April Prayer Letter

 April 2024

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

He was faced with a very difficult choice. If he took the job they offered, his financial worries would be a thing of the past, but he would be out of church every Sunday. If he didn’t take the job, his wife and small children could go hungry.

 

He is a young husband and father and hasn’t been saved very long. He and his wife are soon to be baptized and become members of our church here in Lagos. Because of their faith in Christ, they have endured hostility from lost family members, suffered the rejection of former friends and now are facing financial trials. He took a big step of faith in the Lord and turned down the job for a large chain of stores because he said, “It would not honor the Lord for me to miss church just for money.” I was amazed at the spiritual growth and maturity he was showing. Four days went by while he wondered if he had made a mistake.

 

The fifth day came and three new job offers came in and none of these jobs require him to miss church! For the foreseeable future, he will be busy working and providing for his growing family (they have another child on the way) but he will be in church and still studying with me in the Bible Institute. His example has spurred others in our church to take that same step of faith and ask God for a job that doesn’t take them out of church.

 

Praising God for growing faith,

 

Mark Hale

March Prayer Letter

March 2024 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

He was a volunteer. While many (including myself) waited uneasily for the call, he followed Isaiah’s example and simply said, “Here am I, Lord, send me.” My father-in-law, Dean McClure, spent the past 60 years serving God; first in the US and then for the last 58 years as a missionary to Brazil.

 

Dean learned the Portuguese language fluently and spoke like a Brazilian. He immersed himself in the history, culture, sports, food, music and mindset of the Brazilians. As a result, he was very effective in his ministry to that nation. The McClures established 20 Baptist churches which are all under national leadership and financing and still faithfully preaching the gospel. They established a Bible Institute where many pastors, preachers, Christian workers and their wives have been trained. They won thousands to Christ and what is absolute proof of the value of their ministry, while the first generation they won and trained are passing off the scene, the children and grandchildren of those pastors and their wives are now leading those churches and establishing more!

 

God called Dean McClure home to be with Him April 4, 2024. We are sad for us but rejoice for him! He was faithful to Christ all the way to the end. In the hospital, he witnessed to doctors and nurses, at home from his wheelchair, he made sure that the pastors and their churches had thousands of tracts for evangelization. His burden for the Brazilian people and his love for the Lord Jesus Christ were clearly evident in his life. Our world is still in great need but the laborers are few. What about you? Would you be a volunteer? Would you trust the Lord and say, “Here am I Lord, send me.”?

 

Thankful for the volunteer,

 

Mark Hale

Dean and Deloris McClure in 1966, just before leaving for Brazil

The McClures in 1982

Dean McClure preaching in 2001

Deloris and Dean in May 2023

February 2024