Stu and Megu in Peru

Cell group restart at Woodshop

2012-02-11T21:36:00.001-06:00

Recent photos

2012-01-12T10:50:00.001-06:00

This week a team is visiting from RUF at Virginia Tech. They are doing a construction project at a local church plant.

Also Sam is being silly trying to learn how to make a face he learned from his Uncle Andy.

And a few shots from the Woodshop.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T15:22:00.001-06:00

We are getting ready for a little New Year's Eve celebration here at our house tonight. I pray it will be a good time of celebration and rejoicing in another year in the life God has given us in Jesus Christ our Savior.

I recently received prayer requests from some of our supporting churches and thought maybe some of you would also like to hear how to be praying for us in the new year. Our prayer list is as follows:

Mills Family

We are returning to the States in late May 2012 as we complete the 2 years that we originally committed. Our plan is to continue raising support to return to Peru for long-term service early 2013. Our goal is to raise $50,000 dollars in one-time support and another additional $1,000 dollars a month of monthly support to be able to return to the field in 2013.

Economic Development: Parish Woodshop

For ministry expenses for the Woodshop: our operation costs are currently at zero. After the transition to close the initial shop and help several carpenters get established on their own self-sustaining business, I am presently guiding and discipling these carpenters. We are selling their products on our website, www.parishfurniture.com. Please pray for growth in marketing and sales for this website to continue providing work for the carpenters as well as their sales in the local furniture market.

For our plans of having a training facility we are regrouping and developing long-term future plans. These plans include establishing a training center with a kiln and sufficient space for carpenters. With my returning to the states in May 2012 we plan to develop this more thoroughly and work towards making progress in 2013 after we return to Peru. A rough idea of what this may cost is $150,000 dollars but these plans are still pending and mostly a prayer request for wisdom and guidance.

Medical Ministry: Arevalo Hospital

A more urgent need is that presently our mission is working on a capital campaign for building a hospital in one poor neighborhood that we work with. You can find out more about this and download a brochure at, http://www.perumission.org/arevalo/. Please consider this opportunity to work with our medical ministry in Peru.

Spiritual Growth and Discipleship

Prayer for the spiritual growth and development of many people we work with as well as for our own family.

Pray for God to raise up a leader for the church small group that meets at the Woodshop. Several men show a lot of promise but are not yet demonstrating enough leadership to lead the small group.

(To be able to give details for prayer without invading privacy I will change the names of the individuals I am about to mention.)

Jim and Jon recently developed a business with Parish Woodshop lending them use of our tools. Pray for their business to make a profit and be able to hire more people to reach out and grow.

Pray for Jon and his wife as they work through marriage counseling and grow in grace as young Christians. Also pray for their baby boy due in March!

Frank is a member of the church and a carpenter but is independent from the Woodshop. The week before Christmas he broke his arm and lost a lot of money in medical expenses. He also has had a long-term struggle in fulfilling responsibilities and paying debts. Pray for the Spirit to heal him completely as he also heals his arm. Also pray for his family as he and his wife are going through marriage counseling and growing as young Christians.

Chris is an English student working at the Woodshop part-time and recently had a return to Jesus conversation after being awakened by sin confrontation

Jeff is another young English student who also worked part-time at the Woodshop for only a short while but is showing more promise as a bible student and possible leader. He is involved with the cell group and bible studies and is very eager to learn more and help in teaching as he learns enough.

Mike is a former Woodshop worker who is a member of a sister church. He is engaged to get married with a baby boy on the way. He recently went through discipline in his church and demonstrates true repentance. Pray for him and his future family and decisions for work and living situation, as he needs to make more money to provide for his family.

Peter is another man who is not a woodworker but attends a bible study that I have been teaching and shows a lot of interest in learning more and growing in Christ. He is very steeped in the catholic church and seems to be studying what we teach in Reformed theology openly and seeking to understand. Pray for the Spirit to work through the Word to give him understanding of the Truth.

Children Christmas presentation

2011-12-18T19:04:00.001-06:00

2011-12-13T22:04:00.001-06:00

Busy at work

2011-12-09T10:10:00.001-06:00

Some of the guys in the Woodshop

Meg's Caja Feliz (happy box)

2011-11-16T15:37:00.001-06:00

Here are photos of a jewelry box made for and designed by Meg. It was a belated anniversary and birthday present to her. It is a combination of Black Palm and a wood called Shihuahuaco (a relative of Ipe).

As far as how our life is going in Peru: We are staying busy with life chasing after two crazy toddlers and loving on our friends here in Trujillo. Each day we are amazed by God's grace in our lives and working through us in others. It seems there have been many challenges brought into the lives of many we work with and it is good to see God speaking into lives through His Word as we attempt to communicate the gospel through counsel, bible study and just passing time with them.

New Video for Peru Mission

2011-11-10T15:00:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Nate Henderson, we have a trailer that gives a bit of an overview of the work we do here in Peru.

October Update

2011-10-15T15:05:00.000-05:00

A link to our latest update on life here in Peru for the Mills

Accordance Bible Software

2011-09-20T22:33:00.001-05:00

Accordance is giving away a free Macbook Air!

Back in Trujillo!

2011-08-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

View our latest newsletter online here.

July Update

2011-07-19T07:49:00.000-05:00

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,” Philippians 1:27

We have decided to return to Peru August 1. The more we think and pray it seems that there are many good reasons for either decision. It seems the main reason to stay is that if we don't have enough money to finish our term, but praise the Lord we just have enough to get us through May 2012. We pray the Lord will provide more support throughout the year to make sure we are okay. If He is laying it on your heart to support us you can give here. The other important factor came down to what is best for our family and it looks like it would be best for our family if we return, finish our term and prepare for being in the States for long-term support raising.
The verse above gives me great comfort as we are torn between Peru and the U.S. It is our prayer that we all are united in one spirit striving together for the faith of the gospel of Christ. This month we are busy visiting many of our supporting churches to report on this striving for the faith of the gospel before we return to Peru August 1. We hope to see many of you while we are visiting.

As we endeavor to proclaim the glory of Christ through the Scriptures, we rejoice to see it take fruit in many lives. There are several men who have been blessed tremendously by your support and the ministry of the Parish Furniture project. Javier and Norvil are busy working as their business is growing. I am encouraged to see their heart for evangelism demonstrated as they make plans for their work. They are thinking with a Kingdom perspective of reaching the lost for Christ and/or helping church members as they hire helpers. A few members of our churches are also working with them helping them or renting shop space. In addition there are two new students from the University Ministry that are working part time in the shop and coming to the Bible studies. They have included a neighboring family into the church small group community. I am excited to see this ministry becoming an incubator for economic and leadership development in the church. The fruit of your donations to help start Parish Furniture is that many lives are being changed and community leaders are being developed.

If you recall, three carpenters left to work independently. Alfonso is working out of town doing a restoration job for one year but we still keep up with him when he comes back to visit. Geronimo is also growing his business and stops by to visit when he is in town. Please pray for Marden as he went back to work for a former employer in the jungle. We are sad to say goodbye to our two interns from the States, Tyler Jones and Seth Covington who completed their terms and went back home the end of May.

We continue to work on developing the business of exporting furniture to the U.S. We recently shipped 11 pallets to Louisiana and Tennessee. My father, when he visited us last fall, ordered a sample of each item we were working on with plans to help with sales. These items will be on display in Zachary as samples for future orders from anyone interested in supporting this work and owning fabulous furniture.

One of the most exciting things happening with the ministry is the growth of the small group that meets at the wood shop. This small group is one of many formed with the downtown church plant, Cristo Rey. Their main focus is to cultivate community and facilitate the mission of the Kingdom of God. We often have around a dozen people and there are several leaders in training in our group.

Megumi and the children are doing well and enjoying time with family and friends. We miss our friends in Peru and look forward to getting back in August. Please pray for us as we search for a new house to live in. We will have 10 months left before our term ends and we come back to the States to raise long-term support to continue working with Peru Mission.

in the joy of resting in Christ,

Stuart Mills (for Megumi, Satomi and Samuel)

Big Decision and Prayer request

2011-07-09T10:52:00.002-05:00

Now that we are in the States after my father's funeral. We are faced with a big decision.

Our original schedule is to return to Peru August 1st. However, it has been suggested that we consider changing our plans to stay and raise our long-term support now since we are already here in the States. This is because our original plan would have been to return next spring or summer to raise support to return for long-term (four years). We are torn over the issue. There are many reasons to stay now but there are also many other reasons to continue the plan and come back next May. If we return we could finish our plan of 2 years and wrap up our work in Peru and prepare more for coming back to raise long-term support. If we stay, we would be here to help my family and we would save money on the return trip as well as not having to set up a new home for less than 1 year. We could spend this time raising support and preparing for our long-term ministry in Peru for the next four years. My work with the Parish project is actually at a transition point and the carpenters would be okay if I were to stay, however I would prefer to have more time with them before leaving for a longer period of time. Staying, we would also decrease our stress of moving again within a year. Right now, Meg and I are leaning much more toward returning to Peru and having more time to prepare for being in the States long-term. We are also torn over this for thinking of being able to be here to help my family more during this tough time. If we decide to stay we would have plenty of opportunities to schedule reports on the work. If we return to Peru August 1st there is very little time and every Sunday is already tied up with us visiting surrounding churches. Right now we would love to prepare for leaving and squeeze in every opportunity to share as if we are leaving Aug. 1st. That way if we decide to return we are ready and if we decide to stay then we have a jump start on our work.

Difficult Times

2011-06-30T15:33:00.000-05:00

It has been way to long since our last post. We are actually back in the States at the moment. We are in Louisiana. We had to come back on an emergency trip because my father's battle with cancer took a turn for the worse. He passed away last Saturday and is now enjoying a more perfect and full union with Jesus.
I hope to post more fully with an update about our life and work in Peru soon.

First I want to mention about my cousin Wil Mills and ask for prayer for him and his family. You can read about his battle on caringbridge here.
Things have turned very bad for him within the last few days. Also his father, Wilmer Mills was diagnosed with prostate cancer just after we got back to the States. He will be scheduling surgery to remove his prostate after the dust clears from helping Wil and his family.

Also my aunt, Kathleen Davis (my dad's sister) is still waiting on an surgery to remove part of her liver and bile duct to get rid of cancer in her.

It is crazy how so much cancer is ravaging my family these days. However, my grandparents are in their 90's and still plugging away.
trusting in a good and sovereign God who we may not always understand,
Stuart

Growing Community

2011-03-29T12:29:00.001-05:00

Things are going quite well at the shop. The carpenters are busy filling a few additional orders for our shipment to the States, they are also working on a few local orders. They have so much work they are sub-contracting another carpenter, Gerver, to come in and help them with local orders. Gerver is also a member of the local church-plant, Cristo Rey. There is also another carpenter, Kelvin, who is a member at a sister church in Arevalo and hasbeen renting shop space to work on one of his jobs. Our tools and Javier and Norvil's shop are turning out to be a blessing to others. It is feeling like a busy shop with so many people around. We actually took Saturday off to go to the beach and relax a little before the summer ends. They have been working so hard they have not taken any time off the whole summer.

They have recently finished a trundle bed for a local customer, received an order for several cedar lounge chairs , a table top, and are working on a bunk bed, dresser and coffee table.
We are also in the process of looking into a kiln to be able to properly dry wood for exporting indoor furniture. This is a big step of growth for our shop. We are very excited for this opportunity and thankful for the investor who is interested in helping this project grow.

February Update

2011-02-04T15:55:00.002-06:00

   We appreciate and are very thankful to your faithful support. We have actually been in Peru for over a year now. We had a wonderful visit back to the States over Christmas and the New Year. It was very good to visit family and friends and even get to share a report at three different churches while we were in town. We are sad we were not able to visit more of you and share personally what God has been doing here in Peru but look forward to the next opportunity down the road.
   The day we arrived back in Trujillo we celebrated Meg’s birthday and not long after that we also celebrated Satomi’s 3rd birthday! We hit the ground running as soon as we got back in Peru with many things going on with the mission as well as having to find someone new to help Meg keep up the house. The day we arrived in Trujillo the lady who used to work for us, Karim, came to tell us that she had exciting news that she was pregnant but had serious complications that required her to be on bed rest. Please join us in praying for her and her baby.
What is Parish doing now?
   Since we moved out of the old shop and helped our employees start out on their own business, many people ask, “so what do you do now?” I continue pursuing the same goals of this project. I continue teaching Bible Studies every morning before work at Javier and Norvil’s shop. They are the two most promising leaders who are more or less continuing with the vision of the ministry. We are lending them the use of our equipment and they are investing all of their savings into setting up a new shop. They asked me to set up an office with them and teach bible studies and disciple them. They also want our interns to keep working with them and are excited about the opportunities of their new location creating new contacts for starting another cell group for the church. One of the most promising things about these two men is that they are interested in bringing in helpers so they can both teach them woodworking skills and teach them the gospel as they learn more from the Bible. I also visit Alfonso in his shop once a week to continue working with him in his business and discipleship. I have started visiting Gerver another carpenter who is a member of the church and also started coming to our daily morning bible studies. I meet with him to do an in depth bible study as well as help him improve his business. I have started also meeting with Lenin who was the original leader of this woodshop ministry. Lenin is a deacon in the church and does many different projects with his architectural background for the mission.
   As well as getting more involved in discipleship with these carpenters and others, I also am still working with them to help develop their business. As Parish’s goals are to train leaders in three areas; administration, technical skills, and spiritual disciplines. I am working towards helping them facilitate their business through marketing with our website. This will entail not only selling smaller items through the website but continuing to pursue the market for exporting their fine furniture. I also will be working on pursuing a location in the industrial park where land is fairly cheap right now with the hopes of setting up a future training center where we can move all of our equipment and hire the carpenters we work with to be teachers to train more people in need of a skill to work their way out of poverty. One of our major prayer requests is for the development of this training center in the future and for a good kiln to properly dry wood for exporting fine furniture.

November newsletter

2010-12-03T05:44:00.000-06:00

Our November email update can be viewed at this link. If you are interested in receiving email updates please sign up at the bottom of this newsletter.

We are excited about a visit to the States for Christmas and New Years.

The shop is in the midst of a move to a new location and a major transition.

Bible Studies at Parish

2010-11-16T10:59:00.002-06:00

Every morning at Parish before we get busy working we take time to study the Bible and pray.

Lately in our study of the Bible, we have been working through it book by book. When I first started working here we began by looking at Proverbs. Before I arrived the men worked through Ephesians and before that the Gospels. After Proverbs we decided to start making our way through different parts of the Bible to get a better background of the story and history of the Bible. We started working through Genesis and then Exodus. Our study of Exodus made for many interesting conversations on worship and how God describes in great detail how He wants the temple to be built. After Exodus we made our way through Acts and studied the beginning of the Christian Church. Following Acts we went back to pick up after Exodus in reading through Leviticus. In our journey through Leviticus this question often came up, “If God required these things to be perpetual, why don’t we continue doing them today?” In an attempt to answer this question, I decided to ask another question, “Why did the pharisees want to crucify Jesus?” Also, “Why did they want to kill Paul?” Now we are making our way through answering that question. To show the cohesiveness of scripture, we start by looking at Jeremiah 31 with the promise of the New Covenant. We sat down to listen to Jesus in his sermon on the mount where he made a point to say that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. After that we took at look at Jesus’ initiation of the Lord’s supper and claiming that his own blood was that New Covenant. We followed that up with a skim through Galatians that ended today. Galatians will prove to take much time in deep study to understand the depth of what Paul is getting in the contrast between the law and the promise. For instance, “what does it mean that we are free from the law if we are in Christ?” Before we dig in deeper through Galatians we plan to study the book of Hebrews to understand more about who Jesus was and what the Bible tells us about Him.

Happy Birthday!

2010-11-15T21:55:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Sam's birthday last week. Meg worked super hard and made it a fun party.

What's going on at the Woodshop?

2010-10-29T16:25:00.002-05:00

Two of the woodworkers with their families are included
in this group joining the church Cristo Rey.

I have been thinking and praying a lot about how this project is going. I actually have a lot of hope for it. If the goal was to simply start a big business that would export furniture and make a lot of money some people might be able to say that it is failing or has failed. But if the plan was to create a form of shaping men to be godly leaders then I think it is showing to be a huge success. I really have felt spoiled to come in here and get to manage these guys. They are the most responsible and reliable carpenters you could find in Peru. The discipleship is going great and they are growing in leaps and bounds in their understanding of scripture. It is amazing that they actually come to work thirty minutes early every day to study the bible for an hour.

Just the other day, Norvil was telling me about his future goals as I was interviewing him for the parish website blog. He said that he wants to put his own shop up in Moyobamba one day and do the same thing. He wants to teach the bible and pray before work. His wife, Flor, asked him, "What if they don't want to listen?" His first response was that he would find other workers, but then said actually he did not want to hear it at first either. He said that for a long time he did not like to have to listen to the bible before work. He even laughed at some of the other guys who he thought were just going to church out of obligation and said that if he went it would be because he wanted to worship God not because he was obligated. But, over time after hearing the Word more and more it started to grow on him. He decided to start going to church and then he started feeling bad about not being married to Flor. The Word convicted him and changed his heart so that he decided to get married and has now joined the church. Now he wants to be patient with others and teach them the Word. One of the most important things he wants to teach is that no matter how bad you have been, God can forgive you. This is what we hoped for; that these men would take this and re-create it in other places!

Now as the guys are making plans to form their own business and branch out it is my prayer that they will carry the torch and teach others that they bring in to work for them what they have learned about doing excellent woodwork to God's glory as well as studying what God's word teaches us about himself and worshipping Him.

Please pray that the Lord will continue working in their lives in shaping them to be leaders in this country. Also pray for them in finding a new location as our landlord is raising the rent, and please considering buying their products from the website to help them survive!

New email update!

2010-10-13T07:47:00.000-05:00

Peru Mission has a new email system to make it easier to send updates and for you to sign up on our mailing list. Follow the link below to see our latest update and find a link to sign up on our mailing list.

October update!

Right now we are enjoying a wonderful stay that the Baptist Mission House in Lima. We are here in Lima in order to take care of getting our visa paperwork in order. We are preparing to take the kids to the zoo and find some other things to show them in Lima.

We are also planning to visit a designer who has some of Parish furniture's products on display and show her some of our new designs.

New Website

2010-09-21T15:46:00.000-05:00

Parish Furniture is redoing its website to begin selling small items. At the moment you can see pictures and descriptions of parish as well as a blog about the shop and the guys who work there. Very soon you will be able to purchase items directly from the site.

August Update

2010-08-17T16:05:00.000-05:00

    Wow, these past several months have flown by! Things have been extremely busy with visiting teams almost every week since June and adjusting to manage things at the wood shop. I intended to write an email update once a month and a newsletter once a quarter. As I am carving out time to write an update, I realize it is already time for our newsletter and I missed a couple of months of updates. I apologize that the newsletter will have to be next month.
    First of all, I want to thank all of you for your faithful prayers and support. We have been tremendously blessed these first several months on the mission field. While there were some hard times with the children being sick, overall things have been great. We are getting more and more adjusted to life here. We were also able to go on a trip to Huaraz, Peru with our summer fellows at the end of their term. The discipleship at the wood shop has been very exciting. There have also been some exciting challenges and adjustments with the business side of things.

Praise and Prayer List:

Praise that Megumi is beginning to get more sleep now that Sam is sleeping better.
Praise that Samuel and Satomi are both growing well and adjusting to the climate.
Praise that the mission team visits went extremely well thanks to our short-term team coordinator, Alleen Mclain’s hard work!
Praise that Norvil & Flor were married July 31! Norvil is one of the woodworkers and is growing tremendously in his walk.
Pray for the growth of the men in the shop as we are walking through an overview of the Bible every morning before work for nearly 1 hour. We are currently in the middle of Exodus.
Pray for the success of gift shop sales in the States as we are gearing up to send a shipment next month and open up sales on our www.parishfurniture.com website after they have time to arrive hopefully early October!
Pray also for other hopeful opportunities in selling furniture in the States.
Praise that we have received so far 3 custom orders for local construction! This will challenge our departure date on the gift shop items but it is exciting. Pray also for continued entry into the local market as we are broadening our market in adding gift-shop items.
Pray for wisdom as we consider how to continue with Parish. We are evaluating the best timing of how long to employ our woodworkers and/or transition them into their own business where we purchase their products and continue working with them in discipleship. Pray for their development in learning how to manage business in a way that glorifies God.
Pray also for Parish as we look for another shop location to lower costs and to be ready in case the owner fulfills his hopes of selling the property.
Pray for Stuart’s father, Albert, as he continues to battle prostate cancer. His PSA levels are rising and they may discontinue chemotherapy. However, he feels great right now.
Pray for Stuart’s Aunt Kathleen who recently received news of liver cancer.
Praise that Meg’s sister is coming to visit us for two weeks!

June Update

2010-06-22T07:25:00.000-05:00

We are extremely grateful to all of you for your continued prayer and financial support. Things are very exciting and busy these days. The exciting part is getting to see God provide in miraculous ways!

Here are a few updates and prayer requests as you lift us up in prayer to our faithful provider:
1. Pray for the Lord to raise up sales and/or donations to keep the Parish wood shop going. It is out of money and the mission is graciously keeping us going in hope that the Lord will provide.
2. We had to say farewell to the Bolton family as they returned home last month.
3. Pray for me as I am learning more and more how to balance running the shop and discipleship with the woodworkers. Things have been very busy after Chris Bolton's departure.
4. Praise that one of the men has decided to marry his "wife"!
5. One of the other woodworkers has started taking an AutoCAD class at a local technical college, several others are interested in taking classes as well.
6. Pray for Meg as she is scrambling after two very active little children and busy hosting weekly mission trip team dinners this summer.
7. Pray also for her as she considers a possible opportunity to present a seminar at a local university.
8. Pray for the whole Peru Mission team as we are down to 3 families out of the previous 5 for this next month of hosting mission teams.

May Update

2010-05-18T10:43:00.001-05:00

The Throne

2010-05-12T10:08:00.000-05:00

This is a prayer from "The Valley of Vision" p.272 It is very encouraging and I want to share it with you.

O God of My Delight,

Thy throne of grace is the pleasure ground of my soul.

Here I obtain mercy in time of need, here see the smile of thy reconciled face, here joy pleads the name of Jesus, here I sharpen the sword of the Spirit, anoint the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation, gather manna from thy Word, am strengthened for each conflict, nerved for the upward race, empowered to conquer every foe;

Help me to come to Christ as the fountain head of descending blessings, as a wide open flood-gate of mercy.

I marvel at my insensate folly, that with such enriching favours within my reach I am slow to extend the hand to take them. Have mercy upon my deadness for thy Name's sake. Quicken me, stir me, fill me with holy zeal. Strengthen me that I may cling to thee and not let thee go.

May thy Spirit within me draw all blessings from thy hand.

When I advance not, I backslide.

Let me walk humbly because of good omitted and evil done.

Impress on my mind the shortness of time, the work to be engaged in, the account to be rendered, the nearness of eternity, the fearful sin of despising thy Spirit.

May I never forget that thy eye always sees, thy ear always hears, thy recording hand always writes.

May I never give thee rest until Christ is the pulse of my heart; the spokesman of my lips, the lamp of my feet.

Peru Mission update

2010-04-27T12:12:00.001-05:00

A New Way to Support Missionaries

2010-03-24T17:29:00.002-05:00

Are you interested in finding beautiful handmade greeting cards? There is a group of talented artists in Trujillo, Peru who make them from recycled paper. This is a great new business that is helping change peoples lives. Just check out their website, Peru Paper Greeting Cards.

Now you can also support us by buying these cards. If you put our name, MILLS, in the comments section 10% will go towards our support.

To have 10% of the purchase price of your Peru Paper order donated to one of these categories, please put the code in the "Order Instructions/Comments" (NOT the "coupon code"- this isn't a discount but to indicate to me to make the donation) section on the "Order Confirmation" page of the cart checkout. This will let me know that you would like 10% of the total purchase price donated to CMS to the account indicated. Peru Paper Company will make a donation at the end of each month for all of the orders we receive, and I will put a note in the order so you will know that a donation was made.

March Update

2010-03-10T17:04:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends and Family,
    It is hard to believe we have less than one month left in language school. We have been working hard but it has also been a lot of fun. Please pray for us as we unscramble our brains and learn to put to practice all that we are learning. Even Satomi is learning a good bit of Spanish, perhaps she will be speaking more Spanish than us before we leave. This language school is turning out to be very good. The classes are designed to teach us the grammar and they give us tons of practice that reinforces our learning. Then we also have one-on-one practice classes. In my class we are working through the Bible in Spanish and learning how to write out a summary of the passages in Spanish. It is great practice for preparing to teach the Bible in Spanish. Meg is also improving in conversational Spanish.
    This past month has had its ups and downs. We enjoyed a great weekend trip to visit Colca Canyon, one of Peru’s treasures. Satomi decided to see how hard she could bite down on Samuel’s fingers. Samuel learned to roll over. We have enjoyed becoming a part of a small presbyterian church here in Arequipa. We received bad news about my Father’s battle with cancer.
    Our main prayer request is specifically for my father. He started an experimental trial to treat prostate cancer the same day we left for Peru. The treatment greatly helped the first four people in the trial but for some reason after starting the treatment in his case the cancer started to grow twice as fast. It got to the point that they had to start radiation again in several spots on his spine for fear that the cancer may paralyze him, which disqualified him from the experimental trial. Since starting the radiation they have found another spot on his ribs. It seems that the cancer is spreading quite fast. Please pray for him and my mother as they trust in the One who is able to heal him completely.
    Please also continue to pray for us as we learn to speak Spanish and will be traveling to Trujillo April 3rd, Lord willing. Please continue to pray for the Parish Furniture shop that God will raise up enough funds to keep it running. As always, please continue to pray that we would delight in Jesus and seek to glorify Him and bring others to Him. Pray that we would remember it is not about us but about what Christ has done for us.

in the joy of resting in Christ,

Stuart Mills (for Megumi, Satomi and Samuel)

February Update

2010-02-09T05:48:00.004-06:00

Dear Friends and Family in Christ,

One month into Spanish school, we rejoice in the Lord for all that He has blessed us with here in Arequipa, Peru. We are very thankful to God and to all of you who are praying for us and supporting us financially. The Lord has answered your prayers in that we arrived with all our luggage safely and provided in many ways to help us get settled in order to study Spanish.

Here are a few prayer requests (followed by a little bit more detail if you are interested & photos below):

Spanish: maximizing study time while still spending quality time with each other and our children.
Parish Furniture: Sales are not good because of the economy and the shop needs at least $40K to continue running another year.
Being good stewards of our time and resources.
Health: there are some nasty bugs floating around here.
My dad, Al Mills, had a bad weekend due to a bad reaction to experimental treatment for prostate cancer.
That we would delight in Jesus and bring others to Him

Our host picked us up from the airport and brought us to his house where we are renting a 3rd floor apartment. The family we live above has been a great blessing to us. Dennis and Ruth have been missionaries from Canada for nearly 30 years. They helped us get our feet on the ground and threw a surprise celebration for Meg's birthday 4 days after we arrived. Then on Satomi's birthday they also invited us over for homemade pizza and cake for her. They have been like Satomi's adopted grandparents. They also connected us with a lady, Amelia, who helps them once a week and is now helping us watch Satomi, clean and cook lunch while we are in Spanish classes. Amelia has been the biggest blessing for it would be almost impossible for Meg to learn Spanish with taking care of these things and the children.

The Institute where we are studying Spanish is excellent. We are learning a lot and they are very helpful in teaching us about the culture in Peru. Please continue to pray for us to be diligent in studying Spanish and balancing life with two small children.

We have also been spurred on by a few missionary biographies given to us by some of our family members before we left the States. We pray the Lord will equip us to speak His Word to those around us, that our lives will be centered on delighting in Jesus and seeking to bring others to know Him. We also pray that as you pray this for us, He will instill that same drive in all of you; to delight in Jesus and bring others to know Him.

Lastly we ask you to pray for Parish Furniture. We are still in Arequipa studying Spanish and are looking forward to getting to Trujillo and joining in the work in the shop. As you know the economy has been bad these last couple of years and this has affected the sales of furniture. Parish is working on making adjustments to help but still needs at least $40,000 to keep running another year. Please consider donating to Parish through Peru Mission to keep this vital ministry going. We are confident God has called us to Peru for a reason and we are confident that He will provide the means for what He wants to do. Could it be that He chooses to use you to provide for His work? I would like to have at least a year working in the shop before we make any decisions on redirecting this ministry. Our primary goal is to make disciples of Jesus in the workplace. If God has other plans on how we do that, we are praying that we will be open to His guidance. Please pray for this as well.

in the joy of resting in Christ,

Stuart Mills and family

At Home in Arequipa!

2010-01-06T12:57:00.000-06:00

We have made it to our new home for the next three months while we try to cram in as much Spanish as we can. It was a long flight and we could not have made it without all the many blessings from God in so many friends and family helping us in big ways as well as meeting new friends on the airplane. Satomi met two other toddler aged girls to entertain her, so much that she didn't sleep a wink on the flight to Lima.

I never cease to be amazed at how much God blesses us by providing people to help. I pray that we will be faithful to live out the example that has been shown us and that we will be giving and serving to others that God brings in our path.

As you continue to lift us up in prayer that God would give us grace in learning Spanish and for the children to grow and adapt to life here in Peru, I have another request for my father.
The same day that we left for Peru, he was scheduled to start the first stage of this clinical trial to fight prostate cancer. Please pray for him and my mother as they go through these next three months travelling back and forth to Houston.

Now we are off to catch up on sleep!

A Thousand Thanks and Prayer

2009-12-17T08:11:00.000-06:00

We have now left Jackson, MS and moved to Zachary, LA. There are several reasons for doing this. One is that Zachary is where much of my family live. Second is, we have a lot of itinerating do in this area while we seek to raise the remaining support needed for us to move to Peru. Third is, Don Charlet, one of the designers for Parish Furniture lives here also and I can spend some time learning from him.

We are extremely thankful to all the people that have helped us in Jackson over the last several years. To only name a few we are especially thankful to the Robertson’s, Vickery’s and McGowan’s for their help in babysitting at different times. We are also thankful to the Robertson’s in the amazing show of love in helping pack up for the move.

God has show us so much love through the members of Redeemer and other brothers and sisters in Christ in the area. We are great debtors to be servants of Christ because we have been served so much by His servants.

We are also thankful to the body of Christ in Zachary in their show of love in helping us unload and to my parents for putting up with us for the month of December.

Please be in prayer for Stuart’s father battling prostate cancer. He was recently accepted into an experimental trial in Houston, which shows much promise.

We are ready to make our departure date for January 5th! As soon as our passport comes in for the baby, we will book our tickets. Please continue to pray that God will raise the last remaining funds, only $25,000 left to bring our budget to 100%

Heard of God

2009-11-13T16:44:00.001-06:00

We give praise to God for the life He gives us. We really wanted to avoid a C-section for this baby. We prayed for a safe and healthy delivery. I must admit that as much as I don't like all the unnecessary medical intervention in labor, I am extremely thankful for the necessary medical intervention in labor. If there were no such thing as C-sections, it is very likely that I would not have a family today. I give praise to God for being in a place where it is a routine procedure and everything went smooth. I am very glad we decided to name our son Samuel since God has shown us time and time again how he hears us and answers our prayers. Often the answers are not exactly what we want but it is obvious that He hears us and is good.

I have been encouraged lately in reading through the Scriptures. In attempting to keep up with a daily reading schedule, I am in 2 Chronicles, Daniel and John. In reading through 2 Chronicles I came across the history of Jehoshaphat. There came a time when a great army was making their way to attack Judah and Jehoshaphat sought the Lord in prayer for deliverance. In his crying out he said, we are weak and powerless against this great multitude and we do not know what to do but our eyes are on you. Then God responded by telling him to go out but that God would fight them himself. Before Judah got to them, God had caused them to wipe themselves out. This reminds me of another rare king in the midst of 2 Chronicles, Asa. Most of the kings during this time did not seek God but sought other idols and God allowed them to be destroyed. These two kings were among the few who sought to follow God and honor him. God blessed them for it. It wasn't that these men were really great or awesome men. It was just that they sought to follow God and worship Him alone.

There was another very similar message in reading Daniel chapter 2. Daniel didn't learn the interpretation of the dream because he was so smart or wise. He didn't know what it was when the king demanded the wise men to tell him what his dream was. Daniel decided to ask the one who did know and asked his friends to pray with him and fast. God revealed the dream to Daniel so he could tell it to the king. Again, God tells us in Scripture that he answers prayer.

Again in reading in John there is a very encouraging message about prayer. Jesus himself is praying to the Father. He just finished telling the disciples that it was necessary for him to leave so he could send the Helper who would convict the world and guide us into all truth. Then he prays to the Father that those whom He has given Him would be united with Him with the Father in heaven. How much more if God answered the prayers of Jeshoshaphat or Daniel will he answer his own prayers in Jesus? We can be certain that though, God may not answer all our prayers as we want Him to, He will answer them. We can also be certain that He will answer the prayers of Jesus in uniting believers with himself and guiding us by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to ask in His name and we will receive.

We are at a point where we are asking a lot. We have a large amount of money to raise before we can go to Peru. We believe that it is necessary to leave for Peru in January. This is not something that we can do on our own. So we cast our eyes on Him and ask you our friends to seek Him for us to move in mighty ways. While the money is a very tangible thing that we need to get there, we realize that in our need for prayer money is only a small amount of what we need from God. Much more than money, we need God's Spirit to empower us and help us serve Him and obey Him. We need the Spirit to help us love Him and love our neighbors.

The most important thing we need from God is His equipping us to serve and His continued grace and lovingkindness. The most important thing in going to serve Christ is faith and repentance. That is what we ask for. Without His spirit working through us, we will simply be going to live in another country. There is nothing special about us that will fix anybody. Jesus is the one who will fix us and the people we go to serve. We are only going to Peru because we are certain God wants us to go there, not because we think we are needed there. I truly believe this, but I realize I need the Spirit to remind me of this every day. It is something I often forget.

Last month's update

2009-10-29T14:06:00.003-05:00

I finally figured out how to post it.:) More to come about our new son born!

Overflowing Joy!

2009-10-22T01:16:00.000-05:00

I made a little table for our little daughter to play at. It was a lot of fun. I kind of experimented with the joinery and got a little creative. It may be a little fancy for a toddler but it was worth it.

Make known His deeds among the peoples!

2009-10-07T21:33:00.000-05:00

This morning I was reminded of the power of God's Word to encourage. I was discouraged because I was being forgetful. By God's grace, I was working through 1 Chronicles and came across the description of David and his mighty men. Some of them came to him when he was in Ziklag and he came out to meet them and said, ““If you come peacefully to me to help me, my heart shall be united with you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and decide.”” (1 Chronicles 12:17 NAS95) I was impressed with David’s confidence in God as well as his awareness of the evils of man. He was not afraid of the possibility of deception though he was aware of it because he knew that God was in control and would protect him. I keep forgetting that it is not about me but it is about God. I spiral down and look at my sin because I am not looking at Him but at myself. He is righteous, not me. I trust in Him, not in myself. I was also very encouraged by this speech of David after they finally brought the ark to the place he prepared for it according to God’s ordinance. It is also found in Psalm 105, 96 and a couple others.

“Then on that day David first assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the LORD. Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad. Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually. Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth, O seed of Israel His servant, Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. Remember His covenant forever, The word which He commanded to a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac. He also confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant, Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan, As the portion of your inheritance.” When they were only a few in number, Very few, and strangers in it, And they wandered about from nation to nation, And from one kingdom to another people, He permitted no man to oppress them, And He reproved kings for their sakes, saying,“Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.” Sing to the LORD, all the earth; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and joy are in His place. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him; Worship the LORD in holy array. Tremble before Him, all the earth; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; And let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.” Let the sea roar, and all it contains; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the LORD; For He is coming to judge the earth. O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Then say, “Save us, O God of our salvation, And gather us and deliver us from the nations, To give thanks to Your holy name, And glory in Your praise.” Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. Then all the people said, “Amen,” and praised the LORD.” (1 Chronicles 16:7–36 NAS95)

This is our reason to go out. What confirmation that we kill sin by the Spirit through the Word. Speak the promises of God to ourselves and drive away our doubts and fears.

2009-09-19T18:12:00.000-05:00

Time keeps on slipping away. Before I know it, January will be upon us. Will we be ready to move to Peru? I don’t know. I hope so. I am plagued with doubts and fears of failing. I must remember that God is sovereign and that He has called me. I keep wanting to make everything about myself. Life is about God, not me. I keep forgetting that. I look at my weakness and shortcomings and start to spiral down. I must look to God and His greatness and remember that if He has called me, He will equip me. I must remember that if He has called me, He will provide. He has always provided all our needs just in time in the past. Why should I doubt that He will do it now? I shouldn’t. I struggle with this doubting in everyday life dealing with our second baby coming, work and support raising as well as in seeking Holiness and being faced with sinfulness. I so badly want to be Holy because He is Holy and has called us to be Holy. I am torn in this desire because it is mingled with a desire for sin. I am full of it. The more I try to be free from sin the more I realize how deep it is in me. It is not that I commit a few sinful deeds but that my very core is sinful and wicked. It is true. I tend to ignore it or try to cover it. Only the blood of Jesus can cover it. When I start talking about sin, I keep hearing people or my own heart say that I should not be so hard on myself and that I should be more confident. I agree and I disagree. I should be honest and admit the wickedness within. I would be a liar if I were to be confident in myself and say that I am not that bad. But, I should also look to my reality in Christ. I have been called by Him in his death and resurrection and am now raised up with Him and seated with Him in the heavenly places. I should be confident in what Christ is doing in me. I should stop looking down at myself, not because I am not that bad, but because Christ has redeemed me. This is such a hard thing to accept. I do accept it and glory in it, but at the same time I find it hard to live out. I read God’s command for obedience and am floored by my disobedience. I wish that I were not plagued with desires that offend Him. I want to be free from sin. I hate it. But I love it at the same time. Paul tells us about this war with my old man and the new man in Christ. I feel it. Romans 8 tells us to kill sin by the Spirit. John Piper makes the point that this means by hearing God’s word and believing it in faith since the sword of the Spirit is God’s Word. So, though I see a sinful man I must look to the Word that tells me Jesus has redeemed me and made me righteous. I can also look to the Word and see how it points to glorify Jesus and God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Instead of wanting to glorify myself and trying to make life all about me, I must repent and glorify God and make life all about Him. Because it is. This is why I want to serve Him. It is not because I am so good or so brave but it is because I am so bad and weak, yet He is so good and powerful. I want to tell the world about this good and powerful God. I also can trust Him to provide for us and pave the way for us in His timing.

Changed Times?

2009-08-22T15:40:00.009-05:00

Ten years ago when I lived in Cusco for 7 & 1/2 months as a soltero (bachelor) it was very easy to get by on $1,000 a month. Actually that was more than enough. Most Peruvians get by on $200 a month or less.

Now as we are preparing to move to Trujillo with a family and working out our budget, it doesn’t seem so easy. We had a budget for 50K a year and thought it was plenty. Now after looking over it with our team, it seems it should be more like 75K a year. With all the one-time costs such as 4 airplane tickets and house furnishings and language school it really works out to our living expenses being only 39K a year. I still have a hard time adjusting to things costing so much in Peru. I suppose there is a big difference from living in Cusco with (in 2002) around 300,000 people and living in Trujillo (in 2010) with over 1,000,000 people and growing tremendously. The cost of living has definitely gone up.

All that to say that we are now around 60% of our support. Not far below but we do have more to raise. I trust that God will raise it up if it is necessary to get us there and if He wants us to go. He has raised up so much so far, I am confident He will raise up the rest and even more if it is needed. I do ask you to keep praying for us whether we have all the money needed or not. One thing we need is more people, families, and churches to commit to lift us up in prayer.

Our plan is still to leave for Peru in January, if our son is born in good health and the financial support is sufficient. We are now planning to move to Arequipa to start language school for three months and then move to Trujillo and start our two years of work with the ministry.

Fun work

2009-08-06T09:43:00.003-05:00

I had fun working on this project. I was reminded while doing it how much fun woodwork can be.

It has been a blessing to have work lately. On the other hand, having work has slowed down my progress on getting support raising work done.

The most exciting thing lately is seeing that God is raising our support without us. It looks like we are already above 80% of our two-year support! While we have been busy trying to keep up with work and Satomi, God has been gracious. I hope to be able to get back to taking care of support raising work more this fall. Please be in prayer for that.
I should have a new update soon on how things are going with Parish and Peru Mission.

How to Pray for us?

2009-07-06T14:13:00.002-05:00

Praise:

We rejoice that we celebrated 7 years of marriage last monday!
We are excited to find out that the baby is a boy!

Prayer:

We grieve with our great uncle Gilbert Mills and his family at the homegoing of his wife, Lejeune, while we rejoice for her entry into glory.
Pray for our support raising: a. we are close to 70% of the two year support! pray for God to provide the remaining 30%. b. we are seeking church families to support us in prayer and encouragement. Even if we had all the money we need we still need connections with folks who will commit to lift us up before the Lord in prayer and not forget about us.
Pray for our organization in preparing our family to move as we consider what to sell, give, store and pack.
Pray for our diligence in studying Spanish these next several months before moving and for our studying in language school after we first move to Peru with a newborn, Lord willing.
Pray for Meg and baby Samuel as she is approaching the end of second trimester for safety and health.

Presentation

2009-06-26T17:03:00.003-05:00

We are giving a Parish and Peru Mission presentation at Faith Pres. in Clinton,LA this Sunday. Lord willing, Don Charlet will be there to talk about the furniture production and sale and I will talk about my future role in working in the shop and discipleship.

Counting Eggs?

2009-06-24T21:27:00.003-05:00

We found out the baby is a boy! We already have a name for him, Samuel. Actually we came up with two male names before our first was born, since she was a girl we had to come up with a new name for her. So this time it is easy. Is it too early to give him a name? Well, it does feel a little awkward but why not? There is no doubt he is living with all his kicking and tumbling and his heart beating. I wonder if the phrase, "don't count your chickens before they hatch" would apply here. Well, if God knew Jeremiah before he was formed in the womb, I trust that he also knows our Samuel even now.

I like the name for two reasons both having to do with prayer. One, the biblical reference to the Hebrew name sounding like, "heard of God" when God answered Hannah's prayer in giving her Samuel. It is not that we were specifically praying for another child at this time, but we are in a season of dependence on prayer. We are very aware of how much we depend on God answering prayer. The second reason for this name goes back to a historical prayer meeting, called the Haystack Prayer Meeting. Samuel John Mills Jr. was the leader of that meeting. Some say this was the starting point of American overseas missions movement. He also started the American Bible Society out of concern for God's word getting into the hands of people that don't have it. Some accounts say that his mother dedicated him to service in foreign missions. My main interest in this is that God seemed to answer the prayers of a small group of people seeking to be faithful in proclaiming the gospel to those who don't know Jesus. May God raise our Samuel up to be another bold warrior servant for the Kingdom that Christ is establishing on Earth.

Prayer: Part II

2009-06-18T13:25:00.002-05:00

I was reminded this morning how valuable prayer is. I have been struggling with doubts and insecurities over the last couple of days. Meg and I have talked and prayed about it. I also met this morning with my prayer partners and was very much encouraged by them and reminded of the wonderful grace we have in Christ. We prayed about it and by the end of our time I felt like the foolish Israelites who keep forgetting what marvelous grace God had shown them and turn and complain again and again. I realized how foolish my doubts and insecurities were.

I have also been encouraged by reading E.M. Bounds in his book, The Essentials of Prayer. The most recent was his last chapter titled “Prayer and Missions”. He said many things worth quoting.

Money is important, but money without prayer is powerless in the face of the darkness, the wretchedness and the sin in unchristianised lands. Prayerless giving breeds barrenness and death. Poor praying at home is the solution of poor results in the foreign field. Prayerless giving is the secret of all crises in the missionary movements of the day, and is the occasion of the accumulation of debts in missionary boards.
It is all right to urge men to give of their means to the missionary cause. But it is much more important to urge them to give their prayers to the movement. Foreign missions need, today, more the power of prayer than the power of money. Prayer can make even poverty in the missionary cause move on amidst difficulties and hindrances. Much money without prayer is helpless and powerless in the face of the utter darkness and sin and wretchedness on the foreign field.
…The common idea among Church leaders is that if we get the money, prayer will come as a matter of course. The very reverse is the truth. If we get the Church at the business of praying, and thus secure the spirit of missions, money will more than likely come as a matter of course. Spiritual agencies and spiritual forces never come as a matter of course… They who give, will not necessarily pray. Many in our churches are liberal givers who are noted for their prayerlessness. One of the evils of the present-day missionary movement lies just there. Giving is entirely removed from prayer. Prayer receives scant attention, while giving stands out prominently. They who truly pray will be moved to give. Praying creates the giving spirit… It is marvelous how little part money played in primitive Christianity as a factor in spreading the Gospel, and how wonderful part prayer played in it.
…one of the leading petitions in the Lord’s Prayer deals with this same question of the establishing of God’s kingdom and the progress of the Gospel in the short, pointed petition, ‘Thy kingdom come,’ with the added words, ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.’
The missionary movement in the Apostolic Church was born in an atmosphere of fasting and prayer. The very movement looking to offering the blessings of the Christian Church to the Gentiles was on the housetop on the occasion when Peter went up there to pray, and God showed him His Divine purpose to extend the privileges of the Gospel to the Gentiles, and to break down the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile...
Is the harvest great? Are the labourers few? Then ‘pray ye the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into his harvest.’ Oh, that a great wave of prayer would sweep over the Church asking God to send out a great army of labourers into the needy harvest fields of the earth! No danger of the Lord of the harvest sending out too many labourers and crowding the fields. He who calls will most certainly provide the means for supporting those whom He calls and sends forth.
The one great need in the modern missionary movement is intercessors. They were scarce in the days of Isaiah. This was his complaint; ‘And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor.’ So today there is great need of intercessors, first, for the needy harvest-fields of earth, born of a Christly compassion for the thousands without the Gospel; and then intercessors for labourers to be sent forth by God into the needy fields of earth.

I would say this is very applicable to our time as well. Some may say this is not a good time to be raising support or even trying to start a new business with the Parish furniture. Perhaps, in light of what Mr. Bounds is saying, it is an even better time. With the economy being low and people being without money this may remind us of our need to pray. In times of poverty, people tend to fall to their knees much more than in times of plenty. Perhaps this time of financial crisis will inspire the type of prayer that is needed to really make this ministry successful. I am reminded that throughout history the most notable times of revival were always preceded by times of increase in prayer. What we need most is to be inspired to pray more. Please continue to lift us up in prayer that God would enable us to faithfully proclaim Christ and that His Spirit would work powerfully to bring the Lost into faithful obedience to Christ in word and deed. I am also struck with the realization that our own churches and homes are just as much a mission field as the most remote regions of the world. There is growing up around us a generation that does not know Jesus. Let us all be praying that He will send out laborers into the harvest wherever that field is.

Prayer: Part I

2009-06-18T13:10:00.004-05:00

I have been thinking a lot about prayer recently. One of my close friends and prayer partners and I recently started working through a book by Richard Foster called The Celebration of Discipline. His chapter on prayer struck me. He made reference to Christ’s teaching on prayer. The thing that stuck out most to me was from Mark 11 when Jesus told us to pray believing that we have what we ask for before we ask for it. Foster recommended a book by Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School Of Prayer. This book has also been very encouraging and thought provoking. One of Murray’s chapters focuses on Mark 11:22 where Jesus says, “Have faith in God.” Murray says that this statement to believe in God is crucial in preceding the command for faith in what we ask for. We must first believe in the giver before we have any reason to believe in the gift. This may be the heart of why Word of Faith folks are going too far with their “name it and claim it” approach. I think on the other hand we are going too far in reacting against their over reaction and being unfaithful in not believing he will answer our prayers. We do have the command to believe what we have asked for and it will be ours. The crucial aspect of this is having faith in God himself first. It becomes a God-centered prayer instead of a me-centered prayer. Murray makes a good point of faith being the means of a real relationship with God himself more than it is a means of getting the thing we ask for.
I am struck with this being very important in my support raising process in two ways. The first is that I need to be praying for God to provide and confidently trusting in Him to do it. This does not take away from the fact that I need to be doing the work that is in front of me but I need to do it trusting that God will answer my prayers. This thought is supported in reading through Joshua. The Ephraimites were complaining about the mountain land being difficult to clear and the valley people having iron chariots. Joshua’s response to them was that they will clear out the highlands and they will conquer the iron chariots. God had already promised them that he would give them this land but they still had to work for it. At the same time they had to trust and believe in God’s answer to his promise to do the work. The second way this is very important is to remember my need to be in communion with God. If I am focusing too much on seeking support and also seeking how to help others see Christ to the neglect of my dwelling in Christ then I will have nothing to offer. I am constantly being reminded of my need to be healed by Christ in order to be able to point anyone to the Christ who heals.

World Magazine Article

2009-06-12T21:00:00.001-05:00

Cool! World did an article on Parish you can see it here.

ICFF

2009-06-12T17:31:00.002-05:00

It sounds like the International Contemporary Furniture Fair went well. While there is a huge learning curve and the economy is not promising, there were still several good leads. We will continue to pray that God will provide and bless this ministry. More to come soon...

Timing

2009-05-08T09:15:00.002-05:00

It looks like we are adjusting our plans for the arrival of baby #2. The more we have talked and prayed about the timing of when we move down to Peru the more it seems it will be best to wait until we have the baby to move down to Trujillo. This may put us waiting until the end of the year before we are able to move.

I also have a new work situation while we are here in Jackson. An opportunity came up to work with my brother doing home renovations so I left the coffee shop and started working with him this week. This will allow more flexibility for working on support raising and allowing Meg to work on her part-time post-doc work.

God is good all the time!

Two Exciting Announcements!

2009-04-02T16:06:00.002-05:00

Our family is growing! Due Oct. 24th!

Also, Meg is now Dr. Meg! She passed her PhD. defense today!

Updated website for Parish Furniture!

2009-03-30T17:44:00.002-05:00

Check it out! www.parishfurniture.com
They also just presented the furniture at an Architectural Digest Show in New York this past weekend. More to come on how that turned out. They also have plans to present this furniture at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair May 16-19th. Please pray that this will go well.

Please also pray for the rest of our support so we can get down to Peru and join in all the exciting fun with this ministry. We have been abundantly blessed so far. Meg and I visited a Church in Convington, LA for their missions Sunday and were greatly encouraged. We also have a busy week with both a conference in Brookhaven and one in Jackson! Please pray for wisdom and the right words to speak clearly of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what He is calling us to do.

I will be posting more exciting news soon!

What does a furniture shop have to do with church planting or missions?

2009-03-07T22:42:00.002-06:00

I haven't heard this question yet, but I am anticipating it. We are in the midst of our first missions conference this weekend at Redeemer in Jackson,MS. I have found our support raising experience to be surprisingly encouraging. I have often heard it is the most difficult process. I have found talking with folks actually encouraging. Well, it is encouraging when I am actually able to have the time to get on the phone to talk with them. The most encouraging thing is that much of our support has come in outside of our efforts.
It seems God is raising the support without us. It is easy to forget that the support we need is not only financial. Some churches have told us that they don't have the funds to support us but are interested in what we are doing. This doesn't mean they can't support us. If we only wanted money we might go to the government or some foundation. We need support in prayer and fellowship, perhaps more than we do money. I recall that one of the biggest struggles of a missionary is feeling alone on the field.
One big prayer request is for Meg's finishing her dissertation. In the midst of the busy mission's conference this weekend she also is trying to finish her dissertation to turn in Monday in hopes of defending this month to be ready for graduation in May.
Another prayer request is for the safe transport of the first shipment of furniture from Peru getting ready for the Architectural Digest show March 26-29. They are also about to load the first container of furniture to be shipped for the Contemporary Furniture Fair May 16-19. Both of these shows are in New York. Please pray for success at these shows. If things go well and we get many orders, it will be very important for me to be getting to Peru in June.
We praise the Lord that our support is somewhere around 50% already!

2008-12-29T22:46:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Meg and I are excited to say that after years of preparation we are finally planning to move to Peru and work with Peru Mission’s Parish Woodshop Project. We are now beginning the support-raising process by seeking partners in prayer, emotional, and financial support.
When I was first asked to bring my family to Peru and work in a woodshop, I admit that I was a little hesitant. I could not see how this fit in with my calling to missions. However, over the last couple of years while doing woodwork the Lord has taught me the value of building relationships and bearing witness of the gospel’s impact on our lives. One of the most effective ways for bearing witness of the reality of the gospel is to work with someone on a daily basis. As we share our lives with co-workers, they cannot help but see the change in us that the Spirit is working. This happens when they see our brokenness and the healing that takes place through resting in Christ. I am confident this is one of the most powerful ways God grows his Kingdom. When Christians walk with Jesus in the workplace, others will see Him and hear His message.
This is the goal of Peru Mission’s Parish Furniture Project. We aim to work with Peruvian carpenters to build good furniture and export it to the States (www.parishfurniture.com). While we do this we hope to build relationships, bear witness of Christ and teach His Word. We pray that the result will be that they walk with Jesus and bear witness to the world around them in their communities. We also aim to teach them how to do good and just business. Our prayer is that this will not only help them spiritually by the transforming work of the gospel but it will also help the economy in Peru.
My role will be to work in the shop along with these men and build relationships. I will also teach Bible studies before and/or after work and spend time investing in their lives in discipleship and mentoring. Meg will be taking care of our daughter Satomi and pursuing ways to serve using her Microbiology background either in tutoring, lab work, or research.
Meg and I only need to raise $50,532 per year for the first two years. This can either be in monthly commitments or in one-time gifts that total to the $101,064 we will need for both years. We are praying to have all our support raised and move to Trujillo by June of 2009. So far, the Lord has already provided about 20%.
Please consider and seek if God is calling you to partner with us in this ministry through prayer, correspondence, or financial support. As Paul asked the Colossians, “…pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ…” Colossians 4:3, we need your prayers. I do not ask you to sacrifice for this ministry or for us, but I do ask you to pray and ask God whether He would lead you to give of yourself to advance His Kingdom through this ministry or in some other way.

In the joy of resting in Christ,

Stuart Mills and family

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T18:24:00.002-06:00

I pray you all had a good celebration of the birth of our Savior. We are having a good visit with my family. The LORD has provided in many ways since my last post. I have been blessed to have many jobs doing cabinets and/or trim for several friends and have been working at the coffee shop. Meg is still working on her degree. Please pray for her as many unruly bacterium are keeping her from finishing as soon as she hoped. Our little munchkin is keeping us delighted as she is almost walking and speaking in tongues:)!

We were excited to get our prayer cards in the mail the day we planned to leave for Zachary. Now they are finally in the mail! I would not have waited to send the letters if I had known it would take until Christmas to get these cards in. In August, I thought maybe one more month then by October maybe just a little longer and so on. I trust God was sovereign in allowing such a delay. It seems I may have missed many folk's budgets for 2009. Somehow I still think God is doing some amazing things that show He wants us to be a part of this project and that He wants it to work. For that reason I anticipate seeing Him provide in marvelous ways to make this happen! May He be glorified.

Blessings to all and a Happy New Year!

He will Provide!

2008-10-30T08:50:00.005-05:00

It has been quite a week. I was told last Monday that there was no more work for me at the shop. So Tuesday I was at home watching our girl while Meg went into the lab earlier. As I mentioned in the last post I was wondering if I should quit work and do support raising work more. Well, it seems God answered my question in a way. However, it seems that I still need to do some work to bring income to pay bills until it is wise to start drawing on our support account. So the Lord provided several pick up jobs and I am starting training at Seattle Drip coffee shop tonight. I am hoping these two jobs will allow a little flexibility to watch our daughter and work on support raising.
When it comes to support raising, we are very close to getting our prayer card printed up and sending out our paper letters. We are very encouraged that even before we send out our letters, God has laid it on hearts to give so that we are at 20% of our support! We need around 50K per year. We are aiming for 2 years so raising for 100K total.

What's been going on

2008-10-15T09:23:00.001-05:00

Meg and I went on a little vacation last week to visit her sister in Rhode Island. It was a very refreshing trip. It must say it was much needed.

We are getting much closer to sending out letters for our support raising. Our prayer cards might be going to the printer sometime this week. I am just about ready with the letter and addresses. I still need a couple of addresses for some on my list. If you want a letter either by email or paper mail please send me a note and include which address you want to receive the letter.

I actually have today off from work because there is not enough work in the shop. This is kind of good and bad. It is good because I am free to work on support raising today, and it is bad because I am not making enough money. Please pray for us in that regard.

It has definitely been good this morning because I was able to get most of the support letter written. It also makes me wonder if I should transition to full-time support raising. The problem with that is that we would need to raise more money to cover our living expenses now. We hope to wait to live on the support at least until we are about to move to Peru. Please pray for wisdom with that decision. I have definitely been encouraged so far to see God raising the money and making connections without us. That gives a real sense of confirmation that this is His work and He will see it done. When I see Him do things like that I think it would be best to continue working when there is work and work on support-raising when I can. Even with this economic crisis I am confident that God will provide for our needs. It is clear that He is calling us to go to Peru and I trust that He will make it happen.

Another big change in the Mills house

2008-09-14T23:20:00.002-05:00

Satomi is mobile!

New Website!

2008-09-10T23:40:00.003-05:00

Now there is a new website for the furniture project. You can find it at parishfurniture.com. They also have a new video describing the project on youtube.

Arrival of first pieces of furniture

2008-08-30T14:41:00.002-05:00

Yesterday the family and I drove down to Zachary to help Don work on touching up some of the furniture that arrived from Peru. Don will be taking this furniture up to Charlotte, NC to meet Chris and Brad to start their trip fund-raising for the shop. Actually, I will be driving the furniture up to Jackson on Monday in case Gustav prevents Don from being able to leave.

Time to Pray

2008-08-17T18:54:00.006-05:00

I remember a cousin of mine who is a missionary to Africa, Steve Mills, talking about the need to pray for missions just as an army needs to call in air support in war. This seems like a good time to pray for God to be preparing hearts and contacts for this ministry to work.

check out the website for a good description. critical time

Peru Mission Parish Woodshop Project

2008-08-02T13:36:00.003-05:00

Recently, I saw an article about a completely un-contacted tribe on the border of Peru and Brazil. I started thinking about them and wondering what it would be like to have the privilege of bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. I thought, “I used to want to do that,” that is, to bring the gospel to un-reached people in the world. I had to stop and ask myself, “What happened?” “Why am I no longer pursuing that?” Or “Why am I not there?” I have to answer partly because of sin. I have lost sight, forgotten, and allowed myself to get into sinful habits that turned me away from being of service to Christ. On the other hand, I must answer by saying God is preparing me to be of better service for His purposes. I am amazed at the sovereignty of our God and His graciousness in using such sinful people and even, dare I say, our sinful actions to bring about his glory. This brings even more confirmation and sears the gospel in my heart, compelling me to go out and share this wonderful news of our savior. While we are sinful, being clothed in Christ, God sees us as Christ and is pleased with us because of Christ. Though we often feel He is displeased with us, He is not because as one of my elders said, “He doesn’t see me, He sees Jesus in me.” What an amazing joy that all the world needs to hear.
The main reason I am not in the jungle right now is, I had this crazy idea when I graduated from college: I wanted to serve as a missionary but also wanted to learn a trade before going. Now it seems that without my realizing it, God has been preparing me for a particular ministry in Peru for the past ten years: The Woodshop Project with Peru Mission (http://www.perumission.org/content/posts/business-that-builds-community98.php). Over the years, He has given me a desire to learn the skill of woodworking and the privilege to work with men whose hearts were for Jesus and discipleship. He gave me a good taste of experience with ministry in rural Peru. He has blessed me with a wonderful wife, Megumi, and now our first daughter. He managed to get me through seminary with a Masters of Divinity and is even now allowing me to hone the woodworking and discipleship skills before we go to Peru.
My greatest desire is to be used by God to point the men I work with to Christ. I cannot change them but I have seen God change people through his Word. One of the most effective ways I have seen Him use me is in friendships working alongside and applying the Word to life. I may not always be the most faithful example but God is always faithful to make his Word real in our lives. The best way to put it is what my dear friend, Mike Boyett, has said, “While we shape wood, God is shaping us.” This can actually apply to any field of work. Can you imagine what the Church would look like if all Christians lived this way? Wouldn’t it be amazing if every believer went to work with Christ as their center and sought to bear witness to the people they work with. I know there are many faithful believers in churches who live this way, but I must confess there are far too few. Let us pray as our Lord commanded in Luke 10:2, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” It seems the Lord is raising me up to be a laborer for His harvest. I want to ask you to consider these things:

1. Please pray for my family as we prepare to serve Christ in Peru.
2. Please consider your own work and apply the life of Christ through it.
3. Please consider supporting us financially as all of the profits of this woodshop will return to the mission and to the community in Peru.
4. Pass this on to anyone you know might be interested in this ministry.

Still working!

2008-07-05T14:21:00.005-05:00

The new post is getting closer to coming, though it has taken longer than I expected.

I also started a new job with another woodworker. This will be good experience to prepare for the work in Peru.

Our baby has been a blast! She might be part of the reason why we have not gotten this new post ready. She is also the reason why I have been posting so little lately. I have been too busy to get online.

New Activity to come!

2008-05-09T12:29:00.002-05:00

There will be a new post in the near future about our joining Peru Mission!

Trip to Toronto

2007-05-28T19:08:00.001-05:00

one of the benefits of having a wife in grad school. We got to go to Toronto and see Niagara for very cheap since her school covered her expenses for a conference.

Summer mission trip & Future calling

2007-05-12T11:53:00.000-05:00

We are planning to go on a mission trip to St. Vincent. The coolest thing is that we are considering whether this is where the Lord is calling us to start as missionaries. It seems like a great ministry to learn from. They have three main focuses that I am interested working with. Theological training, Church growth, and a ministry called Project Ebeneezer. It would be very exciting to participate in serving Christ's church in any of these capacities.
Our latest vision is to serve with MIA (www.mia.org) for a few years to get experience in ministry, then move to perumission (perumission.org) to learn more about a mission strategy. They have a very interesting economic development plan that I have been asked to be a part of with my carpentry/discipleship interests. All of this with the goal of preparing to bring our experience in ministry to join forces in bringing the light of the gospel to Japan.
This is what we see right now, but we trust the Lord will lay out more clearly His plans for us as the time is right.

New Orleans

2006-11-11T22:42:00.000-06:00

I have been spending quite a bit of time working in New Orleans lately. Last week Meg came down and we stayed for the weekend we visited a church plant in the city. It seems very neat what God is doing there. They have an awesome CD. It has a real New Orleans flavor to great worship songs.

I can't wait to be done with this job so I can stop traveling. It is miserable to be away from my esposita so much. However, I am beginning to feel the Lord is giving us a heart for the people of New Orleans. I could actually see us moving down there in a couple of years and getting involved with rebuilding in ministry. We will pray and see what the Lord does with us.

This past week a crazy thing happened to me and the crew I am working with. We were held captive at the church where we were working. It is a catholic church in the ghetto of New Orleans. Across the street a couple of squatters started yelling and cursing at each other when one brought out a shotgun and then a knife. Before we got out of there, someone called the police and they came with the whole New Orleans squad and SWAT team with rolling armor and snipers all surrounding the whole block. The police wouldn't let us leave the church because they feared we would be in the line of fire. The crazy thing is that the drunk squatter they were looking for had already slipped away before the SWAT team arrived. Can you believe I still feel drawn to this crazy city?

New Place

2006-09-02T19:48:00.000-05:00

After all the trauma of coming back from mexico to find a wet apartment we are much enjoying getting settled into our new apartment. woohoo!

Chitzen Itza

2006-09-02T19:20:00.000-05:00

What an amazing structure. It actually is a giant calendar. They even made it so that a snake will come down the steps on each solstice. The people thought their god came to visit them twice a year.
I have recently been pondering at what a great thing it is that Yahweh not only comes down more than twice a year but he is personal and has given us his Spirit to dwell in our hearts eternally.

water!

2006-08-17T00:57:00.000-05:00

We thought we had enought water on our trip to the beach. I thought our vacation would end when we got back from mexico but it has only begun. It turns out a hot water pipe busted in the empty apartment above ours while we were gone. We came home to sloshing carpet. It might seem like a neat idea to help cool things off, but it does not smell like one. what a mess. Praise the Lord the maintenance crew got in while we were gone and picked up our irreplacable musical instruments and a computer so they would not be sitting in water. Instead of going straight back to work I got to stay at home with my wife for the day. It looks like we might be moving a little early. Hopefully the new apartment will be ready this saturday.

Long time away

2006-08-11T13:03:00.000-05:00

Sorry to be so long in posting. It is strange that since I am no longer in seminary and have ¨free time¨again, i have less time for the computer. Or maybe the real reason is that I am working away from the computer and can´t take e-mail breaks.

today I woke up in beautiful Playa del Carmen. It is very relaxing. So now i finally feel like writting something. Mi esposita and her sister and yo are on a little vacation to use the flight vouchers we received last time we went to japan and got bumped off the flight.

You know getting bumped is not as bad as it sounds, it is very rewarding. they will give you a free hotel room, upgrade your seating to business class on a ticket for the next day and to top it all off they give you a voucher for a nother ticket within one year. Hence, the writting from Mexico today. It was good that we left from such a small airport as Jackson so as not to have trouble from the bomb scare on the airports.

Tis only the first day so maybe there will be more to say later.

Dios te bendiga

A Fool among Fools

2006-05-23T13:32:00.000-05:00

The gospel is foolishness to the world. But when trying to fight the gospel the world shows its foolishness. At the opening of the American Society for Microbiology conference, the first talk was about a battle for evolution in today's schools. My lovely esposita eagerly attended to find out what they would say hoping for a chance for open discussion. Disappointingly it had nothing to do with science. The talk was only hate speach toward creation and intelligent design. It was a rally cry for war to do everything possible to plug evolution and prevent the other side from making their plugs. Who is the real fool? Where is the open democracy with those fighting hardest for it trying to prevent it from happening?

The gospel is foolishness to the world. Is this the foolishness that Christians are called to live out, when they begin to fight each other over tertiary details instead of fighting the world with love through the gospel? Or is the foolishness we are called to live out the standing up for God's word and proclaiming it to a dying world.

I pray for a voice crying in the wilderness to point the world to Christ. I pray that fool will be a fool because of Christ instead of a fool because of foolishness.

Orlando, Florida

2006-05-22T15:46:00.000-05:00

I am graduated from seminary and now chilling in Orlando at this beautiful hotel while my wife attends a nerd fest. More to come later.

Cool Tree

2006-04-19T09:16:00.000-05:00

On one of our recent excursions, Meg and I came across this tree. How do you think it got twisted like this? Could it have been a mini, concentrated tornado? There was no damage surrounding it.

Decisions

2006-04-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

It is funny how things always seem so clear when I look backwards, but not so clear before I go through them.

brings back memories

2006-03-22T22:04:00.000-06:00

Oh Wow... I had almost forgotten about that phrase. I had almost forgotten about that time in my life, when I was in college at MSU. Sitting outside on the porch with Jo and Marc and Andy, chillin' out at the house in the country, pickin-n-grinnin, walking down the train tracks, going to frat parties, but never pledging, the crawfish boil where we burned everybodies lips (when Chip and Scott came up from cajunland), grilling meat, eating pop-tarts for breakfast and mac-n-chesse for dinner, pipes busting in that cold march freeze, being cold with pitiful heaters that only warm about 1 foot radius, burning pennies in the fireplace. That was a fun time.
Thanks for the reminder Jo.

Interesting Biography on E. Stanley Jones

2006-03-13T22:25:00.000-06:00

I have been reading this guy and really enjoying it. Here is a taste of his thoughts on sharing Christ with India;

Then the dawning came - and what a dawning! I saw that everything they brought up was the Word become word, and what the gospel presented was the Word become flesh. 'Be like the sandalwood tree' - that is an exhortation, the word of forgiveness become word. But Jesus hanging on a cross and praying 'Father forgive them' was not the word of forgiveness become word: it was the word of forgiveness become flesh. Prajapati, the Lord of Creatures, giving himself in sacrifice for them is a stray verse in the Rig-Veda, with no historical basis that Prajapati ever gave himself in sacrifice. It is the word of sacrifice become word. But Jesus dying on the cross for us is not the word of sacrifice become word: it is the Word of Sacrifice become flesh. As for Shiva drinking the poison, Shiva himself is legendary and his drinking the poison is also legendary. But Jesus dying on a cross between two thieves as one of them and crying the cry of dereliction, 'My God, why hast thou forsaken me?' - the cry we cry when we sin - is not the Word of identification with our sins become word: it is the Word become flesh
This Word become word and this Word become flesh - here is the profound and decisive difference between the Christian faith and all others. It separates them not in degree but in kind. All other faiths are philosophies or moralisms - man's search upward. The gospel is God's search downward. Religions are man's search for God; the gospel is God's search for man. There are many religions, but one gospel.
Therefore, the method of comparative religions, studying which idea is in which religion, is beside the point. It is comparing incomparable things - the Word become word and the Word become flesh. Therefore it is all beside the point and hence pointless.
E. Stanley Jones, "A Song of Ascents"

Travels

2006-03-09T18:27:00.000-06:00

My friend John pointed this site out for the States. I realize, I need to do some more travelling in the States, though I have pretty much covered the Southeast. I like the world map. I used to think I had travelled much in the world, but there are many places yet to go.

create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

Smiths in Peru

2006-02-24T15:59:00.000-06:00

Smiths in Peru
it is good to see they are doing well. It brings back memories of Cusco to see their pictures and read about their experiences.

Looking at Japan

2006-02-24T15:37:00.000-06:00

From most recent visit to Japan

Christmas with el esposita y amigos

2006-02-24T15:31:00.000-06:00

domo arigato gozaimashta Shuma

2006-02-24T15:27:00.000-06:00

1st Original S&M Pipe

from on high in Peru

2006-02-24T15:19:00.000-06:00

This picture was taken crossing a mountain pass on the way back to Cusco

Stu and Megu in Peru

Cell group restart at Woodshop

Recent photos

Happy New Year!

Children Christmas presentation

Busy at work

Meg's Caja Feliz (happy box)

New Video for Peru Mission

October Update

Accordance Bible Software

Back in Trujillo!

July Update

Big Decision and Prayer request

Difficult Times

Growing Community

February Update

November newsletter

Bible Studies at Parish

Happy Birthday!

What's going on at the Woodshop?

New email update!

New Website

August Update

June Update

May Update

The Throne

Peru Mission update

A New Way to Support Missionaries

March Update

February Update

At Home in Arequipa!

A Thousand Thanks and Prayer

Heard of God

Last month's update

Overflowing Joy!

Make known His deeds among the peoples!

Changed Times?

Fun work

How to Pray for us?

Presentation

Counting Eggs?

Prayer: Part II

Prayer: Part I

World Magazine Article

ICFF

Timing

Two Exciting Announcements!

Updated website for Parish Furniture!

What does a furniture shop have to do with church planting or missions?

Newsletter

Merry Christmas!

He will Provide!

What's been going on

Another big change in the Mills house

New Website!

Arrival of first pieces of furniture

Time to Pray

Peru Mission Parish Woodshop Project

Still working!

New Activity to come!

Trip to Toronto

Summer mission trip & Future calling

New Orleans

New Place

Chitzen Itza

water!

Long time away

A Fool among Fools

Orlando, Florida

Cool Tree

Decisions

brings back memories

Interesting Biography on E. Stanley Jones

Travels

Smiths in Peru

Looking at Japan

Christmas with el esposita y amigos

from on high in Peru