Update 16 November, 2012

Hey everyone,

Some of you may be wondering what's happening with us regarding jobs and visas, whether we're coming or going…we've finally got some clarity to share with you…

Last time I mentioned the possibility of working at the kids' school and waiting to see if the government would approve the visa transfer, the government HAS approved the visa and I'll be officially employed at Covenant Christian School starting 1 February. In addition, now that this has been finalized we can lodge a new application for Permanent Residency (we thought we'd have to wait until next year but we don't). The school has already begun the process to nominate us for a PR visa (total process takes approximately 8 months). If this is approved we'll no longer have to worry about being sponsored and we'll receive most of the benefits of being citizens of the country (medical insurance, reduced tuition fees, etc). It will be a great blessing!

I think the greatest challenge for us in all of this has been the uncertainty and instability; we've just wanted to know if we're staying or going (it's difficult to really knuckle down and go for it when you don't know if you'll have to leave in a few weeks) and we're longing to be a part of a community of like-minded believers. The thought of returning to the States is very appealing for these reasons. But I'm confident God has opened the door for us to remain in Australia for the time being.

With that said, we don't know what's ahead regarding ministry??? There's a bit of re-positioning going on with us in Christian Surfers…still involved but changes afoot. More to come on that later, for now please keep the matter in prayer. There are other ministry opportunities cropping up throughout the Northern Beaches which we're praying about. But nothing is very clear at the moment. We're definitely in a period of waiting. I do believe God will make things clear when its time for us to see, until then we must be patient and wait on God.

A few things coming up for prayer;

· This weekend is the annual Jesus Pro/Am; a Christian Surfers professional and amateur surf competition/festival. This year its being held in Newcastle, a couple hours north of us. It’s a great outreach to the surf community! http://jesusproam.com.au/

· 1 December is the Paddle Against Poverty event; a 6k paddle from Manly Beach to Dee Why. Christian Surfers working with World Vision to raise funds for Sumba, Indonesia. I've signed up to do the paddle, to raise funds to help the people of Sumba.

If you'd like to sponsor me or the cause go to: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/csa_central_nsw_region

· 5-8 December is the Envision Conference which will take place at St Matthews Church in Manly (same place as last year). Brian and Cheryl Brodersen and others will be traveling here to speak at the conference, I'll be MCing the event...just found out I may be teaching as well?? http://www.envision-australia.com/

· 7 December, the family leaves for the States. I don't leave until the 22^nd. I booked all our flights when I was still employed full-time. I'm hoping to change my flights to an earlier date but its super expensive at the moment to do so.

· We'll be finishing 1 John on Thursday nights in a week or so (our home bible study), then taking a break as we prepare to visit the States…really looking forward to visiting family and friends, and all our favorite eateries!!! Souplantation, Mexican (any kine), Taco Bell, etc!!!!

On another note, Malena has finished school!! She's been accepted to Calvary Chapel Bible College at Murrieta, which she'll start in February. It will be weird returning to Oz without her! Nina is entering high school (year 7) and gets to change her school uniform as does Jesse. Jesse will be going in to 10^thgrade and looking for a part time job when we return from the States.

Lastly, in consideration of applying for Permanent Residency it costs about $4000-$5000 for the whole process. Aside from that we've got some auto repair needs that have come up unexpectedly (as they often do) and other financial needs…so, as you’re praying and seeking the Lord, if you sense God leading you to partner with us financially there are a few options for doing so:

FOR AUSTRALIA:
BSB: 082 116
Acct: 179391629
Bradley Hall

FOR USA:
1. If by credit card you can do so by going to: https://www.easytithe.com/f/k=6SSHN0DEHB4KG6DH
Under the ‘Missionary Name/Code’ prompt you’ll find us listed as “Hall, Brad”

2. If by check:
a. Make checks out to: Calvary Chapel, in the memo note: “Brad and Christy Hall.”
b. Mail checks to: Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, Attn: accounting
3800 Fairview
Santa Ana, CA 92704

May God bless you as you seek Him with your whole heart.

Love and Aloha,

the Halls

Hey everyone,

Aloha and G'day!

As I begin to write this update I'm in awe of God's grace and mercy; that He continually forgives and transforms our lives is mind-boggling!  James 1:18 says "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures."

According to God's good pleasure, His will, He brings us out of the kingdom of darkness to present us to the world as a beacon of hope. This He did by the word of truth; when He spoke to you and me, we heard His voice, heeded His call and were then translated from darkness into light so that we might present ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice (a kind of firstfruits).  Simply put, God saves us to bring Him pleasure.  In spite of faults and failures we bring God pleasure…amazing!!!

Manly, above the Corso. 
ICMS is the castle top/center, where I work.

So what's happening with us?  The kids have been on school holidays for the past three weeks, they return back to school this week.  We almost made it through the break without incident until Sunday…Malena fractured her ankle in her soccer game.  Bummer!!!  Hopefully it’s a simple break;  she'll see a specialist this week which will tell us the extent of the injury.

Some great news; we've bought our plane tickets to the USA!!  Christy and the kids will be in California for most of December and January.  I'll be arriving a couple days before Christmas and returning mid-January, visiting Maui for a few days on my way back.  We're really stoked to be visiting family and friends as well as familiar comforts of the States. While in the  States we're planning to attend the mission's conference at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in January.

We're praying about bible study options with Christian Surfers, doing a weekly study and when/where to start it.  Please be praying about what God wants us to do as the desire for ministry and burden for people are increasing but nothing is clear at the moment.

A few weeks ago I had a meeting with the founder of the college (the big boss!).  Long story short, he told me he thought I had a great opportunity to share the gospel with students at the college.  Isn't that unreal…the boss has given me the green light to share the gospel on this secular college!!!  So last week I met with a troubled student and shared the gospel with him, he prayed to receive Jesus!  I encouraged him to read the gospel of Mark, rang him the next day and he said he'd read the first four chapters and was liking it.  Please keep him prayer.  An hour after him another student came to see me because she'd been having some troubles.  I shared a passage from the bible and prayed for her.  She arrived in tears and left with a smile…Praise the Lord! And just last night she sent me an email and shared how God had spoken to her over the weekend and given her peace about her situation. I've also been able to share my testimony with some colleagues and talk about the Lord with them.  God is definitely doing some things on the campus.

I've been ministering to this girl (Kate) for the past year at
St Matthews and ICMS.  She's come to faith in Christ and
will likely be the next class president.  Election Day is next week.

A few weeks ago I met with a group of students (nearly 30) and teachers from our kids' school for evangelism training.  Each year their school sends teams to an Aboriginal Community in Northern Australia to preach the gospel and they've asked me to train and prepare them for evangelism.  The feedback from teachers and results from students has been very positive; kids' lives are being transformed as they step out to obey the Lord.  It's really cool!

Christy and Kathy along the shore of Pt Stephens, about 3.5hrs
north of Sydney.  We got away for a weekend and stayed at
Kathy's parents' house with the McLeans.

We're still with only one vehicle and praying for a second.  In the meantime I'm commuting to/from work via the bus which makes for some interesting conversations with people and a good amount of time to read. 

We'd like to thank all of you who pray for us and support us financially; we appreciate your partnering together with us in the work.  Praise the Lord!

Aloha and Blessings,

The Halls

PS, if you're a friend on facebook go to my wall and check out Malena's video she made for her drama class.  It's titled "Let me tell you a story."  You'll be blessed!

Malena having a break in filming.

14 May Newsletter

Greetings everyone!


We trust the Lord is lighting your path and guiding your steps and hope you’re content to walk in His ways! We wanted to send a brief update to let you know how we’re tracking and how you can partner with us in prayer.

The kids are mid-season in soccer and doing well with their teams, Christy and I are really enjoying their games and getting to know many parents in the community. Nina, however, fractured her right arm last week playing rugby with the boys at school. She’ll be in a cast for 4 weeks. Its not a serious break and should heal up fine, the worst for her is not being able to play soccer or sports.

We’re enjoying our new home having been in it for a month now. The accessibility to everything is very convenient…7-8 minutes to the beach, 15 minutes to the kids school and Christy’s work, 15 minutes to my work, etc…the past few days have shifted in weather, strong Westerly winds have brought temperatures down and we’re breaking out winter jackets. Its great sleeping weather though!!

Regarding work, church, and ministry there are a number of things to pray about: though I’d started the new job at ICMS (a business college), they realized they were going about the visa process wrongly and therefore terminated my contract. Meanwhile ICMS has hired an immigration lawyer to work with us to obtain a “business longstay visa.” This is a 4 year work visa. There’s a very good chance we’ll get our answer (approval) this week, once the visa is approved I’ll start working at ICMS immediately. At this stage, there’s no reason why the visa would be rejected…UNLESS God has other plans. Please pray for God’s will to be accomplished in this decision. St Matthews has agreed to keep me employed until the visa is approved with the college and presently I’m on paid holiday, till the end of May. Praise the Lord!

Since I’ll no longer be employed at St Matts we’re considering what to do/where to go for church. To summarize, we have no idea what to do at the moment. I’m still the missions coordinator for Christian Surfers in Manly so we’re needing to re-group and reassess what the Lord would have us do with CS. Honestly, since the surf outreach in February and then the Life to the Full course I produced and lead for 6 weeks, as well as other commitments, CS has been on the back burner and has lost momentum.

We’re at a strange place at the moment; on one hand there’s a sense of peace in that we feel we’re finally getting established in the country…new home, new job, new visa. On the other hand, there’s a sense of uncertainty in the unknown; we haven’t a clue what God would have us do regarding a church home and ministry (whether we should start something new from scratch or plug into a church for now?). Please pray with us and for us on this matter. Having said all that, we’re completely confident God has a plan and will sort it out for His glory and our good.

Lastly, the Henderson’s will be returning to AUS on June 10th, we’re looking forward to their return. However, we’ve been borrowing their vehicle for the year and half they’ve been away and will need to return it to them. We have another car (our own) but really need a second vehicle…with the kids school, soccer practice, Christy and I both working, etc…its really tough only having one vehicle. Please pray for God’s provision.

We appreciate all of you and thank you for supporting us in prayer and financially as well. We know we’re not alone here and often sense that we’re riding on the prayers of the saints. Oh, and one more thing…we’re hoping to visit the States in December-January and trusting God will provide if its His will.

Many blessings,

Brad, Christy, Malena, Jesse, Nina Hall

April 2012 Newsletter

Greetings and Aloha!
We trust you've had a great start to the new year, on the other hand perhaps its been difficult and challenging? In either case, God has been present with you and faithful to you, and whether tough or smooth its been good. Right???

For us, we eased into the new year with family life as the kids were on summer break till the beginning of February. We didn't have a lot of beach days this summer since the weather has been abnormally cool and rainy. Nevertheless there were a few cranking swells that came through and some good surf and we were able to enjoy some rare sunny days at the beach. Nowthe kids are in full swing with school; Malena is in year 12, Jesse year 9, and Nina year 6.
Malena is studying for HSC's this year (similar to SAT's) and plans to attend Calvary Bible College in Murrieta, California at the beginning of next year. Jesse is taking a cooking class at school and has become quite the gourmet chef in our home, surpising us with various dinners and desserts. And Nina love's school as she can't get enough of playing sports and roughing it up with the boys. All three kids have transitioned to a new soccer club and have just started the new season, they're playing for Curl Curl Youth Club. We're super stoked on the club, its a great fit for us! With school and soccer on, Christy has been the kids' taxi service. She's still working
part time at the kids' school as well.

Answered prayer: we've just put down a deposit to rent a home closer to Manly and Curl Curl. We've been looking for the past 2-3 months and will be moving 17 April. The house is in a suburb called Beacon Hill, about 10 minutes from Manly, 7 minutes to Curl Curl, and 10 minutes to the kids' school. Plus its up on a hill offering some nice views. We'll send photos in next newsletter.

Another answer to prayer: I've been offered a job at ICMS (the college where I serve as chaplain). I was approached by the Founder of the college and the Managing Director (CEO), the two of them thought I'd be perfect for a position that had just opened up; student services manager. My role will consist of three primary functions; pastoral care, event coordinating, and student administration (i.e. helping students with bus passes, business services, etc..). I'm pretty much the first point of contact for students, helping them get situated for the term(s). It's a fulltime role and they're sponsoring me with a visa to stay in the country. We're all very excited about the new job and convinced this is the next step in this journey the Lord has us on here in Australia.

Regarding ministry a lot has been happening. After the Surf Outreach with Bethany Hamilton (Feb 16-18), I hit the ground running hard. I started a 6wk course at St Matts titled "Life to the Full." The course was produced by another ministry here in Australia and they agreed to allow us to use it. However, they only gave us a loose outline to work with. Thus I've had to write and produce the course almost from scratch as well as teach and lead it on Thursday nights. Its designed for the curious seeker, the skeptic, and the new believer who has a lot of questions about God. Following is the outline:

wk 1: What is life to the full? Can you have it with or without God?
wk 2: The reliability of the Bible; 7 evidences to prove the validity of the bible
wk 3: What happens when God and man meet; realization of sin and death.
wk 4: Why was Jesus executed? He paid for our sins so we could be forgiven/saved.
wk 5: What happens after death? The significance of the resurrection.
wk 6: How should I respond? What is a Christian and how do I become one.

We've had over 20 people attending the course, about 5-6 are unbelievers. This past Thursday (last night) was our final week, it was a great finish as believers were strengthened in their faith and unbelievers were left at the threshold of salvation (they didn't respond to the invitation). Please pray for those who haven't yet responded to Jesus, that they would commit their lives to Him!

Aside from St Matts, I was asked to do evangelistic training for a team of high school students going on a short term mission trip to an Aboriginal community in Northern Australia. Its a team of 25 kids and 6 teachers from Covenant Christian School (where our kids attend). This past weekend I taught at a family camp for St Ive's Community Church and had a great time! I taught 3 sessions on Ephesians titled; "Sit, Walk, Stand." We're 'seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ch's 1-3),' walking in Christ in earthly places (Ch's 4-6:9),' and victorious thru Christ against the forces of darkness (Ch 6:10-18). It was a great weekend. Lastly, I'll be traveling to New Zealand at the end of this month for a week of teaching at the Calvary Bible College 'speakers week.' I'm really looking forward to connecting with Scott Clifford and Mark Walsh and the Rotorua crew.

With all that's been happening I haven't had much time to invest in Christian Surfers. But I'm excited to be turning a corner as I'm hoping to be freed up to give more attention to CS. We'll be having a meeting soon to regroup and discuss our plans for the rest of the year. We've been getting together with Mark and Theresa Redden and having some sweet fellowship, Malena and Lauren have been going to the Redden's on Tuesday night for bible study (for those who don't know Lauren has been with us for the past few months, she came prior to her parents who are praying about starting a church in the coming months). Lauren attends Covenant Christian School with our kids and is in year 11).

Please keep us in prayer, to get focused with Christian Surfers and to be victorious over the wiles of the devil during this time of transition (moving houses, changing jobs). Our borrowed vehicle is about to be redeemed by its owners (in June), please keep us in prayer about acquiring another vehicle. We have one car we can make do with, but a second vehicle would be very helpful. Lastly, since I'll only be at St Matts for another 4 weeks, we're praying and deciding about what to do for church, whether we should plug in somewhere and/or start up a Sunday evening bible study.

We pray that God will richly bless you as you seek His face.
Love in Jesus,
The Halls (Brad, Christy, Malena, Jesse, Nina)

Lastly, as you’re praying, if God leads you to partner with us by supporting us financially there are a few options for doing so:

FOR AUSTRALIA:
BSB: 082 116
Acct: 179391629
Bradley Hall

FOR USA:
1. If by credit card you can do so by going to: https://www.easytithe.com/f/k=6SSHN0DEHB4KG6DH
Under the ‘Missionary Name/Code’ prompt you’ll find us listed as “Hall, Brad”

2. If by check:
a. Make checks out to: Calvary Chapel, in the memo note: “Brad and Christy Hall.”
b. Mail checks to: Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, Attn: accounting
3800 Fairview
Santa Ana, CA 92704