May Prayer Letter

May 2019

Dear Praying Friends,

A few months ago, I felt a bulge in my abdomen that began to grow and hurt. After consulting with four doctors, having ultra sounds, CT scans, blood work and other tests, it was determined that an operation was needed to remove and biopsy this tumor. On Tuesday, May 14^th, they wheeled me into the operating room. The anesthesiologist had an unpleasant surprise for me. He informed me that he wanted to do an epidural rather than general anesthetic as it was safer for me to be awake during the two hour operation.  So, I lay there on my back, not feeling anything from my lower chest down and watching the operation in the reflection of the stainless-steel lights overhead. After about an hour of them digging and working, I joked with the three surgeons, “Have you reached my spine yet?”  They all three paused and then burst out in laughter. They wanted to know where I was from and why I had chosen to live in Portugal.  So, for the next 20 minutes or so, I shared with them the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I can honestly say it was the strangest witnessing situation I have ever found myself in! While they were wrist deep in my abdomen, I told them of the love of Christ for each one of them and that only through Christ we can have salvation.  After the surgery, each doctor came by and shook my hand and thanked me for talking with them.  Please pray that the seed that was sown will bear fruit. 

I am home and recuperating as I write this letter. Praise the Lord, the chief surgeon told me the tumor was benign, definitely not cancer!  Praise the Lord!! Thank you for your prayers!

Sowing seed wherever we can,

Mark Hale

April Prayer Letter

April 2019

Dear Praying Friends,

He watched the suspicious man slowly walking by and instinctively knew something was wrong. He lost sight of the man for a few moments, but the breaking of glass was all the warning he needed. Yelling for his wife to call the police, he ran next door to his neighbours’ house and found the broken window where the thief had entered.  Inside, realizing he had been discovered, the thief broke a back window and tried to run away with his hastily gathered loot. A. (a young preacher in our church) jumped on his motorcycle and rode after the man as he disappeared into the woods. Three hours later, after being chased relentlessly, the exhausted thief ran into a police barricade and was arrested. 

In spite of the fact that the loot was recovered in his possession, his fingerprints were all over the neighbours’ house and an eye witness testified about his crime, the thief was released the next day because he was a “first time offender”.  This is how messed up the P. justice system is: They allow a thief to go free but convict a Christian man for “psychological abuse” for witnessing to his lost wife! Are things getting worse? Not really.

2,000 years ago, a thief/murderer was released but the Holy, Sinless Son of God was unjustly condemned and crucified!  Not much has changed in all this time. The world still turns a blind eye to real crimes but angrily condemns those who only seek to follow Christ. As we remember the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, may we also remember that true justice will only come when King Jesus rules this earth. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus! 

Looking for His return,

Mark Hale