April 3, 2006 --
Hello to you all! The old saying is “April Showers Bring May Flowers”, but we have yet to see a rain cloud! Some days we can see glimpses of what the summer will be like, but for the most part the weather here has been beautiful. We feel like we’re beginning to acclimate a bit, because some nights we even feel a little cold…sort of.
Photo: Airplane over Las Glorias
The photo, Airplane over Las Glorias, was taken last Sunday afternoon. In it you’ll see two of our neighbors. The first neighbor hired a band called “Los Rebellos” who played really neat Mariachi music for the first part of the evening. The music deteriorated as the band members drank and by midnight, we were ready for the music to fade! People were passing out fliers to notify people that the “Spring Break Riot -- Las Glorias 2006” would be held next week with many different bands playing throughout the days. Oh boy.
The second neighbor in this picture was “attacked” by our dog, Maggie, as he rode his bicycle past our house one night a couple of weeks ago. (You have to know Maggie to know how funny that really is!) Esteban was here when the man, who was very drunk, rode past and started throwing rocks at the dogs. Esteban said the man was “loco” and told us that once this man had flown his airplane over to Cabo san Lucas, landed in town, ordered a Coke, flew back to Las Glorias and landed on the beach. He had lost his license for several years because of that. Apparently he has his license back, but judging by where his plane is in relationship to the power lines, I don’t think he’ll have it for long! He spent all afternoon Sunday swooping over our house. He got close enough for us to feel the wind off his wings as we stood on our balcony. He flew off when a Transito (police car) chased after him honking his horn.
Everyone here is in the throes of preparing for Semana Santa. The words translated to English are Holy Week, but the meaning just doesn’t seem to translate. The only thing I can think of to compare the atmosphere to is the county fair, but even that doesn’t catch the whole feel of the city. People have been trickling in for the past few weeks, workers have been busily tidying up and our friend Esteban has been kept very busy by his patrones (bosses) doing all the little things they need done for their week in their beach houses.
The city workers are very busy, too. All week trucks have been hauling in rock and dirt to level roads and fill in potholes -- and hopefully cut down on dust. A water truck has been driving up and down spraying the roads a couple of times a day. That is really nice. Wish the roads would stay damp, because the dust is unbelievable! City water has been a lot more reliable the past week or so, too. Good for us, but not so good for the neighboring village of Boca del Rio. From talking to some people there yesterday, I found out that during Semana Santa, water is diverted to Las Glorias and very little makes it to Boca.
The church in Guasave has been invited to come out here Friday and Saturday nights for praise and worship. So far about 15 people have said that they will be coming. Some will stay with the Petit family and some will stay here. We’ve been told that from about Wednesday until Sunday it will be nearly impossible to get out of Las Glorias by car. Sounds like the mission field is, indeed, coming to our door!
------ Fast Forward ------
I got busy and wasn’t able to finish this letter last week, so now here we are on Thursday, April 14 -- right in the middle of Semana Santa. Blessed passover to you!
Semana Santa begins “officially” on Wednesday, April 13. Many businesses close Thursday and don’t reopen until Monday so their employees can go celebrate at the beach. People come to Las Glorias from as far away as Vera Cruz and Oaxaca simply because it’s “the thing to do’. Booths and vendors line the side streets and Coca Cola stands and beer gardens line the boulevard. The traffic is non-stop and we've been told it will only increase as the weekend wears on. I’ve never seen anything quite like it!
People from the church in Guasave, Coloradito and Alomito will be arriving tomorrow morning to stay for the weekend. They plan to leave Guasave at about 5 in the morning and arrive here by 7a.m. It’s only about a 30 minute drive normally, but they expect the traffic to be terrible. While they are here, we will be having prayer for Las Glorias for several hours in the morning. Then during the afternoon a couple of bands will be playing Christian music from our roof while we pass out tracts and talk to people on the boulevard. Later in the evening, we will be showing movies from the roof, also. We were thinking of showing “family films” (Veggie Tales?) to start with and then possibly the visual Bible and later, after the children go to bed, “The Passion of the Christ”. All plans subject to change!
--- I just read a great letter from our dear friend David, who was here for two months and is now back in Roseburg OR. I have to add this verse he sent us: "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops." Matt 10:27 Some scripture was intended to be taken literally!!! ---
Today we spoke to a man from Puebla, which is somewhere near Mexico City. He was selling hats in the boulevard and stopped to show his hats to Sarah and Doug. He said he spoke 3 different dialects and was learning English. He and I spent a few minutes conjugating verbs and swapping nouns. Doug and Sarah each bought a hat from him. He is a Christian and said he has been coming to Las Glorias for Semana Santa for the past 10 years.
On a more serious note, please pray for the family of a three year old girl who was killed this morning on the beach. She was run down by a pickup truck. Apparently the driver of the truck was drunk and didn’t intend on stopping. He was stopped by a man we know who blocked the truck with his horse. He was then arrested by the police. We’re praying for God to work in this situation and comfort the families involved. As we all know, God often uses tragedies and crises to draw people to himself.
I’ll close this letter with some prayer requests and a promise to write more and send more photos after the weekend. We earnestly covet your prayers!!!
Pray for:
- Safe travels for the brothers and sisters coming here for the weekend.
- Protection for the children (ours and other's) on the beach and the streets here.
- That the true message of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection would be proclaimed and that many would have lives changed by that message!
- Continued health for our family…we seem to still be dealing with stomach issues, but it does seem to be improving.
- Rest for our family and for our guests -- the boulevard hasn’t quieted down before 2 a.m. yet this week…and it starts back up about 6:30.
God bless you all in the name of our awesome and RISEN Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
Doug and Rebecca Coult and the kiddos!
Embrace the Vision...the Journey...the Christ!
