United World Mission

Dear Friends and Family,

January was an absolutely lovely month for us, and not only because the snowfall shrouded the ground deeply enough for successive days of snowball fights.  It was a sweet time for our family as a whole, a month of progress toward the field, and a period of growth for me personally.  

The month proved special for our family, ironically, because we were split up for two weeks! Owing to a delay in the processing of Zoe's visa, Judah and I returned to the UK two weeks ahead of Michelle, Asher, and Zoe. Although at times difficult, this interruption in our plans had some happy consequences. Because I was the only parent around for Judah, he and I spent a lot of time together, working on Spanish and math, playing games, praying and reading Scripture. It drew us closer and made Judah feel valued, which is especially poignant after the birth of a new baby, over whom all the adults invariably coo and marvel! Since we want these last months in the UK to be a bonding time for our family, those weeks with my first-born were a real gift. What's more, the separation made our reunion extra sweet, and I've been all the more grateful for the gift of my large family and especially my sweet baby girl.  

We also received good news from Illinois. Over the past year we have spoken on a number of occasions with folks at Gary United Methodist Church in Wheaton. But this month we got the news that their Missions Commission has decided to support us as well. This has been a real gift and delight to us; it's such an encouragement to see God offer us relationships with new communities of faith. I'm looking forward to visiting the church again this summer!

I've also been really grateful for your prayers for my own spiritual growth these past months. I feel that my enjoyment of prayer has deepened, and I've experienced a new and more consistent experience of closeness to God. I want to continue to grow in my understanding of prayer, in my appreciation that prayer is less about me reaching out to God than it is about me being aware of and responding to God, who has always been reaching out to and working in me. I would be grateful for your intercession on this specific subject, as we recently received word that we'll need to raise more funds than anticipated, in order to account for the high cost of living in Buenos Aires. Viewed in the right light, this extra challenge in our fund-raising is an opportunity, not only for other people to join our work, but also for me to trust more significantly in God, for God to be more glorified in providing for bigger needs. Please pray that I rightly perceive God's hand in all the happenings of this month, both the daunting moments and the blessings!

Peace be with you all,

Christopher, Michelle, Judah, Asher, and Zoe Hays