Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Heading South...Tennesee & Alabama

There has been "a lot of water under the bridge” since my last entry! I’ve had a funeral for a man that I did not know, but our God was very gracious. Then I sat on an Ordination Council for a Pastoral Candidate. That afternoon, I had the wonderful honor & yet awesome responsibility to preach the charge for the young pastor. One of the things that made the Ordination so significant for me was the fact that he & his wife are off to their first pastorate, in the church that I pastored for 10 ½ years, Jasper Place Baptist Church, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

(May 22) It is now time for me to fly (tomorrow morning) to Memphis, where I will be Preaching, Sharing Canada Arms of Love & continuing to ask the Lord to build a strong Partnership/Support base. I will begin at Faith Baptist Church, in Bartlett, TN. After sharing about Canada Arms of Love & preaching there this Sunday night, I’ll head up to Hendersonville, TN. where I will be meeting with some prospective Ministry Partners on Tue night. I will meet with a couple of friends in Nashville, on Wed morning, prior to an early Lunch meeting.

Wed afternoon, I drive down to Huntsville, Alabama for a time of renewing friendships, before again meeting with some folks to share the new ministry that the Lord has led Brenda & me to.

From then until Monday morning, June 2nd, I’ll be traveling, sharing about & seeking Support Partners for Canada Arms of Love. Thank you for all of your prayers!

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Canada Arms of Love now officially launched!

I had asked you to pray for the Launch Service of Canada Arms of Love & God answered your prayers. We had a phenomenal time of worship & fellowship.

Now, Evelyn, my Assistant, is cleaning out her office & getting ready to begin the next chapter of her life. She is beginning her own business this Thurs. (May 1st).

I am trying to clean out my office, refocus my life for leading Canada Arms of Love & refreshing what it means to REALLY trust the Lord Jesus for every breath & need of mine & Brenda’s lives. We are so excited about how the Lord has worked in our lives & what we believe He has in store. I sure am glad that “you are on this bus with us!”

My first ministry, as the leader of CAL is to preach a funeral for a pre-Christian man that I never met. A Christian couple asked me if I would try to minister to this family, who has NO church identity. Would you please pray that it be more than just being there to officiate at a funeral? I want it to be a time of seed sowing & wouldn’t it be great if the Lord chose to bring about a harvest!

If you would, please check the website calendar and this blog every so often so that you will know where I am & what’s going on.

This is my prayer for me, “Watch over your mouth with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Have a great month of May!
DK

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Counting down....!!!

Have you ever heard the saying, “I am here to tell you” or “I’m telling you”? Well “I’m here to tell you” Brenda & I are living in the fast lane, as we storm towards the Launch Night for Canada Arms of Love, Friday, April, 25th!

Our lives are mingled with excitement, nervousness, fear, Holy tension & yet absolute trust in our Heavenly Father.

Do you sometimes wonder does any of this whole thing, called life, makes any sense? I may be a BIT abnormal, but sometimes it seems that we are chasing shadows or butterflies. You might say, “I’m so anchored in Jesus” that I never have those thoughts. Then you are one of those few “Spiritual elite” that have basically reached spiritual perfection! Or, you aren’t living close enough to the Lord Jesus for Satan to see enough “Kingdom Value” to even bother tempting you! It seems to me that Satan goes after us harder & harder, as we seek to be more & more like our master. It is not a sin to be tempted. The sin is in taking our eyes off of Jesus & yielding to the temptation.

Where is this all going? It’s going to the fact that Satan is constantly going after me to give up & forget the call on my life & the ministries of Canada Arms of Love.

Because “greater is he who is in me, than he who is in the world” (NASB), life experiences, as a Christian, have taught me that there is really only one way to succeed, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” (Proverbs 16:3 NIV)

Together in Christ,
DK Hale

PS. Things really have been busy around here as we prepare for the launch! You can see online at http://www.canadaarmsoflove.com/launch.html the program we have lined up. The excitement is building, and we’re looking forward to sharing the evening with our friends and partners!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Back at the Office and BUSY!

Brenda and I spent most of February and early March on a trip through Texas as ambassadors for the CCSB. While there we also had opportunities to share about Canada Arms of Love.

We have found ourselves extremely busy after arriving back in Cochrane. When you’re on the road a month, when you come back, there’s a lot of “Build up” in the office. We’re about to get on top of it.

This past weekend, Brenda and I drove 720 km (450 miles) to spend the Easter weekend with our two daughters and their families. We had a good time but it’s not exactly what you would call a restful weekend. When we stop and focus on the Crucifixion, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ we do experience refreshing! We are such a blessed people to have the opportunity to be called Christian and then to be invited to be servants in the Kingdom of God.

Exactly one month to the day will be our Canada Arms of Love Launch/ Fundraiser Service. We are asking the Lord to make that a night of worship where those of us that are Christians can be lead by the Holy Spirit to a higher plane of love for Christ, resulting in an accelerated and productive ministry. As Brenda and I transition from the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists into a ministry role under Canada Arms of Love, we covet your prayers. After 28 years in various levels of pastoral ministry and 10 years with the National Convention, as a salaried NAMB Missionary, we will be serving as Mission Service Corp (MSC) Missionaries. If you are not familiar with MSC I invite you to go to http://www.answerthecall.net/site/c.eeIMLROpGjF/b.795387/k.A124/Mission_Service_Corps_Home.htm to learn more.

Together in Christ,
DK Hale

PS. Please note the 2 previous posts with details for Canadian and US contributions. Thanks.

US Contributions

For those in the US who would like to help with the support of Canada Arms of Love, please make your checks payable to:

NAMB
and on the Memo Line add: DK Hale # 9118

Please mail to:
NAMB
P.O.Box 116543
Atlanta, GA 30368-6543

Canadian Contributions

For those in Canada who would like to help with the support of Canada Arms of Love, please make your checks payable to:

Canada Arms of Love - CCSB.

Please mail to:
Canada Arms of Love
100 Convention Way
Cochrane, AB T4C 2G2

Friday, February 22, 2008

Early 2008 US Ministry Trip

Since arriving at the D/FW airport in Dallas, Feb 8th, close to the area where I was born & where I spent the first 10 years of my life, Brenda & I have been going ALMOST non stop. Even to the point that Brenda was not feeling well at all yesterday. But all is well again today.

I have been using every opportunity to share about Canada... & Canada Arms of Love, with its formal beginning Thursday, May 1st, 2008. I have spoken in 5 Texas churches in or near: Nocona, Eastland, Valley View, Sanger, & Austin. We have spoken to 1 women’s ministry group, met & shared Canada Arms of Love with/in 4 home group meetings, 1 men’s volunteer construction team & numerous individuals. Only the Lord knows what will come out of all this.

Tomorrow, we move on to Columbus, Texas where I will be the guest preacher at a church Sunday morning, Feb 24th. Then in the evening, I will share the CCSB ministry & the work across Canada, before bringing a brief message.

On Wed night, Brenda & I are to have dinner with a local church’s Missions Team & then speak to the church about Canada Arms of Love.

On Thursday, Feb 28th we leave for Midland, Texas, where I will be involved in the 3 morning services of FBC Midland. From 3-4 pm on the 2nd, that church is hosting a Missions Reception for Brenda & me, recognizing our 24 years of missions relationship. It will also include presenting Canada Arms of Love.

We return to Wharton, Texas, where I will be the speaker, Mar 6, for an Associational Annual Missions Rally & Banquet, with over 80 churches represented, before driving back to D/FW after the service. We will be up pretty well all of that night, as the drive is about 6 hrs, then turn in the rental car, get to the airport & be at the ticket counter at about 8:30 am. The plane leaves for Calgary at 10:50. We will be HAPPYYYYYYYY to see Cochrane & be back in our own bed!

Thanks for your Prayers!

DK & Brenda

Friday, February 8, 2008

Ministry at Evangel

What a wonderful Feb 3rd weekend Brenda & I had with Evangel Chinese Baptist Church in Edmonton, which is 330 Km (200 miles) north of Cochrane!

Pastors Terence Chan & Roland Shum invited me to preach the message, celebrating the Church’s 12th Anniversary, as well as encouraging the Church in their “Together We Build” project.

In the past 12 years Evangel has grown from it’s initial beginning, to around 200 people, as well as having sponsored two other new church starts. This church has a Cross Cultural emphasis & they are truly endeavoring to be a Multi-Cultural church. It was such a blessing to preach & then pray for the 2008 elected church leaders, immediately following their Commissioning & dedication time.

Worship was real & VERY meaningful with these fellow believers! Please pray for Evangel.

Together in Christ,

DK

Thursday, January 10, 2008

New CAL Website goes online today!

Time to celebrate! Our new website went live today - January 10, 2008.

We invite you to visit the website at www.canadaarmsoflove.com.

We have tried to answer as many of the questions as we can, that have been asked of us over the past months as we have been planning and preparing for this new ministry. However, if you still have questions, or if you see something that could be done better, please let us know at office@canadaarmsoflove.com.

Also, with this being a new website, there may well be some problems that we missed catching - links that don't work, spelling mistakes, or whatever. Please do not hesitate to let us know about those too.

Thank you for your prayers and support as we have worked on this. Please continue to pray for this website and this ministry as we move toward the launch in May.

Blessings,
Evelyn
Admin Assistant to DK