November Update

We trust you are well today. We are blessed—can’t believe it is already November. A lot has happened since our last report. We want to mention a few things for your prayers and thanksgiving.

Family News

The school year seems to be going well for the girls. Morgan and Natali are in their second year on the Lincoln School girls’ volleyball team—they recently won their 1st game (I mean their first game in these 2 years!). Needless to say it was a day of great celebration. Ceci is also doing well—she loves school and is learning so much! She has several friends among our neighbors. She also swims twice each week and can now swim the entire length of the pool without help. We are thankful to God for our girls. We pray for their ongoing health and spiritual formation.

Chadd’s mom, Sandra Schroeder came for a visit a couple of weeks ago. We had a great time—even took a couple of days to travel to the nearby state of Michoacan. We thank God for supportive family!

Churches

We thank God for his obvious work among the churches lately. The group in La Piedad seems to have come through a crisis and is doing well again. God has obviously shown his power in delivering Martin and his family from the bondage of addictions again (Thanks for prayers—answered prayers!). They seem to be stronger than ever—committed to the Lord and to one another in a deeper way. They especially desire to minister to children and youth around them…are seeking for their home to be a “safe place” for children who suffer at the hands of their parents who are addicts. Please pray for ongoing transformation in the life of this group of people. Pray for more workers from the harvest around them. Pray for the children and youth around them who have not yet chosen drugs and alcohol. Nancy is working with Martin and Rosa to plan a “kids’ weekend” on November 17-18. We are excited about what God might do during this time. We are also excited about the idea of helping the house churches reach out in simple ways to the kids living around them. Please pray for this time.

We are also thankful to God for his work among the church in Jocotan. Jose Julian and his wife Liliana decided to be immersed into Christ a couple of Sundays ago. Members from a couple of the other churches accompanied them to a waterfall outside of the city for a special time of celebration and sharing of life as they took this new step. Please pray for this couple and the community of faith that is growing deeper and larger in Jocotan.

Missionary Retreat

Missionaries from several of the cities in Mexico are traveling this week to Zihuatenjeo for our annual Mexico Missionary Retreat. Several of our families from Guadalajara will be joining missionaries who work in cities such as Cuernavaca, Mexico City, Morelia, Leon, and Lazaro Cardenas. We expect that it will be a good time for fellowship and renewal. Please pray for travel safety—and for the time we spend together.

Upcoming Partners’ Meeting

Finally, we are praying for the upcoming Guadalajara Multiple Church Planting Project Partners’ Meeting which will take place the weekend of February 8-11, 2008. The theme of this event will be Discovering the Story of God’s Kingdom in Guadalajara. We are praying that it will be a useful time to consider and celebrate our partnership in God’s mission. We pray that God will prepare us for this time together. We pray that there will be a good representation from our supporters.

Also – You are invited to participate with us in this event. The following are some of the specific details that need your attention if you are interested:

Some details we can pass on to you now:

• The cost for the meeting will be $125 USD per person. This will include 6 meals (Friday night through Sunday lunch), transportation, coffee and snacks, printed material, conference room, etc. It does not include hotel rooms, souvenirs and meals after Sunday lunch.
• Like the last couple of meetings, housing and group meetings will take place at the Hotel Posada Guadalajara. Rooms with 2 double beds are available for $50 USD per night. The cost is the same for 1-4 people. Your specific cost will depend on how many people you want in your room.
• We plan for the meetings to begin on Friday evening at 6:00 pm. Arrival time would need to be in the early afternoon on Friday (or earlier). We will plan a “wrap-up” session on Sunday evening followed by a trip to the Tlaquepaque market on Monday morning. Preferably, we would request that you postpone your departure until Monday afternoon. For those who must leave on Sunday, the latest Sunday flight would work but you would miss the evening wrap-up and the time together on Monday. Of course, we would welcome you to arrive a few days early or stay a few days later as well!
• We would like to hear from you as soon as possible if you are planning to attend. Please let us know two things. Who is planning to come? How many hotel rooms will you need? This news ASAP will help us in our planning.
• We also ask that by January 15, 2008 you send $125 per person to our team account. The address is: Amherst Church of Christ, 106 West 8th Street, Amherst, Texas, 79312. Please make checks payable to “Amherst Church of Christ” and mark “Partners’ Meeting.” These funds will allow us to make the final plans for the weekend.
  
  
  I’ll stop now. As always, we thank God for your partnership in our life and mission.
  
  Praying to the Lord of the Harvest,
  
  Chadd, Nancy, Morgan, Natali and Ceci Schroeder