Welcoming in 2011

New Year's Eve 2011 demands a really special place for lunch, especially if you're not planning a fiesta. So off to Hotel Antigua we went to enjoy not only a Delicious lunch but beautiful views of Volcano Agua and the gardens. I really like the start of 2011 :)

We wish for you a wonderful new year, 2011.  May it hold for you an abundance of God's blessings of peace and joy as you continue to walk in His paths.

 
We ask for your concerted prayer covering as we travel to Honduras.  May God give us eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts to love, and voices to share the majesty of the Father and His great love for all to receive His free and eternal salvation.

A new "do" for the new year...

Since 2011 is right around the corner, I decided that the blog deserved a new look for the new year.  Hopefully I will change it several times throughout the year but thought I would start with a little black and white sparkle.

Yesterday, while visiting with my neighbor we were discussing just how quickly this year has passed.  I thought it was just me, but she agreed...2010 has been a fly by.  Besides all the travel we have done throughout the country there have been other highlights each month.

January...the infamous car jacking and several trips to the east

February...the visit of dear friends Jim and Patsy and several trips to the east

March...the homegoing of David's dear sister, Virginia, and several trips to the east

April...a visit with our daugther, Rebecca, and her church as they ministered during the Encuentro Indigenous and a quick trip to the states while David was in meetings in Colombia

May...visits from special friend Barry and his dad, from special missionaries Jane and Wendall, and Adam and Jennifer with their three children

June...the planning of and first visit to the Ch'orti' by a couple of Guatemalan pastors with David in anticipation of evangelistic work and planting of a church and several other trips

July...baptism observance at a water park with our church and several trips

August...our 33rd anniversary, welcoming new missionaries, and several trips

September...celebration of David's birthday and several trips both in and out of country

October...celebration of Glynis' birthday and several trips both in and out of country

November...a short trip to the states to share the heart and vision for work among the Ch'orti', and mission vision trip for David and several from our church to the Ch'orti' area

December...a visit from ALL our children and fun times with them and planning, planning, planning for our travels to Honduras for research there.

I think you can get the idea of what this year has been for us...TRAVEL.   When we first surveyed this job assignment, it was listed for a couple with no children (at home, anyway) who liked to travel and who like to travel together.  Well, that has been us.  I wished I had kept a journal of all the miles traveled this year, you would be surprised at the number.  But we know that as we have gone, we have gone with the covering of your prayers, the protection of the angels, and the guidance of the Father.  Each step of the way, we have been renewed in our vision of reaching this world for Christ.  And we look forward to this new year, we know that as we go, wherever we go, we will go in the power of our Father.  Continue to hold us up in prayer as we travel among the darkness of lostness.

Miller Family Time wishes you a Merry Christmas!

Recently all our children were able to come for a visit. And what a time we had!

First off, the mission van we anticipated in using wouldn't start in time for us to head to the airport, so, fearing we might be late if we kept working with it, off to the airport we went in our Terracan. Well, we were able to get almost all the luggage and most of us in the car, "Guatemalan style." The rest of us traveled in a taxi to the Arkansas House to try the van again. So rather than a leisurely lunch at a local mall's food court, we had a hurried up picnic lunch, loaded the van again, and off we went...chug, chug, chugging up the mountian...until it stopped. Thankfully David was able to get it to a good (that is a relative term here) place on the side of the road that had recently been repaired from the latest landslide until the towtruck could come. Have no fear...he was able to pull the van up onto his flat bed truck, we were able to climb back into the van (David rode with the driver to insure we got back where we needed to go) and off we went. Kinda felt like riding in the "Beverly Hillbillies truck." Yep, we were the talk of the road as we headed back into the city.

Ok, now to a different plan, we loaded all the folks up in a minivan and off we went home.  This time we easily made it home, enjoyed a chili/cornbread dinner before David and Mike headed back to the capital for all the luggage.  Finally much later, we were able to get repacked for the start of travel on Sunday and settled for the night.  Well, travel did improve as David was able to travel back to the city early Sunday morning for sister mission's van, remarkably just like the first van with which we started.  And after Sunday worship, we ate at the local Piccadilly cafeteria and headed out to new and exciting travels.





We spent a couple of days at Lake Atitlan...the most beautiful lake in all the world!



That's the Miller kids all grown up!

Back home for a night and dinner at the "diner" down the street


before heading to the Pacific for a couple of days.



Home through the capital to "crash" the mission Christmas Party and to sleep for a few hours before the hike up Pacaya



and shopping in Antigua


and Christmas gifts before bedtime.



It was a short week but FULL of much activity and LOVE.

Merry Christmas from All the Millers...

David and Glynis, Miriam and Mike (Adams), Stephen,

Rebecca and David (Durham) and Deborah and Chris (Slater). 

May your celebration reflect the real meaning of CHRISTmas!

Faces of Ch'orti' Challenge to Give so others may hear

God leads where no man can plan...story in video

God leads where no man can plan

The timing was not our choosing – late night arrival from ten days in the states one day to early morning departure the next day.  His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

The vehicle situation was challenging. After the cancelation of a couple of other vehicles at the last moment another truck was secured. God even uses "things" to perfect His plan.


The original plan was to make a couple of stops along the way, but reach El Limón Wednesday afternoon, begin some ministry there, spend the night, and do more ministry on Friday before launching out into nearby areas. Yet, even the stops were God timed.


Stop #1 – Guatemala City – tire repair on “the truck” – about an hour into the trip


Stop #2 – El Rodeo – rest break – about 3 more hours later


Stop #3 – Chiquimula – visit the pastor at the Baptist church – about 2 more hours later


Stop #4 – San Juan Ermita – visit the mayor’s office for approval of the trip; purchase of tortillas and use of their fire to heat water for ramen noodles and coffee for lunch – about 1 hour later


Stop #4 – Nearar – “the truck” brakes stopped working – about 1 hour later


God’s Plan: Car trouble and Ministry in Nearar


Included in the group of 15 were two seminary students, one of whom was a mechanic. As he worked on the truck and the evening began to darken, it was obvious here was where they would pass the night. Victoriano received permission to use the schoolhouse to house some of the team and part would pass the night in the man’s home across the road. Kristina, Victoriano’s wife, and the other woman on the team quickly set up their campfire with the use of a couple of cement blocks close by (and right before the man’s house entrance!) and prepared the dinner of handmade tortillas, black beans, and scrambled eggs and coffee. Friendships were begun with the surrounding children but it was too late to do anything but go to bed…on the concrete slab. Victoriano had neglected to share this tidbit of information with David but God had placed a rug in the back of Clyde “for such a time as this.” The usually warm Nearar was now cool…cooler…cold but with his jacket over his long sleeved shirt, blue jeans, socks and boots, and a cap, plus a towel for cover, laying on the rug using his small duffle as his pillow, he passed the night.


After a chilly night and a breakfast of black beans and tortillas and eggs, David and the guys working on the truck went to get supplies while the others began the outreach. Games, clowns, and clothing give-a-ways were inroads to the real reason for coming – the presentation of the Gospel. When David returned, Pastor Victoriano came and told him to come to the front of the group with him. While he was away, a man with a machete came from the community saying that the gringo was there to steal their children. Pastor V introduced David to the group saying that David was a member of his church, had come with the group to help, is a missionary, and that indeed “he did not come to steal children.” Wow! We had heard of this happening in other places but never where we actually were. But from then on, wherever David passed through Nearar, the children called “David, David!” We have passed through Nearar many times in the past but now he is known.


Securing a chicken in the neighborhood and preparing it (yes, that included the beheading, the plucking, all that “stuff,” as well as the cooking), the ladies added the meaty broth to their lunch of ramen noodles. Now with the truck repaired, it was on to El Limón! David needed his navigator, but alas she was at home, so instead he was taking the long way around to El Limón when he noticed there were no followers. Not a good sign. Going back, he discovered "the truck" was stopped – dead stopped. Needing to continue on the way before night fell, David and Victoriano put as much and as many as they could in their vehicles and headed on the journey with David to return to help. Continuing the long journey around to El Limón, David inquired along the way – everyplace was El Limón! They stopped at a school to stay for the night as David journeyed back to assist the other truck and found no vehicle! Definitely not a good sign! But he found the guys had pushed/sputtered their way back to the previous night’s schoolhouse lodging and parked it for continued repair in the morning. Now when they arrived back at this night’s lodging it was dark but the meal of black beans, tortillas boiled eggs, and warm coffee was delicious.


God’s Plan: Car trouble and Ministry in El Limón

To say this area was backward might be an understatement. Maybe it was the heavy amount of rainfall they have had, maybe it was the continuous drizzle, maybe it was the cold chill in the air, maybe it was the lack of bright lights, maybe it was the red muddy hill climb to the outhouse…whatever it felt really “third-worldly” that night. After some ministry time with the children and distribution of clothes, they all slept in one room. (This night was a warmer as one of the guys shared his blanket with David, however, it didn’t stop the breeze flowing from the window.) The next morning started with a quick breakfast of ramen noodles. They discovered that instead of being in El Limón, they were actually in Limoncita, a small village of El Limón. Here, as in Nearar, they were well received and open doors presented themselves.


On to El Limón they went which they discovered is actually Timoteo. The whole area is El Limón with many caserios (small grouping, kind of like a farm community). Though the people were friendly and some outreach was held, there was not the warm reception they had received before – probably not the place to begin to plant a ministry.


Next day, they returned to the broken truck and sputtered it back to the nearest town and to discover it was lunch time and the mechanic was closed. Knowing they all needed some nourishment, David took them to lunch at a place we have frequented several times. The mechanic diagnosed the problem as being the fuel pump. And after a couple of hours of trying to find one nearby and some other confusion, the driver decided that they could make it back to Chimaltenango. "It was probably just some bad gas that needed to spray out." So leaving about 4:00 in the afternoon, on to Chimaltenango they headed. With rain, lots of traffic, road block in the capital from a truck driver demonstration, the ride was interesting to say the least. But they arrived home about 10 pm – road-weary, tired, and rejoicing in the foundation that had been laid for future ministry among the Ch’orti’.


So what do you need to have a successful mission trip?


Well, at least for this one – 3 cases of ramen noodles, a case of #10 cans of black beans, a bag of maza, 5 flats of eggs, a bag of coffee, a bag of sugar, several large jugs of pure water, and 17 people anxious to be about God’s business.

The foundation has been laid.  Continue to pray for fruit to blossom...Nearar, Limoncita, El Limón...and to the ends of the earth!