Longtime Friends Trust Christ!
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
March 8, 2018
Dear Friends,
In the time period that Charlene and I were absent from the church here the attendance had dropped considerably. Our co-pastor who had become the lead pastor had been very faithful, but several factors contributed to the decline, some of which had nothing to do with him. Even so, the Lord has greatly encouraged us since our return by an immediate increase of 85% in attendance. We have also had the extreme privilege of seeing two of our longtime friends whom we have been witnessing to for several years come to Christ as their Lord and Savior. They are both very excited about their new walk with the Lord and show outward evidence of His presence in their lives as well.
One of the ministries that we offer that helps us establish relationships with un-churched people is couples’ meetings. We plan and put on fun and informative meetings for couples four times a year where we provide biblical marriage counseling and a friendly group of couples willing to help them do life together. The solid Christian couples from our church serve as witnesses and role models for unsaved or struggling couples. Our first meeting this year went very well and we saw a 350% increase in attendance from our last meeting.
Just before we left Brazil a few years ago, not knowing if we would be returning to live, I felt led of the Lord to be very open and share with two families who were very close friends of ours that it was my hope and prayer that they would come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior so that, if we never saw each other again on earth, at least we would be together eternally in heaven. Since returning, I have had the pleasure of speaking with Paulo, one of those friends, and it is clearly evident that the Lord has been working in his heart. His job is being a representative for several printing presses and book publishing houses. In each of our conversations since we’ve returned he nearly bubbles over talking about books that he’s reading about atheists turning to Christ. What is especially thrilling to me is that, when he mentions Christianity, he includes himself. I don’t know where his wife stands, yet, but I am praying for her and Charlene and I plan on spending more time with them in hopes of confirming her faith also.
Thank you so much for your prayers and concern for us. The Lord is truly blessing us and our ministries and we are excited about what He has in store for us in the upcoming days and weeks.
In Christ’s love,
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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Alta Hatcher, 60-year Missionary to Brazil, Meets Her Savior Face-to-Face
“…’Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.’” -Matthew 25:23
Alta Hatcher, one of our beloved missionaries to Brazil, was promoted to Heaven about 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 8, 2018.
Alta married John A. Hatcher in December 1947, and they spent 70 years serving the Lord together, 60 of which were in Brazil. “We are thankful to God for having the joy of serving Him and telling people how they can be saved and go to Heaven,” Alta wrote in her autobiography. From 1955-2015, they worked and planted churches in about 60 Brazilian cities.
God gave them five children: Lynn, Paul, John Mark, David, and Kathy. He called all to be missionaries in foreign lands except the oldest, Lynn. She and her husband were missionaries to those with special needs in a Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Their 21 grandchildren are also serving the Lord! Some as pastors and others are missionaries some of the granddaughters are married to pastors or missionaries. Several of their 35 great-grandchildren have already trusted Jesus as their Savior.
Please continue your prayers to God for her husband, John, and their family.
ARRANGEMENTS / MEMORIALS
Celebration service: Thursday, March 15, 2018 at 5:00pm
The Celebration Service will be conducted at Chapel Baptist Church, Clermont FL
15744 County Road 474 | Clermont FL 34714
www.chapelbaptist.org
They are expecting all of her children to be attending [Please be praying that God will grant all of them peace, joy, and safety as they travel…]
Becker Funeral Home, Clermont FL, is in charge of her services
www.beckerfamilyfuneral.com
Formal Obituary
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that Memorial gifts be made to Baptist Faith Missions “In memory of Alta Hatcher”
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
https://baptistfaithmissions.org/Donate_to_BFM.aspx
Correspondences to John A. Hatcher may be sent to:
15905 Mercott Court | Clermont FL 34714
Email: jhatcher1925@gmail.com
Click here to read the Autobiography of Alta Hatcher: “The Story of My Life as a Missionary”
“Disse-lhe o seu senhor: Muito bem, servo bom e fiel; sobre o pouco foste fiel, sobre muito te colocarei; entra no gozo do teu senhor.” –Mateus 25:23
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Communicating the Good News of Christ with Neighbors & Acquaintances
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
March 4, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Judy and I thank God for your continual and long-term partnership with us in the mission that He has set before us in France. Yesterday we celebrated 45 years of marriage. It seems like yesterday that we began this wonderful partnership. We have been privileged to serve together on 3 different continents and God has blessed us beyond our imagination.
We have continued to connect with our neighbors and acquaintances here. These connections are the primary means of display and communicating the Good News of Jesus Christ. About 10 days ago Judy and I went to visit Patricia. This lady used to live just a few blocks from us. Her husband has been afflicted by Alzheimer’s syndrome for a while so after becoming acquainted with her several years ago we visited her frequently. She came to church a few times but has never shown much interest. A couple of years ago her husband was placed in a Nursing Home as she could no longer manage his care. While we were in the US, various members of our congregation helped her in many different ways. This greatly encouraged Judy and me. During our last visit she asked us to pray and showed more interest than she ever has before. She came to church last Sunday. Please pray for this lady who desperately needs the Lord.
As with you, sometimes believers of our congregation go through difficult times. Paulette, the oldest member of our congregation who is faithful in seeking to reach others has had many physical problems in the last 2 or 3 years. Tomorrow she will be having a needle biopsy to determine if a tumor in her pancreas is malign. About two weeks ago she called me to ask me to meet her husband at his only brother’s home. They had just entered the house and found a suicide note on the table. There has been no sight of this brother now for over two weeks. Pray that God will give wisdom to this lady to know how to help her husband and that he would trust receive Christ. We have had a good relationship with the gentleman for some time.
May God continue to bless each of you.
In Christ in France,
John and Judy
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.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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Camps and Baptisms During Brazilian Carnival
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 3, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It is hard to believe that February is gone. Wow, what a month we had. We hope all of you had a great month also.
The works are doing great! This month we had several gatherings with all the mission points. We always have camp during the days that there is Carnival here. This year we had two camps: one for the youth and adults and another one for the younger kids. Since our missions have lots of kids under 13 we planned something for their age. Everyone had a great time. We also had baptism of a group of 7 from the mission of Multirão.
At the mission of Iranduba we started reaching out at parks, handing out pamphlet with the church’s name and the hour of the services. The result has been great. One Sunday the kids were waiting for someone to pick them up. One little boy thought that the man who picks them up had forgotten to go, so he asked a man on a bike to take him to the church. He ran in and said, “Hey! There are a bunch of kids ready to come!” How exciting to see them wanting to come to church. From the same city, a teenager who went to school with some of our youth came to church. She accepted Christ as Savior! When we went to take her home, she said to us, “Thanks so much—I took a burden off me today.” Praise the Lord!
We are excited about the beginning of the building in Ubim. If all goes well it should be started this month.
Pray with us about land in the city of Iranduba. The building we use there is rented and is not really a good location. We are studying the different areas to see what would be the best location for reaching out.
Thanks for your prayers and support. God bless each of you.
Odali & Kathy
Odali & Kathy Barros
Caixa Postal 1
Iranduba, Amazonas 69.415.000
Brasil, S.A.
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
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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News & Reports – March 2018 [Online Edition]
The Online Edition of the March 2018 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.
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Praying God would Raise Up Godly Kenyan Men
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.
February 28, 2018
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and there is much to report. We appreciate each of you so much, for your interest in missions, and the love and encouragement you provide as we serve here in Kitale, Kenya. It is a privilege to serve the Lord. God is so good and it is a joy to serve Him.
This past month, my wife’s sister Jenna came to visit us here in Kitale. We are now in the final days of her time with us, and she has been a joy and blessing to us. Please pray for her and her trip back to America in the next few days. She has enjoyed her time here in Kitale and adjusted very well to life here. Please also pray for her to remain healthy upon her return to America.
Our daughter Camille turned 7 years old this past month and it was so nice to have a little birthday party for her, both at school and with other missionary friends. What a joy she is to our family and we thank the Lord for her. She has made many friends while at school in Kitale, and we are so thankful for this. Please pray for both Camille and McKenna and their continued progress of making friends and getting much needed socialization. The school has been such a blessing for them.
I (Nathan) have been working on my work permit renewal, which is now in process in the capital city of Nairobi. You have to renew it every two to three years, and this time has come. Please pray if it would be the Lord’s will, that it would be renewed without any problem. Of course, we trust the Lord to lead and guide us, and have peace knowing He is in control of all things. We thank the Lord for the renewal of my wife’s work permit recently.
I (Nathan) have been working hard translating Bible teachings from English to Kiswahili, the language of Kenya. Kiswahili is not easy and takes a lot of work. It is easy to forget words periodically, and also difficult to follow a Kiswahili translation. Please pray for me as I continue translating the materials into the Kenyan language. It is a huge project, but one that I feel needs to be done at this time.
Please pray also for the Lord to raise up godly Kenyan men who would desire to be trained and start churches in their respective villages. It all depends on the Lord’s will and His timing. I am reminded of the verse in James 4:15, which says “For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” How true.
May God continue to bless each of you for your heart for missions. We appreciate each of you so much.
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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The Teacher Learning from Students
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
February 27, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As usual I was doing a lot of Bible teaching this month to some of my Pastoral/Theological students. Consider the vast difference between me and my students. I have been studying the Bible in depth for decades. Most of my students have limited study of the Bible. I have a college education and years of theological training. None of my students have this. I grew up in sound churches with access to inexpensive religious resources like books, radio, music, etc. I have a large (comparatively speaking) library of theological resources. For most of my students, just to buy a study Bible would cost half a month’s salary and books are a luxury few of them can afford. At my fingertips I have access to the whole world of the internet: I can stay up to date on current theological and religious trends (although I usually don’t); I can access an unlimited storehouse of resources and articles, lessons, charts and diagrams; I can search Google for all the insane and heretical things people are saying and teaching around the world. Most of my students have no access to a computer, couldn’t type even if they had one, think Google must be some strange American food that no Kenyan in his right mind would eat, and are still using what my son Josiah calls a “brick phone” – i.e., a phone that can call and text but has no access to the internet. The bottom line is that I have a lot I can teach them. Now, some of you may be thinking that Missionary Roger is getting all prideful and vain. But that isn’t at all what this newsletter is about. It’s actually the opposite and it’s humbling to me because my students also have much they can teach to me. This became quite clear to me through a couple of conversations I had with my students. I will relate them briefly here because they taught me much and they may also hold some instruction for you, my readers, as well.
I was talking to one of my South Sudanese students. He asked me: “Mwalimu (teacher), do you have a gun”? (PLEASE NOTE: My relating this conversation has nothing to do with politics or the debate over gun control or anything remotely like it. I have no idea what your opinion or persuasion is on the topic and you don’t know mine. I am relating this conversation for a completely different purpose). I said, “No, Majok (his name), I do not have a gun. Do you”? “Oh, yes, Mwalimu, I have a gun. I have a Kalashnikov (an AK-47)”, he said. “Majok, why do you have a Kalashnikov?”, I asked. He responded, “Mwalimu, I take my gun to church with me and I put it in the pulpit when I preach so that when the raiders come I can quickly pull it out and defend my people and the raiders won’t kill us and burn our church building to the ground”. Now, whether you think this is the right approach or the wrong approach to the problem is up to you, but here is what this conversation taught me: The cost of discipleship and following Jesus is high! Followers of Jesus around the world must count the cost to follow him and love Him. Some will pay with their property or their lives. Are we willing to pay such a price? Majok, who would probably fail my class for lack of knowledge if I wasn’t gracious in my grading, has much to teach us.
Tukomoi is another of my students. He is intelligent and tries hard but has practically no educational background. He also would fail my class if I wasn’t gracious and take into account the fact that he can barely read or write. This is what Tukomoi related to me: “Mwalimu, I grew up in the ‘bush’, completely naked, raiding cattle, killing enemy tribesmen and ritualistically drinking cows blood for strength and power. When I was 17 years old I came across a primitive church building with a worship service going on inside. I went up to the window and curiously looked inside. The preacher was saying these words – ‘For God sent his only begotten Son into the world that whoever should believe on Him should not perish but have everlasting life’. The preacher saw me staring in the window and said, ‘You, boy, come in here and sit down’. I went in and sat down and listened to the message of God’s love and His Son. At the end of the message the preacher invited us all to come and to trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Something inside of me said to go forward and pray to God’s Son, Jesus, to save me and cleanse me from my sin. I went forward and trusted in Jesus as my Savior. Now you are talking to a reformed warrior”. My conversation with Tukomoi was stunning. I wished I had recorded it. It taught me the power of the gospel to change a life. It taught me how awesome God is and that God’s Word does not return to him empty but it transforms even the murderous sinner by His grace.
The transformation of lives and the glory of God is what our work for Jesus is all about. May these conversations bless, uplift and instruct all of us this month.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and 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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Training Pastors to Reach Brazil
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.
February 16, 2018
Friends and family,
When I was diagnosed with cancer, I started praying and searching for a way that I could continue to serve my Lord in Brasil because I did not feel that God was finished with me and my service in Brasil, knowing that the main emphasis for Baptist Faith Missions is to open new churches—so I began to think in that area. You know that sometimes the answer to your question is right in front of you and you just have to open your heart and eyes.
For several years now, we have been working with seminary training for local pastors. This Seminary training began in Caragua because we saw the need for the local pastors to have more Bible training. So, we began in our church and invited some of our sister churches to join with us for the first of many seminary classes. Before we knew it, other Pastors were calling us to see if we could do the same in their areas. With Dr. Coleman, myself and Pr. Jason, we organized the Caragua Baptist Seminary. Our first distant classes were in Orlandia, São Paulo, with 35 students. Although our goal was to train Pastors, we also included church workers in the classes. We did a lot of trial and error at first, making the occasional mistakes, but with the Lord’s leadership we have evolved. This year not only is Caragua Baptist Seminary accredited, we have also added a Master’s Program.
Although our objective is to train Pastors, it has grown even beyond our dreams and expectations. Training pastors is an AWESOME way to reach Brasil.
The way God revealed to me that I can continue to serve Him in Brasil is to continue to work with the Seminary training Pastors and sending them out to begin new works all over Brasil. You see, it was right under my nose—it just took God to reveal it to me.
So, I will continue to work in the Seminary, just from a distance. Each year I will go to Brasil 3 or 4 times for the classes to help with them and also to seek out other areas that need our Seminary.
As we teach these Pastors I am keeping my eyes out to see those Pastors who show a desire to begin new works. I meet with them and listen to their hunger to serve the Lord. Then I will encourage them during the time that we spend together to follow God in whatever they do. At this time, we have begun to help three pastors in their endeavors to start new Churches. One is in another country: Paraguay. His church start is in a rural area where there is no electricity. They have around 7 to 9 in attendance. The next two are in the state of São Paulo. The first of these two is having their services in the garage of their home with about 7 adults and 12 children. The other has a foundation dug for the Church building and they are having services in their home. To be able to get started they stepped out on faith and borrowed the money for the land and are building as God provides. How AWESOME! The Pastors we select to help start a church, we will give them an offering for the first year. We also pay for their seminary classes at Caragua Baptist Seminary.
The foundation for the third work
Talking about this calls back memories of how we started our last work. It began on the front porch of a widow’s home. After four years that work now has its building and a Brazilian pastor. What a blessing. AWESOME is the God we serve.
So, this is what God has laid before me as my way to serve Him in Brasil as I live in Lexington, Kentucky. This is so I can be close to the doctors. I have been to the doctor this month and the blood test that they did showed undetectable counts for cancer. Praise Him! The doctor said that if everything continued the same that I might be able to take a vacation from the injection that I am taking every 6 months.
So please pray for the Seminary as we are expanding into other cities and continue to pray for my health to continue to improve. HOW AWESOME IS HE WHO WE SERVE!!!
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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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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