Sorry this is going to be short, I know it seems like I am getting in that habit. I am feeling better, and my stomach has calmed down a good bit. I'd say things are as close to normal as can be expected. I am just resting up and trying to regain energy.
Please Please Please keep praying for the work here. The night before last night 5 of our solar panels got stolen off the roof. They are about 400 dollars a piece and the Saindons are already really low on money for the station. There isn't really anything we can do about it. A lot of the locals offered to go walk through the forest and marsh to look and see if they hid them there until they could pick them up, so we did that yesterday. It wasn't a great way to rest.
Gabe and Aubi will be going into Lichinga on Friday to meet with the Labor people. I am not sure if I will go or not. I will let you know though.
Man I have a funny story for today. I was working on recovering and all from being so sick. I was a good bit better today thankfully, but this sickness has been coming in spurts so we will see. Anyways we run on solar panels when we can, and they are bolted on our sheet metal roof. Well last night someone came and stole 5 of them. They are like 400 dollars a piece! Man these things are like gold here. They snuck onto the roof and only walked on the side where they wouldn't make noise. So today as I was trying to rest, me and a group of locals went out to look and see if they hid them in the forest and tall grass until they could transport them. There are rivers and creeks and reeds. Well as we were going I basically was jumping across one, and fell completely in! These locals were dying laughing. They were laughing so hard they almost fell in as well. I went in under my head in this creek and we still didn't find the panels. So if you would please be praying, it is a big setback financially.
We are convinced the Lord is with us and doing something good here because of all the devils attempts to slow us down. Haha.
Sorry I have been short on emailing, we have been prety busy here, and the radio presenters have been using the computer off and all for some paperwork for the Labor Dept.
Love you Mom.
Mills
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Mills writes on August 26th........
After church this morning I became a fire fighter. They burn the fields here at the end of the dry season. Today was way to windy, but two young boys did so anyways. Before church we saw a fire way of, probably 3-4 miles, and then after church it was about to swallow our garden. We battled it and didn't loose any crops, but our fence got destroyed! We ran and saved a few locals houses, all the roofs are thatch and the house literally burst into flames. We were able to direct the fire around the village and keep it going into the fields. I got some pictures, but I don't think they will do it justice. At one point Gabe and I were in a dense fog of smoke and we were surrounded by fire. We really thought we might have to run through fire to live! Haha but they we beat the fire with branches and made a path out. It was hot stuff though.
Mills writes on August 25th......
So the trip to Malawi went really well, and I recovered from Malaria very nicely. I was able to actually eat at a restaurant in Blantyre, Malawi which was incredible. I ate a hamburger, and a real pizza!!! I know you may be thinking that is crazy to get excited about, but I am a teenage guy, and well I eat a lot. So pizza was nice to have after being away from it for so long. We got back in Mozambique on Thursday after 2 days in Malawi. We spent the night there and then Friday morning went to meet
the local transport in the market to get home. All of the transports gather in one area in the market so we wandered around looking for our vehicle. We found a truck that was going and it was only 100 meticas (aaround 4 dollars) so we decided that was the one. That was around 9am, and after an hour or two we finally left. Now in my email earlier aksing for prayer request I described local transport as 20 people in a 15 passenger van. I was very mistaken. This truck was a bit bigger than a normal
pick-up, but still only 4 wheels, and a small cab. In the back of the truck there were 50 of us, and all of the belongings. And a ton of cases of beer and cokes. I know your thinking, 50 no that is an exaggeration. I am not exaggerating one bit. There were 50 in the back. I counted and I was touching 10 people. 10 people and I were that close together. The thing is, the road isn't paved. It is a dirt road, and the driver is in a hurry so you are practically airborne the entire time except for the
fact that you are wedged in. Oh and a chicken, there was a chicken next to me, and it pooped on my foot. It is funny how we actually packed in. I mean I was just sitting there and more and more people started wedging stuff in and around me and then sitting down where they could. Then just as I though, "Wow this is all that can fit", someone would walk up with a huge sack of corn or flour or a case of coke. And then they would find room for it. It was amazing.
The thing about local transport is if you are overloaded it is illegal. Obviously, we were overloaded and so we took these back roads until out of town. Right as we were about to get onto the main road, we stopped. We were there for so long I thought we were going to sleep there and so I had already planned where I would sleep and then how I could get a good seat in the morning. Gabe and I couldn't really figure it out, and then with the little Portuguese I know I was about to figure out the police
were on the road and we had to wait till they left for the day. So we sat, and then a lot of the people decided to drink the beer we were carrying, Including the driver. Then after 5 hours or so we started up again, just as cramped as before. As we were making our way there was a transport pulled over (by the police), but no police in the road to stop us. So our driver sped through before they could step out to block the road. Then the truck behind us got stopped! It all happened really fast, we
just looked and there were the police, it was really good we didn't get pulled because then we would have had to walk 105 kilometers to get home. I know a lot of people are thinking that I am so wrong to do this, and that it was breaking the law. Well the police would just have taken money from all of us and sent us on our way, or thrown the driver in prison and left us there. When your are in that situation you rejoice that the Lord delivered you from the corrupt police officer. So we got to the
transport at 9, and then got home (eventually) at 8:30. I don't know how the driver made it, he was very nice though, he insisted to drive us all the way to our house after everyone else got off.
So all of that said, I appreciate your prayers. I am sure that they had a big part in the fact that I actually made it home. In my mind I keep going back to the fact that Paul was content in every situation. I really was thankful that we had that ride, I mean it really really could have been worse. It is easy to ask God, "Why?". Why is this happening to me, why did this "bad" thing happen. And the thing is, we can be so thankful. Yes it is bad that you got a speeding ticket, or that you got in a
wreck. But seriously you had the blessing of having a car! I was throwing the frisbee with some local boys last week and one asked me if I had a nice bike back in America. I kinda laughed at first. I mean what he hopes for is a nice bike, not a gear bike, just a nice bike like one that has brakes. So just think next time you have a trial, it really could be worse, but more importantly what is God using that trial for?
the local transport in the market to get home. All of the transports gather in one area in the market so we wandered around looking for our vehicle. We found a truck that was going and it was only 100 meticas (aaround 4 dollars) so we decided that was the one. That was around 9am, and after an hour or two we finally left. Now in my email earlier aksing for prayer request I described local transport as 20 people in a 15 passenger van. I was very mistaken. This truck was a bit bigger than a normal
pick-up, but still only 4 wheels, and a small cab. In the back of the truck there were 50 of us, and all of the belongings. And a ton of cases of beer and cokes. I know your thinking, 50 no that is an exaggeration. I am not exaggerating one bit. There were 50 in the back. I counted and I was touching 10 people. 10 people and I were that close together. The thing is, the road isn't paved. It is a dirt road, and the driver is in a hurry so you are practically airborne the entire time except for the
fact that you are wedged in. Oh and a chicken, there was a chicken next to me, and it pooped on my foot. It is funny how we actually packed in. I mean I was just sitting there and more and more people started wedging stuff in and around me and then sitting down where they could. Then just as I though, "Wow this is all that can fit", someone would walk up with a huge sack of corn or flour or a case of coke. And then they would find room for it. It was amazing.
The thing about local transport is if you are overloaded it is illegal. Obviously, we were overloaded and so we took these back roads until out of town. Right as we were about to get onto the main road, we stopped. We were there for so long I thought we were going to sleep there and so I had already planned where I would sleep and then how I could get a good seat in the morning. Gabe and I couldn't really figure it out, and then with the little Portuguese I know I was about to figure out the police
were on the road and we had to wait till they left for the day. So we sat, and then a lot of the people decided to drink the beer we were carrying, Including the driver. Then after 5 hours or so we started up again, just as cramped as before. As we were making our way there was a transport pulled over (by the police), but no police in the road to stop us. So our driver sped through before they could step out to block the road. Then the truck behind us got stopped! It all happened really fast, we
just looked and there were the police, it was really good we didn't get pulled because then we would have had to walk 105 kilometers to get home. I know a lot of people are thinking that I am so wrong to do this, and that it was breaking the law. Well the police would just have taken money from all of us and sent us on our way, or thrown the driver in prison and left us there. When your are in that situation you rejoice that the Lord delivered you from the corrupt police officer. So we got to the
transport at 9, and then got home (eventually) at 8:30. I don't know how the driver made it, he was very nice though, he insisted to drive us all the way to our house after everyone else got off.
So all of that said, I appreciate your prayers. I am sure that they had a big part in the fact that I actually made it home. In my mind I keep going back to the fact that Paul was content in every situation. I really was thankful that we had that ride, I mean it really really could have been worse. It is easy to ask God, "Why?". Why is this happening to me, why did this "bad" thing happen. And the thing is, we can be so thankful. Yes it is bad that you got a speeding ticket, or that you got in a
wreck. But seriously you had the blessing of having a car! I was throwing the frisbee with some local boys last week and one asked me if I had a nice bike back in America. I kinda laughed at first. I mean what he hopes for is a nice bike, not a gear bike, just a nice bike like one that has brakes. So just think next time you have a trial, it really could be worse, but more importantly what is God using that trial for?
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Mills writes on August 19th from Lichinga..........
Its actually not sunny, its cold and windy.
I just wanted to email you and let you know I got here alight. I am recovering fom Malaria well and resting up. We Leave tomorrow, Monday, fo Malawi for a few days. Should be a good time. They have real gocery stores there! Also I met a guy who carves Ivory, but he is legal. He gets it fom the game reserves, and it liscensed! I might buy sometime, its not often you get a chance like that.
I will try and email when I get back in Lichinga, but no promises.
Love and miss yall
Mills
Psalm 119:9-11 "How can a young man keep his way pure, by living according to your Word. I seek you with all my heart, do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You."
I just wanted to email you and let you know I got here alight. I am recovering fom Malaria well and resting up. We Leave tomorrow, Monday, fo Malawi for a few days. Should be a good time. They have real gocery stores there! Also I met a guy who carves Ivory, but he is legal. He gets it fom the game reserves, and it liscensed! I might buy sometime, its not often you get a chance like that.
I will try and email when I get back in Lichinga, but no promises.
Love and miss yall
Mills
Psalm 119:9-11 "How can a young man keep his way pure, by living according to your Word. I seek you with all my heart, do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You."
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Mills writes on August 16th in the p.m.........
Hey Mom,
It's 4:15 here, I just wanted to get out a last email to you. We plan to leave at 7 in the morning and won't be able to connect to the server that early. Dad commented on the fact you have been rising early in the morning, as have I. I (when feeling well) have been getting up at 5:45, I don't know how early you rise, but man 5:45 doesn't feel so early out here. Workers come for their different jobs around 6:30 here. It puts things into perspective.
I appreciate your encouragement while being sick. It helps to have a nice kiss once and a while. Mom it really was a blessing to hear In Christ Alone. I don't think I will be able to sing it again without remembering this time and knowing how fully my hope, light, strength and song are His Alone. You are right, God is Sovereign. I think sometimes God will bring you to
I am going to ask Gabe to run and email this before we loose our window, but it will be the last for a while. It is possible that Friday or Saturday I will connect to the internet in town. I will try and email you from my Hotmail, and read some emails on there.
Please be praying for the time as we travel. The thing about Malaria is that you can't get comfortable, even laying in bed. The bumpy ride on dirt roads won't be pleasant. "My Comforter, my All in All, Here in the love of Christ I will Stand" (more like lay right about now)
Shannon Turbeville emailed me, it was nice to hear from her. Oh I am going to bring back some seeds to try and plant coffee in
Love you Mom. A tight hug.
Mills
Gabriel writes on August 16th in the early a.m..........
Hello Cindy
Mills asked me to email you this morning to tell you that he is sick in bed with Malaria. He started to feel sick yesterday but managed to eat supper but he had a very bad night last night getting sick and all. He seems to be a bit better this morning but has a fever ever now and then. He did take treatment last night and Theo and Mignonne just gave him some more. So we are hoping that he will be back on his feet tomorrow.
Thank you
From Gabriel
Mills writes on August 15th......
Hey Dad,
Gabe is feeling much better now and is just trying to lay low and slowly recover. Tomorrow (Thursday) will be my last day to email for about a week since we will be going to
I start my days early here, up at 5:45 and eating breakfast after a shower. I go to bed usually before 9 though so it makes the early hours easy. I'm using my laptop as an alarm. I'm loking forward to being back home and getting to use it a little more towards it's full potential. Here it's not connected to the internet and there are no other Apple's around so it is limited.
I gotta run, Love you
Mills
If you'd be praying I am talking tomorrow at our Bengwa's meeting. Bengwas are the guys from all the villages that help out with the radio. They take up announcements and the money for them, and also get listener feedback from their village. They are all Muslims and well I'm working on what to talk about. And I will share my testimony which should be interesting. I'd love the prayers. God give me strength.
Mills writes on August 14th.......
Hey Momma,
Gabe has come down with Malaria, he felt it Monday morning and has been laying in bed since. As of this morning he is much better though.
Yesterday I was playing hide and seek with some local boys and I saw Louis drive up with all of his workers and their bikes on top of his Land Cruiser. I went and asked why he brought them all into town and saw that in the back of his car he had 2 cows. One had just died and the other was lame and hadn't been able to stand for a few weeks. He gifted the lame one to the church to be slaughtered and took the other away. Aubi looked at me and said, "Aye you must slaughter this cow". I started laughing and then realized he had never killed a cow before, and neither had I. Long story short, I took that new knife I ordered and while some of the locals held down the cow I cut it's throat. We then cleaned the cow and butchered it. The funny thing is that the only thing that goes to waste is the actual waste in side the cow, the things that were in line to get sent out of it's body. Everything else is used. I asked Aubi (ignorantly) if we would just bury the head in the field and he laughed and said no they would eat it. He said they even eat the ears! For my part in cleaning it I asked for the hide, instead of meat. I want to maybe make a drum or something. We will see. I just laughed though, these locals were very afraid to kill the cow, and then once it was dead they jumped on in and helped skin and divide the meat. Sorry I didn't take any pictures.....
years.
I gotta run send this before we lose our window to connect to the server in SA.
I love you and look forward to the email that is probably waiting on me there from you. haha
Mills
Mills writes August 13th...........
Hey Momma,
I'm making this very short. I just read your email and really enjoyed what you had to say. I wanted to reply and then reconnect quickly. Gabe isn't feeling well and is in bed this morning, so you can be praying for him. He is having stomach problems along the same lines as mine. You and dad will probably get your emails along the same time, it's funny I typed his last night, and yours this morning. Funny how God will use the time difference. Man God has really been using just Praising Him in my life here. I was reading Ecclesiastes and I think it is chapter 5, but I am not sure. But it is about standing in Awe of God. Wow mom, right now find that verse, it's like 2 verses on letting our words be few. I will email a longer message and send it this afternoon so I can check the verse.
Love,
Mills
I'm making this very short. I just read your email and really enjoyed what you had to say. I wanted to reply and then reconnect quickly. Gabe isn't feeling well and is in bed this morning, so you can be praying for him. He is having stomach problems along the same lines as mine. You and dad will probably get your emails along the same time, it's funny I typed his last night, and yours this morning. Funny how God will use the time difference. Man God has really been using just Praising Him in my life here. I was reading Ecclesiastes and I think it is chapter 5, but I am not sure. But it is about standing in Awe of God. Wow mom, right now find that verse, it's like 2 verses on letting our words be few. I will email a longer message and send it this afternoon so I can check the verse.
Love,
Mills
Monday, August 13, 2007
Mills' notes from his sermon August 12th......
I love you Momma, more than you know. Really it's more than words. It's a love that is only a shadow of the Love of our God, but it is still so immense.
Here is the Sermon notes I give Aubi to help translate. It is nice because it gives you time to think about what you are going to say next as he is translating.
Mills
Teaching for 8-12-2007 "The Burden of Sin"-Mills Snell
-Giving Thanks for opportunity to teach and reference to responsibility of teaching. Gabe's preaching on James 3.
-Prayer before diving into God's Word. (Aubi, next time I preach, if you let me again, I want to follow up with this verse.) "See what this Godly sorrow has produced in you: What earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. -Gabriel taught last week on two kinds of Wisdom. Heavenly and Earthly Wisdom. We are going to look at
two kinds of sorrow. Sorrow is -- "A feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment or other misfortune."
--2 Corinthians 7:11 "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. "
-This sorrow we are talking about is in relation to the sin in our lives. What is the difference between Godly and worldly sorrow? (I may repeat this a few times). The Answer.... Are we sad because we were caught in sin or are we sad because our sins have hurt our God? Worldly sorrow is when we are sad because we were caught in the act of living a sinful life. Godly sorrow is when you are so broken by the fact that your sins hurt God that you turn to Him. Our sins hurt God because it forces Him
to turn His face from us. (I'll do a demonstration with 2 chairs) Habakkuk 1:13 says " The eyes of the Lord are too pure to look on evil" We must understand the evilness and weight of our sin; if we do not, we cannot understand how it hurts God.
- "Godly sorrow brings repentance" When we are broken by the fact that our sins hurt God, and are filled with Godly sorrow, we repent. Repentance is a complete turn in the opposite direction. We were walking in our sin..... And then turn completely around! Completely!
- "That leads to salvation" Here God tells us that repentance leads to salvation. Salvation does not come before repentance. We must repent, and only then can we be saved. Salvation can only be attained when we realize that there is nothing that we can do to win God's favor. We must be covered by Jesus' blood in order to gain salvation. No amount of good deeds can win over salvation. (I'll give some examples)
- "and leaves no regret" The focus of this teaching is this. So many people have achieved salvation, not by their own strength, but because of Christ, and they still regret. The problem is that we think some of our sins are in a way "too big for God". This is not in the bible. Jesus' death covers all sins. As Christians we don't fully live out this verse, because we still live with the guilt of our sins. This should not be! If we lay our sins at the foot of the cross, which is repentance (turning
away from our sin), then we must lay them all down. Don't be so prideful as to think that one thing you may have done can be kept from the Lord. No sin is big enough to outweigh the sacrifice of our Jesus.
- "Worldly sorrow brings death" . In Paul's letter to the church in Rome he says, "The wages of sin is death". Worldly sorrow will not end in salvation. If you are simply sorry that you got caught in your sin, and not that your sin hurts God, then your fate will be death. Paul talks about it twice here, Worldly sorrow is a sin, and the wages of sin is death. Worldly sorrow will leave you regretting every sin you ever made. Satan will use this as a foot hold in moving you away from God. Don't
let the guilt of past sins keep you from repentance and salvation. We have freedom in the cross. We are literally free from the burden of sin.
These two types of sorrow were fresh in Paul's mind. Look at what just happened. Peter sinned, he denied Christ 3 times, and lied about being one of Jesus' followers. Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, for 30 pieces of silver. Peter felt sorry that his sins hurt God. He repented, was accepted back in the body of believers and moved on. Judas though, was "seized by remorse" Matthew 27 tells us. He was sorry that Jesus was condemned, and then he gave back the money and hung himself. What is the difference
in Judas and Peter? Judas was not sorry that his sins hurt God, he was sad that he got caught, that Jesus got hurt. He didn't think about the consequences of his sin. Think about the consequences of your sins.
(I'll summarize the verse a little bit).
What is your attitude towards the sin in your life? Are you sorry that your sins hurt God, or are you sorry you got caught in them?
I'll close in prayer.
Here is the Sermon notes I give Aubi to help translate. It is nice because it gives you time to think about what you are going to say next as he is translating.
Mills
Teaching for 8-12-2007 "The Burden of Sin"-Mills Snell
-Giving Thanks for opportunity to teach and reference to responsibility of teaching. Gabe's preaching on James 3.
-Prayer before diving into God's Word. (Aubi, next time I preach, if you let me again, I want to follow up with this verse.) "See what this Godly sorrow has produced in you: What earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. -Gabriel taught last week on two kinds of Wisdom. Heavenly and Earthly Wisdom. We are going to look at
two kinds of sorrow. Sorrow is -- "A feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment or other misfortune."
--2 Corinthians 7:11 "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. "
-This sorrow we are talking about is in relation to the sin in our lives. What is the difference between Godly and worldly sorrow? (I may repeat this a few times). The Answer.... Are we sad because we were caught in sin or are we sad because our sins have hurt our God? Worldly sorrow is when we are sad because we were caught in the act of living a sinful life. Godly sorrow is when you are so broken by the fact that your sins hurt God that you turn to Him. Our sins hurt God because it forces Him
to turn His face from us. (I'll do a demonstration with 2 chairs) Habakkuk 1:13 says " The eyes of the Lord are too pure to look on evil" We must understand the evilness and weight of our sin; if we do not, we cannot understand how it hurts God.
- "Godly sorrow brings repentance" When we are broken by the fact that our sins hurt God, and are filled with Godly sorrow, we repent. Repentance is a complete turn in the opposite direction. We were walking in our sin..... And then turn completely around! Completely!
- "That leads to salvation" Here God tells us that repentance leads to salvation. Salvation does not come before repentance. We must repent, and only then can we be saved. Salvation can only be attained when we realize that there is nothing that we can do to win God's favor. We must be covered by Jesus' blood in order to gain salvation. No amount of good deeds can win over salvation. (I'll give some examples)
- "and leaves no regret" The focus of this teaching is this. So many people have achieved salvation, not by their own strength, but because of Christ, and they still regret. The problem is that we think some of our sins are in a way "too big for God". This is not in the bible. Jesus' death covers all sins. As Christians we don't fully live out this verse, because we still live with the guilt of our sins. This should not be! If we lay our sins at the foot of the cross, which is repentance (turning
away from our sin), then we must lay them all down. Don't be so prideful as to think that one thing you may have done can be kept from the Lord. No sin is big enough to outweigh the sacrifice of our Jesus.
- "Worldly sorrow brings death" . In Paul's letter to the church in Rome he says, "The wages of sin is death". Worldly sorrow will not end in salvation. If you are simply sorry that you got caught in your sin, and not that your sin hurts God, then your fate will be death. Paul talks about it twice here, Worldly sorrow is a sin, and the wages of sin is death. Worldly sorrow will leave you regretting every sin you ever made. Satan will use this as a foot hold in moving you away from God. Don't
let the guilt of past sins keep you from repentance and salvation. We have freedom in the cross. We are literally free from the burden of sin.
These two types of sorrow were fresh in Paul's mind. Look at what just happened. Peter sinned, he denied Christ 3 times, and lied about being one of Jesus' followers. Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, for 30 pieces of silver. Peter felt sorry that his sins hurt God. He repented, was accepted back in the body of believers and moved on. Judas though, was "seized by remorse" Matthew 27 tells us. He was sorry that Jesus was condemned, and then he gave back the money and hung himself. What is the difference
in Judas and Peter? Judas was not sorry that his sins hurt God, he was sad that he got caught, that Jesus got hurt. He didn't think about the consequences of his sin. Think about the consequences of your sins.
(I'll summarize the verse a little bit).
What is your attitude towards the sin in your life? Are you sorry that your sins hurt God, or are you sorry you got caught in them?
I'll close in prayer.
Mills writes on August 11th........
Gabe and I returned from our journeys today (Saturday) around 1:30. Much earlier than we had kinda expected. Everything went well as Theo took the truck to Pemba. Gabe and I are planning going there and then starting our way down Mozam. It is a funny place, people poop on the beach and the tide takes it away. They say it really startles you, I will be able to say in a couple months. But since we got back in enough time, I am going to preach tomorrow, which God really used to humble me. At first I was kinda hoping that I would have to wait till another week, and then I got to thinking on the long drive and realized.... What the heck, this is a privilege. With responsibilities of course. But I am really getting more and more passionate about it. I will tac my notes on.
Gosh I was thinking about the winding down summer today. As I get more and more emails from friends I have started to realize that I sacrificed the summer after my SR. year. Gladly of course, but my friends are telling me about all these awesome things that are happening! Ha Praise the Lord.
Gosh I was thinking about the winding down summer today. As I get more and more emails from friends I have started to realize that I sacrificed the summer after my SR. year. Gladly of course, but my friends are telling me about all these awesome things that are happening! Ha Praise the Lord.
Mills writes on August 13th...........
Hey ya'll,
It pleases me so much to say "ya'll" and for you not to think anything funny about it. I get many strange looks here. I just wanted to see if you could be praying for me on this upcoming week. Gabe and I will be going to Malawi. I have renewed my visa to the limit and if I don't leave the country they will kick me out. So I will leave on Monday for about a 6 hour drive to cross the border and then my visa renewal process can start over again. I just wanted to ask if you could be praying for our trip? There are a lot of things that could potentially go wrong. If God is for us, who can be against us! Also our safety, Gabe and I won't have a ride back, so we will take local transport. The best way to describe local transport is like a 1975 15 passenger van with 20+ people crammed in, and all their belongings on the top. It's like a tractor pulling a trailer. I trust that the Lord is and has been preparing divine appointments for us. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. Thanks so much for blessing me with your prayers.
Mills
It pleases me so much to say "ya'll" and for you not to think anything funny about it. I get many strange looks here. I just wanted to see if you could be praying for me on this upcoming week. Gabe and I will be going to Malawi. I have renewed my visa to the limit and if I don't leave the country they will kick me out. So I will leave on Monday for about a 6 hour drive to cross the border and then my visa renewal process can start over again. I just wanted to ask if you could be praying for our trip? There are a lot of things that could potentially go wrong. If God is for us, who can be against us! Also our safety, Gabe and I won't have a ride back, so we will take local transport. The best way to describe local transport is like a 1975 15 passenger van with 20+ people crammed in, and all their belongings on the top. It's like a tractor pulling a trailer. I trust that the Lord is and has been preparing divine appointments for us. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. Thanks so much for blessing me with your prayers.
Mills
Mills writes on Sunday August 12......
On our recent trip into town I bought a box of frosted flakes for 135 meticas! I found frosted flakes!!! That is like 5 or 6 dollars for the box, and it wasn't very big. Ah did I enjoy it though. I will only be able to get 3 bowls out of it, and I have already had 2..... Haha. Man I went and picked some strawberries though and cut them up on the cereal. Ha I know I will appreciate cereal that much more now.
I gotta run, Love you and I will look forward to hearing from you.
Soaking it in,
Mills
I gotta run, Love you and I will look forward to hearing from you.
Soaking it in,
Mills
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Mills writes on August 7th...................
Oh sweet Chick-fa-la! They don't have it in SA and they asked if it was like KFC?? I nearly died. And I didn't have it much before I left because of that one being closed by us. How does it look?
When I went to check emails this morning there were only 2, but I noticed the guy in SA we run through hadn't connected to the server in 15 hours. So we ended up getting 19 emails around 12. It's funny how much our email is in the Lord's hands. More so than back at home guess.
Our water pump from the river hasn't been working and Aubi doesn't have water by his house. So this morning we went down to the river to fix the pump. We ended up having to build up the dam by swimming around behind it and finding more rocks and sandbags that had fallen. The water was so cold, really really cold. Then we had carried this 30 ft or so pipe down to dredge out the sand that kinda gets in the way of the pipe opening. We got the pump sucking up water and then I stood there and vacuumed
up the sand, lots of it, while chest deep in freezing water. Thankfully the pump is working now, and Aubi should have water soon. I'll take a picture of the dam and everything next time we go down.
Also Mignonne baked us bread, and I asked her to help me learn to do the same after they leave in a few weeks. The Lord is taking care of us for sure!
It's really interesting, this time of year the locals burn the tall grass fields. But these fields are everywhere! They light them at night and it is really incredible. There isn't a really good reason for why they do it, but it helps to kinda kill bugs. The thing is everything gets covered in the ash. I will have to try and take a picture that will do it justice. It really is incredible. We got some of the guys that live in the village to clear out the grass around the house and gardens so they
don't burn us down. We payed 3 guys 50 meticas total for about a days work. Since they were around MR and Parker's age they were so happy to receive it!
I gotta run, love you
When I went to check emails this morning there were only 2, but I noticed the guy in SA we run through hadn't connected to the server in 15 hours. So we ended up getting 19 emails around 12. It's funny how much our email is in the Lord's hands. More so than back at home guess.
Our water pump from the river hasn't been working and Aubi doesn't have water by his house. So this morning we went down to the river to fix the pump. We ended up having to build up the dam by swimming around behind it and finding more rocks and sandbags that had fallen. The water was so cold, really really cold. Then we had carried this 30 ft or so pipe down to dredge out the sand that kinda gets in the way of the pipe opening. We got the pump sucking up water and then I stood there and vacuumed
up the sand, lots of it, while chest deep in freezing water. Thankfully the pump is working now, and Aubi should have water soon. I'll take a picture of the dam and everything next time we go down.
Also Mignonne baked us bread, and I asked her to help me learn to do the same after they leave in a few weeks. The Lord is taking care of us for sure!
It's really interesting, this time of year the locals burn the tall grass fields. But these fields are everywhere! They light them at night and it is really incredible. There isn't a really good reason for why they do it, but it helps to kinda kill bugs. The thing is everything gets covered in the ash. I will have to try and take a picture that will do it justice. It really is incredible. We got some of the guys that live in the village to clear out the grass around the house and gardens so they
don't burn us down. We payed 3 guys 50 meticas total for about a days work. Since they were around MR and Parker's age they were so happy to receive it!
I gotta run, love you
Friday, August 3, 2007
Mills writes to everyone on August 3rd..........
Hey Ya'll,
You'll have to forgive me for not sending out a mass email in a while. I'm blessed to have my parents updating a Blog for me, so I hope you have been checking that out. I have been trying to figure out what exactly to say, more actually, what not to say. God really works in the simplicity of life, and here things are pretty simple. If you’re following me, God is working big time in my life. I'm going to try and explain something I can't even wrap my mind around, so please bear with me.
God has been humbling me on this so called journey. It doesn't seem so much like a journey, but I looked up journey and it is: an act of traveling from one place to another. Trying to avoid being cliché, I really find myself moving from one mindset to a completely different one. I told a story to my parents that got put on the blog about a group of boys who were so eager to get our trash, they were willing to work (in a non-American sense of the word) for it. I can't explain the joy these young
boys had for tin cans! It is something I will never forget. It really caused me to question the luxury you and I live in. Most missionaries or others who come onto the mission field might make a challenge like this, so I feel a little too much "by the books" in doing it. Please though think outside of our normal mindset; God has gifted you with the utmost comfort, how are you using it to bring Him honor? Philemon 1:6 comes to mind, (I'm going to assume that not all of you have Bibles beside you, and for the sake of understanding this, I will quote it), " I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ". God says, via Paul, that when you share your faith (out loud), that you actually may begin to understand the joy, contentment, eagerness, hope, earnestness, patience, love and freedom (just some of the good things) that we have in Christ! Share your Faith, and try with me to wrap our minds around something as big and awesome as God's plan for our lives. I trust that God isn't lying when he tells us that when we share our faith we begin to understand His goodness. I really could tell you a thousand stories about what is going on here, but they are all going to point to God's goodness, His greatness. Plus you can read the stories on my blog and there will be plenty of time when I get home. Ha-ha.
I'll throw in one story so you might actually read the next newsletter I send out.... Ha-ha only kidding..... I hope.
While in Lichinga (the nearest town) we ran into some car trouble with a borrowed 8 ton retired army truck, this truck had been retired for a reason. We had just picked up my passport which had to be left at the Immigration office for a week where I renewed my visa. The truck wouldn't start, which wasn't really a surprise seeing as how we had stopped at least 12 times in the 300k's to pick up the truck. By the Grace of God, we were parked across the street from a mechanic shop! We took off the
starter (you can stand under this truck while working on it, that is how big it really is) and carried it over. While sitting and talking with the Muslim mechanic Adao (or Adam) for a few hours we tried to share the Gospel with him. We asked if he had heard of Adam in the Bible, and he knew the story! That was really as far as we could get with him and we ended up paying the mechanic shop 900 meticas, which is a lot of money here, so that he could tell us we needed to start it manually(which we had
been doing). You could see though how Adao looked at us, we were laughing and joking and sharing food with him. I trust that he noticed we didn't see ourselves in a trial, or at least not as an inconvenience. That story wraps up our labors here. We plant some seeds and don't usually see much fruit, but God is working! People simply need to see the Gospel in action. We are just trying to love on people, the same way we would love on our family members or children. God is teaching me so well to be content in every situation.
My prayer for ya'll as you read this is that you would be, "Joyful in Hope, Patient in Affliction, and Faithful in Prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality". I really can't shout it as loud as I want to. Remember we aren't called to be hospitable only to the desirables.
Please be praying for:
-Gabriel and my friendship, that is would continue to grow and we would have patience with each other and seek to serve each other.
-I'll be preaching on the 12th of August, so for a clear leading on what to teach on, and that these people's hearts would already begin to be softened.
-The group of guys we play soccer with, just as we try and pour into their lives.
-My slow, but steady learning of Portuguese.
- That the baker in the village would start making bread again (he stopped after going to prison about 2 weeks ago).
Ya'll are in my prayers, feel free to email me if there is anyway I can be praying for you.
Until next time.......
for freedom,
Mills
Mills writes on August 2nd.........
Hey Momma,
We are getting nice and caught up after that long weekend, I wouldn't call it a break so much. Haha.Oh the clutch was for Louis and his 1983 Mercedes. Maupula is in Mozambique, I'm sure if you Google it, it would show you. I'm not sure if that is spelled correctly.
HA Sheep. There are these sheep here, fat tailed sheep. They are gross looking and the meat isn't so good. When we were at Jan and Bonnies (where we took the cows in Lichinga), they are working on raising a herd of sheep and cattle. Jan is from SA and Bonnie is from Illinois. It is really neat to see how the milk from the cows is a blessing to them and the people around them. They are selling the milk at half price, which allows poorer people to buy, but they still cover their costs. It's really
interesting. Ok sorry back to the point, sheep. We always talk about how they are followers, and they really are! These sheep will just run after one another in a little pack. It was funny to watch them try and get around the cows. That is really interesting about trying to get on the other side of the fence.
Theo is going to take all of their big things to Pemba in a week or so, and then come back. Later in August they will go to SA as a family, till October. Then when they come back they will take the rest of their things to Pemba and stay.
At Maupula we ate a good bit of chicken, pork chops, sausage, some ribs of I'm not sure what. Oh we had these pieces of liver rapped in intestines, it was so good, It made me think of how much you love liver. Mmm meat.
It really is such an encouragement to hear how people are being touched, the Lord really is so humbling in that. Just the ways he works, subtlety even.
About ya'lls coming in November. It doesn't matter what we do. A safari might be a little lame, to be honest. I think if ya'll want to see some wild life then we can rent a car and drive to Kruger National Park. That would be better. A "safari package" is a tourist trap. We can go up on Table Mt, in Cape Town, spend some time at the beach. I really don't know what else. I think everything is going to seem "touristy" to me now. Ya'll juse decide and I will go along with it.
I gotta run, Gabe and I starting doing a devotional every morning. I'll talk to you soon mom, I love you.
Oh I am emailing Sydney this morning, feel free to give out my email to anyone, it really was a blessing to get her email.
Love,
Mills
We are getting nice and caught up after that long weekend, I wouldn't call it a break so much. Haha.Oh the clutch was for Louis and his 1983 Mercedes. Maupula is in Mozambique, I'm sure if you Google it, it would show you. I'm not sure if that is spelled correctly.
HA Sheep. There are these sheep here, fat tailed sheep. They are gross looking and the meat isn't so good. When we were at Jan and Bonnies (where we took the cows in Lichinga), they are working on raising a herd of sheep and cattle. Jan is from SA and Bonnie is from Illinois. It is really neat to see how the milk from the cows is a blessing to them and the people around them. They are selling the milk at half price, which allows poorer people to buy, but they still cover their costs. It's really
interesting. Ok sorry back to the point, sheep. We always talk about how they are followers, and they really are! These sheep will just run after one another in a little pack. It was funny to watch them try and get around the cows. That is really interesting about trying to get on the other side of the fence.
Theo is going to take all of their big things to Pemba in a week or so, and then come back. Later in August they will go to SA as a family, till October. Then when they come back they will take the rest of their things to Pemba and stay.
At Maupula we ate a good bit of chicken, pork chops, sausage, some ribs of I'm not sure what. Oh we had these pieces of liver rapped in intestines, it was so good, It made me think of how much you love liver. Mmm meat.
It really is such an encouragement to hear how people are being touched, the Lord really is so humbling in that. Just the ways he works, subtlety even.
About ya'lls coming in November. It doesn't matter what we do. A safari might be a little lame, to be honest. I think if ya'll want to see some wild life then we can rent a car and drive to Kruger National Park. That would be better. A "safari package" is a tourist trap. We can go up on Table Mt, in Cape Town, spend some time at the beach. I really don't know what else. I think everything is going to seem "touristy" to me now. Ya'll juse decide and I will go along with it.
I gotta run, Gabe and I starting doing a devotional every morning. I'll talk to you soon mom, I love you.
Oh I am emailing Sydney this morning, feel free to give out my email to anyone, it really was a blessing to get her email.
Love,
Mills
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