As most of you know Darla and I have moved 45 miles south of Cancun to the city of Playa Del Carmen.
Some of you might be asking why? The short answer is God's call on our life to start new churches. Marco Monroy, Maurico, Daniel and the other leaders in Cancun are more than able to lead the church in Cancun.

Only a few decades ago, Playa del Carmen was a deserted beach where Indian families raised coconut palms to produce copra and the odd foreigner wandered in to get away from it all. In fact, just a couple of years ago, travel guidebooks very briefly mentioned the area as quiet, a good place for the budget-minded, and as also good for a quick stopover while catching the ferry to Cozumel. All that has changed. The city is growing so fast it is difficult to track . Less than 40,000 people lived in Playa in 2000, today more than 300,000 people live in this city under construction. Spanish speakers and other nationalities alike are flocking to the area, there is "energy" in the air, and all the utility, phone, and other complications that accompany such a growth explosion are in motion. A New York Times article proposed that from a percentage growth vantage point, Playa is perhaps the fastest growing city in the world over the last 10 years. As one guidebook recently and aptly commented: "at the rate the city is currently growing, you might come back to Playa in two years and find it unfamiliar" We are seeing changes daily as the city grows. Schools are conducting classes under tents because the city can not keep pace with this growth explosion.

There are 65 Christian churches in Playa. We only have 4 small Baptist Churches. The total number of believers in church on Sunday is less than 4000 in all our Christian churches. The Catholic's have another 4000 in Sunday mass. Here is the bottom line 97% of our city are unchurched.
The question we are asking is why?

We need your prayers as we move forward to
Catch God's wave in Playa Del Carmen.

We hope to have a new Website up by the end of next month. If you would like to learn more about our work you can contact us on our vonage phone 501 255-1709 email- doug.millar@macregion.org.

If you are in Playa you can stop by our Mission office located on the main highway just across from Sam's Club. We are in the only 3 story building across from Sam's Club. Our office is on the third floor, office number 11. Office hours at this time are Monday- Friday 9:00am -1:00pm. Please feel free to stop by.

On a personal note:

Leaving Cancun and the church there has not been easy for us. We love the church in Cancun and miss being part of the daily workings of the church there but we know they can and will grow without us. We also know that God has called us to Playa but it is still not easy after 9 years of working and living in Cancun. We also know we are in a spiritual battle here. Sunday night we had planned a worship service for our team. I came to the office early to make copies of a study guide I wanted them to have. The copy machine would not print scriptures it was strange it copied everything else but it would not print scripture. Then as we started the meeting the lights went out, it was unexplainable we had electricity but no lights. We met and prayed in the dark. The next day the copy machine and the lights worked great, on one can explain it.

We need your prayers as we study our people and their needs.

Our kids are doing great in school in Arkansas but please keep them in your prayers.

Other prayer needs:
• Pray for Doug's as he is on the streets of Playa daily, building relationships, learning about the people, and looking for home church leaders.
• Pray for Darla as she will be working in the Playa mission office helping us discover God's master plan for Playa.

• We have a medical team from NC working with us Oct. 15 - 22

• Nov. 10 - 18- volunteer team from Alaska and Calf. doing concerts in the parks.

Doug Millar
Playa del Carmen, Mexico