News & Reports – July 2020
The Online Edition of the July 2020 BFM News & Reports is available at the link below. Read how God is working through the lives of our faithful missionaries and continue to pray for them.
Note: You can also click on any headline to view the story on our blog.
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Life in Kenya is Different Now
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
April 4, 2020
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and passed, and there are many things to update you on. We appreciate each of you so much, and you are such a blessing to us. May God bless you for your heart for missions. This update will share current ministry progress as well as prayer requests.
“Stay home and stay safe.” These are the words we have heard over and over in the past few days. Wise words. Given the corona virus spreading all over the world currently, we are taking these words to heart and staying in as much as we can.
We were continuing along with regular life (I, Nathan, with discipleship and prison ministry and my wife, busy volunteering at school), when in the middle of the month of March, pretty much all non-essential activities were shut down. Anything with large groups of people is discouraged and people have been told to stay home as much as possible.
It has been very different when we actually do go to town to get groceries, etc. Minivans
called matatus that normally carry 11 passengers are down to 3 passengers. Guards at the various stores in town wearing masks—hand sanitizer all over town and for sale. Policemen at the entrance to town monitoring the flow of traffic and making sure all are following the social distancing guidelines. So, so different.
We know it is very similar in America and most things are closed there as well, with many people working from home. How we need to pray for the doctors and those who are trying to find treatments and medicines at this time. Of course, we know a vaccine is probably not in the near future, but if we can get good medicines to treat it now and give some relief and comfort, that would be crucial to the fight against the virus.
How long will this last in Kenya? How long in the world? God only knows. How we need to trust Him during these trying times. I am comforted with verses in Psalm 91. Psalm 91:1-3 says “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.” Amen. Also, Psalm 91: 9-10, which says “Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” What a comfort these verses are in this difficult time.
Know we are praying for each of you and all the changes and adjustments that we must make for now. Our prayer is that as we follow the social distancing and staying home, that this will curb the virus and things will get back to normal soon. We want to get back into ministry as soon as possible, but at the same time, we want to be vigilant and careful at the present, taking the precautions we need to take. We know you all do as well, for the benefit of everyone. I am reminded of Psalm 56:3, which says “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.” Certainly this applies to our present situation.
May God bless each of you and we will keep you updated. Thanks again for your prayers, sacrificial giving, and encouragement. You each mean so much to us.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
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News & Reports – April 2020 [Online Edition]
The Online Edition of April 2020 BFM News & Reports is available at the link below. Read how God is working through the lives of our faithful missionaries and continue to pray for them.
Note: You can also click on any headline to view the story on our blog.
Read more
Teenage Girls Surrender to Christ
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
April 2, 2020
Dear Friends,
Fortunately, Charlene and I are doing well. As in most of the nations of the world, Brazil is also going through tremendous turmoil due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but no one from our works has been infected, so far.
Just before our schools were closed because of the virus, our evangelism team was ministering in a small town in the interior of our state. There were over 1200 students in the schools that participated in our evangelistic presentations. Of those who attended, 23 made public professions of faith in Christ and another 15 rededicated their lives to the Lord.
After one of our gospel skit presentations, a teen girl talked with one of the volunteers, telling her that she was seeing a psychologist because of depression and thoughts of suicide. The volunteer evangelist shared God’s word with the girl and she surrendered to Christ. Later that night, at a presentation in the town square, the girl and her mother came to talk with the same volunteer about how God had replaced her depression with joy. That same afternoon she had gone to her psychologist’s appointment and, there, she had shared with him how thrilled she was knowing that God loves her and had forgiven her of her sins. She said that even the psychologist got all choked up with the transformation that he saw in her.
On Saturday afternoons our team offers community services such as haircuts, blood pressure checks and family counseling. During these activities, a different teenage girl listened as the worker shared the gospel. She asked to speak privately about what was going on in her life. Both of her parents had died and she and her siblings were living in a children’s home. There, she had to take care of her younger sister and her niece because her older sister was involved in drugs. Although she had heard of Christ before, she had never come to know Him personally. She said that she felt abandoned in this world. The volunteer who was counseling her had a very similar life story and was able to share with her how true God is to receive those who humbly come to Him in faith and surrender. The teen girl did that and confessed that Christ was her Savior and Lord.
Now, with the Coronavirus pandemic disrupting all areas of activities and events, we are having to find creative ways to reach out to people and minister. I have never been too fond of tech stuff, nor appearing before a recording camera, but I am having to get out of my comfort zone and learn how to share the love of Christ through social media. As a pastor, I am also learning how to shepherd my own members through phone calls and social media. Since I am a “hugs and touches” person, this isn’t ideal for me, but I can also see the Lord doing some amazing things through these quarantine measures that wouldn’t have seemed possible just a few weeks ago. The people seem to be much more aware of their mortality and emotional frailty. We are so thankful that we have God’s word to guide us during these times of human uncertainty. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we do know Who holds tomorrow and we are resting in Him.
We have received several alerts from the American Embassy here in Brazil advising us to either get out of the country now or expect that the window of return will be closed for an indefinite period. Charlene and I were expecting to return to the U.S. later this year to give a report to supporting churches and also get to see our kids and grandson. We do not feel, though, that now is the right time to go, so that visit may be put on hold for a little longer than what we expected. We know that God has all this under control and that He will take care of us and those we love. We will seek to be faithful while we wait for His good timing.
We greatly appreciate your faithful prayers and faithful support.
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279
Sobrado 1, Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR. Brasil
Phone: 55-41-99899-2333
bobbymichael_1[at]hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online
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Navigating the Global Crisis in Cruzeiro do Sul
Mike and Beverly Creiglow have served the Lord in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil together since 1971. In addition to pastoring First Baptist of Cruzeiro do Sul, Mike builds his own boats and frequently travels up and down rivers to share the Gospel with those who have never heard.
March 25, 2020
Grace and peace to all,
It is a beautiful day in Cruzeiro do Sul. Looking out my office window, all looks as if all is well and the world is fine. You and I know that all is not well in the world. Even as isolated and far away as we are, our world has been shaken.
Beverly and I are well. Andrew and family are better than ever. Crissy and family are just fine.
The work is fine, but now it is quite different from 2 weeks ago. Our church held our Homecoming service on the first day of March. We had 874 present for the morning service and meal. We had 612 the same night and several folks were saved. The next weekend we had 1134 in those 2 services and more people saved, requesting baptism and others coming back into fellowship. The following Sunday we had 1197 in the 2 services and many more folks coming to Christ. I was able to win several people after services ended. Our attendance was growing at 15%.
Over the weeks my staff had been meeting regularly and often to try to put together a plan for the present global crisis. On Wednesday night, March 18, we had our doctors do a roundtable to explain to the church what the disease is, what can be done and how to take care of themselves. After their extensive presentation (3 doctors covering the disease, testing and prevention), which lasted over an hour, I shared our plan for the coming 10 days. There have been no cases of the virus in Cruzeiro do Sul, so we felt that we might have a few days to transition. We had hoped that we could still hold services for 10 days. The next morning the state and the city put everyone into “shelter in place”. Through social media we were able to inform everyone about the next phase that came into play immediately.
Recently we had created a YouTube channel and Facebook account to replace our waning local TV broadcast, so that was already operational for this new chapter. These have been our “services”. Internet here is still not where it needs to be for live streaming.
That was just one week ago today but seems like years have gone by. Recently I built a new office in the garage here at home. My old office is now Bev’s craft room. My office has become our new studio. I have 3 guys who work with me in media and have been with me for a lot of long hours. In fact, some days they even eat lunch and supper with us. Two of the other pastors are also helping with some of the media production, but most of the burden has fallen on me. The other pastors who still haven’t quite “gotten there” with cameras and studios have helped with messaging and calls, but otherwise have been told to stay home.
One day last week I was on the phone helping other pastors all over the country who needed to know what to do. The same day I spent many hours in the studio recording. We also have a daily radio broadcast (30 minutes at noon and 30 minutes at night) that needs materials. Since our preachers are not able to go and do the programs live, we are converting my sermons from now and the past to mp3 files.
It has been a long hard week. Besides all the work to feed the sheep in this new era, I have had to spend even more hours on my knees and in the Word. Just a month ago I turned 72. I am feeling pretty good but need you to pray that I will hold up under the added strain and frustration.
In Christ,
Mike Creiglow
Mike and Beverly Creiglow
Caixa Postal 24
Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil 69980
mdcreig [at] hotmail.com
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Waiting on the Lord of All
The Hensleys have spent nearly 20 years serving in Brazil. They have established a church in Caraguatatuba and mission points throughout the city. They have also recently started a seminary to train pastors.
March 24, 2020
Friends and family,
Well, hope this letter finds you well. We are doing as well as can be expected in these trying times. We are like all you all, trying to keep our head above water and wait to see what God is doing in the whole world.
This past month we have had a funeral of my half-brother and now have had to review our whole schedule. We had two weeks of classes in Brazil in March that we have cancelled and then two weeks in April that we have decided to cancel also. Two of the tickets were booked on Brazilian airlines so it is not like the airlines in the States. We do not know if we are going to get a refund, get to re-book or lose all the money for the tickets.
We were so looking forward to starting the new classes in Manaus and Porto Velho in state of Rondonia. The state of Rondonia is where the fires in the rain forest were so rampant last month. The first two classes in April were to be there, and in Manaus, we were beginning a whole new group of students. We were starting our Masters of Theology program: Systematic Theology and Survey of the Old Testament. These were to be taught by Dr. Derek Coleman and Dr. Raymond Edge. So, not only am I, but our professors are doing hotel and travel cancellations and rescheduling. Then there is the procedure of trying to contact all the students and decide when we can try to reschedule, not knowing when this virus will be over. These students are from 5 different cities in São Paulo, Campinas, Garça, and the new classes in Manaus and Porto Velho. Sometimes life gets put on hold and we wait on God to put it to right. So please pray for the students, as it is our plan to reach Brazil for Christ through these Pastors and Church workers. Also pray for the professors, translators, administrators and other class helpers.
As far as the town where this Seminary gets its roots, it, too, is shut down. The main road that comes down the mountain has been closed except for necessary traffic. This is where Pastor Walmir and Mary and the grandchildren live. So, you see this virus is affecting the whole world.
As for Barbara and I, we are in Florida as we were planning to fly from Florida to Brazil because we found cheap flights from there, so we are now hunkered down here. We can wait on the Lord in any place as He is the Lord of all, and He is in control. So, God bless you all as we together wait for the next step of God’s plan.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online
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COVID-19 in Kenya
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
March 21, 2020
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
I can be sure of one thing – You really don’t want me to talk about the Corona Virus in this report. Isn’t it the only thing you ever hear about these days? It’s all people talk about, it’s on every post, it consumes the news, and it has drastically altered every person’s way of life. But yes, Corona Virus has also reached Kenya and if it is the only thing happening then it probably is about the only thing I can talk about.
So, things are not as bad yet in Kenya as they are in the United States, but they will be soon. I know you never heard of a thing called Social Distancing before two weeks ago, but it is truly a totally foreign concept to the Kenyan people. Do you realize that 90% of Kenyans use public transportation to maneuver around? That includes vans, buses, taxis, motorcycles and bicycles (yes, a bicycle can be a form of public transportation). Vans, or shuttles, are the most popular form. Eleven to fifteen people in a small van is an incubation pit for viruses. Have you ever considered what it’s like going into a Kenyan pharmacy to obtain medicine? here could be twenty to thirty people all pushing towards the counter trying to be the next in the queue. I’m giving these examples to say that when it starts to spread here it is going to spread quickly. Also, the hospitals in Kenya are not ideal. Lots and lots of people, shared rooms and shared beds, and healthcare that is not the best. Please keep Kenya in your prayers as you pray for America.
At the Chapel, I have had to do much the same as probably most of the pastors in the United States have had to do, that is, speak about the Corona Virus. I have wanted to give my people a Biblical perspective on the virus and how we should respond to the situation in a Biblical way. I told them that I have noticed two different ways of responding to the chaotic situation. First way – with panic, stress, anxiety, fear, hoarding goods, suspicion, and looking out for number one. Second way – by thinking you’re immune, carelessness, ignoring the dangers, or thinking that all Christians or God-fearing people will be protected from any harm. I don’t believe either of these ways offers a completely Biblical perspective. I told them there is a third way – wisdom, discretion, caution, peace, calm, assurance, and complete trust in God for everything, no matter what. This third way leads us and God’s churches to loving and helping one another, to looking towards the good of other people and for the glory of God. My people at the Chapel have concerns and fears just like anyone else. We need to know that God is in control and will work all things out for our good and His glory.
Just like in the States, all the schools in Kenya have been closed indefinitely. This occurred after just the third confirmed case of the virus in Kenya. This has impacted all of us. Josiah is home from RVA, his term cut short and the rest of his Senior year in jeopardy. Chloe is home and currently being homeschooled by Julie. The math classes I teach at the school where Julie is the head teacher are now all being conducted remotely and on-line. But the school closures impact Julie the most. She and the rest of the staff are working hard to provide continuing education to the students even though the school is closed.
Beloved, I do not believe the infrastructure of Kenya is prepared for what may come. I pray that God’s people come together here in Kitale in a God-honoring way. I pray that the strong in this society don’t end up taking advantage of the weak. While I was in town today, I saw the headline on the front page of the news. The whole page had just three words: “Prepare for Worse”. For the sake of the Kenyan people I pray it doesn’t get too bad.
I write this report on my Anniversary. Julie and I were wed 28 years ago today. Happy Anniversary, Julie. I love you and you’re the best.
Blessings to you all,
Roger, Julie, Amy, Josiah & Chloe
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
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Special Weekend with Teens; Upcoming River Mission Trip
Odali and Kathy Barros served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil together from 1987-2013. In late 2013, they transitioned to Manaus in Northern Brazil to start sharing the Gospel and planting churches in villages along the river.
March 18, 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Hope all is well with each of you and your loved ones. We are all well here. I’m sure that you all are going through the same problems we are with the virus. We are doing what we can and living one day at a time. We are still having services, but staying aware of the situation.
The work that we now have is the city of Cacau is coming along well. We are waiting to get the building back to have services in a larger space. The lady’s home we are using has been a blessing, but is small.
We had a special weekend with the teens during carnaval. We spent 3 days on a friend’s island. There were 10 that came from the village of Ubim. It was a great time with these teens. I went to Ubim with Kathy and had a great time with the kids and teens at the village. They have an area where they go to play. I went there and played marbles with them.
This coming month we are planning a mission trip on the river to visit several villages and see if they have churches and what the needs are. The first trip we will visit 6 villages. We have a friend who does tourism and this time of the year his boats are stopped till July. He said we can use his boat for the trips. Pray for us as we plan the trips for evangelism and for God’s protection.
We have a new group of teachers for Sunday School at the Pedras Vivas Church. The young ladies are doing well. We pray that God will raise up others to help in this work.
With all this virus problem, things are a little slow, like it probably is there also. May God bless each one!
Love in Christ,
Odali and Kathy
Odali & Kathy Barros
Iranduba, Amazonas
Brasil, S.A.
odali_kathy@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online
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