Friday 21 December 2018

Peter and Josi's Newsletter Extra - December 2018

Peter and Josi’s Newsletter
Extra - December 2018


Dears Friends,   Christmas Greetings again!  


We safely arrived in the UK at Gatwick on the 14th of December   Thank you to all for your
prayers and support!


We are acclimatizing to the chillier weather - in the photo we are standing outside Morden
Underground station on the way to a church last Sunday morning. We are staying with a
precious friend who kindly provided hospitality beyond the call of duty ….we were so glad
to see our friend waiting there to greet us at Gatwick, and so we have been able to recover
from our journey and adjust to the cold weather…. Also I need to adjust my speech as so
often catch myself speaking portuguese to various shop assistants, bus drivers and the
underground staff!     Quite an adventure after 11 years away from the UK.  And quite
challenging to encounter changes - like cashless buses in London...We are having to adjust
rapidly!      
Already visited some of the places I knew so well from evangelizing in the 1990s in London.
Leicester Square was one such place and showed Josi and Dorothy where i used to set up
easel and pictures…….although this time, sadly I see muslims with a table and active in
giving out the quran - they even had a loudspeaker sending out the  muslim call. Although
elsewhere I saw evidence of a strong Christian witness by All Souls Langham Place, and
found their invite and a Gideon Bible someone had left on a wall near Oxford Circus tube
station. Walking in London we sadly see an all too common sight of homeless sleeping
rough in various places of the big city, which cannot help remind us of the song by Ralph
McTell called the Streets of London. Even so I am very impressed with the efforts of the
Salvation Army taking care of the homeless, going along way to make a difference…...
Love in action!


Regarding our stay in the UK from December 13th till the 4th of February - Our agenda is still
open for anyone who would like us to visit their church, ministry  or have street outreach with
pictures.
Being in London we have been able to visit a number of places free - One is the National
Gallery and see some favorite paintings which helped me when learning to paint years ago.

Which reminds me what will I do with all my artwork, cards and artwork, puppets etc I have
in storage in Shropshire?  Still have no idea - only the Lord knows! Please pray!
Also please pray for more doors to open for us in the UK. Our friend we are staying with
expressed a desire that we would return to Brazil with more support than when we left..and
yes we can definitely say amen to this!  


While walking around the Natural History Museum in London with Josi and Dorothy….I had a
strong sense that all I wanted to do really was worship Jesus…I was astonished by the
awesomeness of God creating such creatures…..For since the creation of the world God's
invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood
from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.Romans 1:20


My mind pondered taking all this incredible spectacle in,  surrounded by bones of huge whales, fantastic
fossilized animals, and animals of the present day…...a vast array in one one building - God’s Creation
Gallery!   All these incredible creatures God created...then it makes me just think how much
more should we marvel at the one who created them, His Eternal power, divine nature and His
invisible qualities. Is it any wonder the scripture teaches  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom.“ Proverbs 9:10


One of the most popular exhibits at The Natural History Museum are of course the dinosaurs -
one in particular the Tyrannosaurus Rex (Terrible Lizard)….Dorothy is seen in the photo left at
the Natural History Museum looking at this terrifying creature.    I couldn't help but ask why did
God create this?. what for? But if we apply scripture - we must then accept God in His
goodness and love created them for a purpose. What is God communicating through His
creation? But many even today who claim to be Christian are struggling to accept what the
Bible teaches For them they might prefer it if God had made fluffy toys instead of animals
made of blood, tooth and claw - But what does Tyrannosaurus Rex tell us about who God is?
It tells us we have every reason to fear God…...Something which CS Lewis alludes to in the
Chronicles of Narnia when talking about Aslan…..”Who said anything about being safe?
‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” Chronicles of Narnia.
 God created Tyrannosaurus Rex…But do we fear the one who created such a beast?....
.At Christmas we celebrate God becoming flesh and blood  - we celebrate His birth
entering our world, His glory veiled, Jesus Christ - the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings
and Lord of Lords…..But do we know Him?  do we know His peace that transcends all human
understanding?  He was willing to give up heaven and go to the cross to pay the terrible price
for our sin…..but how much do we allow such ruthless love to disrupt our lives and our
churches? To tear apart and tear down religion and transform us into what Christ actually wants
us to be - His church.   If we do - it may just turn the world upside down and our communities as
did the first church after Pentecost.


“You see my heel being bruised and you mourn, but the eyes of faith see the serpent’s skull
trampled. Although I walk as a Lamb, I conquer as a Lion — the predator, not the prey, will
hang on the cross. I am a King who shall rule the universe from a tree.”  © Greg Morse


Prayer and Praise!


We give thanks to God for the amazing way He has provided for us to be in the UK it's like a dream
seeing the UK again after all these years!  


We give thanks to the Lord for the provision and help so far in the UK with warm clothes and
finance  - Praise the Lord!


Please keep praying for the  Art Gallery and Art competition …….We are certain these two projects
will make a very big  difference… But we do need to find partners able to help.


Please pray we will make the right connections for future support - We know the School
and Project Crianças do Rei need a lot of help - or it falls on our shoulders bearing the
burden of providing Christian Education in a very poor area.


Please pray for the structure of the school and project - We praise God for the amazing
provision of the swimming pool!


Please pray for our journey to Shropshire and resolving storage, we give thanks to the
Lord for the amazing blessing our friends gave us all these years with storage space.   .


Thankyou to all who prayed for this amazing trip to the UK - We are now navigating different
Fish and Chip shops after being 11 years away!  Some expensive and some quite
reasonable….but we do have to scrutinise menus and prices carefully - prices are not quite
the same as they used to be.


Please continue to pray for our adventure in the UK and that we miss nothing the Lord has
prepared and He would fulfil all His plans during this time.
With love and best wishes this Christmas and the New Year!


Peter, Josi and Dorothy  

Giving through Stewardship
For those who kindly wish to support us in missions with YWAM Brazil. We are registered with
give net - Stewardship Services in the UK. Monthly and one-off donations can be easily
processed with Debit and Credit cards - please visit the link below to see our giving page. Give
net has made some recent updates which should make this easier - for those who wish to
remain anonymous, give net makes this provision. For people outside the UK who wish to give
- the payment process allows International donors to opt out of UK Gift Aid system. Stewardship
Services are a Christian organisation serving charities and missionaries from the UK.
For those who wish to pay through STEWARDSHIP  We have an account at
https://www.give.net/20089559   Before confirming any gift on give.net you will be asked whether
you wish to remain anonymous. If you choose this option your personal details will be will not be
made known. If you have any questions please ask for details
Donations may also be sent via Western Union which we are able to receive here.   
Peter and Josi Millward, Rua Pintor J. Figueiredo No. 805. Praia Iparana. Caucaia, Ceara.
CEP. 61.627-250.  Brazil. https://www.facebook.com/escolacristaaguaviva  ​  

Sunday 9 December 2018

Peter and Josi’s Newsletter - December 2018




Peter and Josi’s Newsletter  December 2018


Dears Friends,   Christmas Greetings!  Thought I better send out our December newsletter
quickly… just a few more days and we will be getting a flight to the UK!   Thank you to all for
your prayers and for those who invited us during the time we will be visiting the UK - We will
be traveling God willing 13th December - And return Brazil 4 February 2019. Praise the Lord
we were able to renew Josi and Dorothy’s passports!


By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,
obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  Hebrews 11:8


Living by faith really is an adventure especially when you don't know where you're going! -
Please pray as yet we don't have anywhere to stay once we arrive in the UK….and hotels
and even hostels are too expensive for us…..and we are just days away from arriving….
lets see how the Lord leads.   


Regarding our stay in the UK from December 13th till the 4th of February - Our agenda is
still open for anyone who would like us to visit their church, ministry  or have street outreach
with pictures.
End of Term - Escola Cristã Água Viva and Crianças do Rei



Just look at this!  - The swimming pool we asked prayer for is now completed - Praise the
Lord! Just in time for the end of term school party…….It was in January 2017 I took up the
challenge to build a swimming pool. For a recap I will share some of what I wrote way back
in February 2017- (“I believe the Lord spoke to me about our challenges “Make the best
of what you have” - I kind of made a mental note...but didn't do anything more. Then a
friend of Josi rang and asked Josi about renting our property for the Carnival period -  
Which got me thinking ………..So right after new year, my backyard which has stood idle
for too long has been having a makeover! I got started on building a swimming pool 8 x 4
metres and make space for Churches and youth groups to rent. )
The photo below shows a photo timeline starting top left corner moving clockwise - I started
off January 2017 digging and concreting and using scrap iron I had left over but after awhile
I had to stop for quite a few months….then the season for heavy rain and that presented a
few challenges….and for a long time work was slow on the pool  I never knew when it would
be completed….but we keep praying and many of you have prayed...also children at school
The swimming pool for a long time looked like a big hole and everything around it looked like a
building site. But earlier this year out of the blue a visitor stayed with us for a few days…and
it just so happened he also had built a swimming pool and knew the challenges….Some
months later he kindly made a donation sufficient to complete the construction of the swimming
pool!  So for the past few months we have been very busy. We give thanks to the Lord for
the amazing way this has all happened…...an amazing encouragement - Praise the Lord!
The children have had a wonderful end of term school party with time in the new pool...one
of the children said they had never been in a swimming pool before!


The school ended on a high note - Photo the school Christmas Nativity play
Jesus - The present for all! The King always adored!
While the school ended on a high note….although each year it always seems to be a “Via Dolorosa”,
this year the school is carrying 8,000 reais of unpaid school fees parents did not pay yet and of
course some parents have struggles with unemployment etc . This is very tough….and of course
we have to pay teachers wages.  The pressure upon us at the same time we are building a
swimming pool, and building a house for Marli (As mentioned in the last newsletter) and you can imagine...
Don't let anyone kid you, this is not a picnic…...
Why do we run a Christian school in a poor area like Iparana?  Well, isn't that just what Jesus tells
us to do? - Preach the Gospel to the poor! Once when sharing our challenges - a church leader
told us it is better to start a school in a rich neighborhood...but we went away thinking this doesn't
exactly fit with the command Jesus tells us to obey. We have to understand that to walk in faith and
obedience we simply have to believe and trust God to supply no matter what.  And that dear ones
takes faith and it also certainly crucifies our flesh life when you have few resources……..it was only
last year I was walking the roads of Caucaia….with not enough to pay a bus fare…...I was miles
away and had gone to the bank, but there was nothing in the account. Realizing the situation was
difficult I then planned to walk….but when I came to a dangerous area I had to walk through...I was
praying about what to do….not far away I saw a small Baptist Church...and I went over and asked
for help. Thankfully they helped me get back home. Praise the Lord!



The vehicle above …..I have not been able to run for a few years...too costly. And now I am
selling it.  We have no vehicle…..but that’s fine we use UBA taxi. We must accept God’s will
cheerfully no matter what...He is the Lord of our lives whom we serve…..while some think the
Gospel is all about prosperity and getting from God …...The Gospel is about giving…..giving all
you have - to the one you love And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for
themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” 2 Corinthians 5:15   and  Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”
Matthew 22:37.   God will have a Holy people….and He will refine us, and keep refining in the
furnace until Jesus can be seen in us..Until Jesus can rule and reign in us, through our lives.   
If we are going to turn the kingdoms of this world upside down here on the earth for Jesus - we
better get the right theology! Because the purpose of God for us in this generation is for us to
do just that - Below is a prayer I believe the Holy Spirit gave me -  and maybe this can be your
prayer too….. God's purposes are too precious to miss -
“O God, fulfill all the purposes you have planned for my life, planned even before the
foundations of the earth...in Jesus Name. Amen! .  
Yes, it’s that simple!.... then one day I was thinking about this ...and felt the Lord say - How
much do you want it? Good question!...how much do I want the purposes of God in my life? If we are to turn over the kingdoms of this world and to rule and to reign in Christ? What does it take?                                                                                          
Investing in lives
Last night Josi was watching a video - then listening to the music memories came flooding back
Music I hadn't heard for a long time -  Love’s Theme by Barry White. Yes, it is secular music but
listening to the music you realize just how talented Barry White was…..and we also need to
remember music is a God given talent....how much Barry knew or acknowledged this  I don't know
….but as a child Barry would listen to his mother's classical music collection and somehow learned
to play them on the piano. Some years afterwards Barry’s younger brother was murdered in a gang
fight, and Barry also had problems….he was jailed for 4 months for stealing tyres. Barry White’s life
it would seem was destined for crime….then something happened during his time in jail he
happened to be listening to Elvis Presley singing “It’s now or never” over the radio….And somehow
the music inspired Barry White to decide to change his life….and he went on to become a
phenomenal success. But the classical music collection and piano helped prepare and develop
him as a child.  Then I wonder about all the children here in Brazil….I wonder how many Barry
White’s are out there? Both Parents and Teachers are called to be miners for gold...the talent
and God given gifts hidden in children, but how well do we invest in their lives? When I think
how things are here…I think of my own childhood and how blessed I was to be able to develop as an artist. We hope and pray our school and project can thrive and be the place God wants it to be, helping children find the gifts He has given and use them for His glory. When I think of the Via Dolorosa the school has been on all these years with unpaid school fees...I just want to listen to the music of Barry White and ponder on Love’s theme while floating in the swimming pool!. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPHmsEoLsL0   
Prayer
Please keep praying for the  Art Gallery and Art competition …….As we know - God answers
prayer and in amazing ways!  


Please pray for our journey  to the UK - please pray we will be able to have all the necessary
things in order and ensure the property and base here will be easy to take care of for those
taking care of it. We have yet to see how challenging the cost of living will be in the UK...
I wonder how much Fish and Chips with mushy peas will be? Yes, and we need lots of warm
clothes!
Maintenance for the school structure...emergency roof repairs -  Yes the rope is still there
helping to keep the roof in place - Praise the Lord!


For those thinking and wondering about buying gifts for Christmas, you are more than
welcome to visit my online gallery - you never know you might just find  some inspiring
art as a gift for family or friends https://www.redbubble.com/people/petermill
With love and best wishes this Christmas!


Peter, Josi and Dorothy  


Giving through Stewardship
An update - For those who kindly wish to support us in missions with YWAM Brazil. We are
registered with give net - Stewardship Services in the UK. Monthly and one-off donations
can be easily processed with Debit and Credit cards - please visit the link below to see our
giving page. Give net has made some recent updates which should make this easier - for
those who wish to remain anonymous, give net makes this provision. For people outside the
UK who wish to give - the payment process allows International donors to opt out of UK Gift
Aid system. Stewardship Services are a Christian organisation serving charities and
missionaries from the UK.
For those who wish to pay through STEWARDSHIP  We have an account at
https://www.give.net/20089559   Before confirming any gift on give.net you will be asked
whether you wish to remain anonymous. If you choose this option your personal details
will be will not be made known. If you have any questions please ask for details
Donations may also be sent via Western Union which we are able to receive here.   
Peter and Josi Millward, Rua Pintor J. Figueiredo No. 805. Praia Iparana. Caucaia, Ceara.
CEP. 61.627-250.  Brazil. https://www.facebook.com/escolacristaaguaviva  ​