Missionary Update: Mike & Beverly Creiglow in Brazil [November 2015]
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.
November 9, 2015
Dear Brethren,
There is a little bit of everything to send your way this month. There is plenty of good news and a little of the other kind, too.
The ladies had their big retreat with about 150 women and several saved. We also had a couple’s retreat with over 30 couples. This was more of a teaching retreat than evangelism. There were a few lost couples present though who heard the gospel.
I missed one of this month’s mission trips due to an overload of work here in town and at camp. Zico and Nelson made the trip to visit our works on the Moa River. Nelson is one of our military guys who served as pastor in a church in Rio de Janeiro. We always have a few of these families who are with us for a couple of years and then gone off to some other town. Most of these come here for a 2 year tour. They can extend their time by a year and sometimes more. Once they see the church, they all put in for the extension and would stay on if their career would let them. This was Nelson’s first mission trip. He came back charged up. Almost all of these military families had heard about the church and the mission work here through the internet. We have been privileged to receive and train many over the years. We miss them when they are gone, but proud of the training and service they take to other places all over Brazil.
Pastor Dauro (Mike’s son-in-law) baptizing at First Baptist Church of Cruzeiro do Sul.
Three more ripe mangoes just came crashing down on the roof above my office. My yard is a mango lover’s paradise. There are tons of them on the trees and the ground. Although I try to keep the limbs trimmed back I still have a bunch of tiles to replace every year. Like the trees, but have come to pretty much hate the fruit. You probably really didn’t need that piece of news, but it is part of our life here in the rainforest.
The rainy season has started with heavy rains. It rained a lot yesterday, but we still had really big crowds in all services. There were 28 more baptized in the morning and 2 more saved at night. It has been like that all month long: a few saved and great crowds with many visitors.
We have been working at the camp property and new church property for several weeks now. We have had a lot of cleanup and fencing on both locations. The dry season is almost behind us and there were some urgent jobs to be done while the weather is still fairly dry.
Damage to Bro. Creiglow’s jeep. The right rear rim was completely split in two.
One afternoon a few weeks ago I had just started down the highway when a pickup came flying over a hill and rear ended my jeep. No telling how fast he was going. He left over 100 feet of skid marks and his speedometer froze at 50 mph, so he was really moving when he piled on the brakes. He spun me around 180o into the grass on the other side of the road. He was carrying patients to the hospital in Cruzeiro do Sul. Fortunately, no one was injured seriously. His truck was pretty much totaled. The rear body and suspension on my jeep were destroyed. I have been without a work vehicle for 3 weeks now. Parts are coming from all over Brazil including the factory in Fortaleza on the east coast. Since my Troller T4 is built 100% in Brazil from parts all manufactured here it will cost less than half what any other vehicle would cost to repair. It still will set me back at least $2,000.00 just for parts.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
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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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher Stateside from Brazil [November 2015]
Jud and Raquel Hatcher serve the Lord in Manaus, Brazil. They are part of the “SeedFactory” church planting initiative, which is a movement to plant churches in all 26 Brazilian capitals. Since 2006, 43 churches have been started in 5 states.
November 8, 2015
Dear friends,
Thank you for your faithful support and prayer. We are truly grateful.
FAMILY
The kids are doing well in school. Laura went on a field trip to the historic Jamestown settlement with her 3rd grade class. Sarah has a field trip this month too. Everyone is enjoying the time in Lynchburg, VA during our furlough. The kids’ language is coming along successfully, but I ask you pray for them to learn to speak English without an accent.
TESTIFY TO THE GOSPEL CONFERENCE
This last month I had the privilege of attending the Testify to the Gospel Conference at Grace Baptist 
Church of Fairborn, OH (Pastor Mark Pyles). There were several great speakers and we enjoyed listening to each one of them. I had the opportunity to speak twice. It was a long drive and well worth the trip. Mark & Valerie Pyles are dear friends, we’ve known each other since 2003. I love them a lot. I cherished every moment with the folks of the church, the guests, Mark and his family.
CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH
We were also delighted to be with our beloved friends and supporters at Calvary Baptist Church, Teays Valley, WV, where pastor Jeff Hurst is senior pastor and David Mitchell is an associate teaching pastor. We also enjoyed meeting Jeff Hurst’s wife, Kim. We had a blast together while at their home.
ELEVEN DECISIONS FOR CHRIST
I was invited to speak at the student ministry’s evangelistic event of Hyland Heights Baptist Church, Rustburg, VA. There were over 150 young people present. It truly was a great evening with much celebration in heaven. The reason for the celebration? Well, 11 decisions were made: 7 for salvation and 4 for reconciliation. I was delighted to be with Pastors Brandon Vieth & Brian Freeksen.
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
The Lord continues to open doors as I serve at Liberty University. I meet with local pastors on a weekly basis and with future pastors on a daily basis. Thomas Road Baptist Church has a yearly pastors conference called Refuel. This year over 1800 pastors and leaders attended. I was invited to the platform for introduction as a BFM missionary/church planter in Brazil. I am amazed at how the Lord is making these new connections.
A few weeks ago Dr. Jerry Falwell’s wife, Macel Falwell, passed away. The funeral service at Thomas Road Baptist Church was an encouragement to all who were present. It truly was a wonderful memorial and celebration of her life and ministry here on earth.
ACHILLES TENDON
Last week I was admitted to the Emergency Room at Lynchburg General Hospital. I suspected a fractured fibula on my right leg. Instead, it was a severe sprain of my Achilles tendon. The kids and I were playing football in the backyard when this happened. I am currently wearing a cast and expect to use it for a few weeks. Please, pray for healing.
ON FACEBOOK
If you’d like to know more information, please visit www.facebook.com/judsonhatcher.
Grateful always,
Jud Hatcher
Furlough Address:
216 Mill View Ln
Lynchburg, VA 24502
(859) 608-4742
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
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THE CHALLENGE OF MISSIONS by John A. Hatcher (Part 2)
THE CHALLENGE OF MISSIONS
John A. Hatcher
Chapter 2
[click here for Chapter 1]
INTRODUCING VARIOUS PHASES
In introducing the various phases of missions to be discussed it is necessary to understand, scripturally, what missions is about. Men’s opinions are not the essential concern. The authority and instructions for missions is the Bible. Baptists must constantly return to the Bible for their doctrines and authority for their doings. The attitude of Baptists must be like that of the old gardener.
A lady advertised in the newspaper for a gardener. An elderly man answered the ad and was hired. Three or four days later he noticed the ad was still in the paper. Worried, thinking she was not happy with his work, he went to the lady and asked, “Lady, are you still looking for a gardener?”
“No, I already hired you as my gardener.”
“Are you satisfied with your gardener, Ma’am?”
“Yes, perfectly satisfied,” she replied.
“Then you are planning on keeping the gardener you have?
“Yes, I am, but why are you asking? Is something wrong?”
Quite relieved, the old man replied in a serious tone of voice: “Oh, no ma’am, I’m just doing some checking on myself.”
God’s people and churches must take time to do a little checking on themselves—on their doctrines and duties.
(to be continued…)
[Click here to view all “The Challenge of Missions” posts by John A. Hatcher]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence. They now reside in Florida where they continue to share the Gospel with everyone they meet.
15905 Mercott Court
Clermont FL 34714
229-529-8497
jhatcher1925[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers Stateside from Brazil [November 2015]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
November 2, 2015
Dear Friends,
I’m sure that I have had a busier month in my life, but I just can’t remember when. But on the upside, it was a marvelous month of seeing God’s hand at work. We are none the worse for wear from the events that made up our month either. In fact, Charlene and I are very excited about so many of the signs that the Lord is blessing our efforts and using us to further His kingdom.
We are having the privilege of hosting Bro. Paulo Novaes and his wife, Luiza, this month and they will be attending the Thanksgiving Conference with us next week. Paulo and his wife launched our partnered ministry, Projeto Vida (Project Life) in 1997 to take the gospel to nearly every state in Brazil and lately they are reaching nearly 100,000 people per year with the Word of God.
Here is a recent report from one of our team missionaries:
“We were in an interior town recently doing a Gospel presentation through skits and testimonies. There was a young lady at one of our presentations who came from a very dysfunctional family where there was much abuse and abandonment. This young lady had begun to cut herself frequently and had a sense that her life was hopeless. Through the dramatic Gospel presentation and testimonies, the Lord touched this young lady’s heart and she surrendered her life to Christ. After sharing her faith publicly, she sought out her parents to declare to them that she forgives them for the way they treated her.”
Another Projeto Vida volunteer shared:
“There was a man at one of our presentations who had been abandoned by his young adult children. He felt extremely lonely and had begun to be bitter toward his children and depressed with life in general. I used his situation to show him the story of the Prodigal Son in the Scriptures and how much the Lord longs for his lost children to come home. I pointed out to him that in the same way that he longed to see his children return to an intimate relationship with him, that Lord wants this man to come into God’s loving care. The man understood the message and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. We rejoiced with him, gave him a written Bible study plan and gave his contact information to the local pastor who was hosting our team.”
Each week we have the privilege of hearing testimonies of how the Lord is using our outreach teams. I hope you will have the opportunity to be with us at the Thanksgiving Conference to hear more of how God is using this ministry.
Thank you for your loving prayers and support.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Furlough Address:
3912 Casaba Loop
Valrico, FL 33596
Field Address:
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Sobrado 1, Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
Phone: (813) 481-7007
Cell Phone: (813) 727-6405
Email: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
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Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [November 2015]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
November 2, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Yesterday our church message was “Surprised by God” from Acts 9 which revolves around Paul’s conversion. Paul was surprised, the soldiers were surprised, believers were surprised, Ananias was surprised, the Jewish leaders were surprised, we are surprised. There are dozens of surprises mentioned in these 31 verses concerning what happened, to whom it happened, how it happened. In all of this we see the hand of God working out His eternal plan of redemption.
And since God’s ways are far above our ways and past finding out, we are often surprised by God. I will share with you a few of these surprises we have seen this month. A couple of nights ago I received a call from Joachim, the first person baptized in the church here in Tournefeuille. That was the culmination of many wonderful surprises. His son trusted Christ and was baptized just before they moved to Hamburg, Germany three years ago. God brought him here where he was saved and moved him on to serve elsewhere. It was great to hear how God is working in his family. They are active in a church and God is at work in them. They were great members here and we miss them terribly. He will be down here for work related medical check-ups next month and we are looking forward to spending more time in fellowship for an evening.
Douceline, the single lady who hosts the Bible studies in Mazere, was surprised by a wild boar the week before last. Late in the evening, as she was driving home from a meeting where we had been together, the wild boar rammed the driver side door of her car, setting off the airbag and making her car a total loss. Just after it happened on a country road, the Lord graciously brought a car of police officers by who gave her a ride home. The car itself had been a gracious surprise a couple of years ago. Dutch missionaries with whom she was acquainted were retiring and leaving the country. Aware of her commitment as a “missionary” in her community and her modest income they gave her this small car which was in excellent shape. The insurance will help her replace the car. Besides the Bible study that we hold in her home with a number of people she also leads two other Bible studies with ladies.
On October 8th we received and a text from Eva. She had just been admitted to the hospital in danger of miscarrying at 20 weeks of pregnancy. On December 5th last year she gave very early birth and their son lived less than a week. Often surprises are unpleasant! She is still confined to bed in the hospital but the pregnancy is progressing. Last week, her doctor told her that he was very impressed by her positive outlook despite the bleak circumstances. She was thrilled to be able to tell her doctor about her faith in Christ. Eva and her husband host a Bible study that we lead in their home in the neighboring department. Sometimes Christ, the light in us, is more visible when we find ourselves in dark surroundings.
Yesterday Rose, who along with her husband and children is relatively new but are faithful members, told about a recent visit to the only person in their extended family besides them who is a believer. This couple was saved through the ministry of an American missionary in another region of France. A few years ago his niece called in tears because her life was falling apart and their changed lives gave her hope. They went to her, witnessed to her and she trusted the Lord. A friend of her mother is a medium and told her that she would not get married and never have any children. She is now active in the church led by the American missionary who led Rose and Jean-Luc to Christ. She met and married a fine young man in this church and just gave birth to their first child! The niece’s family resents the spiritual changes in her, but the last chapter has not yet been written!
This evening Amanda, our wonderful daughter-in-law missionary, is having the first college girls Bible Study with girls from our church. She and Philip also lead a Bible study Thursday. We have a Bible study here on Wednesday and Saturday we have our Youth Outreach. The Bible lesson this week is “God has Spoken through His Son”.
There is more to write, but I would like for you to keep reading our letters. So, I will stop! Thanks for your faithful support. Please keep praying.
Surprised by God in France,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [November 2015]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
October 31, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
If my monthly newsletters had a title I would entitle this month’s letter “Pastors NOT Welcome”. Well, with a title like that maybe I should explain. So, when I speak of pastors I am certainly not referring to American pastors. The American pastors I know are Godly, Christ-like and Biblical. They have the best interests of the church members at heart. They are concerned about the Kingdom of Heaven and furthering the cause of Christ. I’m not saying they aren’t without their faults, but the ones I know are good people who want to lead others to a deeper relationship with Jesus. No, the pastors I’m talking about are Kenyan pastors. It seems whenever they show up, I end up with problems.
We have a group meeting in the house of a man living in a local village. The group is small and though we have been meeting for nine months, it has been extremely difficult to get anyone to attend our meetings for more than about three or four weeks. Thus, the group has remained small. We have spent much time in the last nine months teaching them about salvation, baptism, following and loving Jesus, serving others and many other major Bible doctrines. We have also taught them to remain meeting in the house instead of buying property, we taught them how to remain independent, self-reliant and self-propagating, and we taught them to use their offerings to help the poor, the sick, the widows and the orphans in their community. All along the group has agreed with all the teachings. They seemed to agree whole-heartedly. Then, a few weeks ago I walked into the house to begin the group meeting and there sat a man. I introduced myself. Then I found out he was a pastor. I groaned within myself. I knew what his presence in the group meant. It meant the whole tenor and attitude of the group would change. I knew that the focus of the group would change. I knew that problems would begin to occur and I knew exactly what those problems would be. It would involve money, sponsorship, buildings, quarrels and dependency. How did I know this? Because that is the way it happens every time a local pastor gets involved with our works here in Kenya.
The very first week the pastor attended our group meeting things began to change. At the end of the meeting I was informed why the group was small and why a lot of people were not coming to the meetings. I was told it was because people didn’t want to meet in the house, that meeting in the house made them feel uncomfortable and not like a “church”. I was informed they wanted to start looking for a place to rent for a meeting-place. I asked them where they would find the money for such an endeavor. The answer was “God will provide”. Can you guess who “God” is in this answer? If you guessed “Roger” then you guessed correctly. The next week I was informed that the group had been “given” a piece of property. I was taken to the property and shown how ideal it would be for a church building. I was shown where the building could be built, where the toilets would be put and how much extra land there would be for growing crops. When I asked how much this would cost I was told 1,000,000 shillings (you could probably actually double that to get the true amount). This was coming from a group whose weekly offerings amount to 50 shillings. To give you an idea of what this is like, compare it to a church in the States which collects a total of $50 a week in their offerings who wants to build a church building worth $2,000,000. I asked where they would get the money to do this. I was told “God will provide”. Again, substitute “Roger” for “God” in this sentence and you will understand what they really mean.
Where will this end? I have a prediction. It will end with quarrels, struggles over who gets what share of the pie, resentment of me for not giving them what they want and ultimately the death of the group. Is the pastor the culprit or the symptom? I don’t know but either way he’s NOT Welcome.
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 Emily, Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [November 2015]
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.
November 1, 2015
Dear praying friends,
We hope this finds each of you doing well and thank you once again for your faithfulness to missions, whether through prayer, visiting the fields, or sacrificially giving to the Lord’s work. We sincerely appreciate each of you so much and thank the Lord for you. This month, I want to take a little different approach in the prayer letter, as it is a real prayer request for us, in regards to our health, especially that of our children, McKenna and Camille. I will be sure to keep you updated on the ministries in the coming months, but I felt that this is really where we are right now. We want as many to be informed as possible what has been going on, and we covet your prayers.
About 10 months ago, our daughters were complaining of stomach aches. We heard all morning “Mommy, my tummy hurts.” Not knowing exactly what to do, we did the only thing we knew to do at that time. We took them to the various medical facilities in Kitale for testing. We tested for all the basics, such as malaria, typhoid, amoeba, etc. The conclusions we received were that it was amoeba and we got them started on the medicines. Well, the stomach aches continued and we felt it necessary to go to a much bigger hospital in Eldoret, about an hour and a half from Kitale. We saw various doctors there also, and again, the conclusion was that it was amoeba, although they prescribed a different medication and different period of usage. (10 days rather than 5 days) We did this, and things got better. For a while. A couple of months things were good and fine and we thought the problem was resolved. Well, about a month and a half ago, the tummy aches started again. We have been to all the main hospitals/doctors in Kitale and a big hospital in Eldoret, and are still having the issues.
We’ve recently found a decent pediatrician in Kitale. Dr. Musabi is new to our area and has done a good job thus far with treating children. She ran multiple tests on McKenna but each was inconclusive. She referred us to a pediatric gastroenterologist in Nairobi. This is the first time we have had a referral, so we are thankful for Dr. Musabi. Our doctor in Nairobi has run numerous tests on both girls, including one to test for inflammation that was sent to an international lab. This test came back extremely high for McKenna and high for Camille. The doctor insisted McKenna have an endoscopy and colonoscopy.
Well, these procedures were delayed for five days as McKenna developed a cold. Finally the procedures were done and we are currently in Nairobi waiting for results to be returned to us. Camille will not have an endoscopy or colonoscopy as her test levels were lower than McKenna’s. We are praising the Lord that the tests revealed no major issues for McKenna, but most likely some kind of infection or food allergy. We pray the results would be definitive and come back soon. Oh, and yes, while we have been away, one of our big guard dogs we have had for 10 years most likely had stomach cancer, and she is no longer with us. Very sad for all of us.
All in all, it has been a very challenging past few weeks. We know the Lord is in control of all things and we trust Him. We hope and pray to get back to Kitale soon to our life there but we are waiting on the Lord and seeing how to finally get these stomach issues treated. While we don’t understand everything, and it has been a very difficult last few weeks, we trust in the Lord and know He will take care of us. His ways are not our ways. I will finish with a couple of verses that have comforted me during these difficulties. Psalm 115:3 says “But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased.” God does whatever He pleases and He is on the throne. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”
All things work together for good to them that love God. Even when it’s difficult. Even when we don’t completely understand. He has a plan and a purpose, and He is working it out in His timing. I’m sure many of you are going through difficulties also, and I hope these verses are a comfort to you as well.
Looking forward to updating on the ministries next month, but felt it was necessary to let you know about the health situations in the family and how to pray for us. We love and appreciate each of you so much. Remember, God is in control. Always.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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Mission Sheets: October 2015 [PDF Version]
Get your advanced PDF copy of the October 2015 Mission Sheets at the link below!
BFM Mission Sheets – October 2015
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