The Reign in Spain

God Sends a Raven

   These past several weeks have been the hardest we've endured on the mission field and quite probably in our lives.  With the recent loss of our second baby, physical pain and illness, and with our visas expiring in just a few weeks, we have had our share of grief and decisions to proccess.  Carrie has been on bedrest for over a week now and still technically has another week to go.  Sitting around all day is not her idea of fun, and although she has been dedicating much of that time towards Cindi Angelo's book translation (Being Part of a Prophetic Generation), it has been hard for the both of us to keep our sanity!

   Missionary friends of ours offered to let us stay with them for a few days so that they could care for us as we heal physically and emotionally.  While staying with them we received more bad news, and struggled a great deal.  They had to leave on a trip for several days but encouraged us to stay and take advantage of the peaceful countryside to seek the Lord, grieve, and talk about the difficult decisions we would soon need to make.  With the permission of our boss, we took advantage of this generous offer.

   As we "hide out" in the north of Lisbon, we are reminded of when Elijah got discouraged and hid out in a cave.  He was tired, discouraged, and in need of a rest.  God saw his need and sent a raven to feed him while he recovered from his pysical and emotional trauma (he had just run for his life for 40 days!)  God has also sent many "ravens" to us, bringing both tangible and spiritual food our way.  We are especially moved that our friends' Portuguese landlords heard of our situation and even though we had never met before, they have been dropping by with food and a smile so that Michael doesn't have to cook in an unfamiliar kitchen.  Our friends also left several days of pre-cooked meals for us so that we wouldn't go hungry in their absence.

   We are amazed at how God has once again come through for us in our great time of need.  Some of you have dropped pieces of scripture for us to feed on, some have sent e-mails of encouragement, some have called us via Skype, and many have simply prayed.  Thank you for helping to shelter us through your prayers and giving through our most recent life storm.  We love you, appreciate you, and can't wait to see many of you in person in a few short months!  Continue to pray...we still have a lot on our minds!

                                               Blessings,

                                       Carrie (Caty) and Michael 

Good News! (At Last!)

Dear Friends,

We finally got some good news at Caty's doctor appointment earlier today.  She will not need surgery!  Praise God!  She will, however, need to take it as easy as possible for the next two weeks.

If there is a bright side to this, it's that she will be able to devote quite a bit of time to translating Cindi Angelo's book "Being Part of a Prophetic Generation" into English.  (Cindi is a Brazilian missionary, pastor, country director of FM missions in Portugal, and thus our "boss.")  Plans are that this book will be available through Light and Life Publishing later this year or early next year.

Although this has been a very difficult time for us, we can still see God's provision in many ways.  We have been blessed with a very kind, understanding and proficient doctor; Cindi and Pastor Cida have been very understanding these last weeks with work and schedules; and our friends Tom and Vicky have helped us out in so many ways.  They have invited us to their place for the next few days to take it easy and rest up after a very demanding few weeks, both physically and emotionally.

Thank you once again for keeping us in your prayers during this time.  We know that God has upheld us through these difficulties, and we can remain in trusting Him.

In Christ,

Michael and Carrie (Caty) Hamley

A Quick Update

Dear Friends,

A few updates from last week's blog:

Carrie does not have the feared virus, for which we are thankful.

However, a reexamination last evening confirmed that there is no living embryo; hence, there will be no baby for us in the immediate future.  In the meantime, please pray that her system will resolve itself and get back to normal safely and soon.  She is still in considerable discomfort, and we will probably not be able to see a doctor until Monday at least (it being a holiday weekend here).

On top of this, Michael is now sick too.  Just a cold, apparently, but it makes caring for Carrie all the more difficult.

On the bright side, our car is now fixed, and through contacts at church, we got a mechanic who gave us a much better price than the original quote we received.

Thank you for your prayers for us.

Blessings,

Michael and Carrie (Caty) Hamley