Hall's Prayer Requests

10/13/10

2010-10-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

Thank you for supporting our family and our ministry through prayer. Here are our recent prayer requests:

Stan is pastoring a local church in crisis and needs wisdom to build leadership in the church and to guide the church through the financial crisis it is currently facing.
Stan continues to need vision and wisdom to direct the NILI study abroad program (Nazarene International Language Institute).
Stan appreciates the relationships he makes with the Seminary and NILI students through the classes he teachers. Pray that God will continue to help him mentor and bless these students.
Mary is a senior in high school and we are facing a mountain of decision regarding college. There are a lot of complicated physical and emotional issues associated to transitioning to living in the States full-time without her family.
Landon is transitioning back into Middle School after being homeschool. It has been a bumpy ride.
Sherri suffers from asthma which is frequently triggered by the high altitude where we live and the city's pollution. Pray for continued health and energy.

God is our constant protector

2010-01-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Sherri had a near miss while driving home from the Seminary. The driver was evidently driving way too fast and lost control of his car. Thankfully, Sherri was ahead of him enough to be out of danger. However, it is a reminder to us of God's constant faithfulness to protect our family, especially on the streets of Quito. For those of you who pray for us, we thank you and appreciate you so much!

Pray for us as we begin serving our 5th year:

2009-08-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

We are finishing our time in the States and fly back to Quito, Ecuador on August 18th. Pray for safe travels, no customs hassles, etc. We are taking some equipment back which a customs agent could get “sticky” about, but usually they don’t pay much attention.
Mary’s school year: The school my daughter goes to is undergoing a lot of changes to meet the mandates of the Ecuadorian government. There are decisions still being made that could affect our deputation schedule next year. We are praying for the “least disruptive” situation possible.
Landon’s school year: For the first time, we are homeschooling our son. Pray that we can make this transition smoothly. We also have an unspoken prayer request for him.
Pray for the NILI program (the Spanish immersion program that Stan directs), the staff and students as we begin a new semester in about 2 weeks. Pray that God’s presence and protection will be real among everyone involved.
Pray for Sherri (me) as I learn to juggle the homeschooling and my work for the mission. Totally do-able, but it will require a lot of organization/discipline on my part. Structure is very important for our family, and I’m the one that maintains it. Pray that I can continue to do that without being too stressed.
New church: Our family needs to find a new church home in Quito. It is a bit complicated being missionaries but we know that God has the perfect church for us. Pray that we find a home soon.

1/6/09

2009-01-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

· As the next NILI (Nazarene International Language Institute) semester begins, pray for Stan, his staff and the students. We pray especially that God will change the lives of our North American students as they live a semester among our national students.

· Pray for our daughter, Mary (16). She has been sick for almost two months. She was treated for bronchitis twice, but it seems to only go away for a few days and then she’s sick again. She is now taking breathing treatments and we’re praying that God will heal her.

· We are feeling led to help a new church plant, but are seeking God’s will for the right situation for our family.

· We have been invited to the General Board in Kansas City in February to be commissioned as Global Missionaries. We will be taking Landon (12) with us, but Mary has decided to stay in Ecuador so she won’t miss school or a ministry weekend. Please pray for this time of blessing but also separation.

· Pray for our national students at the Nazarene Seminary in Quito as they prepare for future ministry, and for Stan and Sherri as we work with these students.

Quick Update

2008-11-10T20:27:00.000-08:00

Stan, Mary and Landon are all very sick with a bad cold: fevers, coughs, sore throats, etc. Please pray for quick recoveries. Also, pray that Sherri won't get sick as she's the caretaker!

Also, Stan and Sherri have their missionary interview with the Regional Advisory Commitee on Wednesday morning. This situation has several potential issues: (1) Stan is sick and can hardly think or talk. (2) We'll be using Skype over the internet (and our internet connection isn't always strong or consistent). (3) It will be completely in Spanish. Please help us pray that God will minimize all of these potential "handicaps." The interview is a part of the process for us to become commissioned as Global Missionaries with the Church of the Nazarene. Pray that we'll have clarity of mind and tongue (our Spanish)!

New Prayer Requests

2008-08-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

We haven't updated our prayer request list in a long while. Here are some current needs:

Safe travels and easy transition back into our latin culture. Stan travels on 8/22 and me and the kids on 8/25. This has been our first furlough since being on the field, and we all have mixed feelings about leaving our family in the US, etc.

Remember Landon especially as he will be transitioning back into school this year (6th grade). He was homeschooled last year and loved the independence that brought. He will most likely have issues transitioning back into the strict structure/time frames of regular school. He is also missing his cousins already. He has had the hardest time adjusting to living in Ecuador. He’s accepted it, but doesn’t love it. So remember him in prayer.

Stan continues to direct the Nazarene International Language Institute (NILI) a Spanish study-abroad program for US university students who come to Ecuador to study Spanish in an immersion situation. Because this is a new program, there are still a lot of details to work out, improve on, etc. Also, Kim Hadden is a Mission Corps Volunteer that begins her new role as NILI Student Life Director this August. This is a job with a lot of responsibility, so pray for her stamina, health, patience, wisdom, etc.

STNS: South American Theological Nazarene Seminary: our seminary is experiencing growing pains (which is a good thing, but requires wisdom and patience on everyone’s part). Pray for the leadership and the students.

Current Prayer Requests

2007-05-07T13:20:00.001-07:00

It is our privilege to count you as prayer partners in our work. Here’s a list of our current requests:

· We are taking a 3-week vacation to Missouri this summer so that we can visit with family and so Mary can attend NYC. We would appreciate your prayers for traveling mercies, and for a special time of reunion. This will also be our first trip home to see family in two years, so I know it will be bittersweet as we have to say goodbyes just after 3 short weeks (especially for my kids).

· Conflicts have risen between our scheduled home assignment (furlough) and Mary’s schooling (she’ll be in High School). Please pray we’ll get everything worked out soon.

· During our furlough, we’ll have transportation and housing needs. We know God will provide as He always does, but it is a concern as we will be literally crisscrossing the country during this time.

· Regarding our ministry, Stan has just been named the Director of the Nazarene International Language Institute opening at the Nazarene Seminary. This is in addition to his already busy schedule. Please pray for Stan to have the wisdom and patience to work with many different organizations and people to get everything running smoothly.

The profits from the institute will financially support the Nazarene Seminary so that more nationals can receive scholarships to study full-time in Quito. (Our students come from Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru, and they and their families make huge sacrifices for them to do this.) We fully believe that this institute is God's will, and we want to proceed in a way that will glorify Him. If you’re interested in attending or know someone who might be interested, check out http://www.studyinecuador.blogspot.com/ for more information.

Pray for Stan while he's in Guayaquil

2006-12-30T20:31:00.000-08:00

Stan is currently in Guayaquil, Ecuador, teaching ministerial ethics and evangelism classes to pastors and laymen in that district. Please help us pray for the following:

that he will be effective in sharing his passion and his hands-on experience in witnessing.
for the students that God's fire will be lit among them and they will have the knowledge and the courage to share their faith.
for Stan's safety. On Jan. 10th he'll be driving back by himself. It's an 8 1/2 hour trip on a not-very-clear path. The roads are not well marked and are often very confusing.

Thank you so much for your prayer support!

On the Road Again . . .

2006-10-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

Pray for Stan as he travels to Shell, Ecuador, October 12-15, to provide training in personal evangelism and street witnessing. Pray for the layleaders in the church as they learn a new way to share their faith, and pray that many people will hear and respond to the Good News.

Pray also for Mary as she travels October 19-21 to Guayaquil with her school soccer team for a tournement. Pray for safety and for her mother (since she's sending her daughter so far away in a 3rd world country!)

New Challenge!

2006-09-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

Stan and Sherri are both serving as mentors for senior graduation projects this fall. Stan is mentoring Pastor Roberto and Sherri is mentoring Rita (Roberto's wife). Both are fine students and wonderful Christian leaders. However, to be research mentors in Spanish for a 100-page project is quite a challenge for both of us. Please pray that God will help us with language issues as they come up and that we can be encouraging and helpful to Roberto and Rita. Also, Rita is due with her first baby in November, so this couple is very busy and needs your prayers as well.

Mary's Surgery . . . Again

2006-07-31T13:39:00.000-07:00

Mary's tubes in her ears fell out and within a month she experienced temporary hearing loss and a great deal of pain. Living here in high altitude worsens her situation.
She is scheduled for minor surgery on Tuesday (August 1) morning. We appreciate your prayers. We are still believing that God can heal her ears completely so that these frequent surgeries won't be necessary!

Another Transition Coming Soon

2006-03-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

Ever since God called us to be missionaries, our lives have been one BIG transition after another. First we had to leave St. Louis (which was very difficult) and moved to Kansas City for missionary training. After 7 months, we moved to Quito, Ecuador. Since then, we've been in language school. Now, as we finish language school (most likely in April), we begin our work in the Mission. Finally!

Stan will have the position of "Assistant Rector" at the Seminary here in Quito. Sherri's not sure what she'll be doing. With this in mind, we covet your prayers as we make yet another transition. Specifically, we pray that God will give us the wisdom, patience and grace we need to fulfill these new positions. As any missionary will tell you, being a new leader in an established organization in another culture is no easy task. Thank you for your prayers!

Prayer for Young Man

2006-02-05T18:59:00.000-08:00

On Friday afternoon, Stan took a 4-hour bus ride to Riobamba to join the Missouri District Work & Witness team already working there. During the bus ride, Stan witnessed to a young man. Stan was excited because not only did he understand about 95% of what the man said to him, but God gave Stan the words in Spanish that he needed to witness effectively!

Although the man didn't pray for salvation, he was definitely open to Stan's message, and he agreed to come to the Seminary to play futbol (soccer) with a group a men who play every Wednesday afternoon. Please pray that this man will come to play so that Stan will continue to have contact with him.

Our Home Assignment (Deputation)

2006-02-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

Our home assignment is Jan.-March 2008. Although that is 2 years away, we have several churches contacting us about services--which is wonderful! However, since this is our first time to do this, we have a lot of questions and details to figure out. We want to put all the details in God's hands NOW as we begin to plan. Specifically, help us pray for:

housing and a car for those 3 months
schooling for our children
a schedule of services that accomplishes God's will during this time

One New Praise and One New Request:

2006-01-10T18:21:00.000-08:00

Our praise: A few days ago Stan led his language professor, Veronica, to the Lord. Please pray for this new Christian whenever you can.

Our request: Although Mary's tubes are helping the pain and pressure in both ears, this is only a temporary fix. We are asking God for His permanent fix!

Praises for Answered Prayers!

2005-12-28T16:44:00.000-08:00

The Nazarene churches of Colombia continue to grow despite the increasing persecution in that country.
Holidays have come and gone, and we had great times even though we were so far from family for the first time.
Mary's ear surgery was a success!
The kids have successfully adjusted to their new school, and are enjoying themselves.

Prayer Requests

2005-12-28T16:38:00.000-08:00

That Stan and Sherri will become fluent in Spanish so they can be effective speakers and that language school will continue going well.
For good health, especially for Sherri and Mary who suffer with allergy problems connected to the pollution problem here in Quito.
That we will find ways to share Jesus with our language school professors and with Ecuadorians around us.
For the new leadership at the Nazarene Theological Seminary here in Quito.
For leadership throughout the North Andean Field (which includes the countries of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuala).
For the persecuted church.