October Prayer Letter

October 2021
 
Dear Praying Friends,
 
“Have you ever lied?” J. asked and the man simply nodded his head. “Have you ever stolen?” he continued; once again the man nodded sheepishly. “So have I” J. said, “so that means that you are a sinner just like I am and you need the only Savior just like I did!” The man, under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, confessed that he needed to be saved, nodded his head, repented of his sin and put his trust in Christ alone for salvation!
 
For the past seven years since he was saved, J. has been trying to win to Christ his family, friends, acquaintances and even strangers. He has suffered for his faithful witnessing; friends and family members have rejected him and called him insane. J. was unjustly convicted in a Portuguese court of “psychological abuse” and condemned to two and a half years in prison for the “crime” of pleading with his lost wife to be saved and warning her of the eternal consequences of rejecting Christ. But he never gave up trying to reach the lost around him and God blessed his years of labor by allowing him to lead his first soul to Christ!!
 
Needless to say, he is humbled and thrilled all at the same time! He also has asked us to pray for another man whom he has witnessed to recently. This man’s name is M. M. lives not far from J. and has been very open to the gospel, asking thoughtful questions and listening to John’s scriptural answers. Please pray with us for M., that he would soon come to Christ and J. will have another reason to rejoice over an eternal soul snatched from the fires of hell!
 
Rejoicing over the one but praying for more,
 
Mark Hale

 

September Prayer Letter

 September 2021

Dear Praying Friends,

Dr. J. has helped me and many others down through the years. I have tried to share the gospel with him, but as an atheist, he shuts down any conversation about God, prayer or the Bible. Over the years, he has tried to use his intellect to explain away things he has no answers for; that is until recently.

I entered his office and immediately, he asked me as a pastor, if I believed in the power of prayer. I told him that of course I did because I believe in the power of the Almighty God. Shaking and struggling for words, he shared that his five-year-old daughter has an infection that no medical treatment has been able to cure and now his nine-month-old son has respiratory difficulties that the doctors cannot alleviate. He confessed that in desperation, he had gone to a charismatic “healing service” only to leave after a few minutes when he recognized it for the sham it was. He tried to dismiss all churches because of the religious con artists he had seen, but the father in him is desperate and seeking help for his beloved children that the medical profession cannot give.

I promised that we would pray for his children to be healed. We would love to see God heal these precious children so that Dr. J. would know that God exists and cares about him and his entire family. Please pray with us that God would do what no doctor can and that Dr. J. would understand that there truly is a God who loves him and wants to save him and his family.

Praying for miracles and salvations,

 

Mark Hale

August Prayer Letter

 August 2021

 Dear Praying Friends,

 Last month, I asked you to pray for three people and I wanted to give you an update on them so you can see how God is responding to your prayers:

 A. is still under conviction for his sin but in reaction to the guilt he is feeling for his sin, he is pushing away his nephew, John. He insists that he is satisfied with his Catholicism but reluctantly admits he has no peace nor joy. Please continue to pray for this 89-year-old man. He is under conviction from the Holy Spirit and it is evident that God is working in his heart to bring him to salvation.

 S. continues to come to services, more and more! She listens intently to every message and stays afterwards listening to conversations about the Word of God, salvation, sin and many other subjects. She is growing ever closer to salvation!  Her stepmother passed away a few weeks ago and our church was able to help her and her father during this difficult time. She told us that she and her stepmother read the Bible together every day the final two weeks before her mom’s death. Please continue to pray for S., that she would truly understand her sinful condition and the salvation of the Lord that awaits her when she repents of her sin and believes in Christ as her only way to heaven.

 The young preacher’s wife has returned to attending church services but she stubbornly refuses to submit to the Lord’s call upon her husband. She confessed that she just hopes he will abandon the call of God like others have so she won’t have to be a pastor’s wife. She hides behind her fear and inadequacies to justify her rebellion against God’s will for their family. Please continue to pray for this young woman, that she will truly submit to the Lord and His perfect will for their lives and that she will quit comparing herself to others and only compare herself with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Continuing to pray with you,

 Mark Hale

July Prayer Letter

July 2021

Dear Praying Friends,

He is 89 years old and not in good health. He has heard the truth from his nephew, John, but continues to question the gospel. “Surely, my religious activities should count for something”; “Surely God would let me into heaven because I am a good man” and his questions go on and on. Please pray for Anthony, that he would understand that no one could ever do enough good works to earn a place in Heaven, that only the accomplished work of Christ on the cross is sufficient to save all sinners and give them a place in Heaven. Please pray for John as he faithfully witnesses to his family.

She is a young woman who is searching for truth. Her friend, L., was gloriously saved last fall when Michele led her to Christ. Now L. is bringing her friend, S., to church. She carefully listens to every message and asked for a Bible to read. She takes a different gospel tract after every service and is truly seeking God and His word. Please pray that S. would understand she is a sinner and come to Christ for salvation.

She is the wife of a young preacher, but has grown distant and cold. She hasn’t read her Bible in a year, has ignored the hundreds of videos we have recorded during the Covid lockdowns, is skipping services and now is influencing her daughter to backslide as well. Her husband is a faithful but heartbroken man and he is begging God to bring his wife to repentance and restoration. Please pray for this family!

I know you pray and after 36 years as a missionary, I know God answers your faithful prayers, so I thank you in advance for your bringing these precious people before the throne of the Almighty God.

Praying without ceasing,

Mark Hale

June Prayer Letter

June 2021
 
Dear Praying Friends,
 
80% of the economy here in southern Portugal is based in tourism. When the government shut down the country most of last year, it destroyed the economy here, some businesses shut down permanently, many others were seriously damaged. This year, Portugal continues with the shut downs, quarantines and curfews, effectively destroying a second tourist season and all the jobs with it. A young preacher and his wife lost their jobs last year due to all this but he was able to find temporary work with a construction company for a few months. Earlier this year, he was able to find a job in a Portuguese restaurant but before he was hired, he made it clear to the owner that he could not work on Sundays because he is a Christian and went to church on that day. The skeptical owner agreed. Within just a few weeks however, he was putting enormous pressure on this godly man to work seven days a week and forget about church services on Sunday. When this young preacher refused, the boss became vindictive.
 
For the last few weeks, this faithful man has seen his salary reduced and delayed for no reason and eventually this week, the boss fired him. Why? Because of his unwavering faith in Christ. While many Portuguese claim to be “Christian” (Catholic), their faith does not affect their dishonest business practices and many hate the true believers who seek to serve honestly and with all their might for the
honor and glory of Christ. This young preacher has a wife and two children, but he is putting his faith in the Lord to provide another job so he can take care of his family and continue to serve the Lord as he has now for many years. Please pray for this man and his family that God would work a miracle and give him a job that allows him to serve the Lord as well as provide for his family.

 
Trusting in the Lord,

 

Mark Hale

Update in July:  Thank you for praying! A. has a new job at another restaurant. Praise the Lord!

May Prayer Letter

 

May 2021

Dear Praying Friends,

The seventh son of a seventh son, he was born into extreme poverty at the end of the Great Depression. To help his family survive, he was a shoe shine boy in town, shining the shoes of others while he didn’t have his first pair of shoes until he was six years old. The son of East Kentucky sharecroppers, his life was shaped by the unending struggle to survive. His mother died when he was 12 so he had to quit school to work full time. He never finished 8th grade, yet he kept on learning and was one of the wisest men I ever knew. 

When he was a teenager, my father was gloriously saved. He met my mom at a church youth activity and they later married and had three children. My dad taught me three important things: 1. Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength 2. Love your family and provide for them no matter what that costs you.  3. Do your best when you work even if your boss isn’t watching, because God is!  Even though he struggled to read, he faithfully read his Bible three times a day for as long as I knew him. He taught me to tithe and give to missions, he taught me to serve to please God, not to be seen by others. He taught me God’s way is the best way. He taught me by example, not just words.

When I was preparing to leave for the mission field for the first time in 1985, it dawned on me that answering God’s call meant we would be separated more than together and I apologized for that. My dad, simply said, “Mark, I would rather have you 10,000 miles away in the center of God’s will than living right next door out of God’s will, besides, we have all eternity together in heaven to be glad we did this God’s way.”  He was right.  I thank God for my father and the lessons both positive and negative that he taught me even till his dying days. He went home to be with the Lord May 28^th after 82 years of life.

Arnold Ray Hale 1939-2021

 

See you in Heaven Dad,

Mark Hale

April Prayer Letter

April 2021 

Dear Praying Friends,

Last November, I wrote you about a young woman who Michele was able to lead to the Lord in a midnight video call. Thank you for praying for L., she has continued to grow spiritually, asks many good questions and has set a goal for herself of reading through her Bible in the next year or so.  She has also been taking part in the online classes my wife, Michele has been teaching for the ladies.

Recently, Michele was teaching this ladies’ class when L. came online and joined the group. Not only did she participate, but she brought a lost friend whom she had been witnessing to. The young woman listened carefully as Michele taught the class and even asked some very insightful questions. Sadly, when Michele questioned her on her eternal destiny, the young woman confessed she was not yet ready to believe in Christ.

Although it was heartbreaking to see this lost young lady end the class in rejection of Christ and His salvation, we are encouraged that L. is witnessing to her lost friends and acquaintances and seeking to bring them to Christ. It is always a big step in a young believer’s life, when he or she begins to witness to lost friends. These young believers face rejection and isolation for their boldness so please continue to pray for L., that she will keep on sharing her faith with those whom she knows.

Thank you for making this possible!

Mark Hale