Mission Moments: Peru

Edwin Milla named missionary to Peru

Edwin Milla, left, on the summit of Huascarán, Peru’s tallest mountain at 22,205 feet (6,768 meters).

Edwin Milla, the son of a legendary mountain guide who himself has climbed nearly everything in the Peruvian Andes, saw his guiding business slowing in recent years. So much so that he needed to look for another job. He had two offers – one in a mining operation and another in the jungle – when Climbing For Christ made him an offer he could not refuse.

Following the death of Jaime Servat, we called Edwin to serve as our missionary in Peru. “Above all, this is serving God and being close to my family,” said Edwin in accepting the call on Sept. 15.

“I always felt privileged to serve the Lord through Climbing For Christ in past missions,” said Edwin, who has guided six of our seven Evangelic Expeditions to Peru and was our sponsored climber since 2011. “But I never thought to be a member of the Climbing For Christ (staff) as a missionary. I consider this a great opportunity, especially serving God together with C4C.”

In addition to a work shortage, Edwin’s home was robbed on Sept. 8 after the house church he hosts had finished worship. “After the robbery of my house I was almost without anything,” Edwin said. Then, on Sept. 29, his son Elijah fractured his right hand and “throughout the night we could not find any traumatologist.”

Feeling a bit like Job, Edwin pressed on. He developed a plan for outreach in the months ahead – picking up where Jaime left off and GO-ing where Jaime could not – and he is working with Jordan Rowley on Mission: Peru 2020. We are excited to have Edwin joining our team and look forward to seeing how the Lord will use him in Peru.

“There have been many difficulties in my life and for many years: economic, family, even strong attacks of the enemy with different tests,” Edwin said. “For a moment I thought I was defeated, but just then the Lord extends His hand over me.

“I did not understand why these things were happening to me, until one day the president and founder of the ministry Cimbing For Christ, brother Gary, proposes me as a missionary. When reading this proposal I felt something inexplicable and I threw myself on my knees crying and crying out to the Lord and I understood that through these difficulties the Lord was calling me to serve as a missionary. Now it is my greatest delight and very great blessing to serve the Lord through the Climbing For Christ ministry, taking the message of salvation to more inhospitable places and crossing valleys and mountains. Glory, glory, glory to the Lord!!!” 

CLICK HERE to read Edwin’s member bio.