Bajio Christian Mission

Honduras

February, 2004

AreYouDoingAnyGood?

Bill’s grandfather and dad frequently would use the interrogatory phrase, “Areyoudoinganygood?” about some aspect of labor. At this time in our lives it is a very good question!

We have been in Honduras ten years and we are obligated to make an analysis. In-so-far-as the institute is concerned; the answer is a definite YES. Bill has not been able to visit his former students very often, but Honduras is a small country and reports of their ministries do reach him. Those reports convince him of the utility of the education that the school offers.

One student is in Texas finishing up his bachelor’s degree at Colegio Biblico. He is still in the process of deciding if he will go on to postgraduate work. He hopes to teach at the institute here in Honduras; another graduate is an evangelist on one of the Mercy Ships currently in the Mediterranean; another of them has a church in Omoa (one hour north of San Pedro Sula;) one of them is preaching in Cuyamel (one and a half hours northwest, almost in Guatemala;) and still another alumni is running a series of Bible Studies in the clothing assembly factory where he works; one graduate preaches in a small rural congregation; and yet another former student preaches in a village high up in the mountains. In all, Bill knows the whereabouts of eight of the nine graduates and seven are actively involved in evangelism. That is an enviable record for any preacher training school. So in a land that so desperately needs the gospel, WeAreDoingSomeGood!

Who is Teaching?

One aspect of education is the need for the students to receive a well-rounded view of the ministry. At the Bible institute we strive to achieve that through bringing in as many guest teachers as possible. Last September the students were blessed to receive lessons in leadership training from Dr. Robert Kuest. He is the coordinator of International Missions Systems and a member of the faculty of Hope University. He spends a good deal of his time giving seminars on foreign fields and continues to teach his classes at Hope via the Internet. Bob also preached and taught classes associated with the church. Peggy, Bob’s wife, also came. She taught the students’ wives at the institute and gave ladies’ Bible studies in San Pedro Sula. They were a great blessing and well received. Bob and Peggy were fellow college student with Bill and Margy at Pacific Christian College.

Julio Corea, the pastor of the Spanish church 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 who have devoted their time and energies. One who we are going to miss greatly is Juan deLeon who is returning to his native Dominican Republic soon. He has worked with the students both in classes and in the field and has helped to form their character. Other teachers will be highlighted in future newsletters.

The students recessed for vacation in November and resumed classes on February 16th. This is the normal vacation period for the Honduran schools.

Tall Grass

Each day, after class hours, the students are required to help maintain the institute’s properties. While the perimeter wall was unfinished, most of their time was devoted to completion of that goal. Recently, however, we have been assigning work on landscaping. Slowly we are trying to do what Isaiah recommends, “exalt the valleys and make the rough places plane,” so that the whole school can be mowed mechanically. The school has a small riding mower that has been a Godsend, but it and the big walk behind bush-hog mower will both last longer and need less maintenance if we can remove the rocks and level the land. Naturally, all the edging and trim is done with what Bill calls a Honduran weed-eater, a machete.

Besides offering a more pleasant environment, mowing is a good safety feature. During the development of the institute property we found and chopped up six or seven venomous snakes. Mowing discourages snakes because they need the cover provided by high grass and weeds. The children of the students are safer with the lawn mowed close. Another benefit is that the number of mosquitoes has been drastically reduced by the combination of the wall, the short grass, and no weeds. Hopefully, that will reduce 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 was fueled by two months of nearly nonstop rain. As a result, Mark and Bill went out before classes with the expressed goal of reassembling the mowers and mowing so that the students could find their apartments and dormitories when they returned from vacation. What about that reassembling business? Well it was just the usual maintenance: a new tire, a bad bearing, and a bent shaft. Next time it will be a bad battery, a loose belt, or something else. It takes about 8-10 man-hours to mow the property; that wears out machine and body!

"Stepping In"

The English speaking church in San Pedro Sula is a “participatory” congregation. Even though the Hoffs officially pastor the congregation, many people participate on Sundays and throughout the week in order for the church to function. Margy and Joy are constantly looking for people to “step in” and fill one of the many positions needed to keep the church operating.

Sometimes it is more difficult than other times to get the volunteers needed. There is a constant change in membership due to the transient nature of the group. Currently there are many people willing to “step in” and fill a need for which we are very grateful. Schedules are prepared monthly, listing who will preach each Sunday during the month, who will give the communion meditation, serve the communion, collect the offering, etc. The communion meditation and sermon are translated through headsets on Sunday mornings for those who only understand Spanish. Mark, Bill, and one other member do most of the translating.

Meanwhile, Joy is the head of the Christian education department and takes care of finding the Bible school teachers for the three children’s classes. She assigns a coordinator for each class and orders all the necessary materials along with taking her turn in teaching. Joy also plans a schedule of teachers for the Tuesday evening Bible study and the Thursday afternoon women’s group. Joy is also the leader of one of the musical teams. There are three teams that lead music for a period of three months at a time. They each have their own style but all try to blend hymns with praise choruses.

Margy and Joy prepare the weekly bulletins and also send out a prayer and praise report to all the church members.

There are several people that work with the treasurer of the church. Accountability is very important for the leadership. The church is very proud of the friendly nature of its people. The visitors often mention this. There are some people who visit once or twice a 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.

A Grandson - ZACHARIAH MARK MIRELES

The phone rang Sunday evening. It was September 21st and Rebecca was having labor pains. She called to say that Alfredo was driving her to the hospital. We were somewhat surprised because this was one week before the baby’s due date. We began praying and waiting for further news.

Three hours later the phone rang again. Once again we were surprised to receive another call so soon. It was from Beka and she had just delivered a baby boy. Isn’t that amazing that thousands of miles away we could receive word that we had a grandson only minutes after he was born from a mother still in the delivery room. Zachariah Mark Mireles was born healthy weighing 6 lbs. and 1 oz. He was 18 _ inches long. Wow! We were now grandparents and what joy filled our souls. I began calling the baby “my little guy.”

I had airline tickets for September 26th. Even though Beka got quite ill with high blood pressure, she assured me that she would be O.K. and for me not to change the ticket. When I arrived at about 11 p.m. my first look at Zach was rather shocking. He was lying in a special lighted box because he was jaundiced. He only had a diaper on with little black glasses protecting his eyes. But oh how sweet he was (and still is). For one month I was able to hold and rock him and read Bible stories to him.

On December 19th, Bill and I flew into Las Vegas. This trip had been planned for a long time. It was to be a family gathering for Bill’s mother’s 80th birthday, Christmas day. Mark and Joy and Jonathan Wolfgang picked us up at the airport. I hadn’t seen my “kids” for several months so that was a special reunion. Other Hoff family members arrived over the next few days. All fourteen of us united on Christmas Eve to have a family photo taken. An added blessing was to see my sister on Christmas day. It has been many years since we have been together on Christmas. She came with part of her family to see all of us and to meet Alfredo and Zach. We had a big celebration in the afternoon for the “birthday lady.” She was so happy to have all her children and their families together honoring her.

I took many photos during that week, especially of Zach. Bill and I had the privilege of babysitting him three evenings while his parents enjoyed the sights of Las Vegas. I wouldn’t have traded that time for anything.

I look forward to my next visit with our grandson. My prayer is that he will grow to become a faithful servant of the Lord.

Margy

Our One-Hundred Pound Baby

We would be remiss without talking about the new members of our families in Honduras. Last May thirteen dogs were born to one of our church members’ dog, a Mastiff that weighs 110 pounds. She was mated with an American Pit Bull and some beautiful pups were produced. Mark and Joy showed much interest in the dogs and visited them often. Bill and I were not anxious to get another dog, (we have a 9 year old dog that has a little German Shepherd in her), but after much coaxing by Mark, I agreed to get the last dog that needed a home.

Baxter, Mark and Joy’s dog, and Brutus, our dog, have been a lot of work. While Bill and I were in the States last summer, Mark and Joy trained them. While they were gone for 2 months in the Fall we took care of the dogs. It was during this time that Brutus hurt himself while fighting (playing) with his brother. He developed a hygroma on his elbow. Bill decided, after consulting with a vet in the States, that he could operate on Brutus and put in a drain. So with the help of Lynnell Fields and Mark and Joy, he did it. But the dog wouldn’t leave the wound alone and pulled out the tube, so it had to be reinserted. We are praying that this ball will not produce fluid any longer.

Meanwhile, Baxter got a tick borne blood infection and almost died. It was costly and took a lot of care, (a couple of I.V.’s) to get him back to good health. Brutus is a beautiful light brown dog that weighs almost 100 pounds and he is still growing. Baxter weighs about ten pounds less and is being trained well by Mark. They were purchased as watch dogs but have become real family pets.

Prayer and Praise

Praise

Zachariah Mireles arrived healthy on September 22nd in Knoxville, TN. His parents are Alfredo and Rebecca.

The Hoffs had a wonderful family reunion over Christmas.

The church had a record attendance of 145 on February 15. Many people are participating in the church.

The students have returned at the institute and are eager to study.

Local preachers are willing to help teach this year.

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 Fields and her daughters as well as others who were in the van. March 28th will be the one year anniversary of Todd’s death.