Prayer for Meg

I am still behind on getting out an update. In the meantime I want to ask for prayer for Meg as she is flying to the States to visit her sister and celebrate graduation from Rhode Island School of Design. Her father is also flying in from Japan. Please pray for travelling mercies and for a good visit with her father and sister.  Also pray for her health and the baby as she is 4 months pregnant. Please also pray for me and the two little bitties as we enjoy Daddy time for the week. She get's back on the 8th of June.

Parish Furniture: Stray at Home Art and Music Festival

Parish Furniture: Stray at Home Art and Music Festival: Stray at Home location change! follow this link to find out more

Peruvian Labor Day

Peru celebrated labor day on May 1st. Since this is a national holiday our cell group got together at our house.

We had a great turn out this day. We ate a meal and played a good game of futbol (soccer).  It is neat to see how the Lord is developing our community.  Many of the regular members of the cell group brought their relatives and neighbors. We actually had close to 30 people show up.  

I am excited to see the way God is working in our lives.  There have been many different struggles as well as wonderful blessings over the last few months. From broken arms, hernia surgeries to two births and two more expecting babies.  Through it all, I see God working in the lives of the men who are leaders of these families through His Word. As we study the Bible and apply it in conversation and in our work, I see God changing perspectives and improving relationships. There are often times when I don't see change as fast as I would like but when I step back and look at the long-term difference and look at where they are coming from, I am amazed at what God is doing in the lives of this community through His Church.  There are times when I don't know what to say for updates because this is a slow going work. We keep working our way through the Scriptures and we keep plugging away at work and keep having conversations to drive the gospel deeper into our lives and little by little God is causing the growth.  

1 Corinthians 3:7, "...so neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth."

Custom orders

The guys with Las Ponas just finished a custom order for furniture. They hired a woodcarver to add a little detail to the bookcase.

Short term team visit

Last week we had a visit from a team from University Fellowship Church in Norman, OK. We are very thankful for their visit. They were a very hard working crew. They helped dig out the foundation for the first phase of the new church in Parque Industrial. This was not easy work among rocks and boulders in the sand. This is a new church plant next to a new clinic in a growing yet impoverished area on the edge of Trujillo.

Meg's 1st baking class

Meg has had so much fun (and done such a good job) making cakes or cupcakes for various activities lately several people have suggested she start a cake store or a baking school. Here she is getting a taste at her first class helping our friend Lucia make a cake for her daughter's birthday party.
They stayed up way too late finishing it :)  I took this after I got home from a Macho Movie Night with several men watching the new movie, Courageous.

Wedding, baby shower and new members

This past weekend was extremely busy.   It started out with Alleen & Hermes' wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and a great example of the Grand wedding feast we anticipate at Christ's return. We all had a great time celebrating this new union. It was especially nice with all of the children dancing and enjoying the beautiful reception afterwards.

Sunday morning the downtown church plant, Christ the King, received two new members who also happen to be two men who are connected with the Parish woodshop. Kevin and Javier. Kevin got connected with us last year through the English conversation courses and is working part time for Javier and Norvil. Javier is one of the original carpenters with Parish who is running his own business here in Trujillo along with Norvil.  They are both members of the cell group that meets connected with the woodshop.

Norvil and his wife, Flor, are expecting a baby next month. Sunday afternoon there was a baby shower for them at our house. 

Prayer requests and update

I am always encouraged when I get a request from supporting churches for prayer requests. It reminds me how much we depend on the intervention of the Almighty in the work He calls us to do. It also reminds me to communicate to others to join with me in praying for the things that I am battling.
Here is a short list of prayer requests

Please mostly pray for the men involved in various bible studies that the Holy Spirit will apply the gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives and transform them into faithful servants and leaders

Two men that I am discipling have recently gone through difficult health problems that affected their income. Pray for healing and renewed zeal to fight to provide for their families.

There are several pregnant mothers in our churches please pray for their health and financial providence for extra costs in already tight budgets.

Lastly, pray for four couples involved in a study on marriage and that God would transform the next generation by creating a culture where men are Godly leaders in their homes.

Here is a link to our latest update. If you are not on our mailing list and want to receive it you can find a sign up link in the newsletter.

Cell group restart at Woodshop

Recent photos

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!

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.