Maryland to London to California to Minnesota to Illinois: a month of conferences, lectures, and visits in the North Atlantic.

Dear Friends and Family,

I really have missed the cold. Medellín is called the "City of Eternal Spring", and it's great that every day is 70 degrees and sunny. But the northerner in me misses having a season of snow, scarves, and long-windy walks. For that reason (among many others) it's been lovely to spend December in the North.

When I dispatched our last monthly update I was finishing up a writing retreat on the Chesapeake Bay, where I also gave some lectures to the marvelous crew of fellows at the Trinity Forum Academy. God be praised, that time sufficed to wrap up a book and send it along to my editor, before hopping on a plane to London, where I had a marvelous five-days. I gave a presentation at a conference on Poverty and Christianity and I also got to meet with some members of Tearfund with whom we at FUSBC will be working if we receive our grant to continue studying forced internal displacement in Colombia. The conference went wonderfully, and I benefited from it greatly. I stayed in London for another 48 hours, enjoying mulled cider, old friends, and a sung Advent service at St Paul's Cathedral.

Thereafter I boarded another plane, this time to California, where I met Michelle and the kids and stayed a week, visiting with my family and supporters. Michelle and I then parted ways again briefly, as I went up to see great friends in Minneapolis, before finally being reunited and settling down for the rest of the month in Illinois, with Michelle's side of the family. 

I took a week of vacation to celebrate Christmas and to steal Michelle away to Chicago for a weekend to celebrate our anniversary. Now I've got another week in the US to enjoy; throughout the autumn I had books on Christianity and modern science sent to my in-laws' in Illinois, so now I get to dive into my bibliographic treasure trove and prepare for the new class on faith and science I'll be teaching next semester. 

Merry Christmas to you all, and may God bless you in the New Year,

Christopher, Michelle, Judah, Asher, and Zoe Hays

Continuing to Trust Him

We have about one more week in the US before we return to Colombia. We have enjoyed rest and wonderful times with family and friends (and the chance to play in the snow!). Whenever we start to pack up suitcases after a long stay in the US, I experience the sadness all over again of leaving what I know. It can be hard to say goodbye to family again and to say goodbye to the comforts and the ease of life that I experience when everything happens in English and in the exact way that I anticipate. While we have been visiting my mom in Illinois, we have been attending her church and the sermon last week greatly encouraged me as I think about heading back to Medellin. (Listen to it online here). The pastor was encouraging all of us to look forward to 2016 with the goal of following Jesus with open hands, ready for whatever might lie before us because we know that God is with us and we can trust Him fully. For me it was a time of renewing my personal commitment to follow where Jesus leads even if I don't get to see a detailed plan in advance that spells out exactly which joys and which challenges we will face in this coming year of ministry. I know that God has called our whole family to life in Medellin, that He continues to be faithful, and that is enough.   

Student Profile

This month we want to introduce you to Paola Padierna, another of my marvelous students from the past semester. Paola shares, "I was born here in Medellín. Due to domestic problems, I had to leave home [before I reached university age] and FUSBC opened its doors so that my sisters and I could live in a student apartment. It was in 2014 that the Lord moved my heart to apply to FUSBC and prepare myself to serve Him full time. Since my parents are not Christians, I spent three months praying that they might nonetheless support my desire to study theology, and now, thanks be to God, I am beginning my fourth semester of studies."

"At present, alongside my classes, I work in a foundation that ministers to children, youth, and adults in a difficult neighborhood, beset by poverty and drugs. I also serve on the worship team of my local church. After finishing my undergraduate degree, I hope to continue my theological studies even further, and also to work with children and young people in the city of Medellín who don't yet know the Lord."

In addition to all this, Paola is one of the girls who came to our aid when Michelle was hospitalized and recovering from her back surgery. She'd come by the house every week to help Judah with his homework, ministering to us even as we sought to minister to her. She's one of many wonderful lights in the seminary, and we're grateful to have her in our lives.

Special thanks

We want to say thank you to Chris' sister, Jules, who took these lovely family photos as a Christmas present to us. We are always amazed at her ability to get our high-energy kids to look presentable and somehow to snap a photo in which everyone's eyes are open and looking at the camera at the same time!

Praise God!

  • For wonderful and rejuvenating times with friends and family around the US and in London.
  • For a richly beneficial conference and successful presentation in England.
  • For the submission of a book manuscript to my publisher.
  • For a weekend away with Michelle to celebrate our 13 years of marriage. 

Please Pray

  • For safe travels and smooth reintegration in Colombia. The boys in particular are sad to be leaving the US behind once again.
  • For Asher's incorporation to his new school. We need to overcome some bureaucratic challenges in Asher's enrollment at the Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola, since Colombian schools are not accustomed to receiving formerly home-schooled students. Additionally, the long school day on a big campus will be a big emotional challenge for him, and he's feeling nervous.
  • For Christopher's continued work on the final bits of the grant application to the Templeton World Charity Foundation (for FUSBC's work on forced displacement in Colombia). I have a chance to add final supplementary comments to the application, and in light of the fact that TWCF has a new incoming president (who will be something of a wild-card in the evaluation process), I need ensure that the proposal is optimally clear. Please pray that the new president and the board would be open-minded and sympathetic to the proposal when they evaluate it in February. 
  • For new financial supporters to join our team in 2016. We are currently underfunded, and, while we have some reserves, we are praying that God would expand the number of people partnering with our ministry. 
  • For the development of my new course on faith and science. Not only is the content of the class intellectually challenging, it also deals with a lot of controversial topics. Please pray that I have wisdom and grace in designing the course in a way to optimize student engagement and to avoid unproductive conflicts.

Speaking on Poverty and Politics in London

Thanks to a generous grant from the UK Bible Society, I had the opportunity to speak alongside some friends and former professors at a conference on "Poverty in the Early Church and Today" at St Mary's University, Twickenham. My paper was on poverty and politics, and my presentation was paired with one by Mr. Stephen Timms, a member of the the British Parliament.
Copyright © 2015 Christopher and Michelle Hays, United World Mission, All rights reserved.

http://haysfamilymissions.com/
Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp