Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ALuaas!
from
CENTRAL MEXICO
BILL HOFF and FAMILY
Published Quarterly
cZw i c : a
Winter 1985
Ln
in
Mexico.
After
two
founded churches could not supply. Therefore, he sou^t means to provide a few evangelists with funds
gathered from United States churches. The end result was M.E.N. The organization raises and administers
funds. It also provides guidance and prayer support for the evangelists. The eldership of the Church of
Christ in Haysi, Virginia, exercises oversight, making the evangelists scripturally responsible.
Because the nationals are not hired by a missionary, many of the traditional motives for strife between
foreign and Mexican workers are eliminated. For many years the system has proved effective.
In January Jim and Jerry Edwards (an elder) visited the seven employees of M.E.N. Bill accompanied them
as translator and guide. In order to visit all of the evangelists, they traveled more than 2,000 miles. That
included a trip to Veracruz to visit two young evangelists who they would like to help. These young men
were supported by a missionary who had to return home and could no longer pay them. M.E.N. would like
to see the church-planting effort in Veracruz continue.
Please lift up M.E.N. and Jim Viers with your prayers,
BH
Calling is an important aspect of C.C.C.'s general program. It provides for personal contact which confronts
the student wiA Christ's claim on his life. When a student lives in a city where there is a church, the
preacher is asked to make the visit. There are, of coull^e, many cities and towns where there is no church.
Then Bill must make the calls.
Recency Bill has made two trips eastward to the state of Hidalgo and one westward to Celaya. The visit to
Celaya proved to be very fruitful. The family he visited was eager to accept the Lord and to be baptized
into Him. As a result there is rejoicing at the addition of five new Christians to the Celaya congregation.
Correspondence school students write many letters to C.C.C. Years ago it was realized that a great majority
of the letters that ask questions could be answered with a few form letters. A memographed form letter,
however, is very impersonal and cannot answer more than one question. Now, through the efforts of a
leader in the Vegas Valley Christian Church, the ofi^ce has a small computer. This permits the instant
production of "personalized" form letters which can answer the most frequently asked questions. It also
saves hours of typing the customary "greeting paragraph" which accompanies other correspondence. As the
office workers b^ome better acquainted with the computer, it will also replace the student card-file system
and facilitate other jobs.
BH
PSKSOMAt eUMPSSS
As many of our friends are digging their way out of
the deep snow, we are sitting here enjoying the warm
sun in the "Bajio." But God's creation is beautiful in
all its aspects.
next year.
prepared
300
bags of
because of you.
r<
*
*
*
the 5 baptisms in Celaya that brought a family into the Lord's church.
the gift of a computer which facilitates the office work.
the Bajio Christian Mission, Inc. being accepted as a non-profit corporation by the State
of Nevada.
the concern of the Queretaro church in donating 150 bags of "goodies" for poor
children.
Tom and Toni Schneller who plan on coming to work with us this year.
the sale of properties in Queretaro which will enable the church to begin building,
perhaps by Fall.
Join with us in Praying for:
Antonio, the preacher in San Felipe, who has begun construction of a building but needs
patience in working out the "red tape."
* Chon's daughter, Bette, who just began married life at age 16 in February.
* Huberto and Becky, whose car was involved in an accident and is impounded while
waiting judgment.
FROM;
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pn^TArF
PERMIT '36
HISSICS SERVICES
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^5" 3-5-
SALUaOS! from
CENTRAL
MEXICO
BAJIO CHRISTIAN
&
MISSION
Published Quarterly
Summer 1985
about
Biblical
conversion
and
Christian
Growing Room
The Queretaro congregation has, in the past 15 years, met in at least six different locations. At times it
came together in missionaries' homes, at times in rented facilities, and at the worst it rotated from one
member's home to another making it impossible for visitors to find it. That has'been one of the greatest
factors in limiting the growth of the church.
Now the church has met two years in a rented apartment in "Jardines de la Hacienda." But it has reached
the growth limit imposed by the size of its facility. It is physically impossible to seat more than 70 people
in the space available. For these reasons the church decided to purchase property to build.
Previously, the church had two small lots in an area which, as it developed, became largely warehouses and
light industry, instead of residencial (no zoning laws). Those lots were sold and a lot in the "colonia" where
the church presently meets was purchased.
The property is well located on a main boulevard, one block from the end of the bus line. It has an area of
2800 square feet. The building code will permit construction to the property lines and two stories high so
that limited space will not present a problem. It is hoped to have the architectural drawings done by midSeptember so that construction can be well under way by December when prices for materials usually go
up.
The real problem will be funding the construction. The local church simply cannot do it by itself. It is
difficult to estimate the cost of the structure because of high inflation (70 percent) and changing exchange
rates, but it will be less expensive than a comparable building in the United States.
Holy Week
"Semana Santa" (Holy Week, the week before Resurrection Sunday) is an important holiday in Mexico.
Trying to utilize the religious interest invoked by this time of year. Bill arranged to hold a week-long
campaign in Zacatecas where Hermilo Gasca is trying to establish a congregation. The Hoff family left
Sunday afternoon traveling to Zacatecaswhere they stayed with the Gascas for the week.
There was a great deal of work to be done. There were tracts to be rubber stamped, there were invitations
to be prepared, there was calling to be done, and sermon outlines to polish. The afternoons were particu
larly hectic as Hermilo and Bill, in order to assure good attendance, would go and pick up interested indi
viduals. Immediately after dinner Bill would leave for Calera (30 miles) to pick up believers there, while
Hermilo would make several trips with his VW picking up people in the city.
During the services Bill showed films related to the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord. Then there
was a preaching service. Bill preached three nights while Apolinar and Hermilo preached the remaining
evenings. Afterward the people were delivered home and the Gasca and Hoff families would eat a snack.
The calling was an interesting experience for Bill. "There was none of the hostility, suspicion or doorslamming we associate with house to house evangelism in the Bajio," he explained.
The actual meetings were held in the home of Apobnar Ramos. He has a large livingroom which is quite
suitable. Attendance was between 35 to 40 people a night.
There were two lessons learned during the campaign firstly. Holy Week is a poor time to plan a campaign
because so many people are out of town or have guests; and secondly, door to door evangelism is very
effective in the northern city and may be the key to its evangelism.
12th Year
The "Christian Camp of the Bajio" has just
completed its 12th year of camp in Tiacote
el Bajo, Queretaro. The camp facilities have
been improved each year. This year's main
improvement was the addition of flush toilets
to replace the "little houses" out back. The
project was barely finished in time.
This year there were three different weeks of
New Workers
home congregations.
PERSONAL GLIMPSES
It is a warm semi-overcast day in Queretaro. I am grateful that my clothes are drying
because there were several days in June and the first part of July that this was impossible
due to so much rain. The rains are making possible a record harvest so we are grateful for
that. It is also causing the grass to grow that was planted in our front yard, and thus making
our house look more beautiful.
Mark finished his studies in May so will enter sixth grade in September. Besides being in
Scouts, he is now enrolled in Karate classes. On the 6th of August he has an opportunity
to receive his yellow belt. Rebecca graduated from kindergarten and is now enrolled in a
bi-lingual school. She would like to enter Karate but we are waiting to see what her schedule
will be in the Fall.
Some improvements have been made on our house since my last letter. Rebecca's room is
now finished and includes a new carpet. The T.V. room and stairway are now painted and
we have ordered a rug for that area. Our next project is to paint the ceilings and walls of the
living room and diningroom.
Bill and I are trying to finish many projects as we prepare to leavefor the States. We will be
gone almost three weeks as we visit friends; Bill's sister; and our former co-workers, the
Norm Dungan family. BiU will also be flying to Las Vegas to visit the church there. And we
are anxiously waiting to bring Tom and Toni Schneller, our new co-workers, back to
Mexico.
May the Lord enrich your lives in your service for Him.
FROM;
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U. S. POSTAGE
PERMIT '36
GLENDALE AZ 85302
MISSION
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SMLmUS! from
CENTRAL
MEXICO
BAJIO CHRISTIAN
&
MISSION
Published Quarterly
Vol. 16 No. 2
Fall 1985
Reaching Out
The house in which Toni and I live sits high upon a
hill that overlooks the city of Queretaro. In the even
ing, one can look out and see the entire metropolis
lit up like a Christmas tree. Several times I have
looked out of our upstairs bay window and marveled
at this beautiful sight Although this scenery is
need arises.
November 17
over
An Inside View
We have received several cards and letters asking, "What's it like to live in Mexico? " People want to
know what we eat, where we live, what our house is like, and many other aspects of life here. In the next
couple of newsletters, I'd like to ^are some of these answers with you. The truth is, before we arrived,
we had the same questions!
Two things that are a little different Here are the food, and the door-to-door service.Weadjusted easily
to the food in Mexico. Every dish is composed of a combination of very b^sic ingredients. (We don't
have to worry about receiving something that we aren't accustomed to eating.) We eat tor^as, rice,
finjoles, fruit, and vegetables frequently. We also eat basic meats such as hamburger, chicken, and other
cuts of beef. Since I am the cook, I tend to Americanize most of our dishes. I am learning new recipes all
the time though. Just yesterday, our Spanish teacher tau^t me how to make three different types of
enchiladas! Delicious!
Another unusual aspect of life in Mexico is the wide number of products and services you can receive
without ever leaving your house. Every day we hear various whistles, buzzes^ and honks that tell us
someone is selling Aeir wares. One man comes regularly to sharpen knives. A truck comes through in
the early evening with fresh milk from nearby ranches. A few times a week, a carcomes down the street
blaring its horn to let us know soon a truck will come selling propane. A man comes to cut our grass and
trim our flowers. Young boys come daily with offers to wash our car. We can even buy &e^ baked
pastries and tortillas at our door. Since a majority of people in Mexico do not have phones or cars, these
services are greatly needed and appreciated. We've come to appreciate them too!
TomX
PEnsoMAL euMPses
"Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice." We are happy to be here in Mexico serving the
Lord of the universe. It is also a real joy having Tom and Toni sharing in the work in Queretaro. They
are very willing and enthusiastic workers.
Another school year is well under way. Sxth grade has proven to be quite difficult in the "AlphaOmega" program for Mark. This is especially true in the Bible and Social Studies books. Most afternoons
are spent with "the family" doing homework. Rebecca has homework Monday through Thursdays even
thou^ ^e is only in the first grade. Sie really enjoys studying, for which we are thankful, because her
spelling words include hippopotamus, rhinoceros, etc.
The latest form of exercise and entertainment for the Schneller and Hoff families is bowling. Each
Friday afternoon we meet at the bowling alley where we pay 10 cents each to rent a pair of shoes and
40 cents each to bowl a game. Some of the lanes are a little cracked and the shoes and balls aren't the
best, but at that price, we really don't complain. Rebecca can even bowl a 26 without help. She throws
Please allow me to describe a typical Wednesday afternoon and evening at the Hoff household. This
happens to be our busiest day each week, for it is the day of the ladies' meeting at the church. Mark
and Rebecca arrive home at 2 p.m. and we hurridly eat and do dishes. Then the homework begins, and
hopefully, most of it is finished hetote 4 p.m. I must leave the house a little before 4 o'clock in order to
open the church. I carry two thermos' fiill of boiling water for coffee or tea. At about this same time
two babysitters and 13 children tegin to arrive. Because we have a large house with many toys and live
close to the church, for 2 1/2 hours the children play here while the ladies have their meeting. Bill is
normally here in case of an emergency. The meeting is over at about 6:30 p.m. and each lady hurries
here to pick up her children. I cheerfully say "goodbye" to all and then take a look at my house. Bill,
meanwhile, is driving several of the ladies and Aeir children home. After feeding Mark and Rebecca I
sit down, thankful that another Wednesday is over. Praise the Lord for a large house and children vdio
are willing to share Aeir toys.
Merry Christmas to all of you.
many responses from newspaper advertisements and tracts distributed during the show
ing of films.
the churches in Central Mexico, especially the Celaya and Queretaro congregations that
are in the process of building.
*
*
those who are suffering from the after effects of the earthquake.
Tom and Toni as they continue in language study.
the ministry of a new medical missionary who is working in Santa Rosa (a nearby
town).
I SAID A PRAYER
>
Dicksons.Ai^-Wvi
Praise God for:
the approval of Bajio Christian Mission, Inc. as a tax exempt non-profit corporation by
the I.R.S.
the new addition that will be coming to the Schneller family next July.
the three young people baptized in Queretaro recently.
the help received from two dedicated Christian men, Gordon Clifford and Mike Diskin.
the movies.
square.
On Die Road
In the last B.C.M. newsletter, it was mentioned that we, Tom and Toni Schneller, would be
coming to work in central Mexico. We would like to share a little about the trip on the way
down, so that you can feel the excitement we felt.
Our trip was not a really hurried one. We took six days to reach our destination in the Bajio.
The first four days of driving were spent crossing all of the states that lie in the path between
Tennesee and the border of Mexico. We traveled like many families do. We ate cheaply and
stayed in Motel 6 for $23.93 a night. The Lord blessed us abundantly with good health and
cars that ran well.
The most tense moments we experienced came when we crossed the Mexican border. We had
two obviously over-loaded vehicles that suggested we had come for more than a short visit. We
also had a lot of electronic equipment that is often refused passage by border officials. Again,
the Lord blessed, despite some obvious blunders that we made. For instance, Tom was left
speechless when a border official asked what his occupation was. We're missionaries, but to
openly admit this would mean an almost automatic refusal of entry. In the heat of the mo
ment, Tom blurted, "I'm whatever he said he is," referring to Bill Hoff who had just finished
the questioning. The official laughed out loud at that answer and then-handed us our papers
with the word "minister" filled in. God is so good!
The remaining two days on the road we spent learning the unwritten rules that govern Mexican
drivers, but we had excellent teachers (the Hoffs), and the best Co-Pilot!
FROM:
ALEXANDRIA, KY 41001
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED