Hello Friends,
As we complete our first full year of service with Mercy Ships aboard the m/v Caribbean Mercy, we would like to thank each of you for joining in our journey. We have had the privilege to live our dream for the past year knowing that we are in the center of God’s will for our life. We are excited about what possibilities the coming year holds, not just for Mercy Ships but for each of you our friends.
We reflect on the past year and realize that as we start the New Year, it will be without some of our closest friends, who have gone to be with Jesus. We are sad at the physical loss of their presence, yet we rejoice in the knowledge that we’ll see them again in heaven and that they are rejoicing in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We honor their memory by continuing in the faith, to press on for the high calling in Christ Jesus.
As we embark once again on God’s adventure for our lives, we pray you will join with us in His blessings. We value your prayers, your letters of encouragement, your emails and your financial support. You have been faithful and we are blessed by your faithfulness.
In the past year we have learned to release even more of ourselves to the Lord and to trust in His guidance and provisions. Many of you helped us to release our possessions and ties as we prepared to join Mercy Ships last year. We had no idea of the freedom that was released by trusting fully in God’s plan for our lives. We hope that as we returned back to Jacksonville with the ship in November that you were able to see the difference in our lives. We look forward to the many blessings ahead in the coming year and sharing those blessings with you.
In the middle of living our dream of being in full-time missions and amidst all of these blessings it is still possible to grumble and complain. I (Rob) seem to struggle with it more than Denise. So we ask for your prayers, to have a spirit of peace and contentment. To live fully each day for the Lord, to banish those thoughts, words, and deeds from us that do not reflect the character of Jesus in us or bring glory to the Lord.
We also ask that you would pray that we would continue to seek and hear the Lord daily and not become focused on the job at hand and lose site of the privilege we have to be workers for the Lord. The message that He has for us to share with His people is far more important than the work associated with accomplishing tasks. May we not lose the message as we work to deliver it.
Would you pray that our hearts would remain soft, that we would not become overwhelmed by the magnitude of the need?
Would you pray that we would accept that we can not reach the entire world at once but that as we reach one person at a time through Jesus we many change the entire world one life at a time? And that salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit and we are to be available to plant, water or reap as workers in the field.
Would you also pray for us to see people not as the world sees and values people but through the eyes of Jesus?
Would you pray that our hearts would break as the Father’s heart when He sees so many of His children lost, hurting and having a sense of hopelessness?.
Would you pray that we may in some small way be allowed to bring them hope and healing?
Would you pray that during these prayers for us, you would listen to any special word Jesus has for you? And also share those words with us, so we may be involved with what God is doing in your life?
Would you accept that Jesus loves you and that He made you special?
Would you believe that your life has a purpose, and that if you don’t already know what that purpose is, Jesus is waiting to tell you?
Would you take the opportunity now several weeks before Christmas to think of the special people in your life? People who have influenced your life in one way or another. Friends, parents, children, uncles, aunts, teachers, brothers, sisters, cousins, pastors, Sunday school teachers, social workers, grocery workers, florist, mailmen, policemen, servicemen, beauticians. You can continue with the list. As you pray and the Holy Spirit brings different people to your memory, think of how you may affect their lives this Christmas and throughout the entire year. Then take that action as you feel lead to.
Our prayer for you is:
May each of your lives be as wonderful as they were in the mind of God the day He made you. Merry Christmas and may you have a blessed holiday season and New Year.
God’s blessings,
Rob and Denise
Mercy Ships, m/v Caribbean Mercy
Email - robert.miller@mercyships.org
denise.miller@mercyships.org
rdmiller@gowebway.com
Phone: 504 739-5193 Rob's office ext. 407
Denise's office ext. 344
Our cabin ext. 246
website: www.mercyships.org
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Thursday, December 09, 2004
We went out to dinner at a restaurant owned by one of the ladies and her husband that translated for us during the outreach in Puerto Castilla, Honduras. Her name is Camille and they opened this restaurant in June. The restaurant is up on the side of the hill and it overlooks Trujillo Bay. It is a beautiful location for a restaurant. We decided to go early for dinner and watch the sunset! It was beautiful and the food was great! So if you are in Truijillo, Honduras...go to Villa Coronado and have a Licuado (Fruit Shake) and dinner!
The outing was really a department treat for the Human Resources Department and we brought Rob along. Dabney is transferring to the Finance Department and so sort of a farewell....although she'll still be on the ship! Dabney was the Short Term Coordinator and was really busy during the outreach when short term crew come for just 2 weeks continually.
Aresa is really helping tremendously as she is coordinating the Medical crew and in addition is basically my right arm! (Not just a hand...the whole arm!) The Lord has blessed me wonderfully with great people to work with! Aresa is a joy to work with and now we once again... just need someone else to join us in HR!
Sunday, December 05, 2004
We had a wonderful time celebrating Rob's birthday! We went out to Jack's Gringo Restaurant for lunch and then in the evening the whole ship celebrated Udo's, Rob's and Laura's birthday! It was a lot of fun. Joyce made a special cake for Rob...Chocolate Peanut Butter (Rob loves Reese's Peanut Butter Cups). It was very, very good!
Tom was the Game Master and MCed a game where we had to sing a song that had a certain word in it. He would give us a word and the room was divided into two teams. One team would sing a song with that word and then the other team would also...back and forth until one team couldn't think of a song in 15 seconds, then the other team got a point!
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