Saturday, December 29, 2012

Merry Christmas (Feliz Natal)


Dear Friends,

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas (Feliz Natal in Portuguese) and pray that you have a wonderful time celebrating and remembering the birth of our Savior!  We are so blessed by each and every one of you who read these messages and pray for us.  We are so thankful for the Lord’s provision during this time and for providing us with good health.  I pray that this Christmas will be full of joy for each of you as you honor the One who gave everything for us all.

We have truly enjoyed our 4 months in Portugal so far.  Language is more challenging than we expected.  There is so much to learn to be able to share with others on a personal level in their native language.  To be able to ask someone about their faith or to share how God has worked in our lives takes more language skill than survival Portuguese.  “It just takes time” is the theme we hear from our instructor and from other missionaries here that are ahead of us.  We can’t rush the process.  We have been told by several missionaries that the time we spend learning the language is very beneficial and extremely important!

The Lord has used this time in so many ways to prepare our hearts, our minds, our emotions, and to strengthen our faith.  We are learning more than just the language.  We are learning to live in a completely different culture, without our friends and family close by. We are learning how to live daily life in a much smaller home without many of the modern conveniences we were used to.  We are learning how to respect each other's space and how to live simpler lives.  We are learning to depend on each other and how to manage our time between homeschooling, our classes, homework, cooking, and cleaning.  But most importantly, we are learning, even more now, to truly depend on the Lord for our daily needs.

The Lord has provided some very wise veteran missionaries that have been such a blessing to us by helping us understand that this is all preparing us for our ministry in Angola.  Most of the challenges we face now will continue when we move to Angola.  It has all helped us understand that Portugal is a stepping stone in our ministry.  We are celebrating the birth of our Savior who gave up heaven to come to this world and die on a cross for each of us.  It helps put things in perspective...

We are ever grateful for the Lord's provisions and for your continued support through prayers, encouragement, and financial donations.  We couldn't be here without it and we appreciate each and every one of you.

As we celebrate the birth of the Savior, we rejoice in His extreme love for us.  We wish you all the very Merriest Christmas and a very Happy and Blessed 2013!



10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  
Luke 2:10-11



Merry Christmas!
Danny, April, Riley, & McKenna

Support Info:
AGA Inc. 
25 Maple St
Addison, NY 14801-1009

please put "Danny & April Hall" in the memo line

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Fall Update


This is a time of abundance in your life. Your cup runneth over with blessings. After plodding uphill for many weeks, you are now traipsing through lush meadows drenched in warm sunshine.”

This was a passage from one of my morning devotionals and it truly sums up our lives.  We have been overwhelmingly blessed since we last wrote to you at the end of September.  The Lord’s plans were truly better than anything we could have imagined.

To start with, our house has sold!!!!  Yes, that is a true answer to many people’s prayers.  We thank you for praying with us about this and give thanks and praise to the One who made this happen.  Our house was on the market for less than 2 months and the Lord sent the right family.  They are a wonderful Christian family who are making changes in their life so that they can begin doing more mission work with their church.  God answered both of our prayers with this!  He handles things much better when we surrender it to Him.

Language learning is progressing.  We would love to be fluent at this point but we are constantly reminded by our instructor and others here in the program that it doesn’t work that way.  Our instructor described it as standing under an umbrella that slowly starts to get holes in it and lets a little light through at a time.  We are starting to get more holes in the umbrella and are beginning to see a little more light.  Please continue to pray for ease of language learning and for more holes in our umbrella.

Another blessing is that our 90 day visa has been renewed.  When you arrive in Portugal you are given a 90 day visitor visa.  We must leave the country for a minimum of 24 hours before returning to receive another visa.  We were able to successfully complete this on Monday and now have another 90 day visa.

The girls are still doing really well with living in Portugal.  They dearly miss their friends from home but thankfully they have been able to skype or facetime with some of them and that eases the burden.  They love hearing from home so please contact them on facebook or email if you can.  We have also been blessed with other girls their age here that they have met.  God provides for our needs and He knows of my daughter’s need for friends.  McKenna has even been babysitting her language instructor’s guinea pig since the second week that we came here.  As most of you know, McKenna LOVES animals.

Our container made it safely to Angola.  It arrived in port the first week in November.  We had received the Ministry of Health document a week or so beforehand but only realized right before arrival that it had the wrong invoice number on it.  The Lord intervened again and what could have been a 2 month process was corrected in a week.  Praise Him for His continual faithfulness!  Now we ask for your prayers to see the container through customs and pray that they do not require an inspection.  An inspection can take quite a bit of time and can also cost quite a bit of money.  A good missionary friend in Angola is handling all of this for us and he went through the inventory multiple times with the folks in Angola before it was sent.  Pray that the Lord will see this through in His time!

We are so encouraged to receive emails or notes from you all.  We have even received some care packages from home.  It was like Christmas when they arrived!!  Your generosity is amazing and we deeply appreciate all you do for us!!  Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.  We couldn't be here without your faithfulness in supporting us.  Thank you all for joining us in God’s journey.


In Him,
Danny, April, Riley, & McKenna

Monday, September 24, 2012

Sept. 2012 Hall Update

FIVE WEEKS!!  We've actually been in Lisbon for 5 weeks.  What a blessing to be here.  We arrived on a Friday evening and were greeted by a lovely group of missionaries and our language instructor and her family.  How special we felt to see so many people happy to see us!!  They helped us load our luggage and delivered us to our new home.  There are three other missionary families here for language study and they've been very instrumental in helping us get settled.  It's amazing how stressful little things can be when you're in a new country.  These precious new friends have made our transition much easier.  The Lord has truly gone before us and we thank Him daily for His provisions!!

We took 2 weeks to get acclimated to Lisbon before starting our studies (per our teacher's advice).  We were a bit reluctant to take that time, but we're so glad we did.  We didn't realize how exhausted we were.  We are so thankful for our wonderful friends at home who spent many hours helping us pack up our house as we prepared to embark on this new journey.  We couldn't have done this without you and we are grateful beyond words!!!!

The 2 weeks allowed us to rest, to see a bit of Lisbon, and get acclimated to our new life.  We're learning the bus and metro systems, so getting around is getting easier.  We have a butcher shop and a pastry shop around the corner and there are 2 small grocery stores within walking distance.  The coffee, bread, and pastries here are absolutely fabulous!!!  We have some wonderful new friends here.  We've met 4 other missionary families with children.  So, Riley and McKenna have others close to their age to hang out with.  What a wonderful blessing!!!

Our portuguese classes started 3 weeks ago.  We spend 2 hours a day in class and then we have homework to complete.  It's been quite a long time since we've had homework.  But, it reinforces what we've learned that day and it is essential.  Unfortunately, there are no easy shortcuts…..so we are working hard!!  We're looking forward to the day when we don't talk like 2 year-olds and can actually understand a conversation or sermon.

Riley and McKenna started homeschool the same day we started class.  They're adjusting to the schedule and seem to really enjoy homeschooling, although they miss having their friends around.  Our day starts around 8:30 with a devotion, breakfast, and then homeschool.  We are very involved with McKenna's classes.  Riley's classes are online, so hers are more independent.  We eat lunch around noon and then prepare for our classes. We take the bus into Loures for class.  There is an extra room at Eunice's studio, so the girls have time to get their homework done while we are in class.  It seems to be going smoothly so far.

We are so thankful for the Lord's perfect timing and provisions!  As we look back, we can see how things have worked out perfectly and we are positive that the Lord has placed us just where He wants us.  Portugal is only about 1% Christian, so we're are trying to be God's light wherever we are.

         "in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."  Proverbs 3:6

"He restores my soul;  He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake"  
Psalms 23:3


We covet your prayers for:         the rapid sale of our house (it's been on the market for a 3 of weeks and has shown, but no offers yet) 
                                               ease of language learning
                                               the easy transition for the girls' homeschooling 
                                               easy adjustment into a new culture 

Thank you all so very much for you continued prayers, love, encouragement, and financial support.  We are honored to be partnered with you in this ministry the Lord has called us to. 


Yours in Christ,

April for all the Halls


Support Info:
AGA, Inc
25 Maple St.
Addison, NY 14801-1009
Please put "Danny and April Hall" on the memo line

Monday, August 20, 2012

Lisbon!



We are in Lisbon, Portugal!!!  

We wanted to send out an update over the last 3 weeks but between the container, 
getting out of our house, and packing for Portugal, we were a bit overwhelmed!  

Two weeks prior to leaving, we worked on the container several days straight.
We were staging items, loading items, taking care of the chassis (the inspection sticker had expired), 
the numbers on the the top of the container had to be corrected (it didn't match the sides, front, and back),  
the Seaworthy certificate had not been signed, the documents had to be printed on
AGA letterhead instead of the shippers' letterhead, etc....  New problems arose daily.
However, the Lord is never surprised and He had already prepared a solution for each
problem and in ways we would have never guessed.  The biggest problem was making
all of the stuff fit!  We had been told by 3 men at the warehouse that there was no 
way all of it would fit.  Fortunately, God had other plans and He provided 3 very special
men who were able to do it.  It was the reverse of the Loaves & Fishes 
miracle!  

Please pray for the container to make it to port safely and then across the ocean.  Also
pray that all of the work done reviewing and preparing the inventory will be sufficient to
please the Angolan dispatcher when it arrives and there will be no more "surprises".

We were also amazingly busy getting out of our house.  No matter how much time you have,
things get done at the last minute.  April and I both were physically exhausted during this time
and were blessed by several wonderful friends who came in and helped with so many things.
We had people come and carry away trash, take things to friends who were working with
refugees, deliver items to others for us, carry many loads to my Mom's for storage, etc...
It was amazing!  Every time we realized that we had forgotten something or were missing
something, someone would say "I can take care of that".  God truly put the right people in
our path and we are extremely grateful!!

We didn't get to spend as much time with most of you as we would have liked during our final
days in Greensboro.  However, please know that we thought of you all and said many times,
"I wish we could see (fill in the blank with your name here)!"  April and I both said that we wish
we could have sat back and checked days off of the calendar counting down our time to Portugal.
But that is not the plan God had.  Fortunately, our friends here in Portugal understand what we
have been through (they experienced it as well) and they are have been most understanding and 
extremely helpful.  Our instructor also wants us to wait 2 weeks before we start classes
(April and I are hoping for 1 week, but we will see) so we can become acclimated to the city/culture.  
There are still things to work out here and back at home so maybe 2 weeks is good.  From what I 
understand, we will be quite busy with 2 hours of class, 3-4 hours of homework each day, 
and homeschooling Riley & McKenna.  So the calm before the storm might be a good idea.

The apartment here is very nice.  We are on the 3rd floor (which is the 4th physical floor since the
ground floor is the 0 floor) and there is another missionary family living on the 1st floor.  They 
served in Zambia and are here learning Portuguese because they have also been called to serve
in the southeastern part of Angola near the Zambian border.  It has been great to have them close
by to figure out day-to-day things.  Plus they have 5 children between the ages of 11 and 3 which 
are a blessing. 

Mark, Jana, and Carter (age 8) Faus are missionaries working with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF)
and will be serving in Angola.  Mark will be the new director of the CEML hospital where April will be 
working.  They have taken us under their wing and have shown us around, driven us to the store, 
brought us all the right forms to fill out, basically made our life MUCH easier.  God has truly gone before us!

There have been numerous blessings along the way but we still face many challenges.  Please continue 
to pray for our transition here.  Portugal is a beautiful place and experiencing new things is always fun.
However, when you realize that you are going to be living here and you are 14 or 11 years old, it can
be a bit of a challenge.  Please pray for RIley and McKenna especially during the transition.

Also, please pray that we have put in place all of the correct things to maintain things at home.  We still
have our house that is going on the market as soon as a few minor things are repaired.  We have been 
blessed to have people at home assisting with that.  We also have had to set up for online payments
many of our bills.  Pray that we haven't forgotten some things!  (I am sure we have)

Please pray for our ease of learning.  I am not gifted in language but trust that the Lord has called me to
this and that He has prepared the way.  

And also, please pray for our funding.  Even though we are only at 50% funding we knew that now was
the time to go.  The past 2 years of preparation have been tough at times on my children.  God gave us 
several signs as well as the advice of 3 other missionary friends that we needed to step out in faith and
make this first step.  We know that language training had to occur first and then return to the US, so we
made the move.  As we have said before, we are "trusting" the Lord not "testing" Him.  

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

So we are trusting in Him even though there are times when it doesn't make sense to us.  We are doing
our best to submit to Him and asking Him to make our paths straight.  Only through God's will is this all possible.
Thank you all for your love and prayers!


In Him,
Danny (for all the Halls)


Support Address
AGA Inc. 
25 Maple St
Addison, NY 14801-1009
(please put “Danny & April Hall” on the memo line)

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Our New Departure Date!


Dear friends,

We have a new departure date!!  It is now officially August 16.  Our original flights were booked on a British Airways flight number but it was an American Airlines aircraft out of RDU.  British Airways allows missionaries reduced rates and they also offer additional checked luggage, which American does not.
(3 bags per person on BA verses 1 bag on American).  This allows us an additional 8 bags total for our family!  I hope we don't have quite that many, but we could!
As you all know, we have been working hard on our house, raising funds, and sending our container.  We hope and pray that the extra time will allow us to get the container on it's way to Angola.  We have submitted what we have been promised is the last inventory list.  I believe that the container can be loaded in 2 days as soon as we get the green light.  We really want to complete this task before we leave and not have to ask someone else to handle this
for us.  Please pray that this can be completed this week!
It has been a very busy time.  We've been able to meet with many of our friends and enjoy fellowship together; however, we regret that there are many we haven't been able to call or see.  We'd love to be in touch with you and we appreciate your prayers and support so very much!  We can be contacted via skype or e-mail, as our cell phones will be disconnected on Aug 16. 
There have been many blessings with this journey.  We praise God for His faithfulness and we completely rest in Him knowing that He has gone before us and that His timing is perfect!!!

In Him,
Danny for all of us

Friday, June 22, 2012

Departure Date - Aug 6


We have a departure date!  We have been praying for the Lord to guide our steps and make the path clear.  Yes, I would consider this a “Red Sea” moment! 
We are trusting in the Lord and His perfect timing.
Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
We will head to Portugal to begin our language study on August 6th.  We purchased one-way tickets because there are still a few things that may prevent us from heading directly to Africa from Portugal.  However, we feel that it is important to make this first step in preparing for our ministry in Angola.  
Some of the things that still need to be worked out:
  • The sell of our home.  There is some interest in our home but it isn't under contract.
  • Visas - This can take an indeterminate amount of time.  Even though the process has improved, there are no guarantees that they will be ready in time.  They may require       us to appear in person at the consulate before departure to Angola.
  • Funding - We are currently at 45% of our monthly support.  Due to some supporters who have already started making donations to our ministry (some for over a year now), we have been able to purchase items that we need to send in our container and also have some money in our account.  However, the money in this account combined with the current level of donations will not sustain us throughout the 6 months in Portugal.
  • Container - We plan to have our container to port BEFORE we head to Portugal.  However, if this does not occur, then we may have to make other arrangements.
The Lord is aware of these needs and He has it all under control.  We ask you to join us as we pray for the concerns listed above and the new problems that will arise.  I ask that you also pray for my family as we transition to a new country and culture.  Especially pray for my daughters as they leave behind friends and family.  They both love the Lord but it can be especially tough for children.  Pray also for our family that we leave behind. 
But for now, we give Him praise for taking us to the next step in our ministry.  He continues to provide for all of our needs and has brought us to this point in His time not ours.  Pray that we continue to wait on His timing with all of “our” plans.  
Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope (wait) in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
In Him,
Danny & April 
Support Address
AGA Inc. 
25 Maple St
Addison, NY 14801-1009
(please put “Danny & April Hall” on the memo line)

Thursday, June 14, 2012

June 14, 2012


It has been a long time since we have sent out an update but it is because we have been keeping our eyes on Him and trying to make things happen.  We have been hoping to wait until we could list some “big news” before we send out an update but we realize that God is just as prevalent in the small, everyday things as He is in the “parting of the Red Sea” moments.
God Moments
Since our last update there have been several God Moments we have experienced.  All of these things are things that had to occur for us to move forward with plans to move to Angola.
  • We were able to find a buyer for April’s father’s home in Brunswick County.  Nothing in this area has sold in the previous 13 months and those that did sell sold for a LOT less than the original asking price.  We were able to sell the house to the first buyer and it was a cash deal.  
  • The Lord provided a wonderful and loving home for our two dogs.  Ruby had been with us for 9 years and Sunny for 6 years.  The family originally only wanted Ruby but after meeting them they decided that they needed to stay together.  This was a huge God Moment for us as the new family already had 3 dogs of their own!   
  • We were provided with furlough housing through our church, Westover Church, which has allowed us to focus on emptying our home and making the final repairs we need to before we can sell it.  We found it very difficult to pack while living in our home.  Once we moved to the furlough home with a couple of suitcases (and a couple of McKenna’s stuffed animals), we were able to finish packing up!  What a wonderful blessing!
  • April turned in her notice at work in March (while remaining in the relief pool) to prepare for leaving.
  • Even though we have not been actively pursuing supporters to join us in our ministry, the Lord has convicted several new supporters.  Praise the Lord!!
Prayer Opportunities
There is so much to do to move a family for 4 to Angola.  Especially when 2 of them are children, we have been living in the same house for 16 years, and so many other lifestyle changes.  There are areas where we still do not know how God is going to work things out but we trust in His goodness and faithfulness and we are assured in His plan.
  • A buyer for our home.  We have 2 families that are “interested” in our house but it may not be the right thing for them.  We trust that the Lord has the correct buyer for us in His time.
  • We are currently at 45% for our monthly support.  We know that the Lord will provide in His time but we ask for prayers that the Lord will convict others to join us in His ministry in Angola.  Also, there are people over the past year who have told us that they are interested in supporting us and that they were praying about what level of support they felt comfortable with.  Please pray that the Lord will convict them to step out and trust Him in joining us.  We have to have the prayer support and financial support to make this possible.  There are different levels that are right for different people.  The $20 per month gift is just as important as the $200 per month gift as long as this is what the donor is being called to.
  • Approval of our container.  We have a “mixed” container.  We originally planned for the container to include our personal things along with Dr Bob Foster’s car and some personal items of some other missionaries serving in Angola.  Dr Bob decided not to send his car which freed up a big portion of the container.  During the past year we have received many medical supplies including 2 Anesthesia Machines.  All of these donations are truly a blessing.  However, this means that our container now has personal items and medical supplies for the hospital.  These fall under two different sets of rules and regulations.  Please pray that the administration at the hospital in Angola are able to get our inventory approved.  
  • Language is such an important part of our ministry.  We need to be able first show the people that we are planning on ministering to that we are interested enough in them to take time to learn their language.  We also need to be able to do more than just ask for another piece of bread or where the bathroom is.  We need to be able to talk to them about their spiritual life and introduce the God’s plan of salvation to them.  Please pray for our language study in Portugal.
  • Finally, pray for strength to continue the race.  We must keep our eyes on Him and realize that God is in control of our lives and that His timing is perfect.  We try to do things in our time and can become frustrated when it doesn’t occur the way we think it should.  
I plan to send out updates more regularly as things are definitely progressing even though it may not be a “parting of the Red Sea”.  Thank you also for your prayers, your love of the Lord, and for your interest in God’s ministry in Angola.  
In Him
Danny & April 
Support Address
AGA Inc. 
25 Maple St
Addison, NY 14801-1009
(please put “Danny & April Hall” on the memo line)