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News From New Zealand

12 Margaret Rd.

Tauranga, N.Z.

November 13, 2007

Dear Brethren,

We hope this finds each of you well and getting ready for the Thanksgiving season. Enjoy the food and the time spent with family and friends. We will be celebrating it too, with about 20 Americans here, so we are looking forward to that.

We just wanted to send this your way and let you know what is going on in our lives. As most of you know, Melinda's dad, David, had a brain aneurysm on October 16 which left him with extensive brain damage. Melinda was able to go over on the 20th and stayed with her mom while her dad held on to life for another 12 days. He never regained consciousness but went to be with the Lord on October 28. I got to go over to be with the family before the funeral and came back with Melinda on November 9. We are so thankful we were able to be there during this time to support Melinda's mother and help with the funeral plans.

We want each of you to know how much we appreciate the concern, prayers and financial assistance we have received to make this trip at such short notice. It has been a blessing to know of your love for us and for our situation. God has really looked after us in all of this with the timing, needs and situation of being so far away.

Melinda's mother will continue to live in Wayne, Oklahoma, where she and David were working full time with the church there for the last 18 years. The church will look after her mother and she will look at moving out closer to Melinda's brother, Jim in Lubbock, Texas later on when she feels she needs to. Please continue to keep us all in your prayers as we grieve our loss in our own different ways.

On November 20 our son Aaron will be arriving for a 10 day visit from Australia. He and Laura moved over there almost 2 years ago and he hasn't been home since. Laura was able to come last year. So we are looking forward to his being home for a while. He hasn't seen his nephew Ethan, so he will get to be here when he turns one year old.

Nathan has a few more days of school then he will be finished for the year. He has one more year of high school then he's finished. He doesn't know what he wants to do for the future so we will pray and wait to see what direction the Lord will lead him.

Chris and Abby keep busy with a three year old and a one year old. They are doing okay and looking forward to his dad and stepson coming over for two weeks in January.

We are going into summer so the school year is nearly over and things are winding down. We had a great family camp in October and two fun days for children that have been coming to the KIDZ club during the year. Graduation for the Bible College is in early December so students will be leaving and others will be arriving in late January.

Last month one of our young men in the congregation was baptized. He comes from a great family and it was exciting to gather at the river where the water was freezing cold and see him immersed into Christ. Pray for his walk with God. His name is Brock Merrick.

We know this is a busy time for you as the holiday season begins and Christmas is just around the corner. We want each of you to know how much we appreciate your friendship, prayers, and support you give us spiritually, emotionally and financially. God keeps blessing us through you and we are so thankful for your help and love for us, even though we are so far away.

In Christian Love,

Chris and Melinda Miller

Click HERE for their June Newsletter.

The Millers

12 Margaret Rd.

Tauranga 3110

New Zealand

Greetings from Sunny Bay of Plenty,

We are moving slowly out of summer. Though the days are in the lower 70’s it is very pleasant. We have had some needed rain this week and our days are shorter now.

We have had a parenting class on Wed. nights for the last 6 weeks. There have been two couples that have remained coming during these last 6 weeks. One of them brings their kids to the KIDZ CLUB. This has helped us build a relationship with them. They are a lovely couple with three children. They own a local bakery in our area and work very hard. So we pray that we can get Dale and Brenda to consider a Bible study with us in the future, please pray for them.

Another couple has been coming on Sunday mornings. They moved up to our city from Wangunui, which is about 5 hours driving time south of us. They were in the Church of Christ Associated, which broke off from the Church and introduced the instrument in NZ around the late 1920’s. The Sunday they came we were preaching from Rom. 6 on baptism. So another elder and myself went to visit them that week to see where they were at. They believed exactly the same as us on baptism and were impressed with the singing. So we asked them to keep coming a few times and we will get together again and see how they are doing. In the meantime Melinda and I had them around for a meal with their two children and another couple for dinner. They really enjoyed it and seemed to keen to be with us. He also went fishing with a group of us men the other day and this helped him to get to know some of the members better. We had a lot of fun and caught a few fish too. Keep this couple in your prayers Peter and Merrin.

Our teens are busy raising funds to go with the Bible college to Fiji later in the year on a mission trip. So every Wed. night they get the BBQ out and we have German sausages on bread waiting for us at $1 each and drinks at $1 after classes. This is good fellowship time and helps them with their fund raising. They had a garage sale a few weeks ago and raised over $1,000 so they were really happy about that.

We have “ Super Saturday” coming up April 21, which is like a one day VBS and a real outreach in the community. Last time we had around 100 children come. The parents come and watch and it gives opportunities to expose them to the church. It goes from 9:00 to 3:00 and we provide lunch, crafts, and a carnival in the afternoon.

Next week, Melinda and I are going off to see Aaron and Laura in Australia. It has been 15 months since we have seen Aaron so we are looking forward to that.

A family has moved in beside Chris and Abby. He is a kiwi and she is from the states. They have two children. The children have been coming along to our services and classes. The parents seem content that they come so we pick them up for the classes and run them home. They are enjoying being with us. The father joined our church softball team and this gave him further contact with some of the members. The young boy, Michael is planning on going on the Mission trip to Fiji. So pray for him in this area. They he will come to know the Lord too.

Our remodeling of the building has really improved our seating and allowed us to make the kitchen larger than before. This has helped in having fellowship luncheons and the general flow of our building. We pray we can use it to God’s glory.

This last month we were invited to come back to Napier for their 40 year reunion and the ordination of the elders. It was a wonderful weekend and it was great to catch up with members that we had not seen for a long time. It is a thrill to see many who we had the privilege of sharing the gospel with and baptize still faithful and persevering.

They had a luncheon and put on a nice afternoon for us all.

Melinda still helps run the Mothers of Preschoolers program and Abby is the coordinator now. They have 7 new mothers coming along so that is really exciting. Please keep this effort in your prayers. And pray for Amber, Lisa, Rebecca, and Andrea that they will be open to God’s word in their lives.

That’s about all for this month. Please pray for open hearts and for contacts to be made through the Super Saturday that is coming up. God be with you in your work in His Kingdom there. We appreciate each of you and your part in our lives.

In Christian love,

Chris and Melinda Miller

The Millers

12 Margaret Road,

Tauranga

New Zealand

18-2-2007

Greetings from Tauranga,

This year is going by fast already isn’t it? A new school year started on Feb.7 so we are getting back into a routine again. Nathan is in year 12 which would be a junior in high school for you. He is busy with volleyball, school, surfing and a small after school job. But he doesn’t have a car, which means he is either using Melinda’s or she is taking him places. So life is busy at our house.

Aaron and Laura have lived in Australia for a year now and are doing good. He is working on a charter fishing boat now, which is good because he is home more and not out at sea for days on end. The pay isn’t that great but they are getting by and Laura is keeping busy with her work as an interior designer. She seems to have people lined up that want her to do various jobs. Melinda and I are making a short trip over on our airmiles to see them in April. So we are looking forward to that.

Our son-in-law, Chris, began his new job on Feb. 15 as a financial advisor for a small company. He is in the early learning stages right now so it is a slow start. Keep him in your prayers to find clients and to be strong in the worldly environment he has to deal with. Abby is busy being a mom to Charis who is 2 ½ now and goes to preschool 2 mornings a week. She is so social and ready for more contact with children her own age. She is enjoying it. Ethan is 11 weeks old now and is already in 6 month old sizes so he is a big one. He is full of smiles and a good baby.

As far as the work goes, this year holds a lot of opportunities for new contacts. We have Dr. James Hinkle, here speaking for 4 Wed. nights. Two on marriage and two on parenting. We have advertized this for awhile and have had about 5couples from the community come along each week. One guy Dr. Hinkle met while he was playing golf and invited him. He and his wife came and are having Dr. Hinkle over for dinner this week and some counseling. We are getting good response and hope to follow up on these contacts. On March 18, we will be having a “bring a friend” Sunday and picnic and are praying that some of these come to that.

Today the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group started up again after a 2 month break over summer. They met at the park and had 4 of the moms from last year come and 7 new moms come along. Our daughter, Abby, brought 4 of these from a playgroup she goes to so it is a great avenue of reaching out when you have mothers with preschoolers. Please pray for these women that they will want to come along and that we can get to know them better. Here are some of their names so you can pray for them. Amber, Rebecca, Michelle, Wendy, Moana, Andrea, Simone, Jane,

Tracy, Carrie, and Shelly. All of these ladies are from the community and we are building relationships with them.

The youth and young adults went to a camp put on by The North Shore congregation in Auckland where Leon O’flynn is. It was right on the beach and they all had a great time and got to know others from that area. There were 50 kids there and 21 of them were from Otumoetai, so we had a big group to go.

Adam Picker, who is a HIM worker and works beside me has picked up a study with a Korean man. He has come to our services the last two weeks. Please pray for John.

Chris and Abby have a new neighbor next door. They are from Michigan, he is a Kiwi and she is an American. Their 12 year old daughter, Tanya, has been going to our Bible classes and really enjoys coming. We have a church softball team and the father was asked to come and play on it so he and their 14 year old son are playing on it. We pray that this family can be brought to Christ. They are impressed how their daughter Tanya loves the church and has been asking about baptism.

We have been preaching through Romans the last 3 weeks and will remain in it for about 3 months. What a wonderful book. I have found it really challenging to work up sermons from as it is rich and extremely deep.

As an eldership, we want to focus on our mission this year. We are having a congregational meeting to discuss some of our dreams and plans, and to share about what is going on. We want to talk about local, national, and international outreach.

We are planning a men’s boating trip to one of the island in our bay in March. We hope to use this to bond together as men more. I still lead a small men’s group that meets once a month. It is extremely rewarding to see men grow closer because of it.

Well again we are blessed to be able to do the Lord’s work. It comes with many challenges but it still excites me to see people saved from this fallen world. Pray that God will open door for us to speak the Word to the lost. Pray that the evil one will not discourage us from doing the Lord's work.

Again thanks for the prayers and your support without which we could never do what we do.

All because of Him,

The Millers

November 30, 2006

Hello!

Just wanted to share the news of our grandson's arrival on Nov. 28th! He weighed 10lbs.10oz.   So he is a big boy, his name is Ethan Christopher DuBose. It was a hard labor for Abby since he was so big but they are both recovering. Please keep their family in your prayers. Charis is excited to be his big sister.

It seems we have not stop running since we hit NZ soil. I have been teaching on Wed evenings on the Barnabas Factor. Bettering our skills on encouraging people. I also start a series which I will be preaching on "Family Matters", talking about the importance of the our church and how we serve in it.

Melinda and I were heading up to Northland where my mother lives for her 80th birthday as my brothers and I had planned to put on a special weekend for her. However the baby had not come so Melinda needed to stay in case Abby had the baby. I went up and stayed in my brother's " Stone Store Lodge" in Kerikeri. That was nice since i had not stayed there since he built it 2 years ago. He had two other couples staying as well. It was very relaxing as it overlooks bush and farm land and Keri inlet. It allowed me to read and catch up on lessons etc. Mum's 80th went well we had 18 of her closest friends come and we put up the umbrellas in her lovely garden and had a good old english " afternoon tea". We had a cake made and when we cut the cake her son's each spoke on the blessing she is to each of us and the memories we have collected. Anyway it went very well and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

We are back in the church building and have done 70 percent of the renevations. The auditorium is finished and the new kitchen etc. It looks wonderful and the members are thrilled with how it looks.

We still have the classrooms to complete. But we hope to try and get them finished early in the new year.

As an eldership we have been discussing our next vision for the next year or so. There is always alot to think about but we know every time we have put something before the Lord he has met us with it over and over again. We really want to focus on outreach more so we need to discuss how that is going to take place.

The AIM group is finding their place and seem to be busy. Adam and Heidi and doing a great work too and help to lead our young adults. Jim and Marilyn have been busy too. Jim has been overseeing the building project to keep it all going. Marilyn runs with our ladies ministry and plans events etc for them. The last event we had 10 visitors. We are presently wanting to try and lead these visitors into a deeper study of the word so that they can experence salvation too.

We have the SPBC graduation coming up. This is always an important part of the year for the students. This year we will have 8 graduating. Chris our son- in-law will graduate at this time too. He has worked hard as he has had to be a husband, dad, and student. He also has been teaching every Sunday morning our teenage and young adult class. We are very proud of him.   Keep them in your prayers for the future.

I have a study with Dan a young man who is 17 years old. he has been visiting on Wed nights and goes to some of our congregational events. He attends the Assembly of God up the road and is very involved there. But he is very keen to study and grow. We have been spending the last few weeks on baptism as there has been confusion there and he has started to really understand it. It will be interesting where it heads.

Well Nathan has finished his exams and has finished school for this year. He has a part time job after school.   He takes his driving test this coming week so i need to try and make some time to take him out more so that he does not fail it.

Well again we really appreciate all that you do for us. Again for the financial support and for the prayers. It means so much to us . Please keep us in your prayers and the work and we know the Evil one is scheming his next attack. Thanks

In his service,

Chris Miller

MILLERS NEWS FOR JULY

12 Margaret Rd.

Tauranga

New Zealand

July 26th, 2006

Dear Brothers and Sister in Christ,

I know it has been several weeks since you have heard from us and for that I apologize. This time of year is always so busy for us since we have many Americans that come over during your summer. Our days slip by housing, feeding, and working with people as well as teaching and doing our usual congregational needs.

Our 4 AIM girls arrived the end of May and Adam and Heidi Picker arrived about 10 days ago. The girls are settled in and one of them has been bringing a teenage guy along to services, he seems to be enjoying it even though the group is small so this is a good contact. His name is Daniel please keep him in your prayers.

Adam and Heidi are still settling in, there is always a lot to do when you move to a new country. You have to start over again, really so they are find a car, place to live, furniture, insurance etc. So we have been helping with this. They are eager to serve and be settled soon. They, along with the AIM girls are doing LET’S START TALKING training this week. I arranged David Steele to come Wednesday mornings to equip us on how to us it. David has contacts already and Adam and Heidi start with a couple shortly. It is proving to be an effective way to teach people through the gospel of Luke.

One of our Bible College students has 3 studies through this. It is a method where you teach English to new immigrants through the use of the Bible. We are seeing a lot of Asian and even people from Brazil and Indian coming and wanting to learn English. A lot of these just come for our kiwifruit picking and harvesting of our orchards and go back home. Others come to immigrate to New Zealand. Either way they are new to the region and it is a good time to meet them and teach them and befriend them.

At the moment we have 25 people here from Fresno, Calif. They are a youth group that came and conducted a VBS for us last week. We averaged about 42 kids each morning which wasn’t too bad. On the parents evening we had a good turn out and also had a couple that come along on Sunday. So some good contacts were made through this effort. The group did a retreat for our teens and some service projects. So they have been busy. We kept 3 teenage boys and 2 of them were sick for 3 days with tummy bugs so that kept Melinda busy making sure they were looked after. The morning they left, we had a group of 7 arrive from Sunset School of Preaching to stay for 2 weeks. This group is wanting to come over next year and

Church plant in Auckland so we will spend time with them over the next few weeks helping them to learn about New Zealand and the churches here. They will be meeting with the elders to discuss their plans. So once again we will be keeping people and talking with them.