ALuaas!fiPR 15 1535

from

CENTRAL MEXICOBILL HOFF and FAMILYAPARTADO POSTAL NO. 57QUERETARO, QRO. 76000 MEXICO

NORM DUNGAN and FAMILYRT. 19, BOX 608KNOXVILLE,TN 37998

Published Quarterly Vol. 15 No. 4 Winter 1985

cZwic:a Ln

Perhaps, once in a lifetime, onehas the privilege of working withthe "ideal" couple. We felt thisway about Norm and MaryDungan. For 11 years we sharedour lives together, whether it wasin joy or sorrow. We still missthem very much and uphold themin our prayers daily.

Last fall Norm told us about acouple who were interested in thework in Mexico. After two

telephone calls, we arranged forthem to visit us over the Christ

mas v&cation. They sent us a picture of themselves and we beganpraying for them nightly.

Because of many Christmas activities we did notknow how our visitors would fit into the schedule,but we had nothing to fear. On December 16th wepicked up Tom and Toni Schneller at the Mexico Cityairport. They proved to be a very sweet couple. For12 days we "ran" from one place to another in anattempt to get everything done for Christmas. Theyaccompanied us to a graduation ceremony, home

%

Bible studies, Church services,Christmas parties, a hospitalvisit, a trip to a remote area inthe mountains, and on thedelivery of many plates ofhomemade cookies and candies.They were willing to help inanyway possible and we needed it, especially at that time.

Tom and Toni are currendystudying at Johnson BibleCollege. Through the manyphotos that Tom took duringtheir stay here, they arepresenting the work andhoping to raise enough supportto be here in August. They aretalented in music, art, and arestudying computers.

We believe that they will be of invaluable help in thecorrespondence school along with special projectswhere their artistic and musical talent will be useful.

As we anxiously await their arrival, we believe thatonce again we will have the opportunity of workingwith the "ideal" couple. MH

All About MEN"Mexican Evangelism Now" (M.E.N. for short) is ihe dream of Jim Viers, a minister-capenter in WesternVirginia. He believed that Mexican nationals should take an active role in evangelism in their country, buthe saw that in order for them to preach full-time, they would need financial support which the newlyfounded churches could not supply. Therefore, he sou^t means to provide a few evangelists with fundsgathered from United States churches. The end result was M.E.N. The organization raises and administersfunds. It also provides guidance and prayer support for the evangelists. The eldership of the Church ofChrist 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 betweenforeign 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 themas translator and guide. In order to visit all of the evangelists, they traveled more than 2,000 miles. Thatincluded a trip to Veracruz to visit two young evangelists who they would like to help. These young menwere supported by a missionary who had to return home and could no longer pay them. M.E.N. would liketo see the church-planting effort in Veracruz continue.

Please lift up M.E.N. and Jim Viers with your prayers, BH

New lyork New RewardsIn the previous issue of "Saludos" some modification of the program of the Cultural CommunicationsCenter were outlined. Now, in just a few months, there have been other major changes. Perhaps the mostnoteworthy was the sudden departure of Francisco, the young man who ran the office. This left Bill andMargy with a considerable workload. Bill now grades all of the courses and writes the letters, while Margymails courses and maintains the fQing system. Bill now finds it easier to detennine which students needspecial visitation. His intimate contact with a student's response on a course helps him be better preparedfor each call.

Calling is an important aspect of C.C.C.'s general program. It provides for personal contact which confrontsthe student wiA Christ's claim on his life. When a student lives in a city where there is a church, thepreacher 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 toCelaya proved to be very fruitful. The family he visited was eager to accept the Lord and to be baptizedinto 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 majorityof 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 aleader in the Vegas Valley Christian Church, the ofi^ce has a small computer. This permits the instantproduction of "personalized" form letters which can answer the most frequently asked questions. It alsosaves hours of typing the customary "greeting paragraph" which accompanies other correspondence. As theoffice workers b^ome better acquainted with the computer, it will also replace the student card-file systemand facilitate other jobs. BH

PSKSOMAt eUMPSSS

As many of our friends are digging their way out ofthe deep snow, we are sitting here enjoying the warmsun in the "Bajio." But God's creation is beautiful inall its aspects.

It doesn't seem possible that it is February already.December was a month in which we were extremelybusy. We expected to slow down a little in Januarybut that wasn't meant to be. We aren't predictingabout February.

During the past severalyears Mark has frequently beensick with tonsilitis. His pediatrician was hesitantabout removing his tonsils so we took him to a highlyrecommended doctor in Mexico City. He agreed to dothe tonsillectomy so on Thanksgiving day (it isn't aholiday here), the operation was performed. As amember of the family is expected to stay with thechild in the hospital, I went prepared with snackfood, warm clothing (no heat in the hospitals here),a Uanket, and a pillow. We both made it through thenight and the following morning he was released. Wetried to feed Mark the usual foods: jello, pudding, icecream, etc., but he wanted "real" food. The secondday he was eating mashed potatoes, mashed beans,and rice and crying for meat. He recuperated rapidly.

During the month of December we were involved inmany Christmas activities. I made 25 plates ofcookies and candy for friends. The ladies' groupprepared 7 boxes of food and homemade items forthe poorer families of the local churches. TheQueretaro church also prepared 300 bags of"goodies." Half of these were taken to the momitainarea where various Christians picked them up. Theother half were distributed to those who attended the

Christmas program and party. On December 23rd,100 people from four area churches were transportedto the camp facilities where they enjoyed a 2 1/2hour program of music, recitations, and dramas inthe chapel. Following this there was a baptism andthen the breaking of two pinatas. The eveningendedwith refreshments of tamales, hot chocolate, and abirthday cake.

Bill had been traveling a lot during the month ofJanuary. He spent three days getting an evangelistmoved to Zacatecas, which is six hours north ofwhere he previously worked. Bill also made a trip toVeracruz which involved another three days. LastFriday he and Mark went visiting in the city ofPachuca. They had a good day together and it was alearning experience for Mark.

Since the installation of an accordion curtain whichnow closes off the T.V. room, we have been able toentertain overnight guests more easily. Other improvements on the house have included: the tiling ofa bathroom, the installation of the bathtub, thepainting of the livingroom ceiling, and the preparingof the front yard to plant grass.

Mark is doing very well in his studies. This month hemust learn the capital of each of the 50 states.Rebecca is learning to read in Spanish. She ^endsmuch of her time with a pencil or crayon in her hand.We are trying to decide which school she will attendnext year.

My prayer is that 1985 may be a fulfilling year foreach of you and may Christ's kingdon increasebecause of you.

r

Prayer & PraiseJoin with us in Praising God for:* 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 buildingbut needs

patience in working out the "red tape."* Higenio Carrion who is beginning a church in a different part of Irapuato.* Chon Avalos, whose church is involved in difficulties over ownership of a building that

church built.

* 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;NON-PROFITBAJIO CHRISTIAN MISSION pn^TArF

.'0 GLENDALE CHRISTIAN CHURCHPERMIT '36

9661 MORTH 59th AVE.GLENDALE AZ 85302

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

HISSICS SERVICESP 0 BGX 2427KNOXVILLE TN 37901 H X9/32

^5" 3-5-

SALUaOS! fromCENTRAL MEXICO &

BAJIO CHRISTIAN MISSIONBILL HOFF and FAMILYAPARTADO POSTAL NO. 57OUERETARO. QRO. 76000 MEXICO

NORM DUNGAN and FAMILYRT. 19, BOX 608KNOXVILLE.TN 37998

Published Quarterly Vol. 16 No. 1 Summer 1985

Never Too OldAmong the many courses which arrived in the postbox of the Bible correspondence school was one froma village in the state of Hidalgo. The course entitled,"How Can A Man Respond To The Grace Of God"teaches about Biblical conversion and Christianobedience in baptism. The student had answered thecourse well and very positively. Bill, however, couldnot find the village on a map, so he did not immediately visit. The graded course was returned by mailwith the next one in the series. When it was mailedback it was obvious that the student, Alonso Arriaga,was really desirious of being immersed into Christ.

Bill had a number of calls to make in the capital ofthe state of Hidalgo, Pachuca, so he decided to visitand stje if he might also locate Zempoala whereAlonso lives. The calls in Pachuca ranged in qualityfrom "not home" to "very encouraging." In theprocess of arriving in Pachuca, Bill had driven threehours and in every town asked if someone had heardof Zempoala. Finally, a delivery truck driver wasable to explain how to find it. Bill left Pachuca in adriving rain and 30 minutes later was in the village.The street address was no great problem becausethe town has only nine streets. Bill knocked on thedoor. He was greatly surprised to meet Alonso whoturned out to be a 70-year-old short, round, baldman. It is unusual for older people to be willing to

change their faith.

Visiting until late at night, Alonso and Bill madeplans for his baptism. There are no Christianchurches in the state of Hidalgo so Bill arranged tobaptize him in the nearest church, in Texcoco,Mexico on the 2nd of June. June 1st the whole Hofffamily traveled from Queretaro to Zempoala toconfirm the arrangements. They spent the night atNiftos de Mexico, the orphanage near Texcoco, and inthe morning returned to take Alonso to the service.Services in the Texcoco church are well attended(over 150 people). After church Alonso, thoughelderly, was reborn in Christ. The directors of theorphanage invited Alonso and the Hoff family to stayfor dinner. Then they began the 5-hour drive back toQueretaro via Zempoala where they left a happy, newbrother in the Lord.

The next time Bill was calling in the area, Alonsoasked him how he was to answer the latest correspondence course which asks for Old Testamentinformation, when he had only a paperback NewTestament that the correspondence school hadgiven him. Bill was amazed for he supposed that theknowledge and spiritual growth of Alonso impliedreading the whole Bible. Alonso was sent a Bible thefollowing week.

Growing RoomThe Queretaro congregation has, in the past 15 years, met in at least six different locations. At times itcame together in missionaries' homes, at times in rented facilities, and at the worst it rotated from onemember's home to another making it impossible for visitors to find it. That has'been one of the greatestfactors 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 reachedthe growth limit imposed by the size of its facility. It is physically impossible to seat more than 70 peoplein 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 andlight industry, instead of residencial (no zoning laws). Those lots were sold and a lot in the "colonia" wherethe 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 of2800 square feet. The building code will permit construction to the property linesand two stories high sothat limited space will not present a problem. It is hoped to have the architectural drawings done by mid-September so that construction can be well under way by December when prices for materials usually goup.

The real problem will be funding the construction. The local church simply cannot do it by itself. It isdifficult to estimate the cost of the structure because of high inflation (70 percent) and changing exchangerates, 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-longcampaign in Zacatecas where Hermilo Gasca is trying to establish a congregation. The Hoff family leftSunday 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 invitationsto be prepared, there was calling to be done, and sermon outlines to polish. The afternoons were particularly hectic as Hermilo and Bill, in order to assure good attendance, would go and pick up interested individuals. Immediately after dinner Bill would leave for Calera (30 miles) to pick up believers there, whileHermilo 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 therewas a preaching service. Bill preached three nights while Apolinar and Hermilo preached the remainingevenings. 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 door-slamming we associate with house to house evangelismin the Bajio," he explained.The actual meetings were held in the home of Apobnar Ramos. He has a large livingroom which is quitesuitable. 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 campaignbecause so many people are out of town or have guests; and secondly, door to door evangelism is veryeffective in the northern city and may be the key to its evangelism.

'But God 6flve The Increase'Two years ago Bill asked Francisco, theworker in the correspondence school, fornames of students in Queretaro. He was giventhe names of a couple that lives only fiveminutes from our house.

Bill was warmly welcomed by Humberto; apoet, teacher, and lawyer, and his wife, MariaEsther. They asked Bill to return and bring hisfamily. Thus began a weekly, Saturdaymorning Bible study at their home. Bill wasamazed at Humberto's knowledge and interest, but Humberto was reluctant to bebaptized. It seems that during this time, thefamily was also being visited by a member ofanother church who put less emphasis onbaptism. Because of his influence, they choseto become members of that congregation, butthe Bible studies had their effect in that theylater asked to be baptized.

We are disappointed that they are not members of the Queretaro church, but MariaEsther is a faithful attender of our ladies'weekly Bible study. Humberto's brother'sfamily has just moved to Queretaro, and weare hoping that they will become part of ourSaturday morning study which Humbertoand Maria Esther with to continue.

New WorkersIt is v/ith great delight that we announce thatTom and Toni Schneller will be accompanying us back to Mexico the last week ofAugust. They graduated from Johnson BibleCollege in May and have been speakingin churches and preparing to come to Mexicosince that time.

We anticipate a much larger correspondenceschool as we have their help in operating thecomputer and planning ways to expand theprogram. Their talents and support will be agreat encouragement to us. Please pray for allof us as we strive to work together to increasethe kingdom in "the Bajio."

12th YearThe "Christian Camp of the Bajio" has justcompleted its 12th year of camp in Tiacoteel Bajo, Queretaro. The camp facilities havebeen improved each year. This year's mainimprovement was the addition of flush toiletsto replace the "little houses" out back. Theproject was barely finished in time.This year there were three different weeks ofcamp with a total attendance of about 140.The estimate based on last year was that theremight be more than 200 campers, but specialexams for admission to high school andcollege kept many from attending.

Even though the total numbers were down,the camps showed a great spirit. Many ofthe campers were obviously devoting greateffort in learning memory work, in preparingfor classes, and in sharing their faith. Therewere three baptisms. As exciting as the newbirths was the obvious spiritual growth shownby the campers who have participated severalyears in the program.

Studying For The LordAn important event in June was the graduation of the National Bible Institute. Therewere three graduates this year. The youngman will continue his education while servinga church. The young ladies are both excellentBible school teachers and will work in theirhome congregations.

This year's graduating class was small, evenfor a school with an enrollment of 20, butnext year there should be 9 graduates. Theschool has now provided 40 workers for theLord's church in 12 graduating classes.

The graduation ceremony was attended byabout 250 persons. They came from aU overMexico to attend this important event.The building borrowed for the occasion waspacked to overflowing. A supper was servedat the institute following the graduation.

PERSONAL GLIMPSESIt is a warm semi-overcast day in Queretaro. I am grateful that my clothes are dryingbecause there were several days in June and the first part of July that this was impossibledue to so much rain. The rains are making possible a record harvest so we are grateful forthat. It is also causing the grass to grow that was planted in our front yard, and thus makingour house look more beautiful.

Mark finished his studies in May so will enter sixth grade in September. Besides being inScouts, he is now enrolled in Karate classes. On the 6th of August he has an opportunityto receive his yellow belt. Rebecca graduated from kindergarten and is now enrolled in abi-lingual school. She would like to enter Karate but we are waiting to see what her schedulewill be in the Fall.

Some improvements have been made on our house since my last letter. Rebecca's room isnow finished and includes a new carpet. The T.V. room and stairway are now painted andwe have ordered a rug for that area. Our next project is to paint the ceilings and walls of theliving room and diningroom.

Bill and I are trying to finish many projects as we prepare to leavefor the States. We will begone almost three weeks as we visit friends; Bill's sister; and our former co-workers, theNorm Dungan family. BiU will also be flying to Las Vegas to visit the church there. And weare anxiously waiting to bring Tom and Toni Schneller, our new co-workers, back toMexico.

May the Lord enrich your lives in your service for Him.

FROM;

GLENDALE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

9661 NORTH 59th AVE.GLENDALE AZ 85302

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

MISSION SERVICESPO BOX 2427KNOXVILLE TN 37901

NON-PROFITU. S. POSTAGE

PERMIT '36

SMLmUS! fromCENTRAL MEXICO &

BAJIO CHRISTIAN MISSIONBILL HOFFand FAMILYAPARTADO POSTAL NO. 57QUERETARO, QRO. 76000 MEXICO

TOM and TONI SCHNELLER

APARTADO POSTAL NO, 57

QUERETARO, QRO. 76000 MEXICOPublished Quarterly Vol. 16 No. 2 Fall 1985

Reaching OutThe house in which Toni and I live sits high upon ahill that overlooks the city of Queretaro. In the evening, one can look out and see the entire metropolislit up like a Christmas tree. Several times I havelooked out of our upstairs bay window and marveledat this beautiful sight Although this scenery isbeautiful, I can not help from being saddened.Saddened because I know that the majority of the1/2 million plus people that walk the streets do notpersonally know Jesus Christ.

Looking out over the city, I am reminded of Jesus'words as He overlooked the city of Jerusalem, "OJerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophetsand stone those sent to you, how often I have longedto gather your children together, as a hen gathersher chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."Althou^ Queretaro is not in the stage of stoning theprophets, it is longed after by our Lord. I am certainthat He wants to shelter this city under the shadowof His wings. Even thou^ there are those who arenot willing to be in the providential care of our Lord,there are still many who do.

It is the purpose of the Bajio Christian Mission toreach out to the masses of people in this dty and tothe surrounding cities in central Mexico with the"GOOD NEWS" of Jesus Christ. One method inachieving this goal has been the Bible-by-correspond

ence-lessons. Here at B.C.M., we believe that this isone of the best ways in reaching the multitudes.Hundreds of people have come to know our Lordpersonally through this ministry (not to mentionthe number of seeds that have been planted that arenot evident to us). In the past, enrollment has been ashigh as 1500 students. However, due to la*. . of helpwith this ministry, enrollment has dropped to 500students.

We are now in the finishing process of computerizingthe correspondence ministry. Over the Halloweenweekend we passed out several hundred tracts tothose wrtio "trick-or-treated." Also, in the cities ofGuanajuata, Celaya, and Salvatierra over 4000 tractswere passed out in conjunction with the showing ofthe film series "The Life of Christ." One newspaperadvertisement is now being placed in 7 area newspapers. The ad will appear in all of the newspapersduring the second week of December. We have alsojust completed another advertisement that vnll comeout at the beginning of next year. We hope that all ofthese tracts and advertisements will reach manyhomes, and we hope that many will respond to thefree correspondence courses. Please pray for theresults of these efforts. We anticipate reaching morehomes than ever with this ministry! Also, pray thatmany will come to know Christ and be gatheredunder His wings! Tom

.. . And The Lord Gave The Increase

As 1985 draws to a close, it is a good time to examinethe mgor congregations in the Bajio.

The church in Guanajuato (88 miles northwest ofQueret^o) is the youngest congretation in the area.It began two years ago through contacts made by theBible correspondence school. Soon after its inception,Jos6 Manud Cortez was sent firom the Bible instituteas its weekend minister. He arranged for the loan ofthe Methodist's church building for Sunday services.The handful of believers began to multiply. Jos^graduated from Ae institute and was married toPatty Pacheco. They returned to minister to thecongregation. Soon tiie group felt under pressure toobtain their own building. They wanted to remain inthe old downtown but that seemed impossible dueto the high prices of land. Then one day Jos6 Manueland his &ther-in-law, Lonnie Pacheco, were in anotary public's oMce and the notary, -jokingly,asked if they would like to buy a house. Before theyknew what had happened, they had bought one. It isa large old colonial house that was reasonably priced.They stepped out on faith in purchasing it Now withtiieir own building, they are experiencing growth, andsoon will have to knock out a wall between tworooms to accommodate the people.

The Celaya church (30 miles west of us) has grown toover 100 believers in attendance. November 17represented a milestone as the church ordained itsfirst elders and deacons. Celaya is then the firstchurch in the Bajio to have reached the point ofBiblical organization. May the Lord be praised. Thechurch has a large building planned, but temporarilywill remove a wall to enlarge their present auditorium. This next year they hope to begin constructionof a building which will seat 250 people. BajioChristian Mission has helped &iancially with theirpresent building and hopes to help furtiier as the

need arises.

Fifty-five miles southvrast of Queretaro is Salva-tierra. It is a large marketing center for the farmcommunities around it. The church started in theranches, but Chon Avalos, the minister, decided thatfor die sake of communication he would live in thecity. His witness there was effective and now there isa good-sized group meeting in a rented house. However, as with most of the Bajio churches, they canonly seat about 80 people, so very soon they willhave to buy or build. Chon preaches to about 280people each week in four different places.

The Queretaro chuch has grown until it has reachedthe limits impeded by available space. The group isin the process of having plans drawn for a newbuilding. This is "the Lord's Store" to which anumber of_.you^have contributed. The foundationshould be laid in January.

Another church (not in the Bajio proper) is thechurch in San Felipe Pueblo Nuevo. This villageis 90 miles southeast of Queretaro. This, group hasbeen meeting in the homes of believers. The MazahuaIndians who belong to the church are building theirown building, but the progress is slow because theyonly have funds when they sell a harvest BajioChristian Mission has made several cash donations tohelp. Just recently the church has fallen prey to problems caused by their nei^bors who oppose theGospel. Please remember this congregation in yourprayers. Ask that the Lord will strengthen theirwitness and give them patience.

lliere are still other cities in the Bajio which lack aneffective witness for the Lord. Bajio ChristianMission's goal is that a strong church will be established in each of them.

Bill

An Inside ViewWe have received several cards and letters asking, "What's it like to live in Mexico? " People want toknow what we eat, where we live, what our house is like, and many other aspects of life here. In the nextcouple 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 easilyto the food in Mexico. Every dish is composed of a combination of very b^sic ingredients. (We don'thave 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 othercuts of beef. Since I am the cook, I tend to Americanize most of our dishes. I am learning new recipes allthe time though. Just yesterday, our Spanish teacher tau^t me how to make three different types ofenchiladas! Delicious!

Another unusual aspect of life in Mexico is the wide number of products and services you can receivewithout ever leaving your house. Every day we hear various whistles, buzzes^ and honks that tell ussomeone is selling Aeir wares. One man comes regularly to sharpen knives. A truck comes through inthe early evening with fresh milk from nearby ranches. Afew times a week, a carcomes down thestreetblaring its horn to let us know soon a truck will come selling propane. A man comes to cut our grass andtrim our flowers. Young boys come daily with offers to wash our car. We can even buy &e^ bakedpastries and tortillas at our door. Since a majority of people in Mexico do not have phones or cars, theseservices 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 theLord of the universe. It is also a real joy having Tom and Toni sharing in the work in Queretaro. Theyare very willing and enthusiastic workers.Another school year is well under way. Sxth grade has proven to be quite difficult in the "Alpha-Omega" program for Mark. This is especially true in the Bible and Social Studies books. Most afternoonsare spent with "the family" doing homework. Rebecca has homework Monday through Thursdays eventhou^ ^e is only in the first grade. Sie really enjoys studying, for which we are thankful, because herspelling words include hippopotamus, rhinoceros, etc.

The latest form of exercise and entertainment for the Schneller and Hoff families is bowling. EachFriday afternoon we meet at the bowling alley where we pay 10 cents each to rent a pair of shoes and40 cents each to bowl a game. Some of the lanes are a little cracked and the shoes and balls aren't thebest, but at that price, we really don't complain. Rebecca can even bowl a 26 without help. She throwsa 10-pound ball, ^e smallest they have here.Please allow me to describe a typical Wednesday afternoon and evening at the Hoff household. Thishappens to be our busiest day each week, for it is the day of the ladies' meeting at the church. Markand Rebecca arrive home at 2 p.m. and we hurridly eat and do dishes. Then the homework begins, andhopefully, most of it is finished hetote 4 p.m. I must leave the house a little before 4 o'clock in order toopen the church. I carry two thermos' fiill of boiling water for coffee or tea. At about this same timetwo babysitters and 13 children tegin to arrive. Because we have a large house with many toys and liveclose to the church, for 2 1/2 hours the children play here while the ladies have their meeting. Bill isnormally here in case of an emergency. The meeting is over at about 6:30 p.m. and each lady hurrieshere 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 Isit down, thankful that another Wednesday is over. Praise the Lord for a large house and children vdioare willing to share Aeir toys.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

A Daily Reminder of Prayer & Praise

Please Pray for:

* many responses from newspaper advertisements and tracts distributed during the showing of films.

* the churches in Central Mexico, especially the Celaya and Queretaro congregations thatare 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 witness to our surrounding neighbors.* the ministry of a new medical missionary who is working in Santa Rosa (a nearby

town).* the church in Irapuato which is lacking in enthusiasm and weak in leadership.

Praise God for:

? I SAID A PRAYER >FOR YOU TODAY

I said a prayer for you todayAnd Know God must have heard

I felt the answer in my heart|AJthough He spoke no word.I didn't ask for wealth or fame,

yl knew you wouldn't mind.I asked Him to send treasures

pa far more lasting kind. II asked that He'd be near you

At the start of each new day.To grant you health and blessings

And friends to share your way.I asked for happiness for yoif\

In all things great and smaU.^But it was for His loviri^carets?^

I prayed themost of all. A ^^Dicksons.Ai^-Wvi

the approval of Bajio ChristianMission, Inc. as a tax exempt non-profit corporation bythe I.R.S.

the ordination of deacons and elders in Celaya.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.

More than a year ago Gordon Clifford of CHRISTIAN MISSION PRESS was sqpeaking with Bill abouthow to make Christian films more effective. Gordondecided to attempt the production of literaturewhich would allow the viewers to take the messagehome. The result was a series of 12 tracts toaccompany the 12 films on the "life of Christ" byCatherdral Films. The tracts are large and wellwritten; the illustrations correspond to the scenes inthe movies.

The first attempts at using the films proved unfruitful After much consideration, Bill decided thattiie problem was, in part, that they were shown inareas where there was no church to help follow upthe results. In fact, it was the first time the Gospelhad ever been announced in those areas.

Gordon and BiU decided to try again,but this timein areas where a local church could help follow upcontacts. In November, Gordon bonrowed thefilms and brought them and a supply of literature toQueretaro. He was accompanied by Mike Diskinfrom El Paso Schod of Missions. Mike was formerlya missionary to Antigua. He came along as anobserver, but proved to be very helpful.

In advance, three churches in the area were asked toarrange showings. Different approaches wereattempted in each city. In Guanajuato, the filmswere to be shown in ifae church; in Celaya, theywere to be outside the church building; and inSalvatierra, the showing was to be in the marketsquare.

In Guanajuato, the church members were askedto invite guests to' see the films. The first of fourni^ts looked like a total failure with only 20 inattendance; but by the last night there were over 70people and most of them were guests.

In Celaya, the films were scheduled to be shown outof doors. Thefirst ni^t was disrupted by a politicalrally which was held on the same comer. Thatforced the church to meet in their small buildingwhere there is little room for guests. The secondnight the films were shown outside and more than250 people attended. In fact, the Catholic churchnearby was almost empty in spite of their bellringing.

In Salvatierra, the Mnicipal Presid^t delayed fourdays before making a decision about the request forpermission to show the movies in the square. Hedenied the request one hour before show time. Thenext night the equipment wasset up in a union hall,but just as it was time to begin, the electricity wentoff. After waiting 35 minutes the crowd left, andpredictably, the power came back onl The followingevening Mike, Gordon, Bill, and Tom arriv^with alight plant (just in case). They showed sbc films tomore than 270 people. The next evening the crowdwas about the same with the films and literaturebeing well received.

Only time will tell Ae total impact that this seriesof films will have on the people who saw them. Anaddress for a free correspondence course was put oneach tract so hopefully, there will be a largeresponse. Bill

On Die RoadIn the last B.C.M. newsletter, it was mentioned that we, Tom and Toni Schneller, would becoming to work in central Mexico. We would like to share a little about the trip on the waydown, 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 betweenTennesee and the border of Mexico. We traveled like many families do. We ate cheaply andstayed in Motel 6 for $23.93 a night. The Lord blessed us abundantly with good health andcars that ran well.

The most tense moments we experienced came when we crossed the Mexican border. We hadtwo obviously over-loaded vehicles that suggested we had come for more than a short visit. Wealso 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 leftspeechless when a border official asked what his occupation was. We're missionaries, but toopenly admit this would mean an almost automatic refusal of entry. In the heat of the moment, Tom blurted, "I'm whatever he said he is," referring to Bill Hoff who had just finishedthe questioning. The official laughed out loud at that answer and then-handed us our paperswith the word "minister" filled in. God is so good!

The remaining two days on the road we spent learning the unwritten rules that govern Mexicandrivers, but we had excellent teachers (the Hoffs), and the best Co-Pilot!

FROM:

BAJIO CHRISTIAN MISSION, INC.c/o DON & PAT KING

ALEXANDRIA, KY 41001

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED