June Prayer Letter

June 2019

Dear Praying Friends,

The three-and-a-half-hour drive went by as if we were in molasses. Anticipation made every kilometer seem to drag by in slow motion. I had just had abdominal surgery a week before, so Michele and our dear brother, John, did the driving. Finally, we made it to the Lisbon airport. His flight had already landed so our wait was short. Then, as if in a dream, our beloved son, Joshua appeared, pushing the luggage cart and grinning from ear to ear.  The reunion was sweet, the hugs were long and the tears of joy fell freely.  It had been a long school year, but our son was home again with us after completing his second year at Heartland Baptist Bible College. 

In May, during the graduation services there, Joshua was given a scholarship award for this next school year in acknowledgment of his encouraging spirit and help to other students.  We were blessed and proud that our son was publicly recognized this way.  Praise the Lord!  Joshua has been called by God to be a Baptist church planter in the state of Oregon.  He has two years of studies left and then he will, Lord willing, be doing a three-year internship in a great church near Portland, Oregon where he will learn how to minister in that area of the Lord’s harvest field.  He is excited about his studies and what God is teaching him.

He has already preached 10 times in the month he has been home and will preach another 10 to 15 times in our two churches and in a new church plant during the rest of the summer. He preaches fluently in English and in Portuguese and our folks love to hear him speak.  They are proud of what he is doing and how he is following the Lord’s call on his life even though it means he is far away most of the year. Thank you for your prayers for Joshua and for us! I am 80% recovered from the surgery last month and by the end of the summer, I am hoping to be back to 100%, praise the Lord!!

Thanking God for our son,

Mark Hale