Miss Patricia Mills, Missionary to Jews in Canada

"From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." These words of the apostle Paul to Timothy could well sum up Miss Patricia Mills' testimony. Although she was not brought up in a Christian home, Pat (as she is affectionately known) recalls how her mother sent her brothers, sisters and herself along to church and Sunday School each week. It was at the afternoon Sunday School that she learned that she was 'born in sin and shapen in iniquity' and that she 'must be born again.' She was saved on the night of her ninth birthday. As she grew up into her teens and twenties, Miss Mills wandered far away from the Lord, but His love did not let her go and He drew her back to Himself on 1st February, 1976. She had first attended the Ballymoney church in the summer of 1975 on the advice of a friend who was a member of the Coleraine congregation. Her friend told her of 'the good preacher in Ballymoney' at that time, the Rev. Alan Cairns. Miss Mills enjoyed the messages preached on the book of Revelation at the evening meetings so much that she began to attend regularly and, after returning to the Lord, became a communicant member of the church.

Miss Mills recalls an amusing incident that occurred at her first Thursday night prayer meeting in Ballymoney. Miss Alice Moore had invited her to the prayer meeting . Arriving at 7.50 p.m. she knew she was early for the meeting but when it reached 8.05 p.m. and no one else had appeared, she decided that she must have missed the meeting somehow because the church was in darkness and there was not a soul in sight. As she reached the gate on her way home, she met the first car, followed by many others in quick succession. This was her first introduction to 'Free Presbyterian time.'

Miss Mills testifies to how much she enjoyed missionary meetings and especially the Ballymoney Missionary weekend because this was something totally new to her.

It was at such a weekend that she first heard the call to serve the Lord in some way. Mrs. Dorrie Gunning, who was serving the Lord in Brazil reminded the congregation that "We are saved to serve and not to sit." Not long afterwards, God called Miss Mills through the words of Matthew Ch.10 v.6 where the Lord Jesus exhorted His disciples to 'Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel .'

Miss Mills was one of the first students of the Whitefield College of the Bible to complete the two-year course and thesis, graduating in June,1982.

After graduation, she spent four and a half years in Cork in the Irish Republic , working with Miss Rhonda Armstrong (now Mrs. French) and then with Miss Olive Scott (now Mrs. Colin Maxwell). It was while she was working there that the Lord challenged her about serving Him among the Jewish people. (She received a letter from Rev. Frank McClelland asking her if she would be interested in working with the Toronto Jewish Mission. Miss Mills had been on holiday in Canada in the summer of 1980 and had testified of her interest in serving among the Jews. A member of the Board of Directors of Toronto Jewish Mission heard of this and contacted Rev. McClelland who wrote to her on their behalf.) Initially Miss Mills felt that she should not take up the offer as she had decided that she was going to work among the Jews in Gibraltar . Through His Word, prayer and circumstances however, the Lord showed that His will was for her to go to Toronto and labour among the Jewish community there.

While she was waiting for permission to enter Canada to be granted, Miss Mills spent a short time helping out at the Whitefield College , doing general household duties. This time at home also enabled her to speak at deputation meetings and present the need of the Jewish people. She left Northern Ireland in June,1989.

Initially her work concentrated on door-to-door visitation as the most effective way of bringing the Gospel message. She was also involved in apartment mailing where Gospel literature was posted to thousands living in apartments and condominiums who could not be reached personally.

When Mr. Freeman became the General Director of the Mission he introduced other means of reaching out to the Jewish community. These included tract work on the streets. In 1994, to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Mission , letters of introduction were distributed, offering a Bible to those who requested it.

Miss Mills has also had opportunities to visit Jewish people in their own homes or in nursing and seniors' homes to present the Gospel to them.

Recently the Lord has led Miss Mills to work in the Mission office. The telephone gives her opportunities to speak to people who call requesting Bibles and literature. Some calls are from irate individuals who have received literature and want to vent their anger. Miss Mills has been enabled to explain that the aim of the literature distribution is not to antagonize, but to present the good news of the Gospel.

In her free time she still visits a number of Jewish ladies in hospital and a Jewish gentleman in a retirement home.

Reaching the Jewish community has always been a challenge for Miss Mills. Sometimes it is exhilarating, at other times discouraging. However she continues to present the truth of the Word of God faithfully that "Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." Acts Chapter 3 verse 26.