April Prayer Letter

April 2025

Dear Praying Friends,

Sometimes children make me cry. Recently, Michele had the church children prepare a special hand craft for them to give their fathers in celebration of Portuguese Father’s Day. After the service, all the children hurried to their fathers with their special hand made gifts. Each dad accepted the handmade crafts, complimented them and gave their children hugs and kisses. It was a special time for our church children and their fathers to share.

After presenting his father with his gift, eight-year-old Lucas looked at me with a worried expression and ran back to the children’s classroom. I continued talking with folks and never gave his behavior another thought. That was until he came back into the auditorium and stood close to me waiting until I had finished my conversation with a young couple.

Little Lucas’ brow was wrinkled and his eyes were sad. He said, “Pastor, I know your son is far away in America, so I made this for you since he isn’t here.” In his hands, he held a hand cut and colored red paper heart. I cried and gave him a long heart felt hug. That handmade heart stays in my Bible to remind me every time I preach, that there are little lives that I minister to, not just their dads and moms.

Thankful for children,

 

Mark Hale

March Prayer Letter

March 2025

Dear Praying Friends,

It had been one of “those” months. Dad’s salary paid for his family of five, but extra expenses had really hit the young household hard and they were hurting. They needed food, so they all headed to the grocery store to get what they could. They gathered what they could afford and lined up at the check out

waiting patiently as the line moved glacially. An older gentleman lined up in back of the young family and started up a conversation.

He loved children and larger families and admired how well behaved their three children were. He got teary eyed as he asked to pay for their food. The dad had just swiped his card and gotten the receipt from the cashier, so the older man reached for his billfold, pulled out every Euro he had and just handed it to them without even counting it. Stunned, they all began to cry and thanked this kind man for his great gift. When they counted the money later, it was exactly what their bill had been! Coincidence? No, we know God sent that man to bless and encourage this faithful family who are daily seeking to accomplish God’s will and raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained

angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:2

Thankful for “strangers”,

Mark Hale

February Prayer Letter

February 2025

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

Over three years ago, she wouldn’t even talk to us or acknowledge our presence at

her grandson’s first birthday party. We were those religious outsiders who had changed her daughter’s life and she hated us for it. The entire family kept us at arm’s length and were relieved when we said our goodbyes.

 

Since then, many of them have visited our church, attended ladies’ meetings, family nights and special services. G. is the mother of one of our faithful ladies, A. I had the privilege of leading A. to Christ a while ago and she and her husband, J., are growing and maturing. As a couple, they decided that A. would be a stay-at-home mom while J. earned a living as an electrician. G. was opposed to her daughter giving up a career to “only be a mom”. “Work a job and put your children in day care” was her advice. In spite of family opposition, J. and A. are doing a great job raising their three children according to the Scriptures, and it shows.

 

G. recently told A. that she could see the huge difference in her grandchildren. She could see the results that godly parents were having in the joy and peace of her three grandchildren and told her daughter she was doing right by focusing on her children and not a career. While not everyone has that option, this couple is being a daily testimony to their lost families. Please pray for G. that she would soon be saved. She is SO close to salvation! A. thinks her mother would get saved but is afraid of mockery from the rest of the family.

 

God’s way is the best way,

 

Mark Hale

December Prayer Letter

 December 2024

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

Three ladies came to church with fevers but only told us they were sick after

the services. Of course, one of them shared with my wife, Michele, and by

Monday evening, she was feverish and achy. By Tuesday, she was as sick as I

have seen her in years. Christmas came and went and still she suffered for an

entire week until she finally turned the corner. Sunday, we only had four in

attendance plus me. Michele was still too sick to attend. A particularly nasty

type of the flu is making its rounds here in Portugal.

 

But the ministry goes on. This week, we have had one lady hospitalized for a

serious infection in her eye, another hospitalized for complications in her last

month of pregnancy. Michele, in spite of still being weak and exhausted,

ministered to both ladies and spent the last two days purchasing supplies for

the upcoming baby shower, baking and preparing food and beautifully

decorating the church, (I blew up all 125 balloons and set up the arch, but she

turned the room into a masterpiece!). She went to bed last night at 3 am after

frosting the cake.

 

Over the years, I have seen my precious wife sacrifice time and time again for

family, for the church folks and for the lost. She never complains, always does

her best (which is phenomenal!) and seeks to glorify Christ in everything. She

has been by my side every step of the way and I am sure will one day hear

from Jesus Christ, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” I am blessed to

be married to her and serve the Lord with her!

 

So thankful for Michele,

 

Mark Hale

November Prayer Letter

 November 2024

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

It was the most highly anticipated occasion not just of the year, not just of the

decade, not just of the century, but of all time! Prophets had prophesied

hundreds of years before, angels announced it to the shepherds, later, wise men

from the east came looking for the Son of the King who had been born! The

birth of the Savior had taken place in Bethlehem, just as the Scriptures had

declared. Surely, the nation of Israel would stream into the small town of

Bethlehem to see their King! Surely rich and poor, men and women, Jew and

Gentile would seek to find the new born King!

 

But as we know, the birth of our Savior was ignored by almost everyone. In

spite of the testimony of the shepherds, no one in Bethlehem sought out the

Savior. In spite of the prophesies, the religious leaders ignored the star in the

east and declined to accompany the wise men in their quest to find the

Messiah. Today, we have the same attitude of ignorance. Most cannot be

bothered to even think of why Christmas should be celebrated. Others

substitute the Savior with invented characters and imaginary stories.

 

Oh, how vital it is for us to remember that Jesus Christ is the reason for this

season! He came to be the Savior of all mankind! We, of all people, should

focus our attention on the Lord Jesus Christ, who left His home in heaven to

be born in a smelly stable, wrapped in burial clothes and laid in a manger.

Who left the worship of angels to be rejected by those He came to save. Who

loved us so much that He died to save us all. Praise the Lord for the greatest

gift of all – Jesus Christ!!

 

May you have a blessed Christmas remembering our Savior,

 

Mark Hale

October Prayer Letter

October 2024

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

He got a copy of our prayer letter from his pastor and for the first time in his

life, he wrote a missionary. He had read our prayer letter a few months before

in which I had asked prayer for five ladies who had heard the gospel for the

first time. He had been praying for their salvation and requested an update.

 

He had no idea what a blessing and encouragement he was in writing that

email! His diligence in contacting us let us know that not only was he reading

our monthly prayer letters, but that he was also personally involved in praying

for the people God has called us to reach! What a deep encouragement this

man was to us!! What a blessing to answer his questions so that he could pray

more effectively for us and the ministries here in Portugal!!

 

We have a group of people we call our “prayer warriors” because we KNOW

that if we ask, they will pray and keep on praying! This group of men and

women labor in secret, they labor faithfully, they labor for God’s glory and

they labor for the salvation of souls. Only in eternity will we know what these

mighty prayer warriors truly accomplished in their ministries of intercession

for their missionaries. THANK YOU for your faithful prayers!!!

 

Thankful for you,

 

Mark Hale

September Prayer Letter

 September 2024

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

“I love my mother-in-law” I tell people with a big grin, “because she lives on

another continent!” But the truth is, I really do love my mother-in-law and highly

respect her. For the past 60 years, Deloris McClure has been a missionary to Brazil

with her husband, Dean McClure. After a long illness, God recently called Dean

home and Deloris was there every single day, caring for him for better or for worse.

Deloris has spent the last few months in Brazil sorting through all of her possessions. She gave away the majority of her things to church folks, neighbors and friends. She sold the rest and moved back to the US. She is 81, in good health and plans to continue ministering to Portuguese speaking people through video classes and missions trips.

 

Now, she is facing life without her best friend, husband and partner. When asked

how she is doing, she will reply with a smile on her face but tears in her eyes, “I am

doing alright, God has been so good to me!” No self-pity, no anger nor frustration.

How can she have this godly attitude after suffering the loss of her husband? She

embodies 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of

God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Yes, she mourns the loss of her husband, but

she rejoices in the hope of a heavenly reunion. Yes, she is sad at the prospect of a

solitary life, but she rejoices in the presence of her Savior. She is thankful for what

God gave her and still is giving her.

 

No one may know what you are suffering, no one may even care. But you can

rejoice in knowing that God cares and is with you every step, in storm and in calm,

in prosperity or in poverty, in sickness and in health. Our Savior will never leave us

nor forsake us and is one day coming back to take us home to be with Him! May

each of us have a heart of gratitude for all God has done and is doing for us! No

matter what comes, we know God is in control and we can be thankful to Him!

 

Giving thanks,

 

Mark Hale