As a church, there are often an endless amount of missions projects you can choose to be a part of. What inevitably happens with some well-intentioned churches is that they try to do too much at one time; they overextend themselves and, in doing so, are met with poor results and poor execution. At Milestone we recognize the things we say “no” to are just as important as the things we say “yes” to. By limiting our focus, we allow ourselves to pursue a few missions projects with excellence.
We’ve chosen to begin in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Oaxaca Mission from Milestone Church on Vimeo.
There are a number of reasons we’ve decided to start in Oaxaca, Mexico. First and foremost is the fact that we felt, through a number of different events, that God wanted Milestone to reach out to this geographical location. We strongly believe that whatever God calls us to do, He will also empower us to do.
Second, we’re strong believers in a model of missions that continues to be effective for years to come. For this reason, Milestone is committed to going back to Oaxaca over and over again while working with missionaries who are permanently stationed there. This allows the short-term trips we make throughout the year to continue to have positive repercussions even when we’re not there as the missionaries follow up with those we have made contact with.
Third, we’re witnessing God’s work in the midst of the Chatino tribe in Oaxaca. In the past year we’ve seen hundreds choose to follow after Christ and we’ve even observed miraculous healings. It seems that God is working to bring this people group who have been in the darkness so long into the light; it’s our desire to join Him where He’s working.
There are three primary ways you can help with the work we’re doing in Oaxaca:
- Pray. We desperately need prayer for the people of Oaxaca (the Chatino tribe), the missionaries who are serving them, and the work that Milestone is doing there.
- Go. As much as we covet your prayers, we ultimately want to see a large chunk of our congregation actually take the time, money, and effort required to make the trip to Oaxaca and participate first-hand in what God is doing there. Experiencing Oaxaca first-hand will do more to challenge you and enlarge your heart for God’s missions than any heart-tugging testimony or slickly-produced video ever could. Our next trip will be June 19 — 26, 2010.
- Give. Currently it costs between $900 and $1,100 for one person to go to Oaxaca for a week and minister. We’re hard at work to make this trip affordable for everyone who feels called to take it. We need your help to make that happen, and faithfully giving financially to Milestone and to our Oaxaca mission efforts is an important part of making this project successful.