We need your prayers!

I thought it is time I said something about the swine flu in Mexico. First let’s deal with the current situation in Playa del Carmen as we know it.

As of this morning there have been no reported cases of swine flu in Playa del Carmen or in the larger area of Quintana Roo, the state in which Playa del Carmen, Cancun and Tulum reside. In fact, to our knowledge, there have been no reported cases of swine flu in the entire Yucatan peninsula, comprising the eastern portion of the country of Mexico. This somewhat contradicts the statement of a so-called medical expert on MSNBC TV last night who proclaimed with wild eyes that the virus had “spread through the entire country of Mexico.”

Playa del Carmen itself is calm, except for the kids who seem to be everywhere today. Mexico in its wisdom has closed all of the schools nationwide until next Wednesday. As a result, the kids have a holiday and are making the best use of it. Kinda like snow days we remember from our own childhood.

There are no other closings or restrictions to our knowledge. Stores and restaurants, clubs, churches and tours, business offices and governmental buildings are all open for business. The main concern is how the economy will react to the sudden drop in tourism, since so many people earn their living from that industry.

Our daughter Brittany will be graduating from college on May 8th. Darla and I had tickets to fly up on the 5th but with so few planes coming in we were concerned they may cancel our flight so we are now planing to drive out. It is about a 34 hour drive to border from here. We are planing to leave out on Friday. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel. We hope to be back here at work in Mexico on the 15th.

We are proud of Brittany and we are looking forward to celebrating with her...

Please pray for our church members and the people of Playa Del Carmen. Many are losing homes and all are facing difficult time financially .

No Flu in Chan Chen come on down.

First rooms going up at the Chan Chen Hacienda

Another David and Goliath Story

We always like those David and Goliath stories until we are the ones living it…

In 1 Samuel 17 we read this well known story of how David overcame Goliath as a result of his faith in God. As I thing about this story the giant was not the problem for the children of Israel it was their lack of faith and their fear.

We have taken on a giant out in the small Mayan village of Chan Chen. The giant we are facing is poverty. The people in this village need salvation in Christ but all they can see is this giant named poverty. If God could help David kill Goliath He can help us overcome this giant problem.

How do you fight a giant?

1. David had a heart for God that caused him to seek the Lord.
2. David had a zeal, and deep passion for the honor of God’s people.
3. Him had confidence in the Lord’s power as he remembered past victories.
4. David trusted not in himself but in God’s power
5. David was himself he did not try to be something he was not.
6. David found five smooth stones.
7. He took action. David through God’s power killed the giant.

We are at stage #6 in our battle preparation in Chan Chen we are looking for five smooth stones or should I say five slick ideas to attack poverty.

Here are the stones we have already found.

1. The hotel and training center for tourism. If you have been reading this blog you have already heard a lot about this plan. You can read more about the idea at www.chanchen.org

2. Open a gift shop so the locals can market everything from locally produced honey and handcrafts to t-shirts.

3. Help the local schools by developing school to school partnerships with colleges and Universities in the States.

4. Starting a Celebrate Recovery program in the village. Alcoholism is one of the things that has lead to a lot of the poverty in the area.

5. YOU- we need you to pray and give. I know you are already doing a lot in your area and in your church and it is true that you can’t do it all but we can all do something. You can send checks to:
Global Community Fellowship, 1904 Red Bud Cir., Greenville NC 27858.
100% of the money will go to the ministry here in Mexico.

I have faith that we through the power of God will overcome this giant in Chan Chen. We you face the giants with us…. People are in need and all we lack is faith in the power of our living God. Help us show the people of Chan Chen how much God loves them.

Your friend in Mexico,
Doug Millar

Darla and Debbie Hill delivered the school supplies

Darla and Debbie delivered the school supplies to the teachers in Chan Chen. This will be a great help and we are thanking all that helped raise funds for this project.

We also are planing to resupply the school in the Fall. You can donate money to this project by sending checks to 1904 Red Bud Cir., Greenville, NC 27858 or you can give on- line at http://www.church-in-playa.com/giving.htm

Or if you coming this way this summer contact Darla at darlajtm@hotmail.com to see what you could bring down to help the School in Chan Chen.

I know we can not do it all but we can all do something.

Pray for Darla today as she travels to Chan Chen

Darla is taking hundreds of dollars worth of school supplies to the teachers in the small Mayan village of Chan Chen. We are showing Christ's love by meeting real needs. Pray that this will help us build good relationships with these teachers and the people of Chan Chen.

Block Party in Playa

The mission team from Ocean View Baptist Church in South Carolina lead a Bock party today.. We had about 200 come out and we all had a great time. We now have the names of about 15 adults who want to be part of a home group bible study in this part of Playa. Many more said that they would be at our worship service Sunday.... Ocean View is a great church and they are on mission with God... This team will be returning home tomorrow....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3zoNHhGah4

Chan Chen today

We had a great Easter Celebration... We had a record crowd in the English side of the church with 125 in Playa and another 35 in Paamul.

We are seeing God at work out in the Mayan Zone pray for us today as we travel out to Chan Chen...

Temple Baptist Mission team

The team from New Bern, NC. will

head back to North Carolina tomorrow.

Music by our praise team at Fellowship church in Playa...

No Words nor Pictures can tell the story

I know the word miracle is a word that is over used today but I have no other words that can start to explain what took place this past weekend in the life of our work here in Mexico.

We had a tri-lingual baptism service in Paamul. Let me try to give you a little of the history behind what God is doing in the hearts of these who were Baptized.

First on the English speaking side of the church Terry Hill our English speaking pastor baptized Larry. Larry is a hotel owner in Playa and I have known him and have been sharing the Lord with him for 12 or 13 years Larry was always nice to me and we were friends through the years but he never wanted anything to do with the Lord. Well back in Nov. his wife at age 51 died of cancer. In the last few days of her life she gave her heart to Christ. I was able to preach her funeral in Spanish and English. It was a time of celebration of her life for those of us with faith in Jesus. To make a long story a little shorter, Sunday while I was in the Spanish service my friend Randy Carruth and Pastor Terry had an opportunity to pray with Larry. He said that he had already opened his heart to Christ and now he wanted to make that public. I would have to said after 13 years Larry was on my least likely to be baptized list but we kept on praying for him. Sunday we experience the miracle of a changed life.

It was an overwhelming weekend because we also saw the beginning of a breakthrough in Chan Chen... as the young leader of the village also stepped out in faith and followed the Lord in believers baptism. He is our man of peace in this small village.. Rodolfo is the first baptized believer in the history of his village. Pray as I work with him that he will lead many others to faith in Christ. It is not going to be easy for him.

Water in Chan Chen

Randy Carruth helped us wire the pump in Chan Chen and NOW WE HAVE WATER!



As we praise God for the water from the well, Rodolfo God's man of peace in the village said the he would like to be Baptized this weekend... This is a Gaint step of faith for him and all of us that know the story are praising God.




Mission team from New Bern, NC paint a house in
Chan Chan in 100 degree weather.... God is using this team in a great way.

Pastor Bill Johnson visits Chan Chen

Pastor Bill from Rabbit Creek Church in Alaska when out with me to visit the people in the small Mayan village of Chan Chen. As most of you know by now we are in the process of developing a ministry that we hope will give people real economic help today and a better life for the next generation. God's plan for the people of Chan Chen does not stop there He also wants them to have hope for eternity. That is what we talked about yesterday... Pray for this people as 10 are planing to come into Paamul for our worship service on the 5 of April.