Short Update

It is hard to believe that 5 years ago, I was ordained to return to Peru as a pastor and continue with the discipleship and woodwork project, we called Parish. Little did I know how much things would change.

When I was installed as associate pastor at Christ the Restorer in the Manuel Arévalo neighborhood of Trujillo, the senior pastor, Ricardo said, “Great! Now you can take over the young adult ministry.” I said, well my gifts are not really a good fit, but he said, “No, you will be great.” So, I started working with the youth and continued to work with the carpenters as well as getting plugged into the broader ministries in the church and the mission.
Before long, I started to adjust our woodworking ministry to be a broader ministry in the workplace with various fields.  But then I eventually began to realize that I needed to focus my time more with the church and started an apprenticeship program with several potential leaders in the youth. I believe God led me to develop leadership through the church to be more effective in the ministry and extending into the workplace.

I still maintain contact with the carpenters, who are continuing their business locally, and I meet with them for discipleship. However, I started to focus my time more on the apprenticeship. We did an apprenticeship with four young men for two years with theological education from our pastors and myself as well as practical training in the ministry of the church. We finished working through a free certificate program from Birmingham Theological Seminary that partners with Third Millennium Ministries. They are now all involved in different ministries with our mission. My work with the apprentices led to me being called as director of our seminary program called the Christian Areopagus, which is what I will be focusing on when we go back next year.
     We have a new class starting this May of 33 students. Some of them are members of our churches but many are pastors and other lay leaders of other churches and other denominations. The Christian Areopagus not only works with IIIM materials but also our own missionaries and other visiting professors teach classes.

Meg has been involved with the ladies in the church and the young ladies in the youth ministry and also served as the president of the board of Geneva school until she got busy with the baby. She hopes to get back involved when we return next year. We have also had several opportunities to give counsel in pre-marital and other situations and recognize it would help us to get more training and be better equipped in counseling.

We plan to put our children through one year of School in Louisiana, so our plan will be to return to Peru, Lord willing, around June of 2019. Our task this year is to find new supporters and replace the ones we have lost as well as raise support for many of our ministries.

Meg, the children and I are extremely happy to be back in Louisiana for a time to reconnect with all of you and continue developing support for the gospel work of building the city of God in Peru. We look forward to catching up with all of you and seeing how that gospel work is growing here. We would love to meet personally with everyone and talk more about the ministry in Peru, perhaps over a meal or coffee.

Please pray for God to provide the funds for the ministries in Peru, our traveling and networking with many other churches and supporters, our further training and especially for our children to be able to adjust to life here. Again, thank you for taking such good care of us, with vehicles, office space and more. Thank you for your support and love and prayers.

Home Assignment

We are back in the States for a year of Home Assignment. Some call it Furlough, but let’s be real this is not actually a time of rest. Our job as missionaries is not only to serve the church in Peru but to be a link between communities. I am reminded of Paul asking for help from the church in 2 Corinthians 9. One day, we pray that the church in Peru will be able to help the church in other parts of the world. Until then, you are in a position at such a time as this to help develop and nurture growth in Peru.

We have been extremely blessed so far in our transition back. We had a rocky start with some immigration complications leaving Peru but eventually made it just in time to get off the airplane and go straight to our family Crawfish Boil in Louisiana. We are getting settled, have been given two vehicles and are blessed to stay in the First Baptist mission house. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support.

We will be busy reconnecting and reaching out to cultivate support for our many ministries in Peru. We plan on putting our children through a year of school in Zachary. This puts our return goal in June of 2019. This extra time will be important for our children’s growth and will also enable to us to further develop support for all the ministries as well as do some further study and preparation for the work.

We will be reaching out to as many of you as possible to give a more in-depth update. We look forward to reconnecting and sharing. If you don’t hear from us soon, please respond and let’s set up a time to visit.

In the joy of resting in Christ,

Stuart Mills