nPRflCUM

FIEL_&Dt

& Mrs. William Hoft-Apda^^iSAaf-^T"

uereiaro, Qro., Mexico

FORWARDING AGENTS ADDRESS

Mr. & Mrs. Richard BakerStar Route, Box 909EBuckeye. Ari^ona 85326

PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY FEBRUARY 1977

FREE CALENDAR

For the past several years, we have had people write in to thecorrespondence school asking for a calendar for the new year.So this past year preparations began in September for a calendarfor 1977. A simple layout was planned. It would consist of 4sheets, each containing 3 months. The call letters of radiostations broadcasting "Dulces Momentos," along with the name ofthe city were also listed. In the center of each sheet appeareda large picture. The four photos were of Tomas de la Cruzpreaching, of myself producing thetapes for distribution, of the cor

respondence courses and the free New Testament, and of a pageof the Bible opened to John 3 with a magnifying glass enlargingthe 16th verse.

The calendars were printed with the idea of placing somethingin the homes of our radio listeners that would help them remember both "Dulces Mementos" and the program's message. We mailed a calendar to each of the students enrolled in the correspondence school. An announcement was placed on each programduring the month of December and the first half of January advertising the free calendar along with the first course.

In order to attract new students in areas where "Dulces" isnot aired, we tried placing a series of spot announcements on3 different radio stations. One was in Atlacomulco in thestate of Mexico, one in Queretaro, and one in Salvatierra, Gto.We chose these stations because we are doing visitation in theareas and because "Dulces" is not heard in these cities. Thespots were entitled "Sounds of Christmas" and sought to drawpeople's attention to the true reason for Christmas, and tocause them to question their relationship with Jesus of Nazareth.response. Our area is gradually responding to the gospel message.

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31 ii"r/~p r.t-: .,

momentasenerc

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6 ? R 9 10 J1i? 6 ? 8 a toti1' 18 9

20 2-12223 34 35 2G 20 2122 Z3M .K"20 2728e93Q31 J.'i witRO 197^

Overall we had a good

PRAISE THE LORDThe Queretaro church has begun Thursday evening prayer meetings. Therehas been an average of 20 people in attendance. Lessons are being illustrated with film-strips. The young people are enthused and everyone is showing a greater concern for eachother.

RADIO EVANGELISM

A letter arrives from a jail in Guanajuato, a prisoner asks for a visit, unfortunatelyit is 2 weeks before we can get that way. During this time both Nonn and I feel an intense need to make the visit. Finally I went to Norm to tell him I would go, although thetrip would be in an area that he normally visits. But he has made plans to go the nextday. When he returns he tells me that the prisoner related to him this story. He was depressed and overwhelmed v^i-h his guilt when he first heard our radio program. So he wroteand waited for a visit but because no one came, he decided to take his own life. He hadplanned to do so the very night that Norm and a native Christian visited and told himabout forgiveness of sins and God's plan for his redemption.

Now he is being visited every two weeks and has asked to be baptized. The jail has nopool or water tank so I am now constructing a portable baptistry. Please pray that the

officials will not hinder his baptism, and thank the Lord we didn't wait another day.The moral of the story is this: there are thousands who want to know Jesus and we are

the means by which the message is spread, but tomorrow may be too late.

FAMILY LIFE

Mark enjoys the beautiful weather here in Queretaro. We have had a very warm winter andhe spends a large part of his time playing in front of our house with the neighbor children,His friends are of both sexes and of all ages. Mark is generally found with a ball in hisarmsquite often it doesn't belong to him. He also has a great love for books. Sometimeshe is patient while we read through one. He now loves to pray. He will ask "pray to Jesus?"He repeats the phrases of theprayer at the table after Bill or

pray. never wants toprayer

before he goes to sleep. pWp jThe middle part of January we HAS

combined a business-pleasure trip ^Hd|U||||||M[|HffiHand went to see the Steve Shold_family. They live in TulancingO/ j|HHBHidalgo, which is a 4-hour drivefrom here. While there we de- B ^ Jjflcided to take a train ride. It cost us about 30 cents per adultfor the 40 miles 'round trip.Children were free. It wasn'tthe smoothest ride I have ever iJE^lbeen on, but it was a lot of fun.The picture shows Steve, his twoadopted children, his mother-in-

M/M Richard Baker Buckeye, Ariz.Mrs. G. W. Brandon Athens, Ga.M/M Thomas Gallagher Palm Desert, Ca.Mr. Ben Hoff, Sr. Atascadero, Ca.M/M Ben Hoff, Jr. Atascadero, Ca.M/M R. w. Hoff Rome, Ga.M/M Robert Legg Xemon GfoveT~Ca.M/M A1 Schurr Acme, Pa.M/M Richard Shine Las Vegas, Nev.M/M John Stapleton Phoenix, Ariz.M/M Kenneth Stewart Long Beach, Ca.M/M Ralph Suiter Parker, Ariz.First Christian Phoenix, Ariz.

Gtendala Christian ChurchP.O. Box 415GSendale, Arizona 85311Address Correction Requested

CONTRIBUTORS (NOVEMBER-DECEMBER)

Christian Women's FellowshipTolleson, Az.Women's Council-Ii>minguez Long Beach, Ca.The Christian Church ^Atascadero, Ca.Pine Flats Christian Clymer, Pa.New Hope Christian Columbus, Ind.First Church of Christ Flagstaff, Az.Glehdale Christian------^ --Glendale; Az-r-^Christian Church of Hopwood Hopwood, Pa.Vegas Valley Christian Las Vegas, Nv.Pleasantview Christian Lisbon, OhioDominguez First Christian Long Beach, Ca.Lake Mount Church of Christ Rogers, OhioVanderbilt Church of Christ Vanderbilt, Pa,

kissiok servicesBOX 17? . ^kempton, in. ^60^+9

BULK RATEU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit #36

Glendale, Ariz.

1DPMGUM

FIELD ADDRESS

r;_&JWrs. WiJIiiirrLHofP^pdo. Postal 57

Qut-'reUiro, Qrn,, Mexico

FORWARDING AGENTS ADDRESS

r. & Mrs. Richard BakerStar Route, Box 909EBuckeye, Arizona 85326

PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY

THREE CONVENTIONS

They call it "CONALVA." It is the "Kiamichi" clinic of Mexico.Men from all over Mexico come to rejoice in the Lord, and enjoyChristian fellowship . This year there were over 100 in attendance at a ranch just outside Saltillo - 400 miles north of Quere-taro. Rodney and Maysel Northrup host this event each year. Normand I transported 12 men from our area to the "Conalva" on February 18th.

The convention was fantastic. We enjoyed the singing, the preaching, the fellowship, and the food. The classes were valuableto everyone. The topics included; discipleship, planning forevangelism, and spiritual growth. The men who went with us wereso impressed that they want to return next year.

Margy, Mark, and I left Saltillo on February 21st and went northfor a border crossing. We chose Eagle Pass, Texas, because Cole-gio Biblico was holding their yearly bi-lingual convention. Tuesday evening through Thursday we heard tremendous sermons under thetheme "For such a time as this" from the book of Esther. The evening speakers included Dennis Fulton from Indianapolis, Rich Marshall from Anaheim, Ca., and Roy Wheeler from Amarillo. All sessions were challenging and inspiring. We enjoyed the fellowship

APRIL 1977

with many friends at Colegio Biblico. Some hurried shopping was

done in our spare time.It was about noon on Friday when

we crossed the border at Eagle Passto re-enter Mexico. It took us 1and 1/2 days to return home.

There was little time to rest!The annual missionary reunion beganthe following Tuesday, March 1st inUruapan, Michoacan. This is abouta 5-hour drive from our home. AsQueretaro is on the route to Uruapan, many of the missionaries cameto our house on the way. Some chose

was_ Blanks, flthe book of Hebrews. And we spent hours talkingto old friends about the work. This is the only time of year that we see many of the missionaries in Mexico. I am always blessed by the prayer sessions, and this year was no ex-ceptior^ Unfortunately, the reunion only lasts three days. Rut p.aghdays of recharging and sharing. We returned home Friday at 11 p.m. We^vTere" tired fromthree conventions in two weeks.

OUR FIRST FURLOUGH

The following is part of a letter that we sent to our monthly supporters during the monthof April. For several months Margy and I have had the feeling that we need to have a timeof change, a time to evaluate what has been done in the way of evangelistic method and topray about the future direction of the work and our place in it. Last October as we returned from our two-month speaking tour, we stopped at Cincinnati Christian Seminary tolearn more about their program for missionaries. We were impressed but f6lt that we shouldlearn of other programs offered throughout the United States. We have received much information but feel led to return to Cincinnati for further education.>- The part of June we will be leaving Mexico for a year. Our plans are to visit withour f^ilies in "Arizona and Nevada for a couple of weeks. The first part of July we willgo to the North American Christian Convention in Cincinnati. Following the convention wewill leave for Missionary Internship in Farmingtgn, Michigan, where we will study in a .3-week course for furlough missionaries. It focuses on evaluation of past service and""^lanning for the future. At the end of the program we plan to re1;u:^n j:o .Cincinnati to study atCCS. We have been corresponding with the .Doug^^Reed family from Eugene, Oregon, who plan toserve as ouy r^plac,iBe)atg during the furlough. Bro. Reed has an active interest in Mexicanevangelism having both visited and having served as Steve Shold^s forwarding agent.~ Begihning~rn~August we will be sending out the Dungan's newsletter entitled "Saludos."They publish this quarterly. This will keep you all informed of the work in Mexico duringthe year we are in the States.

Gtendale Christian ChurchP.O. Box 415Qlendale, Arizona 85311Address Correction Requested

Mission ServicesBox 177Kempton, In, ^60^9

JUl. 1

BULK RATEU.S. Pottag*

PAIDPermit #36

Glendal*. Ariz.

raPROGUUM

FIELD ADDRESS

Mr. & Mrs. Willinm HnffApdo. Postal 57Queretaro, Qro,. Mexico

FORWARDING AGENTS ADDRESS

Mr. & Mrs. Richard BakerStar Route, Box 909EBuckeye, Arizona 85326

PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY

X

JUNE 1977

RESURRECTION DAY

Easter Sunday was a big day for us here in Queretaro. The daybegan at 5:15 a.m. By 6:30, 40 English-speaking people hadgathered in the Dungan's backyard for a Sunrise service. (Itwas discovered that the sun rises later there than anywhere elsein the city). It was a beautiful morning although slightlychilly. Many participated in the service. There was specialmusic by a quartet of which I was a member. Several gave testimonies about the power of the resurrected Christ in their livestoday. The service closed with the Lord's Supper. We then allmoved inside for breakfast. The menu consisted of bacon, eggs,

waffles, juice, and coffee. It was very delicious.Norm and I then loaded chairs into my truck so that they could be set up in our patio

for an evening Spanish service. We were kept busy during the day making final preparations for the evening.

The evening program began at about 7:30. The evangelist from San Juan del Rio wasasked to lead the singing. Everyone so enjoyed the singing of choruses that we continuedfor about half an hour. We were fortunate to view the movie "Peace Child." A fellowmissionary bought this film and it has a tremendous impact on all those that see it.Norm then spoke and applied the film's message to the viewer's heart, one of the viewerswas Juan Moreno.

We first met Juan several weeks ago when he came by our house with Vicente. He wantedto practice speaking English so Bill and Dave Humphries, a missionary in Celaya, weretalking to him when Norm walked in. He invited him to English church services. A coupleof weeks later he began coming and hasn't missed a Sunday since. He now also attends allthe Spanish services. Please pray that the gospel message will touch his heart.

50 YOUTH IN QUERETARO

"We are going to run out of 'tortas' (sandwiches).""But I made 60."

"There are 50 people here and some still are hungry."So goes the conversation that sends me scrambling for more rolls, ham, and tomatoes.

In a short while I had returned and everyone was soon filled.The occasion for all this was the monthly area-wide youth meeting which was held here

in Queretaro at the A1 Gonzalez" home in March. The sports activities were held on anearby soccer field.

Following various sport activities and a time of eating and rest, the young people participate in singing, classes on the Bible or relevant subjects, and then there is a shortmessage given from God's Word.

These meetings are largely planned by the youth themselves, with adults taking partonly as invited. Things don't always go as planned but at least the youth try and theyhave lots of enthusiasm.

PRAISE THE LORD - The members of the Spanish church in Queretaro have asked to have anevening service so now the church participates in three services each week.

WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE N.A.C.C. IN CINCINNATI IN JULY,

tl

MISSIONARY REUNION 1977

CONTRIBUTORS (JANUARY-MARCH)

M/M Richard Baker Buckeye, Ariz.Mrs. G. W. Brandon Athens, Ga.M/M B. W. Ellis Long Beach, Ca.M/M Houston Farmer Rome, Ga.M/M Thomas Gallagher Palm Desert, CaMr. Ben Hoff, Sr. Atascadero, Ca.M/M Ben Hoff. Jr . At-ac;r';^Hp>-rn ^ Ca.M/M Richard Shine Las Vegas, Nev.M/M John Stapleton Phoenix, Ariz.M/M Ralph Suiter Parker, Ariz.First Christian Phoenix, Ariz.Glendale Christian Glendale, Ariz,First Church of Christ Barberton, Ohio

Glendale Christian ChurchP.O. Box 415Glendale, Arizona 85311Address Correction Requested

Christian Women's FellowshipTolleson, Az.Women's Council-Dominguez Long Beach, Ca,Women"s Study Group Flagstaff, Az.The Christian Church Atascadero> Ca.New Hope Christian Columbus, Ind.First Christian Church Flagstaff, Az.First Christian Church Grindstone, Pa.Christian Church of Hopwood Hopwood, Pa.Vegas Valley Christian Las Vegas, Nv.Pleasantview Christian Lisbon, OhioDominguez First Christian Long Beach, Ca.Lake Mount Church of Christ Rogers, OhioVanderbilt Church of Christ Vanderbilt, Pa.

Mission ServicesBox 177Kempton, In. 4-60^9

BULK RATEU.S. Pottags

PAIDPvrmit #36

Glendale, Ariz.

"THE CHALLENGE" FROM CINCINNATIBajio Christian Mission

Bill and Margy HoffQueretaro, Qro., Mexico

Brethren in Christi

September, 1977

It doesn't seem possible that we have been in the States for alittle over three months now. A lot has happened during that time,and we praise the Lord for taking care of us, and meeting our everyneed.

The month of June was spent in traveling and visiting with ourimmediate families. Mark had a great time playing with his cousinsand receiving much attention from aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Acouple of rides on Grandma Trout's horse, and a day at the lake onGrandma and Grandpa Hoff's sailboat, were experiences that he willnever forget.

During July we attended the North American Christian Conventionin Cincinnati. Following this great experience, we spent three weeksat Missionary Internship in Farmington, Michigan. This was a realblessing to us as we feilowshipped with missionaries from all overthe world. The school is designed to help the missionary evaluatehis service, to plan for future service, and to review his conceptsof cross-cultural communications.

August was very tiring as we spent many days looking for anapartment, looking for a part-time job for Bill, and spending muchtime at t,he college preparing a class schedule for Bill.

Now we are more or less in a routine. We have a reasonableapartment very close to the school. Bill is enrolled in 15 hours ofclasses and works part time in a lawn mower repair shop.

Our address while in the States is in care of Cincinnati BibleSeminary, 2700 Glenway Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 4520^.

Yours in the continuing task ofworld evangelism.

Bill, Margy, and Mark Hoff

P. S. We were most happy to hear that five of the young peoplebaptized during camp were from Queretaro. Please pray forthem.

XT. 2 O 1977

"THE CHALLENGE** FROM CINCINNATIBajio Christian Mission

Bill and Margy HoffQueretaro, Qro., Mexico

December 1977

Dear Co-Workers in the Lordi

It is truly a treasured opportunity to be able to communicate withyou again. I pray that in the intervening months you have been blessedwith the peace and joy which only the Lord can give. We have been blessed both spiritually and financially since moving here.

The first semester at Cincinnati Christian Seminary has come andgone. I took 15 units of study and was able to receive good grades. Ihave tried to make all of my assigned papers relevant to the work inMexico. There is another side to that coin; namely, I have been ableto share ideas with others here and to help them discover new ways ofperforming the great commission. My job in lawn mower repair faded outas winter approached and the work in the radiator shop was reduced toa minimum with 13 inches of snow. Rejoice with us that in spite of theterrible weather, the Lord has kept us safe both in our travels and inour apartment. (An apartment in our building caught fire the other day,but was quickly extinguished by the fire department).

Each fall Cincinnati Bible Seminary has a special series of meetings entitled "Conference on Evangelism." This year the topic was onthe Christian family. Truly we need to emphasize the strengthening ofthe family if we wish to have an effective witness in the world. Theconference was a great success because it offered real suggestions tohelp build better families.

In the month of December we had the privilege of having Jerry andPam Headen as guests. They are missionary recruits to Thailand, whowere preparing to leave for the field. They stayed with us two weekswhile completing their U.S. affairs. We were able to loan them ourtruck when needed. What an opportunity to share and rejoice in theLord. We truly were encouraged by their faith, enthusiasm, patience,and love. And we hope that we shared a few tips which will make theiradjustment easier. The first letter we received from them sounded encouraging. Please remember them in your prayers.

Mark is growing and becoming a fine little man. He loves Sundayschool, but because Margy and I teach the ^ and 5 year olds, he is inclass for three hours. He seems to behave fairly well. Margy is involved in a prayer and share group. I am currently taking lo hours ofclasses. By the end of the semester I will lack only the thesis andadvanced Greek for the completion of a master's degree. I hope toteach missions on our next furlough.

"He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed. Shallindeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.**Psalms 12615-5

In assurance of the harvest,

Billf Margy, and Mark Hoff