This week’s church planter spotlight is focused on Jesse Hales. Jesse will be beginning a new church plant in Round Rock, TX. We asked him ten questions that will let you know a little more about him.
Tell us a little about your family.
My wife Rebecca and I were close friends in high school and graduated together in 2000. I moved away to seminary and she pursued a career in pediatric nursing after attending Central Baptist College. We reconnected about eight years later when she was going back to grad school for her masters and I was raising funds to move to Haiti as a missionary. We have been married for 9 years now. Colton (5) was born in Costa Rica while we were in language school preparing to go to the Dominican Republic as missionaries though the national association. Eli (Elisha 4) and Lydia (2) were both born in the Dominican.
How long have you been planting in your mission field?
We are getting ready to start in September.
What do you see is unique about your mission field?
Round Rock is growing into quite the melting-pot of people groups. It is definitely more liberal than most of the rest of Texas. As I’ve begun to connect with other pastors in the area I have been met with excitement and open arms. As the population consistently grows faster than the churches, the competition between churches has seemed to vanish.
What people or distinct groups do you see in your field?
There is a wide range of groups within the population. The majority are middle to upper-middle class causation. Roughly 40% of the population speaks Spanish as their mother tongue. Tech giants like Dell, Google, Samsung, and others are major employers in the area so finding someone who is smarter than I am on computers is never hard to do.
What does your daily time with God look like?
I like to get up before the rest of the family and spend some good quality time with the Lord praying, doing my Bible study and, if I have time, listening to a sermon. Throughout the day, I’ve gotten into the habit of listening to one of the Bibles I have on Audible while I’m driving or doing something else like that which allows me to listen to it. My favorite part of any day is the time I get to help the kids individually as they work through their Bible study plans.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I’m not the best at taking free time to myself, but, when I do, I would rather be outside. I always love hunting or fishing, but haven’t taken the time or money to invest in it. If I find a road I haven’t been down before, I like to take it and see where it leads. We like to go geocaching some. I also like to play around trying to learn how to cook new things.
What is your favorite theme ride or subject?
My favorite theme ride is the one someone else is on. I’ve lost my lunch on a Ferris wheel before, so I’m going to say give me a lazy river to float on and call me good.
Where is your favorite place in the world?
That’s a very hard question. I’ve been blessed to see a lot of places and loved most of them. When the kids haven’t had too much sugar I’d say with the family. The prettiest place I’ve seen was the ancient ruins in Cambodia. The Rockies are breathtaking. There are certain mountain tops in Haiti that still have a special place in my memory. I would much rather be in a river in the mountains than on a beach in the sun.
Share one challenge you are facing right now and how we can pray for you.
As I write this we are still in the process of moving to and settling in Round Rock from the Dominican. So far this move has been challenging for the kids as they face the unknown and begin to adjust to a culture they are not really used to. Pray that we can adjust to the states and to Round Rock well. Pray also that God will lead more people to join us in this ministry here.
Share one praise you are excited about that we can share with others.
We recently had a friend tell us they feel led to move to Round Rock to join us in ministry. That, and the principal of a local elementary school has invited us to adopt the school as a ministry to love on the staff and students.
Please pray for Jesse and Rebecca as they transition from the Dominican Republic to Round Rock. Pray for safety and God’s blessings upon their work.
If you would like to help support the work that they are doing, you can send your monies to:
BMA Texas Missions
P.O. Box 73
Waxahachie, TX 75168
Please designate it for “Jesse Hales.” You can also give online at bmatexasmissions.org/give.
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