Bill and Margy HofF, 07:05 PM1/9/2004 -0800, ABelated Happy
NewYear. Page 1of 1From: "Bill and Margy Hoff' To: "Langford, Bill"
Subject: A Belated Happy NewYear.Date: Fri,9 Jan 2004 19:05:37
-0800X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2615.200A Belated
Happy New Year.Please forgive us for not corresponding more
regularly. To say that wehavebeen busy is an understatement. AsI
write this, Bill is operating on our80-pound "puppy." Brutus is
seven months old and has avery large hygroma onhis elbow from
fighting with his brother Baxter who weighs 70 pounds. Theoperation
involves insertion of a drain in the cyst. Baxter belongs to
Markand Joy, but we kept him while they were in the States. The
dogsplayed veryroughly on these cement floors. Mark, Joy and
Lynnell Fields are assistingin this little operation.Our trip to
Las Vegas was great. Mark and Joy and their Mend picked us upat the
airport on December 19th. It was good to see our "kids" again
afterbeing separated several months. Wehad awonderful Hoff reunion
overChristmas as we celebrated the 80th birthday of Bill's mother
onChristmasday. (She thanks all of you who sent her birthday
cards). The fourteen of ushad our picture taken on Christmas Eve.
On Christmas day, my sister and someof her family, came in the
morning to bring gifts and to meet Alfredo andZach. We all had a
lot of fun. In the afternoon weenjoyed a prime ribdinner.Bill and I
babysat three nights while Beka and Alfredo visited the sights
ofLas Vegas. They enjoyed seeing the city and we enjoyed
entertaining ourHttle grandson and being with other family members.
It truly was a specialtrip that we will never forget.Meanwhile, in
Honduras the church activities continued on without us. Wewere
welcomed home with great rejoicing. Five days later Mark and
Joyreturned after being gonesince the middle of October. All foxu:
of us arenowbusy trying to catch up on our many responsibilities
here. Billaccidentally deleted the e-mail program while working on
the computer. Ifyou have sent any e-mails towhich we have not
responded, please write usagain. We are sorry.I have also been
catching upwith various friends, and several of us churchmembers
are helping afamily resettle in San Pedro after being gone for
sixmonth.Classes resimie at the institute in February. Bill has
been preparing toteach once again.We pray that you will have a very
happy new year. Thank you for yoursupport. We love you.Bill and
Margy serving in HondurasPrinted for Mission Services Association
1/12/2004UNITCDSTATESMEXICOPublished Quarterly/ 1 SOimi
AMERIHONDUMSSALUDOS!fromBAJIO CHRISTIAN MISSIONVol. 35, Number 1Who
is Teaching?One aspect of education is theneedforthe students to
receive a well-rounded view of theministry. At the Bibleinstitute
we strive to achieve that through bringingin as
manyguestteachersaspossible. Last Septemberthe
studentswereblessedto receive lessonsinleadershiptrainingfromDr.
Robert Kuest. He is the coordinator of International Missions
Systems anda member of the facultyof Hope University. He spends a
good deal of his timegivingseminars on foreign fields and continues
to teach his classes at Hope via the Internet. Bobalso preached and
taught classes associated with the church. Pegg)', Bob's wife, also
came.She taught the students' wives at the institute andgaveladies'
Biblestudiesin SanPedro Sula.They were a great blessingand well
received. Bob and Peggy were fellow college studentswithBUI and
Margy at Pacific Christian College.Julio Corea, the pastor of the
Spanishchurch in San Pedro, is a faithful teacher at the
institute.When he is available, he gives studies one day a week.
There are other local preachers whohave devoted their time and
energies. One who we are going to miss greatly isJuan deLeonwho is
returning to his native Dominican Republic soon. He has worked with
the studentsboth in classes and in the fieldand has helpedto form
their character. Other teacherswillbehighlighted in future
newsletters.The students recessed for vacation in
Novemberandresumed classes on February 16'*'. Thisis the normal
vacation periodfor the Honduran schools.Are You Doing Any
Good?Bill's grandfather and dad frequently would use the
interrogatory phrase.M/M BiUHoffApdo. 3166San Pedro SulaHonduras,
Central America504-566-3796e-mail:[email protected]
OfficeP.O. Box 61013Las Vegas, NV89160-2013Spring 2004Boh Kiiest
teachingPeggp Kuest teaching mmenFuturepreachenfor
Honduras"Areyoudoinganygood?" about some aspect of labor. At this
time in our lives it is a very good question!We have been in
Hondurasten years and we are obligated to make an analysis.
In-so-far-as the institute is concerned; the answeris a definite
YES. Bill has not been able to visit his former students very
often, but Honduras is a small country and reports oftheir
ministries do reach him. Thosereportsconvince him of the utility of
the education that the school offers.One student is in Texas
finishing up his bachelor's degree at ColegioBiblico. He is stillin
the process of decidingif he willgo onto postgraduatework. He hopes
to teach at the institute here in Honduras; another graduateis an
evangelist on one of the Merc)'Ships currently in the
Mediterranean; another of them has a church in Omoa (one hour north
of San Pedro Sula;) one of themis preachingin Cuyamel (one and a
half hours northwest, almost in Guatemala;) and still another
alumni is running a series ofBibleStudies in the clothing assembly
factorywhere he works; one graduate preaches in a small rural
congregation; and yet anotherformer student preaches in a village
high up in the mountains. In all. Bill knows the whereabouts of
eight of the nine graduatesand seven are actively involved in
evangelism. That is an enviable record for any preacher
trainingschool. So in a land that sodesperatelyneedsthe gospel,
WeAreDoingSomeGood!Stepping InThe English speaking church inSan
Pedro Sula is a"pardcipatory" congregation.Even though theHoffs
officially pastor thecongregation, many people participateonSundays
andthroughout theweek in order for thechurch to function.Margj^and
Joy are constandy looking for people to "stepin" andfilloneof the
manypositions needed to keep the church operating.Sometimes it
ismore difficult thanothertimes toget thevolunteers needed. Thereis
a constant change in membershipdueto the transient natureof the
group.Currendy there aremany people willing to "step in" and fill a
needfor which wearevery grateful. Schedules are prepared monthly,
listing who will preach eachSunday during the month, who will give
the communion meditation, serve thecommunion, collect the offering,
etc. The communion meditation and sermon aretranslated through
headsets on Sunday mornings for those who onlyunderstandSpanish.
Mark, Bill, and one other member do most of the
translating.Meanwhile, Joy is the headof the Christian education
department and takes careof finding theBible school teachers for
thethree children's classes. She assigns acoordinatorfor eachclass
andordersall the necessary materials alongwithtakingher turnin
teaching. Joy alsoplans a schedule of teachers for theTuesday
eveningBiblestudyand the Thursdayafternoonwomen's group.Joy is
alsothe leaderofone of the musical teams. There are three teams
that lead music for a period ofthreemonths at a time.
Theyeachhavetheir own style but all tr\' to blendh)'mnswith praise
choruses.Christmas Play atChurchChurchchildrendecorateChristmas
cookies.Margy andJoy prepare the weekly bulletins and also send out
a prayer and praise report to all the church members.Thereare
several people whoworkwith thetreasurer of thechurch.
Accountabilit}' isvery important for theleadership. Thechurchis
very proudof the friendly nature of its people. The visitors
oftenmention this. Therearesome people whovisit once or twicea year
and are excited to return to worship once again.Last Sunday there
was an attendance of 145 people. This was a record for the
International Christian Fellowship.Tall GrassEach day, after class
hours, the students are required to help maintain the institute's
properties. Whilethe perimeter wall wasunfinished, most of their
time was devoted to completion of that goal. Recently,
however,wehave been assigning work onlandscaping.Slowly we are
trying to do what Isaiah recommends, "exalt the valleys and make
the rough places plane," so thatthe whole school can be mowed
mechanically. Theschool has a small riding mower that has been a
Godsend, but it and the bigwalk behind bush-hog mower will both
last longer and need lessmaintenance if we can remove the rocksand
level the land.Naturally, all the edging and trim is done with what
Bill calls a Honduran weed-eater, a machete.Besides offering amore
pleasant environment, mowing is agood safety feature. During the
development of the institute propertywefoundand choppedupsix or
seven venomoussnakes. Mowing discouragessnakesbecause they need the
cover providedby high grass and weeds. The children of the
studentsare safer with the lawn mowed close. Another benefit is
that the numberof mosquitoes has been drastically reduced
bythecombination of thewall, the short grass, and no weeds.
Hopefully, that willreduce the chance of dengue, malaria and other
mosquito borne diseases.During vacation there is no one to work at
mowing. This winter the growth of weeds and grass wasfueled by two
months ofnearly nonstop rain. As a result, Mark andBill went out
before classes with theexpressed goal of reassembling themowers
andmowing so that the students could find their apartments and
dormitories when they returned from vacation. What about
thatreassembling business? Well it was just the usual maintenance:
a newtire, a bad bearing, and a bent shaft. Next timeit will be
abad battery, aloose belt, or something else. It takes about 8-10
man-hours tomow the property; that wears outmachine and
body!AGrandsonZachariah Mark MirelesThe phone rangSundayevening. It
wasSeptember21"and Rebeccawas havinglabor pains. She called to
saythat Alfredo was driving her to the hospital. We weresomewhat
surprised because this was one week beforethe baby's due date. We
began prajing and waiting forfurther news.Three hours later the
phone rangagain. Once again weweresurprisedto receive another call
so soon. ItwasfromBekaand she had just delivered a babyboy.
Isn'tthat amazing that thousands of milesaway we couldreceive
wordthat wehadagrandsononly minutesafter he was bornfrom a mother
still in the deliveryroom. ZachariahMark Mireles was born
healthyweighing 6 lbs. and1 oz. He was 18Va inches long.Wow! We
were now grandparents and what joy filledour souls. I began calling
the baby"my litdeguy."I had airline tickets for September 26*^.
Even thoughBekagot quiteillwith highblood pressure, she assuredme
that she wouldbe O.K. and for me not to changethe ticket.When I
arrived at about11p.m. my firstlook at Zach was rather shocking. He
was lying in aspecial lightedbox becausehe was jaundiced. He
onlyhad a diaper on with little black glasses protectinghiseyes.
But oh how sweet he was (and still is). For onemonth I was able to
hold and rock him and read Biblestoriestohim.On December 19^^, Bill
andI flew intoLas Vegas. Thistrip had been planned for a long time.
It was to be afamilygatheringforBill's mother's 80'^
birthday,Christmas day. Mark andJoy andJonathanWolfgangpickedus up
at the airport. I hadn't seen my"kids" forseveral months so that
was a specialreunion. OtherHoff family members arrived over the
next few days.All fourteen of us united on Christmas Eve to
haveafamily photo taken. An addedblessing was to see mysisteron
Christmas day. It has been many years sincewe have beentogether
onChristmas. She came withpart of her family to see all of us and
to meet Alfredoand Zach. We had a big celebrationin the
afternoonfor the "birthdaylady." She was so happy to have allher
children and their families together honoringher.Itook many photos
during that week, especially ofZach. Bill and I had the privilege
of babysitting himthree evenings while his parents enjoyed the
sights ofLas Vegas. I wouldn't have traded that time foranything.I
look forward to mynext visitwithour grandson. Myprayer is that he
willgrow to become a faithful servantof the Lord.1 - Zach one day
old; 2 - Zach in bouncer; 3 - Zach andGrandmother; 4 ~ Zach
andAdelia; 5 - Zach; 6 - Zach andflowers;7 ~ Zach sleeps; 8 - Zach
andGreat-grandmother; 9 -- Zach andhis doctor; 10 - Zach and
theChastainboys; 11- Zach atChristmasOur one-hundred pound
babyZZ'ON limiHds>i 'aniASso'HaivdHovisod s nO'HO
XIJO>Id-NONWe would be remiss withouttalking about the
newmembers of our families inHonduras. Last Maythirteen dogs were
bomto one of our churchmembers' dog, a Mastiff diat weighs 110
pounds.She was mated with an American Pit Bull and
somebeautifulpups wereproduced. MarkandJoj' showedmuchinterest in
the dogs andvisited them often. Billand I werenot anxious to get
another dog, (wehavea 9 yearolddog that has a little German
Shepherdin.her),but aftermuchcoaxing byMark, I agreed toget ' I the
last dog that needed a home.Brutus Baxter, Markand Joy'sdog,
andBrutus, ourdog,have been a lot ofwork. While Bill and I were in
the States last summer, MarkandJoytrained them. While
theyweregonefor2 Vz monthsinthe Fall wetookcare of thedogs. It was
duringthis dmethatBmtushurt himselfwhile fighting(playing
withhisbrother. Hedeveloped ahygroma on hiselbow. Bill
decided,afterconsulting witha vet in the States, that he
couldoperate on Bniais andput in a drain. So with the help of
Lynnell Fields and MarkandJoy, he didit.But thedogwouldn'tleave
thewoundalone andpulled out the tube,soit hadtobereinserted. Weare
prajong thatthis ball will not produce fluid anj- longer.Meanwhile,
Baxter got a dck borne blood infectionand almost died. It
wascosdyandtookalot of care, (acouple of I.V.'s) toget
himbacktog(jod health.Bmtus is a beautiful light brown dog that
weighs almost 100pounds and heis still growing. Baxterweighs about
ten pounds less and is being trained wellby Mark. They were
purchased as watch dogs but have become real familypets.Prayer 'n'
PraisePraise: Zachariah Mireles arrived healthy on September
22ndinKnoxville, TN. Flis parents are Alfredo and Rebecca. The
HoffshadawonderfulfamilyreunionoverChristmas. The churchhad a
recordattendance of 145on February15. Many people are participating
in the church. The students have returned at the instimte and are
eagertostudy. Local preachers arewillingto help teach
thisyear.Pray: for the students. One wife will have a baby soon.
for the spiritual lives of church members. for the safety and
health of the Hoff family. for Lynnell Fieldsand her daughters
aswellasothers whowereinthevan. March28thwill be theone
yearanniversary of Todd's death. -SpecialNeed: We have just
beennoufiedtoexpect at least 8 marriedstudentsfor thenext session
of smdies at the Bible Institute. We haveapartments for four
married students and we will needto double that before classes
begin next February. Ifyou know of any churchesthat wouldbe willing
tosend work teams for the construction of anothermarried students'
apartment complex, please notify usat oure-mail address:
[email protected]^nS' ss3^aav599 '^IHASSO^isi'xog odouj
'OOISSIJAJ UEpSIJlJ3Xq
psHsnqajUKTTEDSTATBMEXICOSOl/THAMERICAPublished
QuarterlySALUDOS!fromBAJIO CHRISTIAN MISSIONVol. 35, Number 2M/M
BiU HofApdo. 3166San Pedro SulaHonduras, Centxal
America504-566-3796e-mail: [email protected]
OfficeP.O.Box61013LasVegas,NV89160-2013Summer 2004All about the
Bible Institute:What isa Cohort?During the first class of the Bible
institute, two new students were accepted inthe middle of the term.
Analysis showed that it was not desirable to dothatagain. We
decided to adopt the "Cohort"system. A cohort is defined as
a"groupofstudents whostay together as one classthroughout the
coursesleading tograduation. Students benefitfrom thenetworking
andbondingover the two year period they are together." Once a
cohorthas begun, thegroup remains together for the duration of the
classes and no new student isadmitted. Theadvantages are especially
great in the circumstance where wemake heavy use of visiting
professors.Building again!Graduation is now scheduled for
October30^. Thekeynote speaker will beBud Yoder fromTheChristian
Churchof CoganStationinPennsylvania.There will be nine graduates.
We have alreadybegun to make preparations forthe next class. It
appears that the group may consist of more married studentsthan we
have roomfor, so we have begun a frenzied building project.
Thewalls are up on another four unit marriedstudents building. And
we willsoonbe trying to get the roof structure built. Each of the
four apartments consistsof a livingroom, a small bedroom, and
bathroom. There is no kitchenbecausethe students eat in the dining
hall.Our married students' wives have been a tremendoushelp. They
have beendoing all of the cooking for the school. One of them
manages to work whilecaringfor her five-month-old son. The other is
pregnant andisdueinSeptember. She also has a four yearold son named
"Elder" who often comesinto classwith his father: He is wellbehaved
and quiet, so the professors don'tmind his presence. Because we
appreciatethe women's cooking for all themen, we have sought to
keep their workload down by having the men washthedishes andclean
thekitchen. Every week Margy and Joy goout totheschool andteach a
Bible lesson tothe wives. They need theopportunit)' togrow
spirituallyas much as their husbandsdo.Practice
baptismConstructionChristians in ActionAND THE LORD ADDED one more
to his kingdom. On Sunday, June 2T^Maricarmen Cruz accepted the
Lord and was immersed in one of the churchmember'sswimming pool.
About40 people wimessed this event andsangsongs of praise and
rejoicing.Maricarmenhas been attendingchurch for about sixmonths.
Shewasin severedepression and taking two different medicines when
we met her. Her doctortold her that she needed to go to church and
attend Bible studies, so she talkedto me and askedabout the
variousBiblestudieslistedin the bulletin. Shebeganattending every
one of them. At this rime she is not taking any medication andhas
returned to collegefor abusiness administrativedegree. Sheis
verydedicated in all that she does. Maricarmen has an
eight-year-old daughter andahusband
whoworksintheStates.TT7iFOLLOWING the baptism, the churchfamily
enjoyed a catered taco meal.For dessert, a large chocolate cake was
purchased to commemoratethe 25'^birthday oftwo of the members.
Theseyoung menare Russian twins andalways the "lifeof the
party."Theyarewellknown throughout the cityof SanPedro SuJa. One of
them works in a factory and the other is a car salesman,thus, the
AUDI on the top of the cake.Steveand KimRanson of
HazelwoodChristianChurchin Clayton, Indiana, blessedthe church
insongand the preachingof God'sWord during the month of May. Joy
grew up in this church in Indiana.LAST SUMMER the churchsaid
"goodbye"to two of our families. This summerwewelcomed
themallbackto our fellowship.A1 and Ligaya Bustamante, and their
two children, came to Honduras from the Philippines. The job he
sought didn't work out,so he and his wife taught English here for
awhileand then the familydecided to move to Florida as teachers in
a Christian school.They hoped to get their citizenship papers in
the States, but the I-^)rd had other plans for them. They returned
inJanuary and areteachingagainhere. The churchisverj' happy to
haveA1 return. He has resumedhis positionas one of the
treasurersand alsotakeshis turn in giving the communion meditation
and singing for one of the worship teams. Ligaya is a favorite
Bible School teacherand leads worshipon a monthly basis.
Theirchildren are veiy well versed in the Word.Alsoreturningto
Honduras are Royand Maxine Fisher. Roywas a pastor in a churchin
northern Indianafor several years. Theymade a commitment to teach
in a Christian school for a year, wliich they did. Last summer they
returned to their ministrybutfelt the Lord's calling to return to
Honduras for a longerperiodof time. The churchis happyto havetheir
fellowship once again.Roy preaches ona monthly basis and Maxine
teaches in theBible school department.If you are ever in San Pedro
Sula, please give us a call and ask about the English-speaking
church.ConfraternidadesIn Spanish, the word Confraternidad denotes
a fellowshipamong brothers. It is the word chosen to describe the
national gatheringof the Churches: an opportunit)^ for sharingthe
joyof the Lord with our brothers. This year Markand Billattended
two differentConfraternidades:
oneinHondurasandoneinMexico.Themeeting in Honduraswasheldat
theBagope campgroundat LakeYojoa onMay 21-23.Marg)'
andJoyalsoattendedsome of
thesessionsTheministersdeterminedthatAIDSshould bethetheme ofthe
Confraternidad becauseallof themhave lost churchmembers to the
scourge.Honduras has more AIDS thanany other Central
Americannation. Theydecided to getserious about the most
pressingproblemin the nation, theconsequences of sexual sin.The
Christian churches inHonduras went all out withdrama, songs, and
illustrations."Samaritans Purse"providedsome great video resources
and lent their chauffer whohas lost four daughters to AIDS. He
wasnot eloquent, but as an ordinary poor man trying to scratch out
a living, who watched his daughters die with no medical help,his
wordsreally spoke tothe gathering.At the end of July,
TheConfraternidadNational of Mexico was held in Cacahoatan,
Chiapas, (a small town about three milesfrom the Guatemalan
border.) Because that is less than 400 miles from San Pedro Sula,
Mark and BUI elected to drive there. Thetrip took only twelve
hours, (these are not super highways!) While that sounds impressive
there was a busload from Guadalajara(in the center of the republic)
that had traveled 36 hours: Mexicois a long country.The theme of
theconventionwas "Realizingthechurch's potential." Itwas well
thought out anddeveloped. But the best partof theConfraternidad
wasrenewingold acquaintanceswith former co-workersandtheir children
whoarenow grown. Some of themwerepart ofthe campingprogram, and are
nowleaders in the nationalchurch. One of the reasonsfor the trip
was to recruit ateacher for the Bibleinstitute, and it appears
thatgoal was successfully met.CHI^P^cHOeUTOmiAtmcmtMtm71/ Ljef27aEl
Eden is one of the poorest ChristianChurch congregations in
Honduras. It islocatedinasmall village highin themountains. The
churchmembers' onlysourceof income isharvestingcoffee.Their old
adobe church buildingwasfalling down, sowe promisedto
helpwithconcreteblock. Otherchurchesofferedtodonate cement, etc.
Theproblem isaccess: the road is very rough and steepandrequires
afour-wheel-drive vehicle.So a regular truckload of 600 blocks
cannot be sent in. In March and May, Mark andBill traveledin their
two pickups, pulling 2 trailers, and delivered6000 pounds ofblock
each trip. These trips were real adventures because road condidons
provokedmechanical failures.Pictured is their solution for a
brokentrailer tongue on the firsttrip. Because Bill's pickupdoes
not have four-wheel-drive, part of each tripwas spentbeing pulled
by Mark's truck. (Notpictured because Bill doesn'tlike toadmit
it)The church is ver)' proud of their work on the newbuilding. It
is nearlyfinished. Theyhave a sense of ownership
andresponsibilit)'that isexcitingto see.Theirexcitement extends to
dieir plan to sendtwo students to the Bible institute for
thenextterm. The Ixjrdhas answeredourprayers for safety and theirs
for abuilding. Picturedhereishowthebuildinglooked when the third
load of block wasdelivered inJuly. Mark and Bill mayneed to return
once more withouttrailers.Prayer *n' PraisePraise
BillnotinjuredinaS-vehicleaccidenton Saturday, July17*^. Baptism of
church member,Maricarmen Cruz. Local preachers, missionaries,
andvisiting preachers fromtheStateshelpingwith the
teachingofthestudentsat the institute. Bill and Mark's safe trip
driving toMexico, through Guatemala, toattend the Mexican
Confratemidad. SteveandKimRansonandSteveand Millie Shold blessed us
withtheirvisits.PrayerMargy and Joy's trip to Knoxville inSeptember
to help ZachariahMirelescelebrate his 1" birthday onthe22"''.Nine
studentsastheyfinishtheirstudiesat the institute andpreparefor
graduationonOctober30*^.Property needed for Christiancamp.i 1 ti ii
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oijcgXqpaqsnqndMargy.Hoff, 07:44 PM 10/31/2004 -0600, Hoffs Plans
Page 1of 1Date: Sun, 31Oct 200419:44:08 -0600From: Margy Hoff
Subject: HofT's PlansTo: "Nash,Danny" X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook
Express 6.00.2900.2180X-Antlvlrus: avast! (VPS 0444-3, 29/10/2004),
Outbound messageX-Antivirus-Status:CleanDear Friends,I want to make
a quick report of some recent events andof our travel plans.The
Bible institute graduation has been foremostin our attention for
the past fewweeks. We have workedhard tobeautify the grounds,obtain
additional chairs,practice with the students, arrange music and
program, and a dozenother activities.Finally, yesterday was the big
day. We anticipated between 200 and 250 peopleand hadfood and cakes
prepared for them. But we were chagrined to have about315 in
attendance. Four buses arrived fromdifferent churches andmany
moreautomobiles. We were so blessed by the adaptable and flexible
attitude of thepeople; not one complaint was heard even when the
food ran out. And a groupeven spent about fifteen minutes cleaning
up afterwards. The program was perfect:good music, two short
sermons, the presentation of certificates, a gift of studyBibles
fromthePark Plaza Christian Church in JoplinMissouri, and the gift
of Biblecommentaries from theBible institute to each student. We
were even blessedby anovercast day, with the very slightest hint of
a drizzle, that made the tin roofs coolandrefreshed the drought
stricken grass.Today, church attendance was 97. We have all been
blessed andthe Lord iscontinually glorified with this group of
people. The annual Thanksgivingdinner heldthe Sunday before
Thanksgivingis abig event, with members bringing friendsandextended
family.Let me remind you that 487 years ago today Luther turnedthe
world upside downby posting his 95 thesis!Now abit more news!
Tuesday, the 2ndof November. Margy andI willbe taking ashort
vacation to see our grandson, our mothers, and other family. Wewill
be goneuntil the 7th of December.Withthe institute closed andMark
and Joy covering ourchurch responsibilities, we are free!!!But
never too free! You can reach us on a cellphone at 317-374-1298 or
at our E-mail address [email protected]. Pleasepray for our
safety.Thank you for your love and support.Bill andMargyPrinted for
Georgia Sharpe 11/1/2004PM 12/13/2004 -0600, Fw: AChristmas
greeting Page 1of 2Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 20:44:16 -0600From:
William Hoff Subject: Fw: A Christmas greetingTo: MissionsServices
Reply-to: WUHam Hoff X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express
6.00.2900.2180X-Antivirus: avast! (VPS 0451-0, 12/13/2004),
Outbound messageX-Antivirus-Status: CleanMerry Christmas and a
Joyous New YearFrom theHoffsOhComeOh ComeEmanuel. Generations
cried, "be with us God," but now that Christ has come, we are
abletorejoice in His coming. Hehas given us a reason
forliving.Because this season comes almost simultaneously with the
New Year, it becomes a time of reflection as wellas joy. So I
thought I would send out a few words of greeting and news about
this past year in the HoffFamily.We have enjoyed our first year of
grandparenthood. Margy was able to be in Knoxville for our
grandson'sfirst birthday. Later we were both there when Zach
decided that two feet were a viable means of transport.Nownothing
can stop him! Mark and Joy remain a great blessing to the work
here. Their two house dogsgive them a lot of enjoyment.Our hope to
purchase a house with the funds from the sale of the house in
Mexico has been delayed as wewait for the funds to be transferred.
Besides that small problem, we are far too busy with the Bible
institutetolook forahouse right now.We had an opportunity for great
rejoicing when the Bible institute held its graduation this fall.
During theyear we were blessed by a series of visiting teachers.
And we have begun building another small apartmentbuilding for
married students. Classes are scheduled to begin in February.The
English speaking church had its Christmas program this past Sunday.
It was well received. The youthdid a great job of presenting the
birth of Christ as aCNN-style newscast complete with
commercials.Each year the Honduran authorities try to prevent the
injuries caused by the traditional useof high-powered fireworks to
celebrate Christmas. But you can still count on our neighbors
ignoring the ban andburning up several pounds of powder. It makes
sleeping on Christmas Evedifficult and probably keepsSanta away.
But while the nations get a bang out of pyrotechnics, we get ours
out of Christ in our lives.May the Joy of the Messiah's coming
overflow your hearts.Bill and MargyPrinted for Mission Services
Association 12/14/20045s
