Oaxaca, Mexico

The Good News!!!

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:24:14 -0500

It seems that The Good News just makes more good news as in it is good news to tell of the new believers that were baptized. In a land were everyone is Catholic and you have to turn from the accepted way of worshipping God to the unaccepted way of worshipping God is amazing.
“Following Jesus”

We would never tell a person in a wheelchair to follow us as we went up a flight of stairs. We would ask them to follow us in a way we knew that they would be capable of. Knowing that God is love, just, merciful, and good. Jesus had to have asked us to follow him because he new we could. His yoke is easy and light. The next time we speak to a person that is not following Jesus may we speak with love, justice, mercy, with goodness, and with faith that they are able to do it. That they are able to be His disciple.

“He is our God and we are the sheep of his pasture”. We have a God like no other.

Psalm 135:16 –Psalm 135:17 (NKJV)
      They have mouths, but they do not speak;
      Eyes they have, but they do not see;
      They have ears, but they do not hear;
      Nor is there any breath in their mouths.

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We can do all things in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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I am making tentative plans to move to the other side of the mountains to live in a community of Chatino indians. I am not sure how easy that will be to make happen, so please keep this in your prayers for me and that God would bless me with all my hearts desire.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Grow in grace,
Harold “Paco” Mills

A better place.

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:05:39 -0500

In the last couple months I have felt the shock waves of 3 earthquakes, managed to evade the swine flu, and said good bye to dear friends. Through all this I am well and trying to be content, as I remain sensitive to the moving of the earth, evasive to sickness and hopeful for friends.

Thank you for every time you remember me and pray for me and laugh with or at me. I like to be funny, and my face helps. So, as I write these updates I don’t know how spiritual they will sound but I am who I am.

My life here in the mountains of southern Mexico is quite different than the one I am so very, very familiar with. Learning the culture is harder on my person than learning the language. At times I feel like I am having all my memories erased to make room for new ones, or like I have to kick my mother out of the house to make room for my grandmother, or I have to put down my hamburger so I can reach for my coke/soda, and at the time learning how to have Christ as my all and all, apart from man’s laws, the form of church and worship that I am accustomed to, the fear of man, and apple pie.

I am learning how to partition my memory, get bunk beds for mom and grandma, and eat with two hands. The part, Christ being my all and all, well, that is ongoing because that is relationship. We are always learning. Always making new friends and getting new family that we need to make room for. In all this Christ says “What you do to the least, you do to me.”
Part 2

“Christianity Rediscovered”, a book I’ve recently read, had a quote in it. “When reaching the youth in the U.S. don’t try and take them to where they were, and don’t try and take them to where you are, as beautiful a place that might be, but dare to take them to a place even you have not been.”

In this world, few would enjoy the fame of their student surpassing their own. No one wants the guy they taught to wash dishes to become their manager. Few are happy when the other guy wins the lottery. Moms and dads hope the best for their kids and yet some still find it hard when their kids are more successful than them.

In the church, are we that way also? Imagine telling someone about Jesus and the next time you go to see them they were caught up in a fiery chariot. Would you be happy for them or would you write a book titled “I Taught A Guy To Drive A Chariot”?

Do we want new believers to arrive where we are, understand and interpret the bible like we do? Read the same devotional or bible translation? We don’t hold true to the ways that have been taught to us from men of old. We feel we understand more than John Calvin or Jacobus Arminius. We feel we have gone further, to a place John and Jacobus might not have gone.

I say all this because I do not want to limit the Chatino indians, or anyone else I share Christ with. I hope they know Christ in a way only he can he can reveal to them. The thief on the cross knew nothing of the virgin birth, the trinity, the sinner’s prayer, or the lord’s return, but Jesus, that loaded gun, that maverick, that revolutionist, said to him, “today you will be with me in paradise.” What a merciful savior he is! What a Wonderful Counselor!

So, let’s be like Jesus and dare to take others where we have not been; a chariot ride, a long life lived in Christ, a short life as a martyr, visions, dreams, a walk out on the water, or paradise.

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Ephesians 1:15 –23 (TMSG)
That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the Christians, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.

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Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Grow in grace,
Harold “Paco” Mills

Greetings and salutations.

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:32:40 -0600

How time flies when your having beans and tortillas all the time. But I am not complaining, it taste better than the bugs.
I have moved into my own house and all is well. Last week we ran a hose to my place so now I have water. I still need to build a shower or wait till sundown. I will be getting my refrigerator and stove from Oaxaca soon. So, little by little its all coming together.
Thirty minutes from Cuaji (Cuajinicuil) is a town called Portio (photos). Juan Perez and I have been having services with some christians there. Last week we baptized four girls from Portio and two girls for Tlacotepec. It was a great time. Many christians participated (photos).
We also started going to Temblor, a town 20 minutes after Portio. Last Sunday, with some christians from Portio, we had a little service with Vasilio Garcia, just to bless him (photos). He is 84 years old and is a christian. Vasilio told Juan, “I do not know were Paco’s country is but I know it is far away. It amazes me, (as he starts to cry), that God would send someone so far away to visit me and talk with me about Jesus.”
The service for Vasilio was the first time I had stood up and spoke in a service. I wanted to encourage my brother Vasilio. The scriptures below were the ones I used.
More opportunities are opening to start serving in other towns. We are hoping and praying for Portio to function without us so we can be free to go more often to these new places.
As requested here are some photos of me and my motorbike (photos).
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Romans 8:31 –Romans 8:39 (NKJV)
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” ◙
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
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Thank you all for your prayers and support.
Grow in grace.

We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:01:46 -0500

As you can see from the picture above, they eat almost everything here. I hope to never eat these bugs again, on purpose or on accident.
Armadillo is a very popular dish. They say it has three kinds of meat; beef, chicken, and pork. Unfortunately for me the piece that I got must have been a forth kind of meat, armadillo. I am only assuming mine tasted like armadillo because it did not taste like beef, chicken, pork, or any other meat I’ve ever eaten.
If you click on the link above you will see pictures of the stink bug a la carte, and pictures of a tarantula I found. they don’t eat tarantulas here. Don’t ask me why. Sorry I don’t have pictures of the scorpion I killed beside my bed. I wanted to take pictures of it but I didn’t want it to get away. I hope you can understand.
As I learned the culture and the languages here I am robbed of my identity. Everybody sees me as someone who cannot speak their language, as someone who doesn’t know their culture, as someone that resembles a baby. People here don’t realize that I know a culture and a language, or that the world is full of cultures and languages. Have you ever wondered what Jesus’ culture and language was before he came to earth?
When I was in a small town in the next state over, I stayed in a man’s house. He asked me where the sun went after it went behind the mountains. He had no idea. For many of us this is common knowledge. I explained to him that the sun went to the other side of the world. He asked me if there were people on the other side of the world. I told him that there were many. I told him that there were billions of people in the world. He was quite amazed.
When the man asked me where the sun went, I was a little blown away, but instead of laughing at him or thinking that he’s an idiot, I just answered his question and he taught me to be amazed by my common knowledge for he replied “God is powerful”.

“Ye of little faith”. Don’t these words of Jesus ring loud in our ears. Jesus common knowledge of God was great, yet he went about teaching the things of God. He never became prideful, never boasted of his knowledge, never demanded attention. He just said “follow me”, “I am the way the truth and the life...”.
A wise man told me the other day “Jesus is a real person. He exists.” This could be taken as common knowledge, like a stink bug probably tastes like a stink bug, or of course the sun goes to the other side of the earth. Is Jesus a real word in the Bible or a real idea or is he a real person? Does he exist? We answer “of course he is”.
“Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel”. These words of Jesus also ring in our ears. I hope they ring in our lives and signal to the world that Jesus “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
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Thank you all for your prayers and support.
I have an opportunity to buy a motorcycle. It will cost 3000 American dollars. This will save me a lot of gas money in the mountains and make Mountain travel a little easier. Please pray about this for me, and consider helping me pay for this motorcycle.
All support and motorcycle donations can be done online at the link below. My account #1144
Click Here.

Accustomed

Sat, 6 Sep 2008 11:49:39 -0500

I am asked often by the locals here if I am accustomed to living here and I always tell them no. The world here is so much different than the one I grew up in.
Eating tortillas for breakfast, lunch and dinner is not normal for me but I am getting better at it. I eat 2-3 tortillas a meal, the locals eat 6-10.
One day I was at a guy’s house and I heard a toilet flush, you would not believe how sweet the sound of a toilet flushing was to me. It moved me. I know that sounds funny, but when my ears heard that sound, I thought I felt my heart leap. Don’t take me wrong. I get to enjoy things like that when I go down to the city of Oaxaca. Please keep in mind all toilets outside the houses of my missionary friends do not have toilet seats.
Taking a shower with a bowl works quite well but there’s nothing like a shower. I find the water temperature for a bowl bath quite chilling and because I cannot keep from screaming or squealing or singing in falsetto, my mountain mother has decided to heat up water for me. I don’t know if I will ever be able to handle cold bowl baths.
They have a variety of herbs they use for cooking. I don’t find many of them appetizing. There is one that even the smell of it makes me nauseous. I not being overdramatic. This herb happens to be the most popular here. And in Zenzontepec or with the Chatino’s it is even more popular. I need to learn how to eat this herb. This will be a challenge.
On the brighter side, I have had a couple what I like to call “Mountain Mexican Moment(s)” (3M(s)). The first one happened when My mountain mother, brother, sister-in-law, their newborn and I were driving down the mountain in my truck, when we got to a river that appeared to be too deep to cross. I didn’t want to take any chances so I did what anyone else would do up here. Without being prompted I got out of my truck, took off my pants and waded out into the water in my underwear in front of all the women and children that were in the other five vehicles there waiting at the river. This was definitely a 3M moment. I laughed at myself afterwards.
The other one happened when I was driving back from Zenzontepec. I was passing a river that has these beautiful pools of water. And I thought to myself I sure wish I had some soap take a bath. I have never taken a bath with soap in a river in the United States, but I have done it quite a few times here. (You don’t always know when you will be going by a River, so you don’t always have swimming trunks. Which means you would bath in your underwear.) I did not have swimming trunks with me and I did not care. All I wanted was soap. Another definitely 3M moment.
I hope those stories weren’t too risqué. Sorry that I couldn’t tell you a story that I ate some herbs without puking. But for all you who know me so well, know this is how I am and I am sure that this blog will make you miss me the most.
In the last few weeks I have started teaching English in schools near my home here in Cuajinicuil and also away from my home in Zenzontepec. Every Monday I will be going to Zenzontepec. I have attached a link to a video that was taken on Friday, the 5th of September in Zenzontepec. Make sure that you watch the video. I’m sure you will enjoy.
I thank God for you all; for all my friends, for all those who are supporting me financially and all those who are praying for me. We are all in this together and have all made sacrifices for the glory of God. May they be pleasing to Him. Let us continue in our love service to the one who save us by his blood.

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2 Peter 1:1b –2 Peter 1:4 (NKJV)
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.