all three graduates were from San Pedro Sula, thus making it possible for more coop
eration and a larger attendance (about 120). The ladies of a nearby church prepared the meal. Arriving at the point of graduation was
challenging for one of our students. He had lost a semester when he returned to finish his university courses in business administra
tion. But, he was very animated to finish with his class and graduate, so the two other professors and Bill spent a couple of months of
intensive classes with him. He was very motivated, so it was possible for him to take the classes that he had previously missed before
graduation.
The actual ceremony was held in a brand new church building in Ocotillo, a neighbor
hood on the northeast side of San Pedro Sula. The celebration began with a modest
meal of arroz con polio (rice with chicken.) Then the assembly sang a series of songs
lead by Antonio Orellano. He and Amable Rivera had donated a lot of their time and
energies to teach at the institute. Alumni, Emilio Aldana, shared a message fi"om the
Word of God to exhort the graduates in their ministries. Bill presented the men with
their diplomas, and Mark awarded them the institute's gifts which consisted of a Bible,
a Bible dictionary, a concordance, and Old and New Testament commentaries to help
them in their future ministries. Afterwards, the ladies served cake and coffee. It was a

wonderful time of fellowship with believers that the Hoffs have come to know through

camps and other church activities. There was a large

amount of food left over which was delivered to a local

orphanage.
If you have followed our newsletters you will note that
there were only three graduates instead of four. One of
the students was a new Christian who had previously
abused drugs. In the interim, between the end of classes
and graduation, he returned to drugs, abandoning his
wife and three girls. Those who have never been addicts
can not understand the pull of those substances. Please
pray for Donaldo!

Celebrations at the I.C.F. Church . . .

In the International Christian Fellowship, the believers enjoy Holidays. Thanksgiving was
celebrated on the Sunday before the holiday. Since the hotel where they normally meet
does not allow them to take in food, they rented a meeting room elsewhere. (This is the
only 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 turkeys
cooked this year. There were about 130 people in attendance. A worship service followed
the meal. Instead of a sermon, four members shared their testimonies and stories about
their walks with the Lord. It was a memorable event.

The children's Christmas program is a highlight of the season. Under Joy's direction and with the help of other adults, the children
practice from October until the program takes place in December. When the great day came, the children did very well: they spoke
loudly and clearly and didn't make any memorable mistakes. In the play, a grandmother explained different aspects of Christmas to her
grandchildren, 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 fellowship which includes a small meal, a devotional, and games. In
December they had a "cookie exchange." The Tuesday evening Bible study group took one Tuesday to have a "white elephant" gift
exchange. This was a first for them. There was a lot of laughter in both groups.
The Christmas Eve service is mentioned in Margy's acticle on Christmas.

^:1

Family Christmas 2010 . . .

On Christmas Eve we visited Mark and Joy to share in our gift exchange as a
family before rushing off" to church to set up for the Christmas Eve service.

Joy along with three other members led the congregation in some traditional
Christmas songs. This was followed by a drama presented by two church
members. They were very dramatic as one tried to convince the other to ac
cept Christ. Bill led the candlelight communion service. The 75 people in at
tendance enjoyed the small plate of many goodies that the hotel had prepared.
This service began at 6 p.m. in order to give plenty of time for the members

if
r

to enjoytheirfamilies and friends afterwards. Most families in Latin America enjoy Christmas with their families late in the evening
and finish with food and gift openingon Christmas morning. For us, we enjoyed a large meal at Mark and Joy's house with ten of our
friends.

Bill and I left for the airport on Christmas morning. Our flight was scheduled to go to Miami and then on to Knoxville. Although this
was Christmas day, we decided to spend Christmas Eve in San Pedro and then the following Sundaywith Beka and family. When we
arrived at the boarding gate in San Pedro we waited and waited and waited. Wewere eventually told that the plane would arrive three
hours late due to mechanical problems. Wendy's provided each of us with a combo meal or a salad and drink during our wait. Know
ing that we would not make our connection in Miami, a young lady who attends our church and works for American Airlines, cut us
new tickets to fly to Chicago and then Knoxville the next morning. We were given vouchers for a room and a meal in Miami. Although
Chicago had a heavy snow we made our connection and flew on to Knoxville. Our plane had to wait on the runway while another
plane 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, including
Alfredo'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 time while in Knoxville, The weather was cold and it snowed off and on during our stay. Beka took Zach outside on
the sled and even convinced Bill to go one time. Beka got off work early most days, Alfredo is cunently unemployed, and Zach was
on vacation or had snow days off most of the time we were there. We did not venture out of Knoxville except to go to my dental
appointment in Lexington. Alfredo drove us and, of course, Zach was with us. Zach has a stuffed monkey named "Monkey Dough"
which accompanies him most places. Beka makes sure that the monkey stays in the truck or car when on a journey, but she wasn't
along so Zach took it into Arby's where we had our meal before returning home. The following day we realized that "Monkey Dough"
was nowhere to be found. Alfredo remembered Zach taking the monkey into the restaurant and sitting him by the window. Bill called
and confirmed the stuffed friend was indeed at the Arby's restaurant. So that evening, before the next snow arrived, Alfredo and Bill
traveled 1 1/2 hours north for this special monkey. The cashier even gave Alfredo a free milk shake when he arrived!!!
While in the house we played games, watched children's videos, and ate a lot. Bill helped with a couple of repair projects. It took quite
awhile to pack in order to return home. We had purchased some things but we also brought back photo albums that I had sent to the
Slates when there was so much unrest in Honduras. Beka had some toys that she wanted us to bring back for the kids here who are less
fortimate than Zach. Maybe we could have fit a couple of toothpicks in our luggage but not much more! 11

Christmas 2010 will always be a very memorable time.

Mission Services
2004 E. Magnolia Ave.
Knoxville, TN 37917

Non Profit Org.

US. Postage Paid
Knoxville, TN
Permit #374

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Prayet and Praise

Pray for:
" The three recent 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

Safety

Praise for:
~ The former students who are active in evangelism
~ The three recent graduates
~ The new water purification system at the Bible
Institute

~ The church members who were recently baptized

The special time of celebrating the holidays with
family and friends

Church members receiving their baptismal certificates.

Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Attachments:

Bill and Margy Hoff[billandmargyhoff@gmail.com]

Tuesday, June 21, 2011 11:46 AM
Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Our latest news June 2011
May'11Reduc.pdf

Dear Friend and family,

It has been awhile since we communicated with you. During the months of April and May we were in the States
visiting 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 boy

thatwehad never seen before. Ourgreat-niece (my sister Jackie's only grandchild) celebrated her21^ birthday
while we were there. The trip also included seeing Bill's mother in las Vegas on Easter and Mother's day. Her
health is in a very slow decline, but she remains sweet and reasonably contented in the dementia care unit. It is a
great 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 we
flew out of Indianapolis. The morning we left Knoxville Zach was up and knew that I was going to have a tooth
pulled. He said. Grandma I can pull your tooth. I just wiggle it around in the morning and by the end of the day
it 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) for
hosting 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 trouble
opening 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.

SALUDOS!

UNITED STATB

n i l N.W. 79di Ave. Box P2025

DoraJ, FL 33122-1615

Phone (Honduras): 011-504-566-2440

e-mail: billandmargyhoff@ginail.com
website: bajiochristian.org

MEXICO

from
SOUTH AMER CA

Bill and Margy Hoff

BAJIO CHRISTIAN MISSION

Bajio Christian Mission

Attn: Lyn Mclntyre
34428 Yucaipa Blvd. E-192
Yucaipa, CA 92399
Phone: 909-797-4628

Missionaries Since 1972

August 2011

Vol. 42, Number 2

Palm 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 in
his program of prefabricated buildings, so he went along. The structure that was being built was essentially prefabricated trusses and
uprights which serve as a roof for the church to meet under until then they can enclose it with concrete blocks. The large work team
put up two of these church buildings in a week.
Later, when we were visiting the small congregation in Guangolola to promote the Leadership Training program, we observed a real
need for a building. They were meeting under a few palm branches thrown on some boards. Mark was convinced that the prefabri
cated idea would be perfect to help this impoverished new church. So rather than reinvent the wheel, we borrowed a truss from the
missionary, and after modifying measurements to fit the lot size, we had a welder build eight half trusses that could be assembled eas
ily on site. Then we had the footers dug and bolts placed. The only thing that we lacked was manual labor to put it up.

Family Camp provided the perfect opportunity to recruit help. Mark got commitments from about ten church leaders to come and help
raise the building. That morning we loaded the whole project on the trailer and Mark's pickup and drove up the mountain with it. The
assembly of the trusses and their support legs went quickly. Pushing them up was a little more difficult. The last part of the structure
required mostly 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 the
galvanized metal roofing on by midday. By God's grace no one was injured, even when a rung broke on a scaffold. It was an awesome
time of rejoicing for the church and the men who had dedicated themselves to blessing them.

w
Before

Building the Trusses

Installing Roofing

Finished Product

Seminars . . .
When we received the invitation to come to Honduras, it was to participate in leadership training We don't believe that call has
changed, but circumstances have changed. Recruitment of students for pastoral ministry has become very difficult, this is partly due
to the nation's economy. As a result, we simply could not get enough
students to warrant beginning classes this year.
n.
There are, however, committed believers who love the Lord and want to

serve him but feel incompetent. Some of them are men who would love
to serve as pastors but need training for the job. Others are women who
desire to teach in their churches. Frequently, they cannot go to a located
Bible institute because of their family obligations, Because of this, Bill
and Mark have taken a break from the classroom setting at the Institute
and have begun a series of seminars that they take to the churches. The
two-year program is being taught to participants at six different churches

Rural Church

on various days of the month. Class sizes range from three to

three dozen. The material we are using (Preparacion y Mobilizacion) was developed in Honduras over the course of thirty
years. It demands that the student teach others the same lesson.
Joy accompanies Mark and Bill on two of the seminars.

a- fJi

In Capital City

Three Churches Combined

Family Camp . . .
For many years the churches in Honduras have gotten together

and held a Family Camp. This is organized by the pastors

throughout the country. It is one of the unifying events that help
remind the believers of the "one body" nature of the church.
This year there were about 165 people in attendance. The camp
was once again held at the Bible Institute. The fellowship,
games, dramas, worship and food were all very well done. The
theme for the camp was "Victorious Christian Families," and
the preaching was excellent.

r.

Evening Service in the Chapel

The food was typical: beans, rice, cooked bananas and lots of eggs and tortillas. That is what people eat at home. The cost was about 7
dollars for two and a half days. Becausethe Institute facility is loanedwithout charge, the camp profited a small amount which prob
ably will be reinvested in more beds and fans, There was a shortageof about 40 beds this year, so some people had to bring their own
mattresses to put on the floor. In the future there may be modifications to the buildings to help house more campers. The construction
of 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 someone
donated to the camp, and the zipline was especially popular with
young people. The steel cable started about 50 feet off the ground
in a large Kapok tree and ran 150 yards to another tree and then
was tied off on the winch on Mark's Ford. To ride it one had to

Worship Team

A Class in the Shade

climb a rope ladder to the top where Jim Riley (who designed
it) would clip their harness to the pulleys, un-clip them from
the safety rope, and shove them off. Jim and Mark ran over 70
campers and a handful of local children down the wire without
incident. The only regret was not
being able to have more than one
trip per camper. (Bill, like most
of the older campers, stayed on
the ground. He worked the pulley
remrn and harness placement.)

Waiting to Swim

Zip-line Fun

Our 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 take
us 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. The
owner blessed me with my first hearing aids years ago while he was on a mission trip in Honduras. But my hearing had grown consid
erably worse, so I needed more powerful aids. After getting my hearing checked in Honduras, Bill contacted him again. We made an
appointment and arrived about one half hour early at their office. Larry, the owner, talked to us for a little while and then said that his
son would program some new hearing aids. They informed us that one hour earlier a lady walked into their office with a set of hearing
aids. Her husband had passed away and she wanted to donate them to someone in need. The aids were worth $3,000 a piece. These
were 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 were in the States, April 10th, in Kansas. We were
spending a few days with Darryl Olson (our mission's president) and his wife. Marge. We have known
them since our first years in Mexico.

"N

From Kansas, we continued traveling 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 brotherin-law and his wife, my nephew and his wife, and my great niece and her son. These are family members
of my sister who passed away in 2000. The Lord only knows if we will ever return to Oregon, but it was

Dariyl and Margie Olson

great seeing them.

While in the States, we were able to visit with Bill's mother on Easter and Mothers' Day. We also stayed
with my sister in Arizona and spent time with Bill's siblings and their spouses. I celebrated my 70th birth
day 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 my
daughter threw me a surprise birthday party. Because it was Memorial Day weekend, we spent quality
time together. Bill and I decided that we might not take such a long road trip again. It was exhausting.

Bill with Mother

Zach with orange

Familv in Knoxville

Zach with Leaf-Blower

Marg}''s Party

and white cast.

Margy's 70'*' Birthday Parties . . .

Thanks to family and friends, Margy had several birthday parties, both in the States
and in Honduras. The last one was planned by Mark and Joy and took place in a local
church in San Pedro Sula. The English church family was invited along with several
friends from the States who had come for Anthony Gilen's wedding. Two other ladies
were honored at the celebration because they had birthdays at about the same time.
Margy's Party in Honduras

Two Brothers Marry

in the Same Summer ..

It was an unusual summer for our English speak
ing church members. The Russian family in the
congregation has three boys. Their youngest son,
Anthony, was married on June 11th. Bill was
asked to perform the wedding in Spanish. The
wedding took place in Tegucigalpa which is the

Anthony and Majelle

Chu/vh Family

Non Profit Org.

U.S. Postage Paid

Mission Services
2004 E. Magnolia Ave.

PCnoxville, TN

Knoxville, TN 37917

Permit #374

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

capitol 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 they
planned to be there already. Joy and I rode with some other church members who were also attending. We all stayed at a beautiful
hotel and had a lot of fun celebrating with Anthony and his new ^vife Majelle.
Soon after the wedding, one of his twin brothers, Paul,
announced that he was getting married on August 20th.
Once again Bill was asked to perform the ceremony,
but this time it would be in English. It took place on
the beach in front of Telamar, a very nice resort about
an hour and a half drive from San Pedro Sula. It was

a beautiful wedding. A tropical storm was supposed

to hit the area but turned north just in time and the
weather cleared up by the time the wedding began. The
reception was very nice, and once again many mem
bers of our church family had a great time together.

Paul and Cesia

Audience at Beach

Prayer and Praise

Praises:

Prayers:

Seminars going well.

~ For Seminar participants to grow and reach out.

Zach has his cast removed. He fractured his arm and had a

~ For safety while traveling.

waterproof cast on for 2 months.

~

Church has new roof

~ Family Camp at Bible Institute enrolled 165.

~ For good health.

God's care for Honduras during this hurricane season.

Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
To:

Bill and Margy Hoff [biIIandmargyhoff@gmail.com]

Thursday, December 15, 2011 11:55 AM
undisclosed-recipients:

Subject:

Christmas Letter

God's timing

But when the fullness of the time came,

God sent out his Son, bom to a woman, bom under the law,
that he might redeem those who were under the law,

that we might receive the adoption of children.

Galatians 4:4-5

In the fullness of time; God sent his Son. That is the whole reason we celebrate Christmas. All who receive Him

are adopted as children of God. God is patient, desiring that no one should perish, desirous that all receive
adoption 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 adopted
children. Then God will end time, ending both heaven and earth. Those who have made him Lord will live
timelessly, rejoicing and basking in the glory of the Everlasting. This is the message of Christmas! The virgin
Birth, the angels, the shepherds, and the wise men all point us to the SON of GOD who died for us and is the
resurrected Lord of All.

It is beautiful in San Pedro Sula today. The sun is shining off and on. There has been a lot of rain these last
couple of months, so it has stayed cooler than usual for a long period of time, for which we are grateful.
The Lord has blessed us richly this past year. We were able to visit our families in the States and enjoy our
church family here.

In February, the seminar style leadership training courses were begun. Mark and Bill, and sometimes Joy,
visited church leadership teams in the Cliristian churches throughout Honduras. Over 50 students are involved
in the six church locations. The great thing about these seminars is that the students are encouraged to teach

their fiiends and neighbors the material that they have been taught, as well as learn more about the Bible and
how to apply it.

In April and May, we were in the States and traveled over 7,000 miles visiting family and friends. Shortly after
arriving, Margy visited the audiologists and received two $3,000 hearing aids without charge. We truly praised
the Lord for that miracle. Our trip ended in Knoxville where we visited Rebecca and family over the Memorial
day weekend. We decided that we would not travel that far in a future trip.
We have had a lot of health issues this year but we are grateful for good doctors in Honduras. Most of you know
that Joy lost the hearing in her left ear while they were on a trip in the States last October. We are praying for a
miracle that her hearing may return.

The English speaking church has seen members come and go. We have two missionary families leaving this
next 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 of
fun. The plan for Christmas day is to help feed the homeless in Knoxville as part ofthe Salvation Army
program. Alfredo, Beka, and Zach worked in the Rescue Mission Thanksgiving day. Margy called Zach the day
after Thanksgiving and asked what he had done for Thanksgiving. He replied, "feed the homeless."
A couple of months ago we received the news that we would be grandparents again. Next May, Zach will have
a little 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