Shola! News and prayer points from the Sholls

Peter and Sarah Sholl with Karina, Lucy and Miriam
In Monterrey, Mexico

An Easter road trip
During the Easter week we made a 2000km round trip to Guadalajara for VIVE09, a once-every-four-years mission conference run by the Mexican student group COMPA. It was a great way to meet some COMPA students and staff and see how they do things. We also met several people from around Latin America who are interested in further study using the Moore courses. We got to see some of the Mexican countryside and enjoyed the huge open spaces, mountains and cacti.

We went to several Catholic cathedrals during our trip. In Guadalajara and Zacatecas, the cathedrals were packed with people doing their Santa Semaña (Holy Week) business - long prayers to saints, queues for confession and extra petitions. However, we were surprised to find that the ‘big day’ is Friday, not Sunday. On Friday there were huge processions and masses requiring crowd control etc., while on Sunday it was very quiet. On Easter Sunday we went to the Catholic cathedral in Monterrey to see what was on. We found things running like any other Sunday. Perhaps this reflects the dominant focus here on a dead or suffering Jesus, rather than a risen, ruling Jesus. We’ve also noticed this emphasis in the art that decorated the cathedrals. We have much to rejoice in following our living Lord.

In brief
๏ Our house is great - light and spacious, and it will suit our family needs well. We’ve bought furniture and are well on the way to getting ourselves set up.
๏ Our car is comfortable and a great blessing.
๏ The girls have started well at school and are making friends and slowly picking up Spanish.
๏ Pete has completed a one-month Spanish intensive and Sarah has been working steadily
with a language helper. Both were due to start a new course yesterday, but due to the outbreak of swine flu, all schools in Mexico are closed for two weeks.
๏ Our boxes from Australia have arrived and most have been unpacked. The library is brilliant!

Please pray
๏ Thanks for the celebration of Miriam’s birthday with friends.
๏ Thanks for a safe and productive trip to Guadalajara, and for the enjoyment we got from time with people and exploring some of Mexico.
๏ Thanks that we are comfortable in our home and feeling quite settled in Monterrey.
๏ Thanks that we feel we have made some progress in Spanish, but pray for more.
๏ Pray that we would be feeding ourselves from the Bible.
๏ Pray that we will manage as the weather begins to get very hot.
๏ Pray that we’ll continue to learn more about Mexican culture and how to love people well.
๏ Pray for the authorities and people as they deal with the outbreak of swine flu.

Bible verse
“You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.” (Mark 16:6, NIV)

Check out the Sholls' blog.