Hailes on Mission

Well we have been on the go as always but trying to make sure that we can slow down enough to remember this time of the year.  We have just finished a great week in South Africa hearing how the Lord is at work.  We are always amazed as we hear the stories of the Lord working in marvelous and mysterious ways to draw people to Himself.  As we have entered fully into this Easter season we remember the cost that took our Savior to the cross.  We are fully aware that it was our sins and unfaithfulness that nailed Him to that tree.  We realize that He willingly took the shame and scorn of the cross and died so that we might be able to be cleansed from our sins.  He paid the price that we could never pay.  Thus, we praise the name of the Lord for His goodness and mercy.  We also look forward to this Sunday as we do every Sunday to gather with the Saints of the Lord as a corporate body of believers to celebrate the life and hope that is in Jesus Chri...

Well we have had a very eventful month of February and have found the Lord’s hand all over it.  We had our vision trip down to Toliara and finally got to see the Tandroy in a little more natural environment.  We were able to see firsthand the difficulty of the task ahead of us.  There are tough roads, tough sleeping conditions, a need for stomachs made out of steel (we’ll not give you all the details of everything we ate and drank), a lot of waiting, cultural norms to learn, etc…  However, we were also amazed at how the Lord is already at work and doing great things!  Thanks to your prayers and support we had an amazing trip.  We did not have any real problems on the road.  We were protected from unwanted bugs and some of you even asked God to send a cyclone to cool things off for us down south (Though the damages up north were major we were thankful for the cooler weather).  All in all we just felt the peace of the Lord and His Mighty hand guidin...

Wow, January has been a crazy month. We have probably had the hardest month so far on the field. As many of you know Adam's nephew David had surgery to have a tumor removed from his spinal chord. This was incredibly difficult knowing all the potential dangers that went along with the surgery. Knowing that we could not and still cannot be at the hospitals and encourage and stand beside the family physically was and is hard. Also, knowing other family members were having test run and minor procedures done made us feel inadequate at times. Furthermore, though we did well on our language proficiency test (ahead of schedule) we hit the biggest wall of our short Malagasy learning careers. The wall is still there but I do believe we have put a giant sledge-hammer through it. On top of it all we got one of the largest electric bills ever and had to change some things around financially. So in the midst of beginning to feel useless the Lord decided to teach us His Mighty Power. First of all...

As we begin to get ready for 2012 we have spent time looking back at what has happened and as we look back we see God’s mighty hand all over it.   There have been many different transitions this past year but in all of them the Lord has proved Himself faithful over and over again.   We are also thankful for the many people praying for us on a regular basis.   Rest assured the Lord has answered prayers and continues to do so in a mighty way.   Thus, we look forward to what is ahead and celebrate the fact that no matter what, our God is worthy of everything we offer Him.   Here are some things from the past and what is coming in the future. ·          January 2011:   Suzie turned 32 ·          March 2011:   Appointed to be IMB Missionaries in Dallas; Phoebe turned 12. ·          April 2011:   Adam turned 33 ·    ...

As I am reading the Red Stocking with my family each night to help us get in the Christmas spirit I am reminded over and over again about the true meaning of Christmas.   I am also reminded about how far away from the reason for the season we have all become.   Living in a country now where Christmas is celebrated but not like in the States I kind of miss the commercialism everywhere.   However, if you ask a Malagasy person (church attendee) about Christmas they will say that “they are celebrating the birth of Christ”.   When I begin to think about the perspective of the Malagasy versus us U.S. citizens I realize that maybe we have missed the meaning of Christmas.   Somehow we have made it all about us, the size of the tree, the decorations, the lights, the buying of presents, the giving of presents, nativities, the church programs, the school programs, parades, family time, even having to attend church on Christmas morning (ouch), etc…. Now all of these things...

Dear Partners, Friends and Family, As we have finished off the month of November and celebrated a time of Thanksgiving we find ourselves truly in awe of the love and support that we get and feel on a regular basis.  The joy of knowing that people are praying, receiving some care packages, emails, facebooks, phone calls, skype, and so much more helps us remember that we are not alone here.  We know that the Lord has called us and we have seen His hand in and around us.  However, it is so humbling to know that there are people all around the world that are lifting us and the work here in Mada up to the Father.  We are so grateful for you.  We also are very grateful for our families and even though it is different not having the opportunity to see them all for this special time of the year we have found that the Lord has provided a wonderful Mission family for us here and we are extremely grateful for them.  We are so thankful that we got the opportunity to ...

(Less than $6 US for all this!) There are some things that are more expensive here in Madagscar than they are in America.  (Mostly the things from America.)  Other things are extremely less expensive...Like the fruits and veggies that we got at the market the other day!  Love it!