Merry Christmas to all! I pray that everyone is enjoying this wonderful Christmas season. This is a long message but there is a lot going on and we wanted to share with all of you so you can understand where we are in the process.
In addition to the normal busyness of a typical Christmas season (decorations, social gatherings, kids finishing the semester, ...) we are VERY busy trying to send our container of supplies to Angola. This includes purchasing many of the things that are not readily available or are more expensive in Angola (electronic equipment, mattresses, clothing, ...) in addition to packing up many of our daily use items.It's difficult to pack up a bowl or plate that you just used earlier that morning, but it is what has to happen to get our container it's way.
With our last update about our container, some of you asked if that meant that we were leaving soon. Well, we are definitely closer than we have been but there are still some major things that have to occur before we can leave.
To send our container, we must have a complete inventory list BEFORE anything can be loaded into the container. This inventory must be sent to Angola to be approved and have an ID number assigned to it. Once this is done then we must schedule an inspector to come and verify the inventory and watch while everything is loaded. Once this is complete, the inspector seals the container and it can head off to Norfolk to be loaded and shipped.
We are sending most of our furniture, clothing, and home items which will leave our house pretty empty. We will either sell or store the few remaining items and put our house on the market empty. Some people have told us that it is better to show a house furnished but this is not the way the Lord has it working out in our lives. We trust in His way and know that it is all part of His plan.
With our container gone and our house empty, you may wonder where we will live. Our dear friend and fellow missionary Sheila Foster-Fabiano has graciously offered her house to us to use as we complete our preparations for Angola. Sheila has been and continues to
be a wonderful mentor and friend to us as we prepare to leave.
At this point our focus will be on raising our remaining monthly support and praying that our house sells quickly. We are currently at 35% of our monthly support. Our current monthly budget is $7000. This is a large amount of money but we know that the Lord will provide in His time. Once our home sells and the remaining funds are raised we will be on our way to Portugal for language study and then on to Angola to serve.
This has been a long process but the Lord is with us. We have been able to share about God's work in Angola with several folks and the Lord has also blessed us with many donations that we would not have gotten if we had left on "our" original timeline. God's timeline has never changed and we surrender to His plans. One of my morning devotions from "Jesus Calling" emphasized this.
I, the Creator of the universe, have designed to co-create with you. Do not try to hurry this process. If you want to work with Me, you have to accept My time frame. Hurry is not in My nature. Abraham and Sarah had to wait many years for the fulfillment of My promise, a son. How their long wait intensified their enjoyment of this child! Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.
Young, Sarah (2004-10-12). Jesus Calling: Seeking Peace in His Presence (p. 362). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
We are moving forward but we can still not give you a departure date. We wish that we could and remind ourselves daily that we are doing all that we can and trust that He will place us in Angola at the proper time.
Prayer Request
- Pray for continued strength to keep up the pace that God has given us.
- Pray that our house sells quickly and that the Lord allows for a smooth transition as we move our family to a new home.
- Pray that the Lord will convict His followers to join us financially in this process. We can not do it without their financial support.
- Pray that we are able to prepare ourselves spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically to serve Him in Angola
If you would like to make a year end donation you can send a check made out to AGA Inc. with “Danny & April Hall” in the memo line to my home at:
Danny & April Hall
2426 Regents Park Lane
Greensboro, NC 27455
or to:
AGA Inc.
25 Maple St
Addison NY, 14801-1009
All donations are tax deductible and as long as the check is dated and/or post marked by Dec 31 you will receive credit this year. Just give me an email if you have any questions: hallangola@gmail.com.
Thank you all of your prayers and support! It takes a community of believers to serve and we can not do it without each and every one of you!
Merry Christmas!
Danny, April, Riley, & McKenna Hall
