Hoff William Margy 2009 Honduras
Content
Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Bill Hoff [[email protected]]
Saturday. January 03. 2009 6:48 PM
Undisclosed-Recipient:;
News From Bill and Margy Hoff in Honduras
Dear Family and Friends,
It is a beautiful day here in San Pedro Sula. We returned from the States on January 1st after having been there
for two and a half weeks. We were glad to leave the cold weather of Indiana and Chicago.
We had a nice time in the States. We were there two and a half weeks and were able to see our two children and
their families including Joy's parents who are always very kind to us. Zach is a real sweet boy and he had a
wonderful Christmas. Bill and I helped Beka make pies, cookies, and fudge. We enjoyed Mexican style tamales
that Beka and Alfredo made on Christmas Eve. The church services were very nice: we witnessed a live manger
scene on Christmas Eve.
We also visited friends who were once members of the church here. Roy and Maxine Fisher were in a serious
car accident the middle of December. They live in the southern part of Tennessee and there was a lot of fog
when the car went over an embankment. Maxine was jammed into the car which landed in a creek. The roof of
the car had to be cut off in order to get her out. Prmse the Lord she had no broken bones. Right now she is in
therapy for her swollen neck and shoulder. Please pray for her.
During our stay in the States I was able to talk to my sister on a daily basis. Tom, who has leukemia, had good
days and bad days. Today Dianne said that he would be going home a week from Monday. He will have been in
the hospital for three months. Please continue to pray for him and Dianne.
The latest prayer request is for Lynnell Fields, our good friend who has been a missionary in Honduras for
many years. She is currently in London, Kentucky. She found out that she had cancer in November. She is
receiving chemo in a Cincinnati hospital. She currently has a rash on her body and will be getting a port put in
her chest on Monday. On Friday she is supposed to get her second round of chemo. She has already had a
double masectomy. Please pray for Lynnell.
We are happy to be home and in the Lord's work again. We pray that you will have avery happy new year and
that you will remain faithful in the Lord's service wherever you are. Thank you for praying for our safety and
work here.
We love you, Margy and Bill
Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
Bill and
Hoff [[email protected]
Thursd^Febmary 2009 9:29 AM
Subject:
Rainy Honduras
To:
UndlsclosQd^Re^ipi^t:;
Hello Family and Friends,
I am writing from the office on the second floor ofour house. It is raining. I had to take the clothes which I had
just hung up offthe line again. It has rained almost every day for several months. The roads in Honduras are
destroyed by the constant rain. Pot holes grow like mushrooms, causing traffic to go very slowly. We must
allow more time to go anywhere, especially to theBible institute.
The great news ofthe week is that there are four young men studying at the Bible institute. They came along
with two wives and four children. Mark, Bill, and Joy got them settled inyeterday and had an orientation time
together. The wives are very humble people and have cooked only tortillas, beans and rice over afire at home.
Joy said that one ofthe ladies didn't even know how to open the refrigerator. Three ofthe young men have been
Christians for only 6 months, so the level ofteaching will have to be dropped somewhat. It will be a new
experience for all ofus but we are grateful for a new year ofstudents studying there.
The latter part ofJanuary, Bill, Mark, and I flew to Las Vegas to see Bill's mother and take care ofsome ofher
things. Most ofthe time she seemed alert in the special memory-loss home where she is living. We enjoyed
fellowship with Bill's brother, David, and his family. We then drove toPhoenix where we visited my step
mother, Dianne and Tom (who was inthe hospital). Bill's brother, Carl and his wife, and Jim and Doris Long,
friends for many years. The trip was mentally exhausting but we were glad that we had gone.
Three weeks ago Rebecca and Zach came for a week's visit. We all had a lot offun, especially atthe waterpark
and ocean. We had to delay the water activities for several days because ofthe rain. Zach enjoyed the new mall
across the streetwhere he rodethe ferris wheel, train, bumper cars, etc. We were invited a couple of timesto eat
with families ofthe church. So it was a very enjoyable, fun-packed week.
On March 11th, I (Margy) will be flying to Lexington where I will have some dental work done-a crown made
and sinus lift surgery in preparation for an implant. Some friends will betransporting me to and from
appointments. Rebecca wUl be coming from Knoxville on the weekend and take me there for aweek between
dental visits. Ilook forward to the visits with family and friends but not the work done on my teeth!!
Praise the Lord we have freedom ofworship in this country. We have been blessed to serve in the ministry to
the English speaking community of San Pedro Sula. It is such adifferent ministry from that ofthe Bible
institute. Occasionally, it can be very time-consuming but we are greatful for all those who participate m
making this outreach possible.
God bless, Margy and Bill Hoff
SALUDOS!
UNITED n-ATES
MEXICO/
Bill and Margy Hoff
2227 N.W 79th Ave. Box P2025
Doral, FL 33122-1615
Phone (Honduras): 011-504-566-2440
%•
e-mail: [email protected]
from
website: bajiochristian.org
BAJIO CHRISTIAN MISSION
Bajio Christian Mission
Attn: Lyn Mclntj're
34428 YucaipaBlvd. E-192
Yucaipa, CA 92399
V
SOimi AMERICA
Phone: 909-797-4628
Missionaries Since 1972
Spring 2009
Vol. 40, Number 1
Five New Students . . .
Classes are well underway at the Bible institute. They began on
February 24 with four students, but an addidonal student has
joined since. Two of the students were sent by a graduate who
preaches in the mountains south of San Pedro. They are from a
very poor coffee producing region and have limited schooling.
They are new Christians, in fact, they had never even heard the
story of Noah and the Great flood. Teaching them requires that
all terms be defined and all mention of Bible events and refer
ences be amplified. The teacher can not just say, "likeJesus says in
John 3:16," because they may not know the verse.
Their families have been joining them at the institute. One has a
four yearold girl and a baby boy; the other has two girls ages two
and five. They can only afford to go home every other week, so
they alternate spending the weekends. Their wives are preparing
the meals. Because of the extreme povert)' of their region, they
have never learned to cook beyond the most essential items. Un
like former students who clamored for spices and Worcestershire
sauce, they use only salt and have developed a taste for Tabasco
sauce. Meals are heavy on rice, beans, tortillas, and a few eggs. In
order to keep costs down, there is limited meat on the menu.
Antonio teaching
Two other young men are from lower class homes in the outskirts
of San Pedro. They have been sponsored by their churches which
are both affiliated with Lifeline Christian mission. These men live
in neigliborhoods rife with gang violence and troubles. They both
have a public school background and one of them is a computer
user. The student who began late is unlike any that we have had
before. He comes from a small village outside of San Pedro. He
is a painting contractor and sells paints. He drives in just for the
Joy teaching ladies
Bill teaching
Mark and Bill with students
classes and then leaves to work. He attends a small Pentecostal
group in his town, but he really wants to learn about the Lord
and to preach the word. The students' curriculum this semes
ter includes: the Gospels, Pentateuch, Christian Education, and
Christian Evidences. Bill teaches the first two classes and preach
ers from San Pedro the second two.
Joy and Mark do all the purchasing for the school. Joy has gotten
to know the students' wives. One of the women is illiterate; in
spite of that, Joy is trying to teach them basic Bible stories and
help prepare them to teach children in their churches. She works
hard at this and the results show.
Mark continues to work with the students in maintaining the cam
pus. Because there is no tuition fee, the students are required to
work two hours a day on the campus. During the rainy season, the
grass needs to be cut weekly. The brush on the back 11/2 acres
must be kept under control and fences have to be maintained to
avoid invasions. Mark and Billare not landscapers, but there is
an area set aside for gardening.Just recently the students planted
-some-banana plants; if diey survive the dry season they will bear
Mark overseeing gardening
fruit in 18 months.
The Institute is in a state of constant improvement. The library,
computer lab, and office building are being finished as funds al
low. Mark oversees the construction and does much of the work.
Currentiy doors and windows are being installed. The next step
will be the installation of foam insulation and covering it with
sheet rock. Then an insulated drop ceilingwill be installed. Insula
tion is necessary because the building must be air conditioned in
order to reduce the deterioration of the books and computers.
A couple of years ago the diesel light plant at the institute threw a
rod. Just the parts to repair it were estimated at 1500-1800 dollars.
But a similar used plant has been located and moved to the shop.
Hopefully combining parrs will bring the cost of providing auxiliar\' power down to one third of the other estimate. A backup
power source is necessary due to outages in the local system.
Someday it would be desirable to install a windmill on the well.
This would save significant electricit}- and provide water for a fish
pond.
New construction
Students' wives cook
Many Changes in Church . ..
The English speaking church has undergone many changes in the
past two years. Attendance has been down a litde and the makeup
of the group has changed. (Many of the members who were the
faithful core group had to leave Honduras and many of the new
ones have not desired to join in carrying the load). Although
several families are taking their part, it takes many to work in a
voluntary congregation.
Mark and Joy continue as youth pastors and have done a great job
in guiding them. They have had a large turnover with the youth
also. Along with their bi-weekly youth meetings, they have gone
Tuesday night Bible study-
bowling, scuba diving, have ridden on the bumper cars at a new mall, and have had various parties in their home. Jov is in charge
of the music and finding teachers for the children in first through sixth grade. Mark is in charge of the sound system. Mark and Joy
have been preparing for a 7 week trip to the States so are currend)' l<5oking for those who can fill in for them.
There are times when Bill has to do most of the preaching,but he praises the Lord when other missionaries or visitors volunteer to
help out. Margy solicits the preachers and other leaders for each Sundav. She is also in charge of finding a teacher for the small children,
someone who is bi-lingual.A bi-lingual school librarian who is an excellent story teller taught the class when Zach was here visiting.
2
s
Youth leading worship
Youth meeting
V
Simone teaching
Joy teaching
February Visit. . .
It was a joyhaving Beka and Zach visit us for a week in February. (Alfredo
was unable to come because of his work). Us four Hoffs were delighted in
entertaining Zach and having him entertain us. I had planned on onh' going
to the Waterpark, which is close by, and not the ocean, but Zach packed his
bucket and shovel, so off we went to see God's beaudful creation.
Another place that provided entertainment was the mall across the street.
The ferris wheel is impressive as it is three stories high. Zach enjoyed rock
ing the cars. Bumper cars were a lot of fun also. We enjoyed watching him
on other rides also. In the evening we ate at a Mexican restaurant which is
also part of the mall. (We are always searching for good Mexican restau
rants).
Ferris wheel
Eating in Mexican Restaurant
K-RC.
Praise for:
the five new students at the Bibleinstitute and their eagerness to learn.
the students' wives and their children
safety as we travel back and forth to the institute.
Beka and Zach and their visit to Honduras.
the fellowship of the English speaking church
our supporting churches
those who made it possible for Margy to get dental work done in Lexington in
March
Enjoying beach
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Pray for:
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padence as we travel with much more traffic than previously
for approval of non-profit corporation that will serve as covering for both the
camp and Christian churches
students who suffer at institute because they are used to cooler weather
patience during the heat of spring and summer
more participation in the church
Margy's brocher-in-law who has cancer
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Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Bill and Margy Hoff [[email protected]]
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 6:18 PM
Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Margy's brother-in -law, Tom passed away
Dear Family and Friends.
We have appreciated your prayers over the last several months for my brother-in-law and my sister,
Dianne. This morning while in the Prescott hospital, he passed away. I will be leaving for Las Vegas
early Friday morning. My nephew will pick me up there and take me to Dianne's house in Ashfork,
Arizona. I plan on being there for almost three weeks. Please continue to pray for Dianne and our
family and wisdom for me to be doing and saying the right thing while ! am there.
This week is Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Honduras. Basically that means that the country is on
vacation and all federal buildings are closed and most businesses have closed from today through
next Monday. The church has a potluck-birthday party planned on Friday.
We have been excited because there are now five students at the Bible institute. Bill and I just sent a
newsletter to Mission Services to be printed soon. If you do not receive this newsletter and would like
to, please send us an e-mail and we will mall you one.
More news next time. Thanks and God bless, Bill and Margy
Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
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Subject:
Bill and Margy Hoff [[email protected]
Sunday, May 03, 2009 8:40 AM
Undisclosed-Recipient:;
A note form Margy
Dear Family and Friends,
I (Margy) returned home last Thursday evening. It was sure good to be back and be with Bill again. I attended a
Bible study on Friday morning and then went to a luncheon in my honor. In the afternoon Bill and I visited
Biscuit (Mark and Joy's Cocker Spaniel) in the doggie hospital. The vet promisesthat he will get well. He
apparently bit into a toad and got a powerful neurotoxin several months ago and has attacks from that every
once in awhile so is unable to walk.
I have made phone calls and written e-mails in my spare time since returning. It has taken awhile to catch up on
sleep. I got up at 2 a.m. Thursday morning and my nephew drove me to the Las Vegas airport. I arrived in San
Pedro Suia at 8 p.m. after spending 6 hours in Miami. But God was good during the flights. I didn't take the
most direct route to Arizona, going to Miami first and then Las Vegas and then east again to Ashfork where my
sister lives.
It was good that I could spend almost three weeks with my sister. Even though Tom had been sick with
leukemia since the middle of last October, he thought that he was in remission and that he would live several
years. But the disease overtook him and he was only home a few days before he passed away. Dianne lives on 2
acres of land in a small mobile home. Tom built a couple other buildings on the property. There are a lot of
decisions that she must make in the fiature so please pray for her and her family. She has two sons and 9
grandchildren and 1 great-grandson.
Bill was able to keep his appointments while I was gone. He had his 60th birthday and celebrated for three days
with various friends along with Mark and Joy. Bill also made improvements in our house so was kept very
busy. Mark and Joy are on a speaking tour in the States for seven weeks so it was time for me to return to help
in the ministry here.
Thank you for your love and support of the work here.
Margy
Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
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Bill and Margy Hoff [[email protected]]
Monday, August 24,2009 8:05 PM
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Latest news from Hoffs
Dear friends and Family,
In my last conrnmnication, I wrote that the change of government here was not really a "coup" in the normal
sense, but it appears to me that they did conmiit a serious breach of constitutional law by exiling the deposed
president. He should have been brought to a fair trial. So now he travels all over the world on Hugo Chavez's
airplane complaining that he was mistreated. He was indeed, but if he were to face a trial, my guess is that
things would be more uncomfortable for him. Someone will have to explain the disappearance of tens of
millions of dollars that have vanished on his watch! Slowly, support for him here is drying up, in spite of money
being paid to the protesters. Personally, we have had a few times where we have had to avoid protests but we
have never been in danger.
The American population, which left Honduras when the situation was becoming quite imstable, has mostly
returned. So attendance at the International Church is improving. We continue to pray for more members and
especially for more persons willing to get involved in the ministry of the church. The missionaries who attend
are very busy with their own ministries, while the business men are so deeply committed to their business or
clothing assembly plant that they have little time for assisting the church.
At the Bible institute I continue teaching Hebrew History and Preaching and practical ministry courses. Mark is
deeply involved in the completion ofthe office and computer - library room. We have just finished the
construction of the septic tank. The building will be complete when we get the bathroom installed and airconditioning and drop ceiling finished. I will be very pleased to have a spot that I can get away from the heat.
The students have progressed well in their sermon preparation class. They now know how to tell Old and New
Testament stories and make applications to the daily life of their church members. Next we will work on topical
sermons and then expository messages. We have just frnished studying the life of Solomon, and we will be
continuing books of Chronicles and Kings more frilly.
I want to take this opportunity to inform you that we are taking a short speaking trip to the USA from the
middle of October to the end of November. Several things motivated this trip. First and foremost was the 50th
reunion of Margy's High School graduating class. But really as important is visiting Margy's stepmother, and
my mother. Their health continues to decline and we want to give them as much time as possible. In the process
-we will visit some ofyou and enjoy telling you about the ministry. And afinal motivation isa couple ofvisits to
the dentist for Margy so that he can complete her implant. That would be a negative factor except that grandson
Zack lives a few hours south and we will be able to eat Thanksgiving dinner with the family there.
As for me I truly appreciate the fact that we will be back south before the worst winter weather can interrupt our
travels. As a "desert rat" I never learned to drive in snow and ice, so I dread the winter.
Margy received some very disconcerting news two nights ago. Her sister, who lives in Northern Arizona, fell
and broke her hip and her shoulder. Margy's sister has been suffering the loss ofher husband. She was in
depression over his death, then she fell down the front steps to her mobile home and broke her tail-bone. Please
pray with us that she will recover and be strengthened. Naturally, Margy is very concerned and would like to be
with her sister at this time.
Love in Him
Bill
Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
Bill and Margy Hoff[[email protected]]
Saturday, July 25,2009 7:57 PM
To:
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Subject:
An update on Honduras
Dear Friends and Family,
Margy and I received this from Mark and Joy and thought you mi^t be interested in anupdate
about Honduras. SoI cut and pasted and modified slightly. We wanted to explain what is going on
in Honduras right now, because things have become imsettled again. As you may already know
Manuel Zelaya was ousted from his position as President of Honduras. He broke thelawby tr5ang
to change the Constitution sothathe could be re-elected, and is charged with other multiple
criminal acts. The national electionboard, congress, and the supreme court all warnedhim about
his actions andfinally the military removed himfrom office. To avoid bloodshed he was taken to
CostaRica in his pajamas. News media are still callingit a "Coup d'etat."
Ex-president Zelaya has aligning himselfwith commimist Hugo Chavez, andFidel Castro. Like
them he wanted to extend his presidential term.
Here is more or less the chain of events over the past 3 weeks. Ousted President Zelaya tried to
return to Tegucigalpa Sunday, July 5^but the military parked trucks on the runway which
prevented the Venezuelan plane, which carriedhim, from landing. Some ofZelaya's supporters
were at the airport awaiting his return. They charged the chainlink fence, and Soldiers postedthere
used tear gasto try to drive the people back, while the protesters threw rocks at them. A couple of
shots were fired in the crowdbut apparently not by the soldiers. (It seemsprobable that there was a
"sleeper" ordered to shoot someone in the crowd and create havoc, and a martyr.) One 19year old
was shot in the head and died. It was reported that the bullet that caused the death was not militaiy.
The Tuesday following this incident(July 7) Hillary Clinton met with President Zelaya in
Washington. She strongly suggested that PresidentZelayameet with the former president of Costa
Rica, Oscar Arias, to begin talks about resolving the crisis. He and the interim President of
Honduras, Roberto Micheletti, agreed to the talks. Micheletti is from the same political party as
Zelaya and was formerly head of congress. Both men met separately with President Arias on
Thursdayand presentedtheir demands. The two sets of demands were completely different and
there was no common ground. After three series oftalks with President Arias virtuallyno progress
was made.
Things had been pretty calm here for a few days but now tensions are rising again. Roads are again
being blocked by pro-Zelaya protesters (who are mostly teacher unions, fanners, and the very
poor).
Yesterday Zelaya attempted to enter Honduras again by land. He took maybe 5 steps onto
Honduran soil and tried to negotiate with military leaders to allow him in; claiming he is the true
president and they should "stand down". Awaiting him were a few pro-Zelaya protesters, a huge
number ofthe news media, and the mihtary who had orders to arrest him. After a short time, the
ex-president turned around and left the border returoing to Nicaragua (which by the way, is a leftist
country that is aligned with Hugo Chavez as well).
US News media, especially CNN television reports seem to be very biased in how they report these
events. They make tlungs look like there is much more support for Zelaya m Honduras than there
actually is. Camera angles and zoom are used to create the illusion of large or smaller crowds,
depending on which group is being recorded.
The day after the ousting we were to resume classes at the Bible Institute after a semester break, but
due to the pohtical instability we were forced to delay classes for another week. We have
completed two "normal" weeks at the Institute, although the roads have been blocked in many
places across the country. We have been blessed and both Mark and Bill have not had any trouble
getting to and from the Institute. The only real change has been that Mark and Bill have not stayed
any nights out there because of concerns they might not be able to get back for a day or two.
We of course have been cautious in our travels and have avoided demonstrations from either side.
The pro-Michelleti demonstrations, some more than 100,000 strong, have been completely peacefiil
and the demonstrators wear white and have advocated for peace and democracy. In contrast, the
pro-Zelaya groups, wearing red, have been violent and are likely to break windows, loot, and throw
stones or sticks at the military or the peace groups.
We have stocked up on suppHes at our house and the Bible Institute in case we have to stay at
home. We have extra fooi non-perishables, water, and fiiel. We still don't see the need to retreat
or leave the country, so we will continue doing our day to day activities with some precaution of
course.
We ask you to continue to pray for us as we travel to and from the institute and continue working in
the Lord's will. Also pray that if we have to leave, God will indicate it clearly.
Ifyou wish more information about the happenings in Honduras, good news sources are the
Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and BBC. All are available on line.
We appreciate your prayers and concern. We are trusting in the Lord and have experienced His
continual faithftilness.
In Christ,
Bill and Margy
Georgia Sharpe
From;
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Bill and Margy Hoff [[email protected]]
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 12:45 PM
Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Honduran News
Dear E-Mail Friends,
Bill and I are preparing a stew meal for Mark and Joy and their three guests. We will go the back road and
deliver this for our noon meal. It will lack some carrots but that is a small thing compared to what many people
are lacking. We could get stopped on the main road because the country is under curfew. We have had this
curfew since 4 p.m. on Monday. There are some people out but you could have your car confiscated, etc. Since
Bill and I are over 60 years of age we cannot be put in jail.
Bill and I just got back from driving around the neighborhood looking for some food items. We found a tiny
little store that was packed with people hoping to buy something to eat. Joy needs eggs and cooking oil for the
five people that she is feeding. We were able to get a flat of eggs, but no oil. Fortunately, I have extra oil in the
house. Their guests arrived on Sunday afternoon planning to visit other missionaries on Tuesday morning, but
now they can't leave.
Why all this disruption in the country? The former president, Mel Zelaya, slipped into the country in the trunk
of a diplomatic car belonging to an unnamed South American country last Monday. He was determined to
return to his presidency. This, once again, caused all kinds of rioting and protesting, especially in Tegucigalpa
and some in San Pedro Sula. In order to get the country under control, the current president established a
curfew. They are demanding that Zelaya leave the coimtry, or surrender to face charges of high treason,
misappropriation of funds and abuse of authority (about 130 counts). He wants to remain as president, but there
is only one-term for the president here. The morning newspaper shows him sitting in a chair with his feet on
another chair in a vacant room in the Brazilian embassy. The headlines say that it is costing the country 37
million dollars a day to have this curfew. Brazil withdrew its ambassador a couple of months ago. Mel used the
embassy grounds to rally 3000 protesters to violence.
Honduras will have elections on the 29th of November. The intern president will step down to a new president
in January. Please pray for calm in the country with no more curfews until the elections take place and pray that
the man will be elected who will give the country democracy and not a dictatorship.
Many missionaries are very sad because our annual missionary conference which was scheduled to take place
tomorrow through Saturday morning has been canceled. The airport has been closed for so long that the speaker
his wife as well as other workers could not arrive. We, ofcourse, did not know if we would be allowed to
drive around the country duringthat time. But we have many, many, reasons for whichto be thankful. We are
comfortable—it has beenraining so it is cooler~we are healthy, we have food, and we have Internet and phone
service.
On anothernote, my sister, DianneHardie, is currently in a physical therapy rehab facility in Prescott, Arizona.
She is having therapy on her leg. The doctor said that she shouldnot move her arm yet. Her shoulder was
broken and operated on. Please continue to pray for her.
Bill and I plan on leaving for the States on October 13th and returning on December 1st. We will be doing some
speaking, attending the missionary convention, and visiting family and friends.
God bless you. Thank you for your prayers. Margy and Bill
Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
Bill and Margy Hoff [[email protected]]
Friday, October 30, 2009 11:28 PiVI
To:
Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Subject:
News update from Arizona
Dear friends:
It, has been a cx)uple of weeks since we last communicated and lots of things are changing. I want to
inform you about the outcome of a couple of events I wrote about previously. I will begin with the
condition of our friend Les Melton. Les is in rehabilitation at the University of Michigan hospital. He is
progressing which is a miracle considering the extent of the injuries he sustained. All of us who
esteem Les and appreciate his extensive ministry want to thank you for your prayers on his behalf
and ask you to continue praying.
Another subject of prayer was our watchman at the Bible institute. You will recall that he injured
himself with a machete. The surgery to repair the tendons and screw the bone together was
successful but the total healing and strengthening will be slow.
In the last e-Mail I was still suffering the effects of an allergy to Latex gloves. I am glad to report that
all the swelling is gone. Unfortunately, more than eight hours in the dentist chair did not solve all the
problems. I still have a tooth that is very sensitive to temperature changes and hurts most of the time.
Pray that it does not become critical before I can have it looked at. I have to get some non-latex
gloves for my dentist before I return to Honduras. They don't sell them there.
We flew into Phoenix and were received by my Brother Carl and His wife Ellen on October 13th. They
hosted us for ,a few days. While there, we attended Margy's 50th high school class reunion. It was
great! Then we went to Kingman. AZ on our way to Las Vegas. Because of routing issues we will
pass through Kingman three times on this trip. While n Vegas we spent a lot of time with my brother,
David and his wife, Becky and their daughter, Adelia. Actually we stayed across the street at my
mother's house which the family can not sell because of the depressed market in LV. So I also did a
little plumbing repair. Shanda Oakley and her son Caleb came up from Califomia to visit. They were
part of the church in Honduras for a couple of years.
There have been several turns in the political situation in Honduras. Late last night an agreement was
reached between representatives of the current government and of the ex-president Manuel Zelaya
concerning his reinstatement as president. There has been an impasse since he was removed from
th6 presidency in June. This week a representative of the Organization of American States and
representatives from the U. S. State Department pressured the interim govemment to negotiate. The
agreement reached last night is that Congress and the Supreme Court are to decide whether Zelaya
is reinstated or not. There are a lot of details that haven't been put in place yet such as, when the
Supreme Court and other officials will give their reports to the Congress, and when the Congress will
decide. The U.S. and other governments are saying that they will not recognize the November
elections, unless Zelaya is returned. Please pray for the Honduran Congress. Pray that they will make
decisions that follow the country's constitution and laws and not be pressured to follow any other way.
Pray that the national elections on November 29 will go forward as scheduled and that they will be
peaceful. Also pray that there will be peace and tranquility in the country in the coming weeks before
the elections and the weeks aftenA/ards before the new president takes office.
Margy's sister is doing much better. Continue to pray for her and our grandson, Zach. He has strep
and the flu. In a week we begin our travels eastward.
God bless,
Bill and Margy
Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Bill and Margy Hoff[[email protected]]
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 4:13 PM
Undisclosed-Recipient;
Continuing our trip
Dear friends:
Time and miles have passed too quickly. I am writing from Knoxville on our second go around. The
turkey is thawing and we are getting ready. I thought to quote a note I received, but I can't find it. It
went like this
. "A forth grade child was to give a report about Thanksgiving. He began to read "the Pilgrims
fled England searching for the right to worship vou know who. They arrived in the new world
after much hardship. But when they had a great harvest, they decided to thank vou know who.
They had a great feast and worshiped vou know who." The story doesn't make much sense
unless vou know Who.
We leftArizona just before Margy's family caught the swine flu. We drove to Albuquerque, NM. and
spent a day with the Haskamps who were members of our church in Honduras. They provided good
food and an opportunity to renew acquaintances. On Sunday we were interviewed by the preacher of
First Christian Church in both services. I (Bill) was very scared , I have never done this format before.
After services we went on to Amarillo and the next day ate lunch with the Kuneys, a family that
ministers north of San Pedro, but has been in The US for medical reasons. Then we motored up to
Springfield MO to spend a night with the Olivas also former members of the International Christian
fellowship. For some reason I had an inordinate amount of back pain from driving these long days
Perhaps it was from toxins from another bout with a severe allergic reaction.This time I don't know
what caused it.
Our next destination was Lexington KY where Dr. Dave Sperow checked out the dental work I had
done in Honduras and took impressions for Margy's crown. Then we spent a couple of days with our
daughter Rebecca and grandson Zack. What a joy to see the development of the little fellow. He is
now in Kindergarten. We left Knoxville to go north and travel with the Co-in-laws (my own word for
Joy's folks) to the National Missionary convention. Those of you who live in the USA can't understand
how depressing this time of year is to us who come up from the tropics , the trees are barren and the
grass is dead. In spite of that, we enjoyed traveling with the Rowans they are fun people..
The convention was in some ways one of the best ever. Ido not recall another with such inspired
preaching, nor such ample vision of the needs of the future. Itwas great to see old friends and to get
reports about the churches in Mexico from the children of the men with whom we had worked. Yes we
are getting older but it is not all bad. I only wish I had attended workshops, but it seemed like there
was always some one to talk to.
We are currently trying to get packed to go. We fly home the 1st of December. But we want to solicit
your prayers for the nation of Honduras because elections are going to be the 29th and they will
determine the president for the next four years. May God bless the selection.
In His service
Bill and Margy
Georgia Sharpe
Bi
From:
Sent:
an
'gy R{3Tr[DniarTafnargyr»ott^ggfnaT
Wednesday, Decembej^ 02^2009 1XJ;06,;PIVI
Undisclosed-Recipient:;]
Anews update
j/
Subject:
Dear Ones,
i wanted to send you this brief note to say that we have arrived safely in Honduras. We already had
our planning session for the rest of the week and we are now leaving for the store to stock up on
some essentials.
Our return was uneventful except for some rough air. I had no problem at customs, and best of all we
were greeted by Mark and Joy, and Lynnell and Sophia Fields.
I am pleased to report that Dianne, Margy's sister, is doing much better. She continues to have
shoulder pain, but her hip is healing well. Please pray for her and her family.
I have been listening to the debate over restoration of the deposed president. The members of
congress are now voting on the bill. As each "diputado" votes he explains his or her vote, so the
process is lengthy. 85 have voted out of the 128 and the vote is now 74 opposed to his restoration,
and 1do not expect the ratio to change. Without waiting until 10 pm when the voting will finish, I will
risk a prediction that Mel Zelaya will be looking for political asylum in Nicaragua or Venezuela.
The general election on the 29th of November went off without violence, and over 60% of the possible
voters cast their ballots. That was a great victory for the democratic process. The conservative party
candidate won the presidential race.
We have just been informed that our friend, Les Melton and his family will be returning to Honduras
this Friday. This is nothing short of a miracle considering the brain damage he sustained. So we are
very grateful to the Lord.
865-525-7010 / 2004 E. Magnolia Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917 / 1-800-655-8524
[email protected] i / www.missionservices.org
t that
4t is about eighty-two outsid
snow yet?
cold. Have any of you gotten
on
Love Bill and Margy
865-525-7010 / 2004 E. Magnolia Avenue, Knoxville. TN 37917 / 1-800-655-8524
[email protected] 2/ www.missionservices.org
Georgia Sharpe
Bill and Margy Hoff [[email protected]]
Friday, December 18, 2009 2;26 PM
Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Christmas Greeting
ATTOOOOl.gif; ATT00002..gif
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Attachments:
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL.
a#
&
.li'VJii:"
.1^
^
I am making a conscious effort to wish everyone
I
A Merry Christmas this year ...
My way of saying that I am celebrating
'Phe birth
J^^us Clhrist.
And if you'll pass this on to
Maybe we can prevent one more
American tradition from being lost in the sea of
"Political Correctness".
M
.
y-r^d^
nO'J'
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Bill Hoff [[email protected]]
Saturday. January 03. 2009 6:48 PM
Undisclosed-Recipient:;
News From Bill and Margy Hoff in Honduras
Dear Family and Friends,
It is a beautiful day here in San Pedro Sula. We returned from the States on January 1st after having been there
for two and a half weeks. We were glad to leave the cold weather of Indiana and Chicago.
We had a nice time in the States. We were there two and a half weeks and were able to see our two children and
their families including Joy's parents who are always very kind to us. Zach is a real sweet boy and he had a
wonderful Christmas. Bill and I helped Beka make pies, cookies, and fudge. We enjoyed Mexican style tamales
that Beka and Alfredo made on Christmas Eve. The church services were very nice: we witnessed a live manger
scene on Christmas Eve.
We also visited friends who were once members of the church here. Roy and Maxine Fisher were in a serious
car accident the middle of December. They live in the southern part of Tennessee and there was a lot of fog
when the car went over an embankment. Maxine was jammed into the car which landed in a creek. The roof of
the car had to be cut off in order to get her out. Prmse the Lord she had no broken bones. Right now she is in
therapy for her swollen neck and shoulder. Please pray for her.
During our stay in the States I was able to talk to my sister on a daily basis. Tom, who has leukemia, had good
days and bad days. Today Dianne said that he would be going home a week from Monday. He will have been in
the hospital for three months. Please continue to pray for him and Dianne.
The latest prayer request is for Lynnell Fields, our good friend who has been a missionary in Honduras for
many years. She is currently in London, Kentucky. She found out that she had cancer in November. She is
receiving chemo in a Cincinnati hospital. She currently has a rash on her body and will be getting a port put in
her chest on Monday. On Friday she is supposed to get her second round of chemo. She has already had a
double masectomy. Please pray for Lynnell.
We are happy to be home and in the Lord's work again. We pray that you will have avery happy new year and
that you will remain faithful in the Lord's service wherever you are. Thank you for praying for our safety and
work here.
We love you, Margy and Bill
Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
Bill and
Hoff [[email protected]
Thursd^Febmary 2009 9:29 AM
Subject:
Rainy Honduras
To:
UndlsclosQd^Re^ipi^t:;
Hello Family and Friends,
I am writing from the office on the second floor ofour house. It is raining. I had to take the clothes which I had
just hung up offthe line again. It has rained almost every day for several months. The roads in Honduras are
destroyed by the constant rain. Pot holes grow like mushrooms, causing traffic to go very slowly. We must
allow more time to go anywhere, especially to theBible institute.
The great news ofthe week is that there are four young men studying at the Bible institute. They came along
with two wives and four children. Mark, Bill, and Joy got them settled inyeterday and had an orientation time
together. The wives are very humble people and have cooked only tortillas, beans and rice over afire at home.
Joy said that one ofthe ladies didn't even know how to open the refrigerator. Three ofthe young men have been
Christians for only 6 months, so the level ofteaching will have to be dropped somewhat. It will be a new
experience for all ofus but we are grateful for a new year ofstudents studying there.
The latter part ofJanuary, Bill, Mark, and I flew to Las Vegas to see Bill's mother and take care ofsome ofher
things. Most ofthe time she seemed alert in the special memory-loss home where she is living. We enjoyed
fellowship with Bill's brother, David, and his family. We then drove toPhoenix where we visited my step
mother, Dianne and Tom (who was inthe hospital). Bill's brother, Carl and his wife, and Jim and Doris Long,
friends for many years. The trip was mentally exhausting but we were glad that we had gone.
Three weeks ago Rebecca and Zach came for a week's visit. We all had a lot offun, especially atthe waterpark
and ocean. We had to delay the water activities for several days because ofthe rain. Zach enjoyed the new mall
across the streetwhere he rodethe ferris wheel, train, bumper cars, etc. We were invited a couple of timesto eat
with families ofthe church. So it was a very enjoyable, fun-packed week.
On March 11th, I (Margy) will be flying to Lexington where I will have some dental work done-a crown made
and sinus lift surgery in preparation for an implant. Some friends will betransporting me to and from
appointments. Rebecca wUl be coming from Knoxville on the weekend and take me there for aweek between
dental visits. Ilook forward to the visits with family and friends but not the work done on my teeth!!
Praise the Lord we have freedom ofworship in this country. We have been blessed to serve in the ministry to
the English speaking community of San Pedro Sula. It is such adifferent ministry from that ofthe Bible
institute. Occasionally, it can be very time-consuming but we are greatful for all those who participate m
making this outreach possible.
God bless, Margy and Bill Hoff
SALUDOS!
UNITED n-ATES
MEXICO/
Bill and Margy Hoff
2227 N.W 79th Ave. Box P2025
Doral, FL 33122-1615
Phone (Honduras): 011-504-566-2440
%•
e-mail: [email protected]
from
website: bajiochristian.org
BAJIO CHRISTIAN MISSION
Bajio Christian Mission
Attn: Lyn Mclntj're
34428 YucaipaBlvd. E-192
Yucaipa, CA 92399
V
SOimi AMERICA
Phone: 909-797-4628
Missionaries Since 1972
Spring 2009
Vol. 40, Number 1
Five New Students . . .
Classes are well underway at the Bible institute. They began on
February 24 with four students, but an addidonal student has
joined since. Two of the students were sent by a graduate who
preaches in the mountains south of San Pedro. They are from a
very poor coffee producing region and have limited schooling.
They are new Christians, in fact, they had never even heard the
story of Noah and the Great flood. Teaching them requires that
all terms be defined and all mention of Bible events and refer
ences be amplified. The teacher can not just say, "likeJesus says in
John 3:16," because they may not know the verse.
Their families have been joining them at the institute. One has a
four yearold girl and a baby boy; the other has two girls ages two
and five. They can only afford to go home every other week, so
they alternate spending the weekends. Their wives are preparing
the meals. Because of the extreme povert)' of their region, they
have never learned to cook beyond the most essential items. Un
like former students who clamored for spices and Worcestershire
sauce, they use only salt and have developed a taste for Tabasco
sauce. Meals are heavy on rice, beans, tortillas, and a few eggs. In
order to keep costs down, there is limited meat on the menu.
Antonio teaching
Two other young men are from lower class homes in the outskirts
of San Pedro. They have been sponsored by their churches which
are both affiliated with Lifeline Christian mission. These men live
in neigliborhoods rife with gang violence and troubles. They both
have a public school background and one of them is a computer
user. The student who began late is unlike any that we have had
before. He comes from a small village outside of San Pedro. He
is a painting contractor and sells paints. He drives in just for the
Joy teaching ladies
Bill teaching
Mark and Bill with students
classes and then leaves to work. He attends a small Pentecostal
group in his town, but he really wants to learn about the Lord
and to preach the word. The students' curriculum this semes
ter includes: the Gospels, Pentateuch, Christian Education, and
Christian Evidences. Bill teaches the first two classes and preach
ers from San Pedro the second two.
Joy and Mark do all the purchasing for the school. Joy has gotten
to know the students' wives. One of the women is illiterate; in
spite of that, Joy is trying to teach them basic Bible stories and
help prepare them to teach children in their churches. She works
hard at this and the results show.
Mark continues to work with the students in maintaining the cam
pus. Because there is no tuition fee, the students are required to
work two hours a day on the campus. During the rainy season, the
grass needs to be cut weekly. The brush on the back 11/2 acres
must be kept under control and fences have to be maintained to
avoid invasions. Mark and Billare not landscapers, but there is
an area set aside for gardening.Just recently the students planted
-some-banana plants; if diey survive the dry season they will bear
Mark overseeing gardening
fruit in 18 months.
The Institute is in a state of constant improvement. The library,
computer lab, and office building are being finished as funds al
low. Mark oversees the construction and does much of the work.
Currentiy doors and windows are being installed. The next step
will be the installation of foam insulation and covering it with
sheet rock. Then an insulated drop ceilingwill be installed. Insula
tion is necessary because the building must be air conditioned in
order to reduce the deterioration of the books and computers.
A couple of years ago the diesel light plant at the institute threw a
rod. Just the parts to repair it were estimated at 1500-1800 dollars.
But a similar used plant has been located and moved to the shop.
Hopefully combining parrs will bring the cost of providing auxiliar\' power down to one third of the other estimate. A backup
power source is necessary due to outages in the local system.
Someday it would be desirable to install a windmill on the well.
This would save significant electricit}- and provide water for a fish
pond.
New construction
Students' wives cook
Many Changes in Church . ..
The English speaking church has undergone many changes in the
past two years. Attendance has been down a litde and the makeup
of the group has changed. (Many of the members who were the
faithful core group had to leave Honduras and many of the new
ones have not desired to join in carrying the load). Although
several families are taking their part, it takes many to work in a
voluntary congregation.
Mark and Joy continue as youth pastors and have done a great job
in guiding them. They have had a large turnover with the youth
also. Along with their bi-weekly youth meetings, they have gone
Tuesday night Bible study-
bowling, scuba diving, have ridden on the bumper cars at a new mall, and have had various parties in their home. Jov is in charge
of the music and finding teachers for the children in first through sixth grade. Mark is in charge of the sound system. Mark and Joy
have been preparing for a 7 week trip to the States so are currend)' l<5oking for those who can fill in for them.
There are times when Bill has to do most of the preaching,but he praises the Lord when other missionaries or visitors volunteer to
help out. Margy solicits the preachers and other leaders for each Sundav. She is also in charge of finding a teacher for the small children,
someone who is bi-lingual.A bi-lingual school librarian who is an excellent story teller taught the class when Zach was here visiting.
2
s
Youth leading worship
Youth meeting
V
Simone teaching
Joy teaching
February Visit. . .
It was a joyhaving Beka and Zach visit us for a week in February. (Alfredo
was unable to come because of his work). Us four Hoffs were delighted in
entertaining Zach and having him entertain us. I had planned on onh' going
to the Waterpark, which is close by, and not the ocean, but Zach packed his
bucket and shovel, so off we went to see God's beaudful creation.
Another place that provided entertainment was the mall across the street.
The ferris wheel is impressive as it is three stories high. Zach enjoyed rock
ing the cars. Bumper cars were a lot of fun also. We enjoyed watching him
on other rides also. In the evening we ate at a Mexican restaurant which is
also part of the mall. (We are always searching for good Mexican restau
rants).
Ferris wheel
Eating in Mexican Restaurant
K-RC.
Praise for:
the five new students at the Bibleinstitute and their eagerness to learn.
the students' wives and their children
safety as we travel back and forth to the institute.
Beka and Zach and their visit to Honduras.
the fellowship of the English speaking church
our supporting churches
those who made it possible for Margy to get dental work done in Lexington in
March
Enjoying beach
'
•
••
." '•
Pray for:
"•
*^.*..-
.
padence as we travel with much more traffic than previously
for approval of non-profit corporation that will serve as covering for both the
camp and Christian churches
students who suffer at institute because they are used to cooler weather
patience during the heat of spring and summer
more participation in the church
Margy's brocher-in-law who has cancer
Mr. Sand Man
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Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Bill and Margy Hoff [[email protected]]
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 6:18 PM
Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Margy's brother-in -law, Tom passed away
Dear Family and Friends.
We have appreciated your prayers over the last several months for my brother-in-law and my sister,
Dianne. This morning while in the Prescott hospital, he passed away. I will be leaving for Las Vegas
early Friday morning. My nephew will pick me up there and take me to Dianne's house in Ashfork,
Arizona. I plan on being there for almost three weeks. Please continue to pray for Dianne and our
family and wisdom for me to be doing and saying the right thing while ! am there.
This week is Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Honduras. Basically that means that the country is on
vacation and all federal buildings are closed and most businesses have closed from today through
next Monday. The church has a potluck-birthday party planned on Friday.
We have been excited because there are now five students at the Bible institute. Bill and I just sent a
newsletter to Mission Services to be printed soon. If you do not receive this newsletter and would like
to, please send us an e-mail and we will mall you one.
More news next time. Thanks and God bless, Bill and Margy
Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Bill and Margy Hoff [[email protected]
Sunday, May 03, 2009 8:40 AM
Undisclosed-Recipient:;
A note form Margy
Dear Family and Friends,
I (Margy) returned home last Thursday evening. It was sure good to be back and be with Bill again. I attended a
Bible study on Friday morning and then went to a luncheon in my honor. In the afternoon Bill and I visited
Biscuit (Mark and Joy's Cocker Spaniel) in the doggie hospital. The vet promisesthat he will get well. He
apparently bit into a toad and got a powerful neurotoxin several months ago and has attacks from that every
once in awhile so is unable to walk.
I have made phone calls and written e-mails in my spare time since returning. It has taken awhile to catch up on
sleep. I got up at 2 a.m. Thursday morning and my nephew drove me to the Las Vegas airport. I arrived in San
Pedro Suia at 8 p.m. after spending 6 hours in Miami. But God was good during the flights. I didn't take the
most direct route to Arizona, going to Miami first and then Las Vegas and then east again to Ashfork where my
sister lives.
It was good that I could spend almost three weeks with my sister. Even though Tom had been sick with
leukemia since the middle of last October, he thought that he was in remission and that he would live several
years. But the disease overtook him and he was only home a few days before he passed away. Dianne lives on 2
acres of land in a small mobile home. Tom built a couple other buildings on the property. There are a lot of
decisions that she must make in the fiature so please pray for her and her family. She has two sons and 9
grandchildren and 1 great-grandson.
Bill was able to keep his appointments while I was gone. He had his 60th birthday and celebrated for three days
with various friends along with Mark and Joy. Bill also made improvements in our house so was kept very
busy. Mark and Joy are on a speaking tour in the States for seven weeks so it was time for me to return to help
in the ministry here.
Thank you for your love and support of the work here.
Margy
Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Bill and Margy Hoff [[email protected]]
Monday, August 24,2009 8:05 PM
Undisclosed-Recipient;
Latest news from Hoffs
Dear friends and Family,
In my last conrnmnication, I wrote that the change of government here was not really a "coup" in the normal
sense, but it appears to me that they did conmiit a serious breach of constitutional law by exiling the deposed
president. He should have been brought to a fair trial. So now he travels all over the world on Hugo Chavez's
airplane complaining that he was mistreated. He was indeed, but if he were to face a trial, my guess is that
things would be more uncomfortable for him. Someone will have to explain the disappearance of tens of
millions of dollars that have vanished on his watch! Slowly, support for him here is drying up, in spite of money
being paid to the protesters. Personally, we have had a few times where we have had to avoid protests but we
have never been in danger.
The American population, which left Honduras when the situation was becoming quite imstable, has mostly
returned. So attendance at the International Church is improving. We continue to pray for more members and
especially for more persons willing to get involved in the ministry of the church. The missionaries who attend
are very busy with their own ministries, while the business men are so deeply committed to their business or
clothing assembly plant that they have little time for assisting the church.
At the Bible institute I continue teaching Hebrew History and Preaching and practical ministry courses. Mark is
deeply involved in the completion ofthe office and computer - library room. We have just finished the
construction of the septic tank. The building will be complete when we get the bathroom installed and airconditioning and drop ceiling finished. I will be very pleased to have a spot that I can get away from the heat.
The students have progressed well in their sermon preparation class. They now know how to tell Old and New
Testament stories and make applications to the daily life of their church members. Next we will work on topical
sermons and then expository messages. We have just frnished studying the life of Solomon, and we will be
continuing books of Chronicles and Kings more frilly.
I want to take this opportunity to inform you that we are taking a short speaking trip to the USA from the
middle of October to the end of November. Several things motivated this trip. First and foremost was the 50th
reunion of Margy's High School graduating class. But really as important is visiting Margy's stepmother, and
my mother. Their health continues to decline and we want to give them as much time as possible. In the process
-we will visit some ofyou and enjoy telling you about the ministry. And afinal motivation isa couple ofvisits to
the dentist for Margy so that he can complete her implant. That would be a negative factor except that grandson
Zack lives a few hours south and we will be able to eat Thanksgiving dinner with the family there.
As for me I truly appreciate the fact that we will be back south before the worst winter weather can interrupt our
travels. As a "desert rat" I never learned to drive in snow and ice, so I dread the winter.
Margy received some very disconcerting news two nights ago. Her sister, who lives in Northern Arizona, fell
and broke her hip and her shoulder. Margy's sister has been suffering the loss ofher husband. She was in
depression over his death, then she fell down the front steps to her mobile home and broke her tail-bone. Please
pray with us that she will recover and be strengthened. Naturally, Margy is very concerned and would like to be
with her sister at this time.
Love in Him
Bill
Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
Bill and Margy Hoff[[email protected]]
Saturday, July 25,2009 7:57 PM
To:
Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Subject:
An update on Honduras
Dear Friends and Family,
Margy and I received this from Mark and Joy and thought you mi^t be interested in anupdate
about Honduras. SoI cut and pasted and modified slightly. We wanted to explain what is going on
in Honduras right now, because things have become imsettled again. As you may already know
Manuel Zelaya was ousted from his position as President of Honduras. He broke thelawby tr5ang
to change the Constitution sothathe could be re-elected, and is charged with other multiple
criminal acts. The national electionboard, congress, and the supreme court all warnedhim about
his actions andfinally the military removed himfrom office. To avoid bloodshed he was taken to
CostaRica in his pajamas. News media are still callingit a "Coup d'etat."
Ex-president Zelaya has aligning himselfwith commimist Hugo Chavez, andFidel Castro. Like
them he wanted to extend his presidential term.
Here is more or less the chain of events over the past 3 weeks. Ousted President Zelaya tried to
return to Tegucigalpa Sunday, July 5^but the military parked trucks on the runway which
prevented the Venezuelan plane, which carriedhim, from landing. Some ofZelaya's supporters
were at the airport awaiting his return. They charged the chainlink fence, and Soldiers postedthere
used tear gasto try to drive the people back, while the protesters threw rocks at them. A couple of
shots were fired in the crowdbut apparently not by the soldiers. (It seemsprobable that there was a
"sleeper" ordered to shoot someone in the crowd and create havoc, and a martyr.) One 19year old
was shot in the head and died. It was reported that the bullet that caused the death was not militaiy.
The Tuesday following this incident(July 7) Hillary Clinton met with President Zelaya in
Washington. She strongly suggested that PresidentZelayameet with the former president of Costa
Rica, Oscar Arias, to begin talks about resolving the crisis. He and the interim President of
Honduras, Roberto Micheletti, agreed to the talks. Micheletti is from the same political party as
Zelaya and was formerly head of congress. Both men met separately with President Arias on
Thursdayand presentedtheir demands. The two sets of demands were completely different and
there was no common ground. After three series oftalks with President Arias virtuallyno progress
was made.
Things had been pretty calm here for a few days but now tensions are rising again. Roads are again
being blocked by pro-Zelaya protesters (who are mostly teacher unions, fanners, and the very
poor).
Yesterday Zelaya attempted to enter Honduras again by land. He took maybe 5 steps onto
Honduran soil and tried to negotiate with military leaders to allow him in; claiming he is the true
president and they should "stand down". Awaiting him were a few pro-Zelaya protesters, a huge
number ofthe news media, and the mihtary who had orders to arrest him. After a short time, the
ex-president turned around and left the border returoing to Nicaragua (which by the way, is a leftist
country that is aligned with Hugo Chavez as well).
US News media, especially CNN television reports seem to be very biased in how they report these
events. They make tlungs look like there is much more support for Zelaya m Honduras than there
actually is. Camera angles and zoom are used to create the illusion of large or smaller crowds,
depending on which group is being recorded.
The day after the ousting we were to resume classes at the Bible Institute after a semester break, but
due to the pohtical instability we were forced to delay classes for another week. We have
completed two "normal" weeks at the Institute, although the roads have been blocked in many
places across the country. We have been blessed and both Mark and Bill have not had any trouble
getting to and from the Institute. The only real change has been that Mark and Bill have not stayed
any nights out there because of concerns they might not be able to get back for a day or two.
We of course have been cautious in our travels and have avoided demonstrations from either side.
The pro-Michelleti demonstrations, some more than 100,000 strong, have been completely peacefiil
and the demonstrators wear white and have advocated for peace and democracy. In contrast, the
pro-Zelaya groups, wearing red, have been violent and are likely to break windows, loot, and throw
stones or sticks at the military or the peace groups.
We have stocked up on suppHes at our house and the Bible Institute in case we have to stay at
home. We have extra fooi non-perishables, water, and fiiel. We still don't see the need to retreat
or leave the country, so we will continue doing our day to day activities with some precaution of
course.
We ask you to continue to pray for us as we travel to and from the institute and continue working in
the Lord's will. Also pray that if we have to leave, God will indicate it clearly.
Ifyou wish more information about the happenings in Honduras, good news sources are the
Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and BBC. All are available on line.
We appreciate your prayers and concern. We are trusting in the Lord and have experienced His
continual faithftilness.
In Christ,
Bill and Margy
Georgia Sharpe
From;
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Bill and Margy Hoff [[email protected]]
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 12:45 PM
Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Honduran News
Dear E-Mail Friends,
Bill and I are preparing a stew meal for Mark and Joy and their three guests. We will go the back road and
deliver this for our noon meal. It will lack some carrots but that is a small thing compared to what many people
are lacking. We could get stopped on the main road because the country is under curfew. We have had this
curfew since 4 p.m. on Monday. There are some people out but you could have your car confiscated, etc. Since
Bill and I are over 60 years of age we cannot be put in jail.
Bill and I just got back from driving around the neighborhood looking for some food items. We found a tiny
little store that was packed with people hoping to buy something to eat. Joy needs eggs and cooking oil for the
five people that she is feeding. We were able to get a flat of eggs, but no oil. Fortunately, I have extra oil in the
house. Their guests arrived on Sunday afternoon planning to visit other missionaries on Tuesday morning, but
now they can't leave.
Why all this disruption in the country? The former president, Mel Zelaya, slipped into the country in the trunk
of a diplomatic car belonging to an unnamed South American country last Monday. He was determined to
return to his presidency. This, once again, caused all kinds of rioting and protesting, especially in Tegucigalpa
and some in San Pedro Sula. In order to get the country under control, the current president established a
curfew. They are demanding that Zelaya leave the coimtry, or surrender to face charges of high treason,
misappropriation of funds and abuse of authority (about 130 counts). He wants to remain as president, but there
is only one-term for the president here. The morning newspaper shows him sitting in a chair with his feet on
another chair in a vacant room in the Brazilian embassy. The headlines say that it is costing the country 37
million dollars a day to have this curfew. Brazil withdrew its ambassador a couple of months ago. Mel used the
embassy grounds to rally 3000 protesters to violence.
Honduras will have elections on the 29th of November. The intern president will step down to a new president
in January. Please pray for calm in the country with no more curfews until the elections take place and pray that
the man will be elected who will give the country democracy and not a dictatorship.
Many missionaries are very sad because our annual missionary conference which was scheduled to take place
tomorrow through Saturday morning has been canceled. The airport has been closed for so long that the speaker
his wife as well as other workers could not arrive. We, ofcourse, did not know if we would be allowed to
drive around the country duringthat time. But we have many, many, reasons for whichto be thankful. We are
comfortable—it has beenraining so it is cooler~we are healthy, we have food, and we have Internet and phone
service.
On anothernote, my sister, DianneHardie, is currently in a physical therapy rehab facility in Prescott, Arizona.
She is having therapy on her leg. The doctor said that she shouldnot move her arm yet. Her shoulder was
broken and operated on. Please continue to pray for her.
Bill and I plan on leaving for the States on October 13th and returning on December 1st. We will be doing some
speaking, attending the missionary convention, and visiting family and friends.
God bless you. Thank you for your prayers. Margy and Bill
Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
Bill and Margy Hoff [[email protected]]
Friday, October 30, 2009 11:28 PiVI
To:
Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Subject:
News update from Arizona
Dear friends:
It, has been a cx)uple of weeks since we last communicated and lots of things are changing. I want to
inform you about the outcome of a couple of events I wrote about previously. I will begin with the
condition of our friend Les Melton. Les is in rehabilitation at the University of Michigan hospital. He is
progressing which is a miracle considering the extent of the injuries he sustained. All of us who
esteem Les and appreciate his extensive ministry want to thank you for your prayers on his behalf
and ask you to continue praying.
Another subject of prayer was our watchman at the Bible institute. You will recall that he injured
himself with a machete. The surgery to repair the tendons and screw the bone together was
successful but the total healing and strengthening will be slow.
In the last e-Mail I was still suffering the effects of an allergy to Latex gloves. I am glad to report that
all the swelling is gone. Unfortunately, more than eight hours in the dentist chair did not solve all the
problems. I still have a tooth that is very sensitive to temperature changes and hurts most of the time.
Pray that it does not become critical before I can have it looked at. I have to get some non-latex
gloves for my dentist before I return to Honduras. They don't sell them there.
We flew into Phoenix and were received by my Brother Carl and His wife Ellen on October 13th. They
hosted us for ,a few days. While there, we attended Margy's 50th high school class reunion. It was
great! Then we went to Kingman. AZ on our way to Las Vegas. Because of routing issues we will
pass through Kingman three times on this trip. While n Vegas we spent a lot of time with my brother,
David and his wife, Becky and their daughter, Adelia. Actually we stayed across the street at my
mother's house which the family can not sell because of the depressed market in LV. So I also did a
little plumbing repair. Shanda Oakley and her son Caleb came up from Califomia to visit. They were
part of the church in Honduras for a couple of years.
There have been several turns in the political situation in Honduras. Late last night an agreement was
reached between representatives of the current government and of the ex-president Manuel Zelaya
concerning his reinstatement as president. There has been an impasse since he was removed from
th6 presidency in June. This week a representative of the Organization of American States and
representatives from the U. S. State Department pressured the interim govemment to negotiate. The
agreement reached last night is that Congress and the Supreme Court are to decide whether Zelaya
is reinstated or not. There are a lot of details that haven't been put in place yet such as, when the
Supreme Court and other officials will give their reports to the Congress, and when the Congress will
decide. The U.S. and other governments are saying that they will not recognize the November
elections, unless Zelaya is returned. Please pray for the Honduran Congress. Pray that they will make
decisions that follow the country's constitution and laws and not be pressured to follow any other way.
Pray that the national elections on November 29 will go forward as scheduled and that they will be
peaceful. Also pray that there will be peace and tranquility in the country in the coming weeks before
the elections and the weeks aftenA/ards before the new president takes office.
Margy's sister is doing much better. Continue to pray for her and our grandson, Zach. He has strep
and the flu. In a week we begin our travels eastward.
God bless,
Bill and Margy
Georgia Sharpe
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Bill and Margy Hoff[[email protected]]
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 4:13 PM
Undisclosed-Recipient;
Continuing our trip
Dear friends:
Time and miles have passed too quickly. I am writing from Knoxville on our second go around. The
turkey is thawing and we are getting ready. I thought to quote a note I received, but I can't find it. It
went like this
. "A forth grade child was to give a report about Thanksgiving. He began to read "the Pilgrims
fled England searching for the right to worship vou know who. They arrived in the new world
after much hardship. But when they had a great harvest, they decided to thank vou know who.
They had a great feast and worshiped vou know who." The story doesn't make much sense
unless vou know Who.
We leftArizona just before Margy's family caught the swine flu. We drove to Albuquerque, NM. and
spent a day with the Haskamps who were members of our church in Honduras. They provided good
food and an opportunity to renew acquaintances. On Sunday we were interviewed by the preacher of
First Christian Church in both services. I (Bill) was very scared , I have never done this format before.
After services we went on to Amarillo and the next day ate lunch with the Kuneys, a family that
ministers north of San Pedro, but has been in The US for medical reasons. Then we motored up to
Springfield MO to spend a night with the Olivas also former members of the International Christian
fellowship. For some reason I had an inordinate amount of back pain from driving these long days
Perhaps it was from toxins from another bout with a severe allergic reaction.This time I don't know
what caused it.
Our next destination was Lexington KY where Dr. Dave Sperow checked out the dental work I had
done in Honduras and took impressions for Margy's crown. Then we spent a couple of days with our
daughter Rebecca and grandson Zack. What a joy to see the development of the little fellow. He is
now in Kindergarten. We left Knoxville to go north and travel with the Co-in-laws (my own word for
Joy's folks) to the National Missionary convention. Those of you who live in the USA can't understand
how depressing this time of year is to us who come up from the tropics , the trees are barren and the
grass is dead. In spite of that, we enjoyed traveling with the Rowans they are fun people..
The convention was in some ways one of the best ever. Ido not recall another with such inspired
preaching, nor such ample vision of the needs of the future. Itwas great to see old friends and to get
reports about the churches in Mexico from the children of the men with whom we had worked. Yes we
are getting older but it is not all bad. I only wish I had attended workshops, but it seemed like there
was always some one to talk to.
We are currently trying to get packed to go. We fly home the 1st of December. But we want to solicit
your prayers for the nation of Honduras because elections are going to be the 29th and they will
determine the president for the next four years. May God bless the selection.
In His service
Bill and Margy
Georgia Sharpe
Bi
From:
Sent:
an
'gy R{3Tr[DniarTafnargyr»ott^ggfnaT
Wednesday, Decembej^ 02^2009 1XJ;06,;PIVI
Undisclosed-Recipient:;]
Anews update
j/
Subject:
Dear Ones,
i wanted to send you this brief note to say that we have arrived safely in Honduras. We already had
our planning session for the rest of the week and we are now leaving for the store to stock up on
some essentials.
Our return was uneventful except for some rough air. I had no problem at customs, and best of all we
were greeted by Mark and Joy, and Lynnell and Sophia Fields.
I am pleased to report that Dianne, Margy's sister, is doing much better. She continues to have
shoulder pain, but her hip is healing well. Please pray for her and her family.
I have been listening to the debate over restoration of the deposed president. The members of
congress are now voting on the bill. As each "diputado" votes he explains his or her vote, so the
process is lengthy. 85 have voted out of the 128 and the vote is now 74 opposed to his restoration,
and 1do not expect the ratio to change. Without waiting until 10 pm when the voting will finish, I will
risk a prediction that Mel Zelaya will be looking for political asylum in Nicaragua or Venezuela.
The general election on the 29th of November went off without violence, and over 60% of the possible
voters cast their ballots. That was a great victory for the democratic process. The conservative party
candidate won the presidential race.
We have just been informed that our friend, Les Melton and his family will be returning to Honduras
this Friday. This is nothing short of a miracle considering the brain damage he sustained. So we are
very grateful to the Lord.
865-525-7010 / 2004 E. Magnolia Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917 / 1-800-655-8524
[email protected] i / www.missionservices.org
t that
4t is about eighty-two outsid
snow yet?
cold. Have any of you gotten
on
Love Bill and Margy
865-525-7010 / 2004 E. Magnolia Avenue, Knoxville. TN 37917 / 1-800-655-8524
[email protected] 2/ www.missionservices.org
Georgia Sharpe
Bill and Margy Hoff [[email protected]]
Friday, December 18, 2009 2;26 PM
Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Christmas Greeting
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From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Attachments:
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL.
a#
&
.li'VJii:"
.1^
^
I am making a conscious effort to wish everyone
I
A Merry Christmas this year ...
My way of saying that I am celebrating
'Phe birth
J^^us Clhrist.
And if you'll pass this on to
Maybe we can prevent one more
American tradition from being lost in the sea of
"Political Correctness".
M
.
y-r^d^
nO'J'
