i'lAR. I 7 13"/6

Serving the Independent Christian Churches Since 1950

Western Mexico Christian Mission58 N. Vniarreai St.

Director

Dr. Gerald D. Bowlin

Native ChurchesEvangelism

(Mailing Address)

APARTADO POSTAL No. 350

HERMOSILLO, SONORA, MEXICO

Telephone 4-30-19Co-D/rector

Mrs. Geneva S. Bowlin

Bible SchoolsBenevolence

Thank God that in this ever-changing*wrrid we believe in and serveOne who never changes: "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today andfdrever." And His Gospel is the samewe believe it, wq try to. liveit, teach and preach it and we see lives changed by it almost 2,000years and half-way around the globe from the time and place itchanged the -first believers on the Day of Pentecost.

In thinking over our experiences on the kission Field in t/esterniLexico in order to prepare this yearly report, I am reminded, of astory I >onoe heard of Deacon Jones who found the preacher in hisstudy pacing back and. fo.rth like a caged lion. Upon inquiry byDeacon Jones about what was bothering him, the preacher replied:"Deacon Jones_, I'm in an awful hurry." Deacon Jones said he couldsee ho wrong in this, and less reason for the very evidently agitatedstate of mind the preacher, To which the preacher explained:'Deacon Jones, I'm in an awful hurry to get a lot of things done inthe Lord's work, but. the Lord .lust doesn't seem to be in a hurrvat i" .. , ; " ^ .-

Like the preacher we could sum up many of our experiences in theyear 1975 with the one word"Frustration." We had a lot of beautiful

> plans-for the year, few of which, came to.-fruition. As St* Francis put it hundreds of. years agoi "Man proposes, but God disposes.'-'. We.

might add: "Blessed be the Name of the Lord,"

One thing in which we have"not been frustrated is the preaching*ofthe Gospel: We have preached every Sunday, we have been in the city,unless ill of course.- for the Colrnia Olivares (Westside) church hfltrein Hermosillo, and taught the Youth Group, wJfch includes our- own '."children"'(they like .the term "young-people" better;-): Son, FranciecoJavier (Pancho), - 17; daughters Yolanda Geneva (Veva)who' will be 15*March 23; Elizabeth^. (Becky) 14; and our "great niece", Maria Magdalena(iialena), 16, all High School students, .(The girls alternate teachingthe children in Bible School.) I finished teaching them my translati

1975 Annual Report page two

Geneva has supplied the Sunday Bible School Children's literature,and tho she has several years' lessens, she is continually revisingand upgrading them, and adding nev/ 13 v/eek series for the Primary ages.

Geneva oi^st cams in and read the first page? she said to tell you herpet frustration, outside of waiting over a year for parts to fix herold Smith-Corona 500 electric portable typ n.vriter so she could typesten'-ils(-) p is "ying to ge * 11 or 12 teenagers into our little I965Dodge Coronet sedan take them to-joint youth meetings at La Mesavillage, some 25 miles east of here5 And worse yet, knowing there areanother 10 or 12 unconverted neighborhood youth who would like .tr go.

This delayed our newsletters in 1975frustrating to both us andto you in the homelands.

Wall; thafs one of my "frustations"-too I had hoped to purchasea used pickup this year, but finances are so tight we just barely makeonus, meetj- in fact there's usually a gapwe're behind on some of ourpayments nn'w at the end of the yearhouse, drugstore^ Our, income has

- stayed the svvi in dollars, but inflation has reduced it's purchasingpower drastically^ I notice it more on food and utilities because Iseo'these bills weekly or monthly: We are spending about .$120. a week ($20. per person^ on foods That means $500, a month for foodand y-vU can see v/hat that does to nur pre-inflati^n income! Thenthe electricity v/ent up in one big juiripour last bill was almost$90sOO and that for a winter monti'., I hate to even think what it willbe in the summer months with our two I/3 h-.p. evaporative coolersrunning 2^ hours a day to ksap the he use down to about SO' F. inside when it's 112'''-115Foartideo

We were frustrated too in our plan to get a. neighborhood youth groupgoing at the home of one of o\x:: yoyxng Westside membersv Just a coupleof .'ays before our first irir-ctihg was scheduled, the father withdrew his

^permissions (We especially wanted to start this group, train the twsisters, _then turn it over to them as we feel they need to strengthentheir own witness--they"are college age^ Oh well, perhaps "papa" will

'relent in 19760 .

Jesus Amaya, our young minister and his family at the La Mesa village'^^have. had their frustrations too, but joys as well as his attendance

has stood up well in the summer heat, and bitter winter cold in a; building that has neither heat for winter nor even fans for summer use-#

He,-has had 50 children consistently in Sunday Bible School, 20-25 in, ^ youth and evening preaching services He rep'^^rts the outside baptistry

next to the church'building plastered inside and out. Last we .heardWhe shop-where he ordered the mctal-sash window to go over thebaptifetry had knocked off work for the Christmas-New Year's holidays

vwithput delivering the window. So the cold v/ind blew and blew thruthe,big hole in the wall near the pulpit all during the Christmasservices. .

1975 Annual Report page three

'Jesus works as a bricklayer, constructing additions to these two orthpee room burnt-adobe homes to feed his family. The physically tiredat nite, he says he is trying desperately to keep up with the demandfor'the Jule Mller "Cottage iweeting" filmstrips, with cassette commentary in Spanishc I also might add that the $^0.00 we gave him to buygifts for his family at Christmas-time was spent for medicine as allbut he were down with either flu or tonsillitis or both. Such alovely Christian familynot even the children complained, and his wife."Cuca", is too fine a Christian to doubt God's will for her life.

Several youth, both "there and here In tile city, say they want to be thefirst ones in the baptistry. We may hav^e to chop a hole in the icefor them if this winter cold spell holds on?

The Christian man who plans to come to the University of Sonora herein Hermoslllo to finish his C =P.A..worE has again beeii delayed--y^u-whwork days and go to college classes-at nite will understand, And sohg.s even a small beginning toward the eventual Campus Ministry, OurRadio Pr^.-gram still needs some person or group to sponsor it financially,as we have no funds to even sign the first contracts Money for thehospital has slowed to a trickle, and there are other local problemsnot -present when the offer of sale was made, V/ell, all in good time,the Lord's time, that is, which is always right.

Perhaps I shouldnH ev:;n use the word "frustrated" as it carries aconnotation of "discouragement," and really we arenHj we're justhumarfend like the preacher in the illustration, "in a big hurry"s'^metimes to do what ^ plan and vre think is right for this MissionField,

As I believe I informed you, the Vildosolo Mission, on the far Southside of the city, l-st its meeting place. Due perhaps to this, and apersonal economic factor, severil of the families returned to theirhome state south of here. Sinaloa, Other interested families, are, Ibelieve attending the Viila de Seris (Southside) congregation, andstill saving their "centavos" and "pesos" to purchase a lot and put upsom% temporary shelter so the mission will function again.

As mentioned in other reports, when the mission congregation becameindependent of the mission and missionary, that is, became "National"rather than "missionary", they do not feel obligated to report to themissionary, and this as it should be, But this is somewhat frustratingwhen you in the U..S

1975 Annual Report page four

by a" man who does wrought iron and metal window and d'^or fabricationin a small shop. The elders, one retired, and one a barber, care forthe Eastside group, with an occasional lift from a visiting minister,).I have heard only occasinally, and sometimes indirectly from theNational (iviexican) missions in the Southern and Northern parts of theState, but assime they are still preaching the Gospel. (Unfortunatelyextreme "Nationalism" in these 3rd world countries even effects therelationships between "National" Christians and the "foreign" Missionaries!) Baptisms, actually, no real criteria in a difficult field,probably did not exceed the average of previous years, 20-25.

Our children, excuse me, young people, again taught groups in vacationBible Schools and loved every minute of it, Geneva had the able assistance of our summer intern, kiss Lois Graham of Belleville, Kansas andCasa Grande, Arizona, in the preparation of the lessons. (These, as

'^isual-, were used by other groups, including the State Child Evangelismworkers*). Vacation Bible Schcdl was held in a new village for the firsttime this year, with an average of over 100 in attendance each night.One of our neighborhood H. S. boys who helped wanted to know if therewasn't another village which would invite us, and he isn't evenbaptized yetl

Geneva continues to give shots to all and sundry in our neighborhood,and witness for Christ, as do I, among these professional people, V/ewere elected Treasurer and President respectively at Veva's new HighSchool P.T.A., and this is giving us a number of friendships forfuture witness. V/e've given away ever so many New Testaments to thisnew, upper-middle, professional class, talked to them about Christ,counseled v/ith^them abnut their problems, etc., etc. But there stillseems to be a,barrier. Talk as we will about social equality, evenin the U.S. Christians tend to drift to, the group where they feelcomfortableone to a large congregation; another to a middle-sizedone; and yet another to a small group. And these folk just aren'tcomfortable sitting on rustic benches with working class people.Oh how I wish they could visit one of our congregations in the citylike Monterrey or Mexico City, and see that people of their educational,cultural, professional and social background have accepted Christ andformed a congregation, and built a building where they feel comfortableAnother frustration>how to cause these friends to believe in a typeoc Christian congregation with as nice a building, ch^ir, and organ aethe Catholics, when they have never seen such a gr#up, much lessattended it's services?'.?!

All in all, it's been a good, tho slow year, but then we know we mustexpect changes in attitude and problems in a Third World Countrysuch as Mexico. God bless yu and remember that "Jesus Christ is thesame yesterday, today, and forever." Let's all thank God that inthis ever changing world, HE NEVER CHANGES.

1975 Annual Report -- page five.

SPECIAL NEEDS FOR 1976

lo A public address system for use outdoors (and indoors too).. Youdonate it we'll use it' (In fact/ we could use a couple).,

2^ An electric typewriter -- it can be a portable-- for use in makingstencils for SeS-. and V.B.S. workbooks.- Bible Study courses, -e'tc.

3-. Sponsor(s) for our Radio Program ^20 =00 for 15 minutes eachweek, or $80c00 per month, payable ohe month in advance'. (X.E.D.M.is a 50j000 watt; clear channel station which covers at leastfour states in Mexico at niteo In fact you may have heard itv/here you live at 1660 on your radio dial)r>

Your church's old Model 36O Gestetner Duplicator to use for partsto repair ours.

NblE: PLEASE WRITE US FOR SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS.

5= Garden Seed-send in a letter directly to us- - a 13^ stamp willbring 2 or 3 packages. Please don't take the attitude that

:rge ^'ill do it" - but please YOU do it today. We can't recievot 'o many packages of seeds. If we supply the seed our "country"friends will have a much better balanced diet, also the Bowlinsv;ill enjoy garden fresh vegetables.These vegetables can be planted in February and March

asparagus beans beetscarrots collards cucumbersegg plant endive herbs' "u i-HC*kale leeks 8 muskmell'^h; 'parsnips peas peppers . . radish rutabaga spinachsummer squash swiss chard tomatoesturnips watermellon onions

And any thing else you can think of that will grow.

Serving the independent Christian Churches Since 1950

Western Mexico Christian Mission/ (Mailing Address) ..

Veva and Pancho "graduated" from grammar school with excellent grades, Malena andiBecky have taken their last test and have promises of their grade cards on the 3rd ofJuly. They "think" they passed everything and will be secondary (high school) studentsnext year!

Jesus Amaya tells us that he has several young people who are thinking about beingbaptized (a young woman friend made the "good confession" in our home just after I wrotethis!!) Ue decided to build an outdoor baptistry at the La Mesa church, Jesus starteda collection among our young people here and has collected about two hundred pesos (orsixteen dollars). It will take about one hundred dollars to build it, including payingJesus* wages, (He has to work to take care of his family.)

Uith the above good news, I will bring this to a close, asking your prayers forthose who have stated a desire to complete their obedience to their Lord and for otherswho should follow their example. Pray too for the construction of the baptistry, forJesus and his family (all ill with infected tonsils), and for the Bowlin family too.

FUNDS!

Kiss Donna M, Sickafopse, FND. AgentvJestern Mexico Christian Mission98^0 North 5th AvenuePhoenix, AZ 85021

Love in Him,

G. Bowlin

PACKAGES:

Hestern Mexico Christian Missionc/o J, Elliott807 S. Jerrie Ave,Tucson, AZ 85711

PERSONAL LETTERS, NEWSLETTERS, NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES AND BOOKS (Use Field Address);

Gerald D, and Mrs, Geneva S, BowlinWestern Mexico Christian Mission

Apdo, Postal 350Hermosillo, Sonora, I-EXICO

We wish to publically thank Deane and Vergene Brown for their faithful service as ourForwarding Agents, We are sorry that, because of health and business considerations,they were not able to continue. Also, our thanks to the Women of Memorial ChristianChurch in Phoenix, AZ, where the Browns are members, for the receipting, sorting, andstoring of the used clothing, quilts, layettes, etc., until they could be brou^t to theField. May God bless and repay each of these who served The Mexican Mission Field,

I'lESTERN MEXICO CHRISTIAN MISSIONDeane Brown, Fwd, Agent

FINANCIAL REPORT 197^

RECEIPTS:JAl^RJARY

FEBRUARYMARCH

APRIL

MY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

^JPTBIfflER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

LECEHBER

TOTAL RECEIPTS - 1974

DISBURSEMEJITS for YEAR:

Benevolence:

Food for Needy & 111 MexicansMedicines & Benevolence:

Churches:

Audio Visual EquipmentBenches - Village Svang. Legal Fees \Native Evangelists jS.S, & D.V.B.S. (Literature) fStudents Bible InstituteUorld Conv, - Hex, SpeaJcer - i

$ 1749.411673.931344.431196.831734.291473.311057.582086,091423.721273.051206.532337.12

$ 18556.29

1200.00

399.12

174.9560.0040.00

1020.00

189.5850,0080,00

Mission Center:

Bank:

Charge, Printing, Saf, Dep. Box 30.41Error Deposit 10.00Missing check 84,00Returned check 70,00

Bookkeeper, Checkbooks, etc. 54.00Memorial Bldg. fxind, I973 (Desig) 354.30Office Repairs (equipment) 35.44Office Supplies & Postage(Mexico) 61.57Office Utilities 9.00P.O. Box Rent (Mexico) 7.68P.O. Box Rent (U.S.A.Legal Res.) 14.40Telephone (U.S. Credit Card) 47.79Office SuppliesPostage

(U.S. Fwd. Agent) 108.53

Disbursements Continued:

Missionary Family:

Designated Adoption PanchoDesignated Christmas, *73-'74Housing AllowanceLiving Link Support, Bowlin Fam.Medical and Hospital

$ 180.00550.00

2605.148056.47

574.80

Publicity:

Equipment CameraNewsletters

Travel to U.S. churches

Transportations s

Auto Club 74-75Auto Insurance

Auto Repairs: Dodge *65 Coronet*64 Station V/agon U.X.

Auto Gas, Oil, GreaseLicense & Fed. Auto Tax

TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS I974

26.27174.77507.71

40.0040.00

348.34120.80

1200.00

-115..J3

$ I8660.60

SUMMARY!

Balance on Hand Dec. 31, I973 $ 789.00

Total Receipts 1974 18,556.29

Total Disbursements 1974

Bank Balance, Dec. 31 1974

19,345.29

18,660.60

$ 684,69

SEND ALL FUI^IDS TO NEW FORUARDIKG AGENT:

Miss Donna M, Siokafoose9840 N. 5th Ave.Phoenix, AZ 85021

Servmj f/:e Indopnndent Ch//sf;.3n Chirches Since 1950

Western Mexico Christian MissionKQ w v/ili I tsx (r-lJling Address)

' APARTADO POSTAL No. 350 TelephoneDirector HERMOSILLO, SQi^ORA, MEXICO CoJteJr^"^^

Dr. Gerald D. .Bowlin g. BowlinNative Churches-Evangelism ^ ^ Bible Schools-Benevolence

Aug,-3ept, 1975Dear Friends and Brethern:

I want to thank you personally for your generous response to our Julyletter. We are current on all v-ur bills; except for a portion of aIran we contracted during IViay and June and July to make our house payments. We are confident that our Father will see fit to clear thisup soon too.

While I was registering Becky (Elizabeth), our youngest daughter, andour'great-niece*, Malena (Mary Magdalene) fir their sec-nd year of High WSchool, July l^th; my sister phoned Geneva t.- say: "M^.m has gone Horne."!^Had she lived until Aug. I8th; she wnuld have been C?. (Dad passed awayat 79 in 196^). So we took our week's grocery money for expenses andour ARCO credit card(^) and set out for San Dieg'-^, (*Christian friendsin So. Calif, kindly gave us money tx pay this bill when it came in,).

I had the privilege 01 bringing Men's Funeral message. I especiallytried to help the. grandchildren (I5 in all) understand and appreciatethe great Christian and American heritage their Grandmother had leftthem (Her mother was a DOAK of the pioneer Tennessee family, and herfather, Albert Femyer, of pioneer German extraction frjm Pennsylvaniavia Ohio.) I conclude"! with these words: "How can we ever be worthyof such a Christian Mother? Well- perhaps we never can, but we havetried to do so by raising our own children with the same love, discipline, Christian values and respect for God and Country that Mom andDad taught us, both by preccnt and example."

The Colonia Olivares (Westside) Chapel here in the c'ity is being whitewashed as I write this letter. While in the UMS., I purchased stencilsand stencil brush to put a better sign on the chapel. I finished C.J.Sharp's "The Bible for Youth" (my translation): S^S. class for our youthiand "A Catechism for New Coriverts", which I taught Sunday evenings. Wehave begun Geneva's study of The Gospel of John on Sunday mornings andthen I preach verse by verse expt^sitory sermons from John's Gospel onSunday evenings (Already have 50 sermon outlines ready from the first12 chapters of John, so I expect Geneva will have to write a workbookstudy on some 'Other N.To book or books long before I finish preachingon JohnI

Spent the last two weeks of August getting Veva (Geneva) in a highschool (1st year). First we tried where Becky and Malena are, but theytook the first 5OO or so out of over I5OO applicants, and even with a9.^ grade average, Veva wasn't among those 500^ And neither were any of the other 6 or 8 girls of o":.r neighborhood who applied, but then ehefound there was to be first year H^S. classes held afternoons 1:30-7s00 P.M. in a nearby grammar school; so tried there and came out 3rd or4th from the top, and thus will be in. the flag honor guard on Mondaysand in the National Holiday Parades; Pancho (Francisco Xavier) is I6so cannot .get into day H. S. classes. He has signed up for nightclasses ($10,00 a month) held at the .grammar school just up the streetfrom our home. Hs is planning to w;rk mornings in an uph.^lstry shop,(He worked in a cattle feed-lot this summer.)

-2-

With public sch'^ols starting (Grammar, Sept. 2t H. S. Sept. 8) wewish t again hold joint Youth Group sessions at least once a month

with the Lar.'iesa Church. BUT we need more adequate transportation,for even by Geneva or I staying home: we can only crowd 11 or 12 youngpeople into our *65 Dodge Coronet sedan, and about that many morewould like to go with us? mostly ones who aren't baptized yet. Ihave a lead on a good, two year old pickup, so perhaps I'll havenews in our next letter about how you can help.

D.V.B.Schools were a great success, thanks to our summer intern,&dss Lois Graham of Gasa Grande, Ariz., and Belleville, Kans., andour own youth, who each had', a group. And tl-nks to your financialhelp and your prayers, of course. Please continue with both.

YOURS AND HIS,

GERALD D. BO^N and FAMILY

Serving the Independent Christian Churches Since 1950

Western Mexico Christian Mission(Mailing Address) >1958 N. Viltarreal St, APARTADO POSTAL No. 350 Telephone ,,

Director HERMOSILLO, SONORA, MEXICO Co-Director 'Dr. Gerald D. Bowlin Mrs. Geneva S. BowIIn

Native Churches-Evangelism OC t.-NOV.-De C 1975>EC 1 5 1975

Dear Friends of MexicotThank you for being gener'vus with your offerings fm-.. .

the baptstry in La Mesa. It is still at a stop-and-go affair. "StoiD"making adobe to burn because of rains-"go" make adobe, "stop" trriix the old truck to hauj. woo,d and water to make more adobe andburn the ones already made. "Stop" because there is no cement tooe had in all of Hermcsillo-even with the cement mountain right inthe middle of/everything: We hope to have it finished this month,we are thrilled that those who have made it known they are ready tobe baptized have not changed their minds!

Gerry told you in his last letter about Veva being inSchool, Well, when we had the Mexican equivalent

of a PTA meeting, Gerry was elected president and I was chosen as "treasurer and to keep it all in the neighborh'^od, the secretaryliyes up the street and the assistant treasurer lives closer. Of 6officers, 4 live within a one block radius. We enjoy woirking withthe beginning of things> so this new school is just anotherbeginning for us.

r ^ Principal was sent up here from* Merida, Yucatan,f America) to start a school. He arrived one afternoon,and the next afternoon started enrolling students.-The building is

a borrowed grammar school (mornings only). He even had to b,or?owenrollment forms tn enroll the students. Had to put out word via

that there was to be a high school on the north side oftown... When Mexico decides to do something, they do itNo planning,no ppperation, or even thinking about it--they decide it is neededso they start,,..NOW!

Mexico is changing in our area, guess it is known asprogress. ^The Catholic church is Icsiing its hold on the people,and sad as it is, most of them are not becoming Christians--theyare growing away from religion per se, The they are inquisitive,they want to know about "our" religion. Pray for us and the nativesthat they may awake to the need of becoming a true Child of Gd andpray for us as we labor here in our chcsen field. Continue toremember us with your tithes and offerings, and COMB TO SEE US-. . y

_ _ _ , . Geneva.P.S. Fer you who are inter^ted in remembering our children atChristmas. Please make^ynur gifts "en efectivo"as we say here (money),as they need clothespants, shirts, material for blouses and skirtscost about the same here as in the U.S. Thank you and may 0drichly bless each of you as ycu serve Him. GSB.

3-*""

We Pray

SEASONS GREETINGS

''|L-c5:5=^^*'>..s"'''~":.'i)l

THAT

WE may all be thankful at THANKSGIVING

for the Gift of His Son "C

WE may each honor God in the NEW YEAR.

WESTERN IvEXICO CHRISTIAN MISSIONApdo Postal 350

Hermosillo, Sonora;MEXICO

Rsax^ OiqTi* Hleele# Swr*AitMi w. S, KeGUwgrBox 177XOG^toO* IB