%ALUDOSf

FROM

THE NORM DUNGANS

APDO. POSTAL 741

QUERETARO, QRO.

MEXICO

PUBLISHED QUARTERLY

MEET THE MEN--3

FEBRUARY 1976

In the two preceding issues ofSaludos we presented to you two ofthe evangelists who are opening newspiritual fields in Central Mexico.

Now we present a third man—Tomas

de la Cruz.

Tomas, his wife

Elba and his three

children, Daniel,Deborah and Dina,live and work in

the city of San

Miguel de Allende,in the state of

Guanajuato—a town

of about 5.0,000people and one ofthe favorite cit

ies of visitingAmericans. In fact,

perhaps as much as40% of the population is composed

of Americans, manyof whom are writers

painters or students.

Tomas is a native of the north

ern part of Mexico; he was born on

a ranch way out in the coiintry inthe state of Coahuila, and was one

of many childres in the family. He

by villages

spent his youth on the ranch, mainlytending sheep and herding cattle. Hewas a rebellious youth; and when the

"evangelicals" would come out to near-

to hold meetings, Tom

would jeer, taunt,

even throw rocks.

But the Lord had

plans for Tomas,and when a young

Christian preacher

came out to hold a

meeting nearby, theWord of God reached

Tom's heart. That

very week he wasbaptized into Christfor the remission of

his sins.

Since that day,Tomas has given his

life to the proclamation of the

Gospel. First hisfamily came to the

Lord, then relatives and neighbors.In time, Tomas determined to attendBible college, this in spite of thefact that he had received very littleformal education on the ranch. He

was accepted, and spent two years

there,under the patient instructiof the capable Colegio Biblico faulty. It was at the college whehe met Elba Ramirez, cind therlwhere the^- determined to join theirlives in service to the lord. i

, I - 1since leaving Colegro Biblico^

Tomas has had a most productiveministry, both in the state orMichoacan, where he worked for sev-feral years with Marty and HeleijiGonzalez, and in the Bajio, wher^he has been for nearly 4 years. I

It was Tomas who began the radi^work in Central Mexico nearly sikyears ago, and it is he who continues to write and preach for the 20new programs "produced monthly hete.Under his leadership, the congregation in San Miguel has grown from]about 10 members to nearly 40. Abdjhe-continues tp visit and. open niew}fields all over, the Bajio^ Becauseiof the radio program, Tomas is wel-jcome nearly everywhere in the area, i

His ministry has not always beenieasy. He had-to overcome the blpwlof the murder of his younger bro- |ther, Alfredo, and he has faced!opposition and threats on his life jon several occasions.. But in.spite |of the dangers to life, he contih- jues to serve the Lord; and the Lozld jcontinues to use him to open hearts,;

THE CAMP GROWSThe footings for the new dining

hall/chapel building are now in,and pi Hats are going up. Work hasbeen del^lyed by a lack of water(the orphanage pixnp went on theblink), Christmas and New Years

(the 2 stone masons missed 2 weeks

for year-end celebrations), illness(the foremcui was sick for 10 days),and higher-priority business (we allgot involved in other projects). Butnow all appears to be back to normal,

and work is picking up. I have beencleaning fields for a new basketballcourt and soccer field, while the 2

men lay stone. Next month. BrotherSteve Shold will be back to help layblock, and (hopefully) begin on theroof.

A recent gift of $500 has madethe dream of a summer-ready buildingseem more possible. We continue totrust Him.

L.T.E. MEETING

As you read this, the LeadershipTraining by Extension_ seminar ishistory. Held February 9-13 here inQueretaro, the seminar, led by Professor Ed Mathews of Abilene Christ

ian College, drew Christian workersfrom all over the country—from asfar north as Ciudad Juarez and from

cis far south as Yucatan. Designedto acquaint us with the theoiry, themethod and the means of training

church leaders where they are, theseminar provided time for both newinformation and for sharing of curr

ent developments all over the country in this most significant meansof leadership-equipping in and forthe local situation.

Much mail has been lost or delayedrecently. If you've written and gotten no answer, try again please!

VISITING THE CHURCHES

Last time we shared with you abrief glimpse of the congregationwhich meets in San Juan del Rio, inthe state of Queretaro. This timelet's look at a church in the state

of Guanajuato.San Miguel de Allende, the home

of Tomas de la Cruz (see "Meet the

Men" article) , is set in a small

valley about 35 miles northwest ofQueretaro. The high percentage of

foreigners in the city has broughtmany cultural advances, but has not

brought, unfortunately, a stronglyevangelical religious atmosphere.If anything,the influx of Americanshas created among the local citizens a greater adherence to the

pseudo-Christian heritage.The groundwork for the church in

San -Miguel was laid by Clinton andMelba Looney, who lived in the cityfor about 6 years. Clinton earneda Master's degree in History at thecollege there, and he and Melba developed many friendships. With thecoming of Mrs. Hazel Rathbern (thewidow of Professor Paul Rathbern of

Colegio Biblico) the work was begun,with the first baptisms being anAmerican lady and her son,residentsof the city. Hazel had a strongimpact upon many in the city, inspite of the fact that she had towork alone. The Lord used her to

reach both Americans and Mexicans,and a small congregation was begun.

For a while, bi-lingual serviceswere held. But the in-again, out-

again American population impeded astrong, vigorous growth. Nonethe

less, several young people and oneentire family came to know Christ.

Persecution was plentiful for the

Christians, and some dropped away.But some stayed, including the wholefamily, and the work gained strength.

The work had a real test when both

the Looneys and Hazel were forced toleave the country and when the onefamily moved to Mexico City. But theremaining Christians kept on, andbefore long the Lord sent Tomas dela Cruz.

The San Miguel church has had manyhomes. Today it meets in the houseof one of the several Christian

women who form the core of the work.

Except for the American and her so

(now 20), the work is entirely Mexican. Attendance averages about 40.

The congregation has always beenexemplary in its stewardship. When

the Christian campground was located

just outside the city, the brethrenin San Miguel always assisted financially, even beyond their means. To

day the church is a missionary one.She sends support to a national Bible

College,helps support the evangelistwho serves her as teacher, and givesgenerously to the camping and otheryouth activities of the entire area.The church in San Miguel de Allende

is a testimony to the power of theindwelling Christ, who gives thevictory even in the most difficult

situations.

FAMILY AFFAIRSIf this issue of Saludos has a

polka-dotted appearance and a hintof Turpentine #5, it is my fault.Usually the paint-up, fix-up feverhits in the Spring, but this year,it seems to have arrived early at

our house. So I have been goinglike a white tornado and things arebeginning to look better. I'm es

pecially happy with the bedroom.

After six years of blankets hangingat the windows, I finally finished

some folding screens (it only took

me six months). It has even im

proved my morning outlook. Now, onto the kitchenI

house was not the only thing

that was deteriorating. Afterreading I Cor. 6:20 recently, I wasstruck with the thought that God

was probably as tired of looking at

my run-down "temple" as I was, so Idecided to make us both happier, Ijoined up with 3 other women and we

are jogging and exercising regularly, Neither rain nor snow nor dark

of night has deterred us so far,and I'm feeling great. Praise the

Lord'. Even our bodies are meant toglorify Him!

Heather is taking piano lessonsnow and is in her glory. She goesfor 3 hours a week and very soon Ibelieve she will pass me up in the

theory department, ' Her teacher isexcellent. She can hardly wait nowto play for her grandparents.

Norm has taken on another project(in his spare time) which has excitedus both. He is teaching one of the

elderly Christian sisters to read and

write (in Spanish, of course). Shehas been a Christian only a year, buther greatest desire has been to read

God's Word for herself. That desire

is so great that she walks 3 mileseach way to class every Wednesday.And, oh, I wish you could see the

lexcitement on her face when she enters the house. She positively lights|Up the whole place! Her excitement',has made me stop to consider my own"heart's desire" as I begin this newyear. Maybe it has occurred to you^Iso.

Balance 9/30/75

Income 10/1 - 12/30/75

FINANCIAL

$ 708.28

4312.27

STATEMENT

, Expenses 10/1 - 12/31/75^ Balance 12/30/75

4716,24

$ 304.31

FBOM;

Bajio Christian Mission

c/o First Christian Church221 East 26th Place

Yuma, Arizona 85364

ADDRESS CORRECTICW REQUESTED

U, S. POSTAGE

PAID

Yuzaa,AZ 85364

Permit No, 86

NON-PFT. ORG.

Oleta MonigerMission Services

Box 177Kempton, In. 46049

Mi.

f R 0 M

tuc 0U/4CA^(APOO. POStAL 741QUCeCtARO. aRO.MEXICO

PUBLISHED QUARTERLY MAY 1976

MEET THE MEN -- 4

WiM

In the three previous issues of ' 1Saludos we presented the work of ^three of the men who are primar- . ^ily responsible for the spreading '^=-- ^ vof the Gospel in the Bajio of 'Mexico — Juan Avina, Tomas de la *"

Cruz* and Hermilo Gasca. Now we

a fourth member of the evangel- B||^X ^Brother Sato is a native of the

city in which he today works, the

Guanajuato. Irapuato is a modemand progressive city of 150,000; |||||HWHL^|||WCit is primarily known as the imlstrawberry capital of the country.Three years ago the city wasseverely damaged by flooding; but «•today, though in some parts of the city there are still clear signs ofthe destruction, the city has been, to a great extent, restored andeven improved. Such' familiar names as Del Monte, Sears, and Woolworthcan be found on stores and plants in Irapuato. Surrounded by richfarmland, the city is a jewel in a green setting. Religiously, thecity is "receptive" to the Gospel; the radio program "Dulces Momentos"

has had an extremely good response from within the city. Several evangelical groups are working in the city.

Brother Socorro has an interesting story to tell. For much of his lifehe was a Roman Catholic. When he was brought to Christ, over 20 years

ago, he immediately began to share his new-found faith. Irapuato wasmuch more conservative then, but the Lord gave hearers. Socorro would

mm

city there are still clear signs of

teach families and bring them to

he was always disappointed, jfo;part, it was not allowable forSocorro taught and others baptizi

the point of accepting Christ; butin the denomination of which he was ? a

ilist plain Christians" to baptize. So.

Finally Socorro could no longer

tion, and so he separated from 1^1

Lord a few yecurs before.the

new

teaching. When another familychurch was born, with Soco

accept the teachings of the denomina-e congregation of which he had-been a

part. With him went a large family — a family that he had brought tofleeting in the home of that family, a

i^ro (a just plain) hristian) doing theciame to the point of receiving Christ,

a decision had to be made. Who Wcis to baptize the new believers? Asthe Christians studied Scripturejiprohibit a "just plain Christiimimmersed the new believers.

Socorro's teaching.officicuL connections with no one.'

tAey 'decided that the Bible did notfrom'baptizing; so Brother Socorro

For years, the house church contiz:|ued. Children became youth and wereadded to the Lord; cuid a few adults also came to know the Lord through

But the corjgregation was absolutely alone—it hadSeveral dencmiinational leaders came

to the Christicuis and invited tjUem to affiliate themselves; but theChristians^, always^declined, fort, the denominations taught things that

Socorro told the brethren, "Seme-

people who believe as we do. We willW"

the congregation could not acceptjplace in this country there are tpray for the Lord to send them to!

In 1973, the Lord brought Socorr

gelist then working in Irapuato,congregation's prayer was answereidno denomination, who preached onto be only a Christian.

0 to Arturo Ramirez (a Christian evan-

now serving in Guadalajeura), and theHere was someone who was tied to

IV what the Bible teaches, who sought

Brother Socorro continuesi to teach and lead in the

in Irapuato. The congregation has continued to growToday,church

person from.the congregation isIn his 78th year of life, SocorrBible Correspondence course withiitwo other areas outside of

travel was done by bicycle.

same house

One young

studying at a Mexican Bible College.continues to visit students of the

the city, and makes weekly visits tothe city. Up until recently, all of hisNow na walks or uses public transportation.

Socorro receives no salcury for his work for the Lord, although theother evcingelists in the Bajio hav>5 shared with him through their offer

ings. But he is active in the coping program, in the youth rallies.

in the total program' of evangelism in the Bajio. The Lord's work hasbeen much helped by the dedication of this^brother in Christ. We countit a privilege to be able to share with him in the task.

CAMP CLOSEUPThe latest progress report on the canp is that all is taking shape euidshould be completely ready by the July camping season. The week afterEaster, three of us missionaries spent 5 long days working on thegrounds—laying a concrete slab for dishwashing, cutting a passagewaythrough the first building just to one side, of the kitchen so as toallow access frcmi front to back of the building without the necessityof going clear around the end, blocking up a new wall on the dormitoryside of the passageway, constructing two new outhouses (doubles ourcapacity), and preparing the roof trusses for the new chapel/dininghall. As this is written, the walls and supporting pillars on the newbuilding are in and awaiting the trusses and galvanized-sheet roofing.At pur camp planning meeting in May, a work day will be set for erection of the trusses and the laying in place of the roofing, so that thenew building will be completely ready for use by the middle of June.The natural slope of the ground, plus the inclusion of a stage withinthe building should make it ideally suited to the Bible dramas, talentnights, etc. that are a pcirt of each year's camp schedule.

We especially praise God that, in spite of greater expenses than everbefore in other areas of the work here. He has provided funds for allthe can^ materials that we had hoped to use this year. Everything ispaid for and ready to be assembled and installed.

Now that the major construction projects at the camp have been completed, it is our hope to tipm the camp over to the Mexican congregations in the Bajio, that they might exercise the oversight of the campand underwrite any further escpansion of it. This proposal will bemade at the camp planning meeting—for which we ask your prayers. Already the youth in the area have expressed their concern. The English-speaking youth had a work day at the camp last month and whitewashedthree-fourths of the first building. This month, the Spanish-speakingyouth have plcuis to do the same to the new building, and the English-speaking kids will be back out this month to finish the last sectionof the first building.

The camp has already, gotten some use this year. In the last threeweeks, over 350 people have used the facilities for special programsand retreats. We pray that it will continue to be used for His glory.

FAMILY AFFAIRSThe school year is almost over/I {and it doesn't seem possible. Ccin itreally be that we have been backi in Mexico a year? And yet in some waysit seems we never left. I

Heather has had a good year inexcept P. E. One day she hadschool, and she wrote, "Theteacher doesn't come." You can

toward sports. O^orm's note:"Toofootsteps; Mary recently wonOh well, I guess I'll justgirl.

hayi

shool. She has A's in every subject—'b3 write some sentences in Spanish aboutthiLng I like best about P. E. is when the

isee from that just what her attitude ishad she's not following in her mother's

trophies in a local bowling league^e to be satisfied with little frilly

Thanks to Norm's aunt and uncle[| I was able to be in Kentucky recentlyfor my brother-in-law's ordinat^-bn. He is a senior at Kentucky Christian College and is preaching ai a church not far frm where I grew up.So I also had a chance to visit with friends I hadn't seen for almost10 yeeucs. It was really beautiful. Who says you can't go hcaae again?When there's love, you've never really left.

Now that summer is coming, we'tiohd." We'd sure love- to havevisit us. We'll be around all

just might arrive in time to he]see you and show you the people

sure you all must be pleinning vacate of you look south and xaake plans toSummer—and if you plan it right, youout in canqp! Seriously, we'd love to

land places we've ccxne to love. Justgive us a couple of days' notice i so we can roll out the welcome mat.

FINANqBalance 12/30/75 $304-income 1/1 - 3/31/76 6013.

]AL STATEMENT

^1 E3q>enses 1/1 - 3/31/76 6042.8711 Balance 3/31/76 $ 313.44

FROM:

Bajio Christian Missionc/o First Christian Church221 East 26th Place

Ytima, Arizona 85364

ADDRESS CORRECTIOT REQUESTED

U. S. POSTAGE

PAID

Yuiiia,AZ 85364

Penoit No. 86

N(»i-PFT. 0R6.

COME Dept.Mission Services

Box 177Kenipton, Ind. 4^049

%ALUDOSI

BAJiO CHRISTIAN MISSION

THE NORM DUNCAN FAMILY

APARTADO POSTAL # 741

QUERETARO . QRO. MEXICO

FORWARDING AGENT;

MRS. JOE L. GREEN

POST OFFICE BOX 628

YUMA, ARIZONA 85364

PUBLISHED QUARTERLY PRINTED TN MEXICO DECEMBER 1976

DEVALUATION!These are tense days in Mexico.

On October 1, the Mexican cxirrency

was cut from its fixed relationshipwith the U. S. dollar, (which forover 20 years had been pegged at12.50 pesos per dollar). After 3weeks, a new "fixed price" of 19.40was set, but pressure caused arenewed flotation, and the pesodropped in value again, and it nowhovers at around 21 to 1.

For the American living in Mexico and receiving funds in dollars,the short-term effect has been to

nearly double his buying power.Part of the increase has been off

set by a 20% across-the-board price

increase. But for all intents and

purposes, the dollar goes furtherthan it did 2 months ago. Thiscondition should last into January

of next year, when many majorproducts will take another jump—this time of around 40%. As a

result, missionaries in the country

are making every effort to pxarchase

needed equipment and supplies now,while prices are better than theyhave been in years.

Our hearts go out to the aver

age Mexican, however, who findshimself in a situation in which

prices have risen sharply and aregoing to again, but in which hisearnings have not. Layoffs inQueretaro have ninnbered in thehundreds in the last 30 days. In

mid-November, a freeze was put onall currency exchanges—pesos couldnot be exchanged for dollars, nor

dollars for pesos. This moveresulted from the number of peopletrying to sell pesos and buydollars. Rumors of a military coup,though apparently unfounded, havedone nothing to settle the uneasiness.

It is a time for us here to

think seriously about the perman

ency of our work. How lasting willbe the works that we have begun?

Are we preparing men and women whowill be able to teach others also?

It is also a time for increased

zeal. The Gospel often seems to bemore readily received in times of

(Continues on page 2, column 1)

stress and uncertainty. It is a

time, then, we feel, to make useof the increased buying power ofthe dollar and spread the Word-seedas never before. To this end, we

have taken the following steps;

1) We are seeking to place the radio program on a 50,000 wattstation in Mexico City—the number1 station in the country. Costwill be at least $75 dollars perprogram; but the station's cover

age is immense—north to the U. 3.and south into Central America in

addition to nearly every part ofMexico. This project will be a cooperative one with brothers in Mex

ico City.

2) We are preparing several setsof radio spot announcements to be

used during the Christmas season

and beyond. These will be used incities where we don't have tiie

money to contract the 15-itiinute

program on a regular basis.

3) A handsome calendar is beingprepared for use as a special offerin conjunction with the 15-minute

program during December and Januaryon area stations.

in the material realm. But we are

convinced that spiritually this isa time to advance, to press thebattle. So long as the Lord allowsus here and provides the means, weintend to do just that. And I sensethat the other Christian workers in

the country do too.

TransitionIt is with mixed emotions that

we report that our co-worker Tomas

de la Cruz is no longer living inthe Bajio. In September, he andhis wife and 3 children moved toEagle Pass,Texas, to attend ColegioBiblico. His plans call for him tograduate in 3 years and then returnto the interior of Mexico to continue evangelizing. But even thoughhe is no longer living in the area,Tomas* influence is still felt, forhe continues to send us the messageswhich are at the heart of the radio

ministry. We miss him and hisfamily, but respect his desire tocomplete his education. We anxious

ly await his return, trusting thathis study will help him to be aneven more effective servant of the

Lord.

4) If funds permit, specialChristmas ads will be placed inarea newspapers.

The response of many to thecurrent instability in Mexico has

been to bail out, withdraw, pullback. We are not competent tojudge the validity of such actions

HELP!Every copy of Saludos that is returned to us by the Post Office

costs us 25 cents. Would you helpus be good stewards by advising usof an upcoming address change? Sendall changes to our Forwarding Agent.

Our Leadership Training by Extension (L.T.E.) program continuesto make progress, particularly asregards the availability of material.Titles now available include: The

Lord's Supper; The Great Commission;I Am Saved; Witnessing to the Witnesses; Are You Sure?; and Jesus

Calls You. We are adding titles tothe series as rapidly as possible;and our job has been much helped bythe cooperation of Brother WarrenSanders in Colombia, who is involved

in a similar program and has produced several texts himself.

Among FriendsIt is a joy to be able to fellow

ship with Christians who are workingin the area but with different

types of ministries — for we findthat although our work takes differ

ing forms our goals are identical.We'd like to let you know about some

of these folks who work near us and

share with us. So this will be #1.

Dave and Joan Humphries have been

in Mexico about 2 years. SinceAugust of this year, they have beenliving in the city of Celaya, about30 miles west of us here. The

Humphries' ministry is to high-schoolage Christian youth, most of whom

come from small villages in the area.

Dave and Joan provide a Christian

home for 4 young men currently;all 4 would have been unable to goon to high school if it had not been

for them, for their families are

financially unable to send them.

But in the Hmphries' home, inaddition to getting their education,the boys receive practical Biblical

education and training. The goalis to produce educated Christianswho will one day be in positions ofinfluence in the country and whowill be able to use their positionsto share the Gospel.

We are glad to be able to countthe Humphries as co-workers in the

Bajio and would ask you to rememberthem and their work in your prayers.

we get - GXQZyThe following is a letter we

recently received from a listener

to the radio program "Dulces Momen-tos"; "I don't remember exactlywhen it was that I first began tolisten to your program; but I doremember that the speaker urged usto write if we should ever decide to

give our lives to the Lord. Throughyour courses,! found the courage toattend a Bible study, and there I

found the Lord. since then, in a

way my life has been difficult,

for my family has told me that if I

should continue to study the BibleI will have to leave the home.

They are always against me, but Iam determined to continue followingthe Lord; and I rejoice in that inaddition to the Lord I have two

brothers who are also with me in myfaith. Please pray for us."

Familq AffairsAs I write this, I find nyself

looking in two directions. We justreturned frcan a beautiful visit in

the States which still warms me to

think about. Is there anything morewonderful than being with family and

friends you haven't seen for a long

time? Then the day after we return

ed, we had Thanksgiving dinner withfriends we had seen more recentlybut who are equally special to us.

To add to all this, my little first-graders welcomed me back with cheersand hugs.

But these memory times are nowhaving to give way to the future,

for we're now excited because my Mpmand Dad will be down for a vis:|.tbetween Christmas and New Year. Our

cup is truly overflowing with joyl

But the most exciting aspect of

that joy is that it is not temporary.For it is based upon a relationship,not just circumstances. And our joyis made more complete as we seeHeather beginning to understand it

also. Just the other day she askedme if she could take a book of

stories about Jesus to school. It

seems she has a friend who doesn't

know about Jesus, and she has aplan — "I'm going to tell Robertabout Jesus, and then he can tell

his mama and daddy and then they

can go to heaven as a whole family."It's hard to hold back the tears at

such a time.

Our prayer for each of you atthis Christmas time is that you arefinding the same joy in knowingJesus and in introducing Him toyour friends. MaranathaJ,

Balance 6/30/76 $-287.23 Expenses 7/1 - 9/30/76 ^ 3761.50*Income 7/1 - 9/30/76 4115.65 Balance 9/30/76 $66.92

*Does not include $711.77 taken from Dungan's living fund

FRDK:

Bajio Christian Mission

c/o First Christian Church

221 E. 26th Place

Yuma, Arizona 85364

0^'HI5SA

so:'^ MKK:-

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

U. S. PostagePAID

Yuma, AZ 85364P ermit No, 86NON-PFT- ORG.

SKRYICSS

7

, XSDIAHA 460A9