^SEMlVAilj

THE

Geneva S* Bowlin'A'estem Mexico Christian MissionApdo Postal 350Heraosillo, Sonorat MEXICO

30WL/N ALLEYMarch- May 1976

Dear Friends of Mexico:Thank you for remembering us in your prayers and with your

gifts* , We praise God for each of you.Christmas has com^^and gone, and so has New Years, first

semester exams and Easter, now it is time to think about final exams,and vacation, vacation meanii' vacation Bible Schools and hotterweather and we hope summer rains.

Easter here'in Mexico is all excitement before ResurrectionSunday. About noon on Saturday Judas is burned in effigy and themoney collected by the "fariseos" during the Lenton Season is spenton liquor and there ends Easter. We Christians have a traditionalSunrise Service; all in the past few years were held in La Mesa,Coffee and sweet rolls are served after the service. We saw quite afew new faces this year and I didn't dare ask who they were as everyonein La Mesa knows us, even if we did'nt recognize them! A wonderfulservice was enjoyed by all.

Kathy wrote: "we, (another couple, Dale and I) took a 3 <iaytrip to Munich, and on our way home we -went by Salzburg where wetook the "Sound of Music" tour that covers about 60 miles that wasmade to look like it was all together.: Can you imagine our delightwhen v/e learned that "Sound of Music" was showing here in Hermosillo?I had seen it years ago, but Gerry and the children hadn't. We allenjoyed it very much! Even tho Kathy and Dale are about 3OO milesfrom Salzburg, it still gave us an idea what the country was likeand the people too, to some extent. Kathy says that the mountainsand snow are a lot different from the desert where she was raised,and she is LEARNING to wear a lot of warm clothes.•.and BOOTS'

Our Pancho was 1? on Feb. 1^. He asked for a hamburgerparty for his friends. That was easy, but the problem is, once they^•edt my hamburgers, they don't like the ones at the "Happy Boy" down-the street! (I am not bragging, the 'bought' hamburgers are nothamburgers as we know themT. I only made 48 hamburgers! That withhis birthdav cake and sodas, was his party. ;-

We had the pleasure of having Dave and Eleanor Reynoldsfrom Eugene, Oregon, and Dave's sister Elsie Daly here with us fora few days. Dave is a contractor—and while he was here he put my^kitchen sink back in place. It was about to fall down. I bless himevery time I use the sink!

Then on March 25th our Veva was 15, the all important blrthwday for a girl. She decided she wanted a bicycle in place of a bigbirthday party, so one has been asked for aua waiting to be brought ^down from Tucson. Our lawyer and his wife gave her a party, so she

3s^s-.

* i • i, .

.!.•» - •: ^ •< . ! "• N .« / . • V"' V 1 • f »/ ••

•

..••i •• -•' 'had a party after all. I made her cake, she had asked for a Big one^ .decorated with natural flowers. It was beautiful and she was happy.

Since I, (Geneva) am the planning committee of one forVacation Bible School, I have been asking myself "What am I going todo NOW?" A couple years ago we collected squatty beer bottles fromthe Motel up the street, cleaned them up and the youngsters stuckbits of colored paper all over them to make flower vases for Mama,They asked last year if we were going to "Evangelize beer bottles"again?!J I promised that for tHs year, so I have one hand-workproject, all I need are ^ more,..so if you have an idea I can use,,please, share it, Vacation Bible School ^'il^»start about the 5th ofJuly .here.

Last year, after VBS in La Mesa/we -teeld a school in a newvillage, I packed 8 young people plus me, in our 65 Dodge Coronetand drove about 20 miles to La Mesa, There we picked up severalmore and drove about 2 miles to the next village in Jes'^s Amaya*smother's old pick up truck. As the truck rattled and clanged intothe village the kids started popping out of the houses all over thevillage, soon followed by the adults (even the ball game stopped!)and by the time we were ready to start there were from 90 to 120kids, plus a ring of adult men sitting on the hard packed dirt a fewpaces past the last bench and the women were lined up along the wallof the house. No one wanted VBS to end, and one young fellow thatwent with us evegr night from here wanted to know if there wasnHanother village that would invite us to hold a VBS for them,,.andhe not yet a Christian!

Jes'^is Amaya taught the lesson to all,then the youngpeople each had a group of 12 to I5 each night for hand work, etc,

Gerry would like to dedicate more time to evangelizationof the upper-middle and professional people, but to do this we musthave a resident minister for the Colonia Olivares (Westside) Church,It has a"parEQnage" occupied by the caretaker who built it abrick at a time. Now comes the hitchi We promised him we wouldrecompense him, equal value, when we needed the "parsonage". Thecity has lots for .sale for about $500, dollars, JesSs Amaya, ourLa Mesa village minister estimates he can build a k room burnt-adobehouse on such a lot for about $2,000 dollars*, a total of $2,500dollars. — 25 friends of Mexico who would pledge $100, dollarseach would take this burden off Gerry's shoulders, let us keep ourword to our care taker, Bro Rico, and let us call a * "minister forColonia Olivares, Please prayerfully consider this for Christ'ssake and for His Kingdom, Thank you,,.

Gerry and I are both active in Veva's High School P.T.A#Before Christmas we stored here on our back porch the stuff collectedfjr a giant "garage sale". The sale was quite successful and wewere able to send several boxes of good useddothing to the Guatemalansafter the earth quake down there, (Southern border of Mexico),

The buildings for the new school are begining to lookinteresting, (This past year classes were held in a borrowed primaryschool building) The walls are up on two,two story units and the

concrete floors are being poured# The Government Agency has promisedthat the buildings will be finished by August 20# Next school yearthere will be 1st and 2nd year High School classes with typing anddressmaking for the girls and Auto shop for the boys#

In the 20 plus years we have lived here in Hermosillo wehave helped build a Kindergardens a Primary Schools and now aSecondary (High)school . We have learned by experience that when youlive v.dth the people and not just among them, you get involved intheir activities, their joys: their sorrows and their problems# Wehave been told more than onc^t>i ^ou may have been born Americans,but you are one of us now#"

In our last lettez^J • asked for garden seed# Tue responsehas been wonderful,^tho we have NOT received too many seeds# (Keepsending them please)# I wish you could have seen the face of the onewho actually gave me the idea of asking you for help for the countrypeople with their gardensc I dumped the box of seed out on the tablein front of him# He began sorting thru the bundles, and when hestopped sputtering, he said:.##"Well, I never expected anything likethisi I expected three or four packages of seed." He is beginning toenlarge his garden. Seed are duty free so can be sent regular maildirectly to us here in Mexico in shoe box size packages# Ask forCustom Form # 2976 at the Post Office, mark contents "Garden Seed###gift, not for resale" and value "None"c,Our fall plnting season willinclude:asparagus beets broccoliBrussel sprouts cabbage carroteauliflour Chineese cabbage celerychives collards cucumberegg plant endive herbskale leeks lettucemustard onion parsleyparsnips peas peppersradish rutababa spinachSv/iss chard tomato turnip

Seed have been sent to three different villagesalready, and some plants are beginning to look very interesting.

Thank you again for your interest in us here in WesternMexico and for your prayers and for your gifts^ We ask that God wiilrichly bless each of you as you serve Him,

Yours in Him,

Geneva S. Bowlin

Over for P#S. (please)##

PcS.

If you di{3n't receive our 1975 Annual Report (sent inplace of our Jan-Febp letter)i or need more copies for distributiontplease let us know.

No response yet to Gerry's appeal for two public addresssystems and sponsors for a 15 minute per week radio program ($20/week).nor to my appeal for an old model 360"Gestetner"duplicator...Please help us.

I must say "thanks a million" tp. D^ve and Eleanor Reynoldsfor a new Olivetti Lexikon 82 Typewriter.,,n6t only did they giveit to me, but they delivered it.. It is a .beauty..Thanks again.

•G^

Please send your offerings to:Western Mexico Christian MissionD.M. Sickafoose, Forwarding Agent9840 N 5th Ave.PHOENIX, ARIZONA, 85021

WESTERN MEXICO CHRISTIAN MISSIONApdo Postal 350Hermosillo, Sonora,MEXICO

Mission ServiceBox 177Kempton, IH

460it9

jtvry and Geneva

and

From CHii* Forwarding

Agents too,...

Donna and (Mrs) Marie, Sickafoose

9BhO N. 5th Ave.Phoenix, Ari«. 85021

r^n^lRY CHRISTMA

•MAFPY L'rrj YFJ^i

FROF T!

^;;0

nora, r^KXICO

"GO TELL IT ON TIIE MOUNTAIN THAT JESUS CHRIST IS BORN."V

biographical sketchGERALD AND GENEVA 80WIIM

"We have long advocated the propriety yes theua^^vTnt. Christians, then gradthat crt t? mission work sothat someday they will be able to manage the workof evangelism in their own country."

and Geneva Bowlin have spent all butDhiln^nnh together implementing thisphMosophy for evangelizing in Mexico. Theirchoice to serve God In Mexico was a natural onecLnfnrnia '̂®?®"^ southem'thJm th '̂ explained. "I learned to loveth^, their ways, and their language."

-—Gerald David"fiovvlin wa^born Sfflaft •? tQ^i inThermal California. He studied a^it TheoThen^L» ??' '̂ "9®'®' years.Then he went to Mexico as amissionary and therebewme interested in the church ofChrist.

Bowlin was born jaly 10HncnitI? I^h ^i '̂j.^oma, and attended AngelulDUmPd ^ Angeles. ShepUmed to work in aSouth American hospital be-mwnrH her interest104^ th on July 20,1945, they both studied at Pacific Christian College in Long Beach, California.

in p"a then at Colegio Biblicothp <;nfl • heard ofGerry's command ofioin th "'f« S°^hns were Invited tobnnW • • ^^"9ht school and translated/ H utilities, and $25 a week(when the school could pay it!) in exchange. Twoyears later, Gerald and Geneva answered the pleaof a Mexican preacher tocome to western Mexico.They moved to IMogales, Arizona, and began theWestern Mexico Christian Mission. Mexican Bible

in this Mexican border

m"" they could^ake evangeHsthr—trips into Mexico to convert and teach the people"^'"'Stry came in October,

ci^no' ^hen Gerald became the first American missionary of the churches of Christ to be granted apermanent visa by the Mexican government. Theywarn then able to move the school and their familyto Hermosillo, Sonora. 185 miles south of Nogales.Aether milestone came five years later when thefamily was granted permanent residence, withnearly all the rights and privileges of a Mexican citi-Z6n.

®''''® Seminary was operated by Mexi-.*''® ®®'''y 19®0'5- Gerald nowrealizes that his vision of having young Mexican

^he school was a generation be-

ityire hecan now re-v/i«fn® building on histiito bounding such institutions as the "Insti-tuto Biblico Nacional .

Bowlins had not been in Hermosillo very longwtrt!"® hegan to put her nurse's training to

yard becamemakeshift treatment centers. Each patient receiveda book containing the Gospel of Luke along withtte medical care. The Bowlins have estimated thatperhaps one third of the church members in Her-mosillo came as a result of this medical-literatureprogram.

n Bowlin have six children.Robert David (May 13, 1947) is now married- heand twa daughters nvelrT l^o:

nffo 7A (October 27, 1949) is married touale 9"hson; they are members of the TorontoChristian Mission team in Austria. The other fourBowlin children were adopted. Oscar (1945) and

son live in Hermosillo as

K /c u Their other three -Fran-cisco (February 14 1959). Geneva (March 25,18b 1), and Elizabeth (November 6, 1961) - arehigh school students.

The Bowlins summarized their work in the following way. Churches have been establishedbuildings built among the working class, and someMexican nationals have been taught to carry onInH"" vd5 in western Mexico. Basic BibleK^f y - n^aterials, tracts, and booklets have

^2? ''®P''cc<"ced. Many an injection,gucose I.V., and pint of blood have been givenalong with the Scriptures, to rich and poor alike'often mthe Bowlin living room. Missionaries and?;! T ' Ir^- opened other newfields in Mexico, but opportunities for new mi.s-sionanes remain.

The Bowlins' effectiveness for Christ in Mexico_^i^e partly attri^ted„tQ_their-acceptinQ^ the

Richard Mills,after visiting their field, gave the following tribute!♦H ^cjld Bowlin is not considered a foreigner bythese Mexican peopie. They say, 'He is not anAmerican. He is a Mexican!' In fact he has soidentified himself with them as aservant of Christmknowledge of their ways and language, and inhfm'̂ concern, that they think ofusuallv patron A patron in Mexico isusually that aged patriarch or matriarch of the vil-age who is looked to for advice and counsel forleaderthip and authority. Gerald Bowlin' hasthem J -'̂ ri-'-If them, in his devotion toSav^r Hp h'' v! u- ^ Pe'-sonai

nTfoidgnerr"''''

At/dnMS; Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Bowfin, ApdoPostal 350, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

Page 6 (P2b) EDfil2DffS October 1976