Feb 9, 2010

February Update

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

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