My latest project

So, I started trying my hand at woodworking. First, I checked Craig's List and found a great deal on a skill saw. Then I built a work bench. (if I'm going to be working on building things out of wood, I need a work bench right?) Finally, I spent the last 3 months building a rocking horse for Christian that was only going to take 3 weeks. I still don't know why it took so long. But I'm done and very happy with the finished product. Check it out.

The Wee Race

Golfing in Glasgow

My brother, his wife, and their cute little girl (my niece!) are here in Glasgow visiting us! We are having a blast together. The Mills cousins are playing nicely, the women folk are doing women folk things, and my bro and I went golfing. This was one of the things on his top ten list. The list goes like this:

• Meet my nephew for the first time!
• Watch my daughter play with my nephew!
• Hug and kiss my beautiful sister in law
• Hang out with and be there for my brother
• See all the amazing things involving Jason and Megan's ministry & life
• Visit Scotland with my wife
• See a castle
• Taste a bit of whiskey
• Play golf in Scotland
• Not turn my phone on for more then a week!

Well, we did a good job with most of the list, but playing a round of golf was not going to be easy. First we are hurting on transport and funds, so the course is going to have to be close and cheep. Next we don't have any clubs, and the cheep courses don't hire out clubs. Finally, this is Scotland and finding a day to golf that is not raining is a miracle.

Well, God provided a wonderful day with sun and blue sky, google maps provided a close course that was just the right price, and two amazing friends provided us with the use of their clubs. (Thanks Tim and Andy!)

It was a great day of golf, I haven't played in well over a year and Aaron plays all the time, and at the end of the day I was only one stoke behind him. A great feat! Another first is that I took home the same ball I started out with. (I lose at least 2 golf balls every time I play)

Well, next up lawn bowling!
It is so fun having family

History, Hatred, & Hexagons

In July I flew to Ireland to attend the wedding of a friend and fellow team-mate. This being my first visit to Ireland, I wanted to see the sites. In doing a little research I found a few sites worth visiting, namely the famed Giant's Causeway. Legend has it that Finn MacCool, Ireland's notorious giant built the causeway to challenge the great giant of Scotland Benandonner, Finn's greatest rival, to a fight. As Benandonner was crossing the causeway Finn realized the massive size and strength of his opponent. Being no match, Finn fled home. His very cunning wife Oonagh, devised a plan. She dressed Finn as a baby complete with a giant bonnet and booties, when Benandonner arrived, Oonagh invited him in and asked that he not wake their sleeping baby. Looking at the baby, Benandonner thought, "if this is the child, I have no wish to meet the father." So he ran all the way back to Scotland ripping up the causeway as we went. I found the Causeway, spectacular! It is amazing to see hexagon shaped rocks. I was told of how they were scientifically formed, something about lava being cooled by the ocean, but I like the legend better.

Another place I visited was Dunluce Castle. Surrounded by cliffs and ocean on 3 sides, this castle was virtually impregnable. In fact, history says that it was not until the invention of gunpowder that this castle was finally taken over.
After touring the northern coast of Ireland, I made my way to Belfast. When searching for things to see and do in this city, I was at a loss. Most of the information I came across was not tourist in nature but violence, hatred, & political sectarianism. Driving around with some members of my team, we soon came face to face with some of the remnants of the North Ireland "Troubles." The Troubles refer to the years of violent Catholic and Protestant conflict. However, the various groups in opposition with each other are more nationalistic and political then they are religious. This is seen in the likes of the UVF and the IRA. We drove through neighborhoods which to this day are still separated by a giant fence, with "Catholic" bourghs on one side and "Protestant" bourghs on the other. One street in particular, Shankill Road, displayed numerous murals depicting tribute to fallen "solders" and hateful slogans. Burned out buildings, smoldering, rubble filled lots, and police stations with 30 foot security fences are all common place on Shankill Road. In the eerie silence of the street we could faintly hear U2's song, "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" playing in the backs of our minds. It was eye opening to witness a Western country with smoke still rising from acts of terror and hatred preformed in the name of the "church."

After my tour I went to the wedding, ate some cake, and toasted to both bride and groom, with the best Guinness to ever touch my lips. Laying in bed that night my mind stirred with thoughts of all the beauty in God's creation, even hexagon shaped rocks, and the splendor of man's potential through out history, with castles and skyscrapers- why can't we accomplish one simple thing- love? Instead we continue to fight with each other like giant babies! Paul wrote that, "Our struggle is NOT with flesh and blood..." So when we find ourselves fighting with each other, we are engaged in spiritual friendly fire and not fighting the real battle.

"God, may your Church once again live up to it's name- being unified as one, and loving one another. So that the world may know that You are God and Jesus is Your Son!"

Christian has been a wee bit cheeky lately.

So yesterday, Megan was doing a load of laundry and I was doing some reading and all of a sudden Christian ...

Christian loves to dance!

Rember when?

Something I've learned about community

In serving 3 years as a missionary I have learned that there is much to learn about God, Christianity, living a life of faith, and sharing what I've learned with others. I don't claim to know much about any of these things, but the little I have learned has been of great help to me.

One of the most important things I've come to know is: I can't do life alone.

It is not God's intent for any of us to do life alone. In fact, that was the only "not good" thing about the first 2 chapters of Genesis. ( 18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.") So the truth that we need each other has been very important in ministry, not to mention my own Christian walk.

I WAS MADE FOR RELATIONSHIP

Most people find this difficult to believe, but one of the hardest things for me in school was not mathematics, but making friends. I suffered from a fear of rejection that hindered my willingness to make new friends. Over time, I've come to learn that this fear is very common in most people. The desire for friendship is overcome by the fear of rejection.

PEOPLE NEED TO BE KNOWN
PEOPLE NEED TO BE LOVED
The fear is that people will not love me once they come to know me.

I've often under estimated the power of play. I enjoy a good laugh and I love a good time, but I also am left wanting when the only reason people gather together is for superficial and worthless things. However, when I stoped to answer the question, "What gatherer's people together?" My eyes were opened to the profound simplicity of the answer- What gathers people together is usually what people have in common.

Community or Common-Unity, starts with something in common.

Every other Friday night, Megan and I host a "LOST night." (There seems to be irony in that name) We gather all who are interested, and we project on to our wall an episode of the TV series, "LOST." You will be amazed how many people are interested in that show. It really is a good show. There is an underlining spirituality, and thread of faith throughout the series, but more important then the opportunity for spiritual discussion is the common place for people to gather and share an evening where we can get to know each other, love on each other, and build relationships with each other. It really is in those relationships that opportunities arise for words of prayer, a listening ear, shoulders to cry on, arms to embrace, and a God to point to when all else seems hopeless.

Could a TV show really help create relationships with people that provide opportunities to point to God? They can if you invite another person to join you as you watch it.

Who knows, maybe God can use a show entitled, "LOST" to help people become FOUND.

Well, again, I don't know much, but with the little I do I've seen God use for wonderful things.

Team Time!

On Wednesday evening we hosted a little gathering for Lauren (the Nieucommunities apprentice whom Megan is coaching.) As I looked around the room an astonishing thing happened. I noticed that our whole team was gathered together in one place at the same time! Now for a missions team this should not be that astonishing, especially one who's very name includes the word "community" however, for our team this has been a very hard thing to do for a very long time. There are busy schedules, children of all ages who require babysitting, or lots of child-proof space, and most importantly it requires that our team make the sacrifice necessary to facilitate us being together. Satan has played his hand well at proving this difficult, but recently, the proverbial penny has drooped, and for the first time in months, our team gathered together to just be with each other, and love on one of our own.

Call it conscience, (I don't believe in conscience) but just as we entered the Nieucommunity learning posture of Contending, the need for us to contend for each other was over whelming. Our attention has moved from fighting with each other, to fighting for each other, from striving for our voice as individuals, to uniting our voice as a community. We contended for one of our apprentices to fight the temptation of giving up and going home and have seen her pull through with the love and support of key people on our team. We taught about Spiritual Warfare, and then moved out of the classroom and on to our knees to engage and experience the very thing we talked about. It has been a very hard 7 weeks in this learning posture, but this Thursday evening we came to a close with a celebration dinner. We ate, we played, and we celebrated our victories. We also held close to our broken hearts, our very real losses, only we did so as a team!

The Contending posture has past, and we are now moving on to the posture of Imagining. We will be imagining what the new future holds for a broken but victorious, struggling yet stronger, Christ united team.

God contend for us, as we continue to contend for each other.

Important dates in History!

So on the 17th of December, at 18:50 (that's 6:50PM for us non military Americans) my son Christian James Mills was born! It is amazing! Megan did a great job at bringing him out into the world and the hospital staff was very encouraging. There was one moment of absolute horror and fear for me, but Megan and baby are fine, and now that the whole ordeal is over, I feel like the most blessed man on earth. Christian is great! So much better now that he is on the outside. Megan is in her element as a mother. She has had two years of experience mothering me, feeding me, and picking up after me. I think she is now making me pay for it through doing so with this little guy. But this is no chore at all. You got to see the two together, they are beautiful.
Well, I am going to make my blogs about Christian short so people don't get board and keep coming back.
see ya soon.

My Mac is sad

So, if you are wondering why I have not been posting for a while it is due to two things: One, my son is born! Christian James Mills is here! I will blog about that when I have a better photo of him and when I put him down to take time to do so. (he is helping me type this as we speak) So look for that post later. Two, my mac is sad! 2 weeks ago my MacBook broke. This is not necessary a bad thing. It has given me more time to do other things like, eat, sleep, and go outside once in a while. So I am reading again, helping clean the house, I've even made dinner- once. :) I wonder when the computer is fixed if Megan might take a hammer to it?! Well, I will have to make sure that does not happen by not spending so much time on it.
Once it is fixed I will have a whole bunch of photos of Christian, the family, and our Christmas and Hogmanay celebration.
Anyway, Christian is wanting Mommy so I better go.