April 2013Dear Friends and Family,1 have beenneglectful
insendingout the latest news of our ministryand family.Over the
past coupleof months we have been very busy, but as 1look back I
can'treallypickout one major event.Margy spent two and a half weeks
inMarch grandmothering Zach and Hannah. I helddown thefort here
inHonduras. You don't reallyrealize howmuchyour partner doesuntil
they take an extendedvacation. Bythe way, have you ever
triedtoredeemyour airlinefrequent-flier miles?
Havingwisdomteethremoved is a pleasure incomparison. But, Margy
flewon her miles. I alsopurchasedour tickets for thissummer's
trip.We hope tosee manyof you duringthat tour. We will be
visitingchurches, friendsand family. My Mother has beenplacedunder
the careof hospice, but she may livefor considerable time yet. I
hope that she is lucidwhen wevisit her inLas Vegas.Naturally, if
she passes on before then, all our plans and schedulingwill have
tochange.I continue working on the materials for the
leadershiptrainingseminar. 1 neverthought that I wouldwrite
inSpanish, but my skills are improving slowly. Mark hasbeen a great
help both inchecking grammar andas a sounding board tohelp meremain
centeredandreduce mytendencytowander. It is essential that
thematerialbe concise, because we want touse this ina 1-year study
program. We are tryingtoset up meetings withour students
fromthefirst roundof leadershiptrainingseminars tocelebratetheir
"graduation. " (None of us reallygraduate fromstudyingthe wordof
God and itsapplicationtoour lives). We will have cake andpresent
certificatesof achievement at the ceremonies.We continue toworkat
the conversionof the Bible institutetoa camp. Andwe
haveturnedtheadministrationandrental over to the pastors'
association. We seektoempower them. We don't want it tobe an
albatross, but if they canmaintainandrunit, we hope tosignthe
propertyover to themnext year. We will still maintainanoffice and a
shop there for awhile.I love this grand-parentingthing. I can
enjoythe babyuntil she gets fussy, orneeds a change, and then hand
her off. We shouldhave had themyears sooner.Actuallywe did, but
Zach was a coupleof thousandmiles away, and we didnot getmuch time
with him. Seriously, Katrina is nowsevenmonths oldand a
strongwilled,determinedchild. She wants towalk and nowfree stands
for a 20 or 30 seconds at atime and gets around by pullingherself
up on furniture; she will walk soon.Blessedly, her parents have
hadthe wisdomtoteachher the word "NO" early.Margyreports that
Hannah is happyall the time. She loves toeat and enjoys herbrother
greatly. Nine year old Zach is very lovingandhelpful toher.Thank
you for your prayers on our behalf. BillIf you would prefer not
receivingour E-raails please let us know.MAY
2013HRIST1AN-#''MISS10N.Saludos &Hoffs in HondurasSee more
details inside ...Leadership Training Seminars... Current Students
- We arealso currentlygoing to two churches eachmonthto trainchurch
leaders. We have approximately 23students at the church in La Ceiba
and12 atthe church in Cofradia. We arein theprocess of coordinating
with other churchesto take the seminars to more locations
soon.Course Graduates - On April 10th we presented certificates
ofcompletion to two of our groups fromlast year. These
studentscompleted thetwo-year course in 2011and2012. We presented
9certificates at thesetwo locations. Morestudents completed
thecourse but failed to turn in the finaltest. We willbe
presentingcertificates to the other 15 students that completed the
course atthe other three locations.Curriculum This year we are
workingto condense thetwo-year curriculum down to a one-year course
byremoving much of the repetition and less profitable material.
Thisis averytime-consuming process, but wehope that by shortening
thecourse, more students will complete the
study.ResolutionCeremonyIn January, manyof thementhatattended the
men'sretreat last fallreunited to signtheresolutionsetforthin
themovie, "Courageous".Their families joined them towitness their
commitment to beingmen of integrity and Godliness.More than80 men
and theirfamilies traveled to Siguatepeque wearing their best
attirefor thismemorable and specialday.It was touching to see sons
learning from their father's example and familiessupporting
thesemenin this commitment.a'*#Leadership Training -inNicaraguaMark
hada great opportunity tojoin his college roommate,Jonathan
Wolfgang, inNicaragua for amission trip.Part of theteam's purpose
wasto provide pastor and leadershiptraining. Theyheld a one day
seminar for pastorsin which theyemphasized having a servant
attitude, pure motives, and integrity.They also helda two
dayconference formenin churchleadership. Using the movie.
Courageous, they againencouraged themento livelives of integrity
andremainfaithfulto Godand their families. Itwas a blessing
toseeGoduse Mark's experiences in Honduras to help equip andtrain
church leaders in Nicaragua. It was a joy forMark tobe able to work
along side his long time friend and brotherin Christ.I
Ith-I2thGradeRe-EntryRetreatWe had a great time on our11th and 12th
grade MK Re-Entry Retreat. Nine students fromdifferent parts of
Honduras came together on the island of Roatan for a week of fun in
thesun, growingfriendships, and preparing for their next life
transition. This was our fourthretreat to partner with
missionaries, Wes and Cindy Williamson, to cover material from
thebook Third Culture Kids by David C. Polluck. Our sessions were
spent discussing theirpersonal identities as missionary kids, the
things theywould grieveas theyleaveHonduras, the challenges they
will face as they "return" to a country that does not feel
likehome, their unique gifts as MKs, and much more. We also enjoyed
snorkeling, a park withexoticbirds and monkeys, and a zipline. It's
always a blessing to see the students bondwith one another and walk
alongside them as they process the material and work throughtheir
personal experiences, fears, and anxieties.1r,Joining Bajb
ChristianMission...After consulting with Hazelwood Christian Church
(Mark and Joy's sending church)and Bajio Christian Mission's board,
Mark and Joy have decided to join BCM andcomeunder their
leadership. They have served overseas under the direction
ofHazelwood Christian Church for almost 14 years andhave enjoyed
thispartnershipand relationship. They will continue to havea close
relationship withHazelwoodChristian,but thedecision to officially
join BCM was made in order to simplify recordkeeping of ministry
funds in Honduras and to provide continuity inBCM upon Bill
andMargy's (Mark's parents) futureretirement. Bajio Christian
Mission is the non-profitorganization that Bill andMargy formed 29
years ago while still servingin Mexico.Bill andMargy andMark
andJoyhavebeen working together in Honduras for nearly12 years.
Until now, wehavemaintained separate newsletters and publications.
Aswe officially join together underBCM, we will alsobegin
collaboratingin one singlenewsletter mailing called "Co-Missioned".
We believe you, our newslettersubscribers, area very big part of
what God uses us to do each day. Without yourprayers,
encouragement, andfinancial support, we could not continue.
Therefore,you arecoworkers in themission God has given us andwe all
share Christ's callingin theGreat Commission. Please bear withus as
we combine our mailinglists. If youreceive two copies of this
newsletter, please bring that to our attention, if you wouldrather
justreceive henewsletter via e-mailplease write us anote to that
effect.It will take some time to complete this transition. For tax
purposes, Mark and Joywillcontinue receiving their support at
Hazelwood Christian Church through the endof2013. All financial
gifts beginning January 2014 should be sent to theBCM
address.Katrina v/as8months old onApril 24th. She loves to
crawl,stand, andsing. She says ba, pada, andma and has 8
teeth.Margy enjoyed a two-week visit in Knoxville. She was
abletospend the time with their daughter. Rebecca, and herfemily.
Hannah will be I year old onMay!3th. She is alwayshappy and loves
to jump in her bouncer. Zach is intiiethird grade and enjoys
playing outside and riding his bike.NewsletterFacelift: take note
of the changed newsletter heading.CO-M(SSIONet>May
2.03MISSIONS-'HOW TOREACHUSOur MailingAddress:Bill and Margy
HoffMark andJoy HoffApdo. 3166San Pedro Sula, HondurasOur e-mail
address
is:hillandmargYt^'^ff(?^Rmail-CO"^m:irkhQfF.faniilY(5)gniaiUomOur
Website ir hajinrhnstian.orgOur phone number
is:on(504)2556-2440011(504) 2551-5617Any monetary gifts forBill
andMargy should be written to:Bajio Christian Mission34428Yucaipa
Blvd. E-192Yucaipa CA92399Any monetary gifts (in 2013) forMark
andJoy should bewrittento:Hazelwood Christian Church(memo:
Honduras)9947 South County Rd. 0Clayton, IN 46118We Praise God For:
the work God is doing thru the camp and seminar students. the men
whosigned theresolution to commit to lives ofintegrity and
Godliness the morethan24 students that completed the two
yearleadership training seminar last year the 2 locations that are
currently going through the trainingWe Pray For: the continued
renovations at the Bible Institute to make itmore suitable for
camps more groups of students who havea desire to complete
theleadership training course Mark and Bill as they condense the
seminar material tomake it a one-year course the upcoming work team
from Hazelwood Christian Church(they will continue renovations on
the camp property) the seminar students that theywill havestrength
andmotivation tofinish the course and lead their churches well the
national church leadership to remain strong thru somecurrent
hardships the ministersand their wives - that they will
beencouragedand sustainedBajioCHRIlANjMSSaCO-M(SSIONNovekM-ber
scisLeadership TrainingBill and Mark continue to travel each month
to train church leaders at a church in Cofradia andLa Ceiba. There
are currently about12 students in each church. We are also editing
the coursematerial in an attempt to make a more condensed study. We
are working on the fourthand finalbook in the series. We willthen
revisit all the books to correct errors discovered in the
editing.Our goal is to develop a curriculum that can be reproduced
and taught by localleadership foryears to come.Men'sRetreatIn
October, the churches held their second men's retreat. As
afollow-up to last year's theme. Courageous, the men watched
themovieFireproof and focused on*how to be Godly
husbands.Approximately 80 men camefrom different parts of
Honduras.This was the first camp event that used the new
diningfacility and tables. It is encouraging to see the men
ofHonduras cometogether to strengthen one another in theLord.HFTO
oeyBUMTesn12th Annual HondurasMissionary ConferenceIn September
weheld our 12th Annual HondurasMissionary Conference. More than115
missionariescame from all over Honduras to share inatime
ofspiritual renewal, fellowship, and networking. We wereblessed to
listen to messages from Roy Comrie whoreminded us that God's
justice may tarry but it is sure tocome. The kidsand youth enjoyed
being together andlearning about putting on the armor of God to
facesatan's attacks.7.Hazelwood WorkTeam...We were thrilled to host
a collegeage team from Joy's home church,Hazelwood Christian
Church, inAugust. They worked tirelessly onthe task of remodeling
the campadministrative house into a diningfacility. Thisrequired
demolishingand rebuilding walls, retiling floors, and other
projects.IThe team also served at a church that was planted by one
of the Bible Institute alumni, CesarHeman. He is still pastoring
this small, rural church. The team was prepared to do a programfor
40-60 children, but more than130 children attended the event.Even
though it seemed overwhelming, theteam did a great job of
ministering to thekids. They sang songs, did a craft, playedgames,
andshared a Bible story. We arehopeful that thisprogram was
instrumental inbringing newfamilies to thischurch in
themountains.Continued Construction...Since the team left, Mark
continued tooversee the hired workers to complete theremodeling
project. Theyhavebuilt andtiled counter tops for the new kitchen
andfinishedanew bathroom in the cook'squarters.Baji'o Christian
Mission Address Change...We are very grateful for the faithful
service of the BCM treasurer, Lyn Mclntyre, over the lastseveral
years. Due to family care needs, she has had to step down from this
position. The BajioChristian Mission board has decided on a new
treasurer to fill thisrole. Due to this transition, fundsshould now
be sent to his address in Indiana: Bajio Christian Mission, 4886 E.
County Rd. 400 S.,Plainfield, IN 46168.Please make note of this
change.Mark and Joywill continue to receive their fundingat the
Hazelwood Christian Church address untilJanuary of 2014. At that
time, all funds will need to be sent to BajioChristian Mission at
thePlainfield, Indiana address given above.Thank you very much for
your prayersand financialsupport!Joysparentscame downinAugust
tocelebrate Katrinas firstbirthday.Katrina is thelight of our lives
and brings us great joy.She loves ducks(her birthday theme), music,
books, baby dolls,and being chased. She's been walkingsince she was
nine monthsold and sheis continually babblingon about
something.HOWTOREACHUSOur Mailing Address:Bill and Margy
HoffMarkandJoyHoffApdo. 3166San Pedro Sula , HondurasOur e-mail
addressis:[email protected]?^i'Y^?I"^^''-^'^Our
Website is:baiiochri
