Celebrating Children’s Day and Seminary Graduates
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.
November 9, 2017
Friends and family,
Well I am sitting here in Lexington, Ky, being somewhat cold. It’s just amazing how different the temperature is here and in Caraguatatuba.
While in Caragua we were very busy working on the Church building trying to complete many small projects that needed to be completed. As it is with all buildings, you fix one thing and there are many more that come up.
We arrived there in time to help in the Children’s Day activities. We had around 90 children on Children’s Day and it was AWESOME!!!! There were almost too many children in attendance, but that is an AWESOME problem to have. Children’s Day in Brasil is similar to Christmas Day here in the States. They don’t celebrate Christmas in Brasil like we do in the States. We had sandwiches, pop, and cake for them to eat for breakfast. Then we had games and popcorn and cotton candy. They received beanbag animals and a small bag of candy. Then we sent them home on a sugar high to their parents. These children are all underprivileged children, so whatever they receive is a blessing in their lives. But what they need more than food is love. A smile and a hug does better for them than anything else. So, we spent the day hugging them and playing with them. We are sending some photos so that you can see some of the activities.
All enjoying the food on Children’s Day
The children praising the Lord
Serving the kids on Children’s Day
The graduating class in Orlandia
Our bus is a very needed part of the children’s ministry there and the last few months there have been various problems with it—leaking oil and water pump problems to name a few. We were able to get the things fixed but the next problem is to pay for the work. Thank you to those who have sent money for the work on the bus—and if you would like to help financially, that would be greatly appreciated. As I said earlier, this bus is a needed part of the children’s ministry, so your precious prayers are needed. The bus is a 24-passenger bus that most of the time carries up to 50 children. And with that many on the bus, we still are making two trips to pick up and to return them home. As you can guess, that brings with it a big gas bill per month. This is also becoming a concern. Prayers please.
Well the Seminary we began in Caragua has just grown beyond belief. Just this year we have had three graduations: Caragua, Nativity da Serra, and Orlandia. All of these locations are in the state of São Paulo, but they are not close together. There are more than 7 hours travel time between them.
The last graduation class was in Orlandia and there were 24 who participated in the graduation process. It is hard to describe the appreciation these pastors and church workers have for the training and instruction the are receiving at Caragua Baptist Seminary. This year there have been 55 people graduated from the seminary.
While in the States, we are working on getting a Masters of Divinity added to our program. What this amounts to is that we are having to jump through a lot of hoops. I never realized the amount of red tape that can be involved in seminary accreditation. Now I have an even greater appreciation for Lexington Baptist College that we had here in Lexington. As
Mary & Walmir graduated
of now all things are going AWESOME!! However, when we get one requirement met there seems to one more and then one more. Please keep Caragua Baptist Seminary in your prayers as we are reaching many Brasillians through the pastors that are attending this Seminary.
Here is just one of the many stories that have come out to these classes: one of the Pastors who has attended the Seminary is also a long-haul trucker and he has begun using his trips to get to know the other drivers. When he empties the trailer, he then puts chairs and a pulpit inside and when he goes back to the truck stops, he opens the back doors of the trailer, sets up the chairs, and invites the other truckers in and preaches to them. This has been a blessing and he is reaching many that would never come to a church. Pray for God to go before him in this labor of love.
Continue to pray for my health that God can continue to use me in Brasil as we continue taking the Seminary to the Brasilian pastors all over Brasil.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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Good News from a Far Country
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
November 8, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
“As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.” (Proverbs 25:25)
So, we would like to share some of the good news that we have received this month.
A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Jean-François, the pastor who is caring for the congregation that meets in the Mazeres region about 50 miles south of Toulouse. After asking about news from our side and how Peggy was doing he wrote, “Il m’apparaît de plus en plus évident que l’implantation d’une assemblée serait pertinent, les compétences sont là et les personnes il me semble en attente, je te le laisse a ta réflexion. En espérant vous voir prochainement, Dieu voulant. Que le Seigneur vous dirige, priez pour moi.” Now that you have tried out your French, I will give it to you in English: “It seems to me more and more evident that planting a church in this location would be appropriate. There is competence and the people are waiting for this. I will let you think about it. Hoping to see you soon, God willing. May the Lord guide you, pray for me.”
A full house at the Tournefeuille Church
A full house at the Tournefeuille Church
You may remember that I called on this young man to take leadership of this group when I needed to return suddenly to the USA at the end of March. He did and does so willingly at his own expense. So, there is something that you can rejoice in and pray about. I did ask Jean-François if he would be interested in being the pastor. He works a full-time job and is involved in another church plant and has other Bible studies. This man of about 50 is single and the only member of his family that is saved. His father is an atheist and his mother a devout Catholic. He has witnessed and gives a great living testimony to his family. He was saved not long after we moved to France and I had the privilege of spending several hours a week with him in discipleship during several years.
Last weekend Rose and Jean-Luc, a couple from our church called us to find out about how we were doing and to encourage us. They and 3 of their children are very active in the Tournefeuille Church. A couple days ago Amanda told us that they had a full house Sunday. I am including a couple of snapshots one of the guys took of some of the people there.
Some of the senior saints in Evansville whom John Mark served as pastor years ago.
Here in Evansville things are going well. Yesterday we had lunch with some of the older folks I served as pastor. Well, older now, we were all a bit younger back then. The faithfulness of these disciples of Jesus Christ and scores of others who are active participants and leaders in a good number of churches here and elsewhere is very encouraging to us. I am including a snapshot of the senior saints who were together for lunch.
In Christ,
John and Judy
jmhatcher[at]aol.com
Temporary Address
John and Judy Hatcher
1901 Shepherd Dr.
Evansville, IN 47715
Field Address
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Preparing to Return to Brazil
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
November 7, 2017
Dear Friends,
Charlene and I are preparing to return to Brazil on January 8, 2018. We have purchased our airline ticket and we’re trying to put together all the equipment and household items that we’ll need when we arrive. We have maintained regular contact with many of our friends there and they have helped us know which items are much less expensive in the USA and which ones can be bought in Brazil for about the same price. This information is very helpful as we start packing our bags because the airlines have reduced the amount of free bags that each passenger can take. Since we’ll have reduced baggage, we need to be very selective in what we purchase before we leave.
I have been corresponding with our Brazilian ministry partners and they are very excited about the news of our return. We are really looking forward to getting to be with them again and for the opportunities to meet and share the gospel with new acquaintances.
One of my most exciting expectations is the Missions Training Seminar that will begin less than one week after our arrival in Curitiba, Brazil. It will be quite motivating to have the chance to pour into a group of passionate godly young men and women who want their lives to count for Christ’s kingdom almost immediately upon our return. I am also excited about traveling with our Projeto Vida outreach teams quite often. Presently, two teams are in the extremely poor and dangerous slums of Rio de Janeiro sharing the gospel. The leader of the teams messaged me to ask for prayer and protection as they minister in those neighborhoods. He did make it quite clear, though, that all the team members feel the Lord’s arms of protection around them and they are emboldened to take the love of Jesus to these dear lost ones.
We are expecting the birth of our first grandson, Jayce Wacaser, any day now. We are looking forward to getting and giving as much “sugar” to him as we can before we leave. Please pray for his parents to be guided by the Lord to raise him to love and serve our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Also, pray that we will keep our eyes on the prize of serving the Lord with our whole hearts.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby & Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Stateside 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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News & Reports – November 2017 [Online Edition]
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Pursuing a Different Approach
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
October 31, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This is going to be an exciting yet challenging update to write. It will be exciting because of the news I will be revealing but it will be challenging to present all I want to say to you in a short update. I obviously cannot express everything you need to know or all that is in my mind in this short letter. However, here goes.
After spending much time in prayer and deep thinking about this subject I believe that God is leading me to pursue a different approach in my ministry here in Kenya. The last few years I have focused on trying to teach and disciple other men to go out into their home villages and to start their own churches – on their own and without much interference from me, the missionary. I have met with very little success in this endeavor. The problems henceforth have been manifold. The biggest problem has been that I have not succeeded in finding motivated men who will be faithful to minister the gospel without payment, salaries or other monetary incentives. Their expectation (which I have documented many times before) is that if they stick with my program then they should be paid a salary of some sort. When their expectations are not met I lose all my students and prospective pastors. The model I was employing was a good one and could still work and should still be pursued but this will not be my main focus in the immediate future. These men must exist but I have not succeeded in finding them.
The other observation I have made in Kitale is that while there are many, many churches in this area, I am finding it extremely difficult to find even one that I would want to attend with my family. The reasons for this are also numerous: 1) I cannot find a church interested in functioning as the body of Christ on earth, that is interested in glorifying God, that is interested in the Great Commission or that is interested in serving the community with the love of Christ. 2) I cannot find a church that will faithfully teach the Word of God. The pastors scream at the people, beg for money and preach little more than a health and wealth gospel. Most passages are wrenched out of context and used in a way to bolster the preacher’s “message”. 3) The worship services are almost unbearable to me. Now, some may blame my dislike of the worship services here on the fact that I’m getting old (which is true) and I’m just a fuddy-duddy (which may or not be true) who doesn’t like contemporary worship. In actuality, I prefer a more modern and contemporary worship service. But the songs here I find untenable. They are loud to the point of being overbearing and painful, they are repetitive to the point of being nauseous and they are mostly meaningless. In short, I can’t find a good church. These churches must exist but I have not succeeded in finding them.
Thus, based upon the difficulties I have had in finding faithful men who will become faithful pastors and the fact that I cannot find a church in the area that I would consider a Spirit-filled, Bible-teaching and Bible-led, God-glorifying congregation, I believe I am being led by God to start one and pastor it myself. Following are my personal Vision and Mission statements:
Vision: To start a local church in Kitale that will function as the body of Jesus Christ in this town
Mission: I want a church that, while it will never be perfect and will always face internal and external challenges, will bring joy and pleasure to God because it desires above all things to love and worship God, to follow the ways and words of Jesus and to spend its time, energy and resources to further the Kingdom of Jesus Christ on this earth.
I have many other things that I have been thinking about and trying to work through as I try to put substance to my prayers and thinking, things such as objectives and strategies for starting this church. I will include some of these things over the next couple of months as I get started with this endeavor so that you all can be informed as to what I’m thinking and what I’m doing.
HERE IS MY MOST IMMEDIATE AND PRESSING PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray that God would lead me to a place where this new church can meet. I have been searching for an ideal (or even not so ideal) place where the church can begin to meet but I am not succeeding in finding a good place. Please make this a matter of diligent prayer on my behalf.
(Post Script: I don’t know what news you receive of Kenya in America but the presidential election here has turned into a carnival, and not a fun carnival but a serious, violent and unpredictable one. The country is like a cauldron on a fire that is about to boil. My concern is that this election drags out for many more months, causing chaos and disruption to the Kenyan people. Please pray for the peace of Kenya.)
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
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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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Back in Kenya with a Big Answer to Prayer
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.
October 31, 2017
We are now at the end of 2017, and this year has passed so quickly. I am reminded of how short life is when I think of how time flies. It seems the older I get, the faster it goes. I am sure that is true for everyone. God is so faithful and may we use our days to worship Him, serve Him, love Him, and bring Him glory. He deserves all praise and glory for all things. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
In family news, October is a big month for our family. My wife and I celebrated our 13th anniversary, and also I (Nathan) turned 41 this past month. Both days were great days of celebration with friends here in Kitale. I am thankful for a wife who sacrifices daily on the mission field, giving up many comforts, to serve the Lord here. She is truly a blessing and I am so thankful for her and her servant spirit. I hope and pray we will have many more years together.
Also in family news, we have had what seems to be a huge answer to prayer. As you know, we have struggled to find friends for our daughters here in Kitale. This is one of the biggest struggles for missionary children, having social interaction and friends their age to play with. Many times the needs of missionary children can be overlooked, so we have wanted to bring their needs before others so they can be in prayer for them.
Praise the Lord, He has answered this prayer in a big way. There is now a Christian school in Kitale with approximately 70 children enrolled at present. The school is now closed for break, but when it begins in January, they plan to have 100 students there. It is growing and expanding and offers many extracurricular activities, such as drama, art, music lessons, Swahili lessons (the language of Kenya), French language lessons, etc. There are further plans to even provide more in the future, but this is a great start. McKenna and Camille had the opportunity to go for about two weeks and were already making good friends, so we are so thankful for this and praise God for this big answer to prayer.
In regards to the presidential election here, it is still continuing along. As I reported last month, the prior election in August was annulled and they did a second election last week. The voter turnout was much lower than the first election, and some areas had delays in voting due to protests and violence. I know the winner will be announced soon, so please pray for the country, for the stability of the country, for no further unrest that is not necessary, and for it to be settled. Unrest has been in certain pockets of the country and we have done our best to stay safe, stock up on supplies, and all the usual things that would be expected in a time of insecurity and possible unrest. We know God is in control and we trust Him in all these things.
We appreciate each of you so much and your prayers, sacrificial giving, and notes and letters of encouragement. You are all such a blessing and we are thankful to you. We will keep you updated.
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya, East Africa
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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Children’s Day Celebration; Planning New Work
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.
October 21, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings! Hope and pray that all of you are well and being blessed! We are doing great and have been blessed. Last month our 2 daughters and their families came to visit us. We had a great time with our children and grandchildren.
The ministry is doing really great. We have had several saved. One of the people who was saved is a man who lives in a community near the church. Two weeks ago, he asked me if it would be possible to visit the village and bring people on the bus. He said, “I worry about the children that live in the community. The name of this community is Lago do Limao, (Lemon Lake). Please pray for this community. We are planning on starting a work there.
This month we have had several special programs. In October there is a day called Children’s Day. What was really great is that many mothers come with their children. We have a service and then special activities for the kids. The mission in the community of Multirão is doing great and the people who work there are really excited and involved. The bus went and picked up the people from the community of Ubim for the Children’s Day program. We had 60 to come. Several mothers came with their children.
The mission in the city of Iranduba has had an increase and most exciting is that the older members are growing spiritually. They have had growing desire to serve the Lord and are excited about serving.
In communities all around us there are so many children and young people. They need to be reached with and taught about the Lord. In these places the drugs are everywhere. Please pray for us as we reach out to these places–that God give us the wisdom and means. Thanks for your faithful prayers and financial support.
God bless each of you.
Love in our Lord and Savior,
Odali & Kathy Barros
Odali & Kathy Barros
Caixa Postal 1
Iranduba, Amazonas 69.415.000
Brasil, S.A.
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
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20+ Young People at First Youth Meeting of the School Year in France
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
September 28, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Thank you for your continuous prayers and support. We thank God for each of you. At the beginning of this month we were able to spend a few minutes in a video conference with more than 20 young people who were meeting in France for the first Youth Meeting of this school year. This is something that the young people wanted to do. How encouraging it is to see their interest in spiritual things.
Reports from the church in Tournefeuille are good. We miss the fellowship of our church and congregations there as well as the daily front line opportunities that we have in France to connect with French people who need eternal life. However, we are very thankful for the leaders and participants who are faithfully serving Christ there and reaching others around them.
John, Judy, & Peggy
Judy has now been cleared by her doctor for full activity following her knee surgery and has graduated from physical therapy. She continues to work hard at getting full strength and usage back. She also participates with Peggy in an outreach to ladies who are in the United States from other cultures. We both enjoy participating in a weekly Bible study that meets here in Peggy’s home. It is always exciting to see young believers growing in the knowledge and application of God’s Word in their daily lives.
Peggy is doing better and we are encouraged by her progress.
During the first two weeks of the month I was able to be in Florida to celebrate with the family my mother’s 92nd birthday. What a blessing it is to have parents who love the Lord and encourage us and the whole extended family to serve the Lord. The days there turned out to be more exciting than we had planned. Hurricane Irma came directly over Paul and Wanda’s home where Dad, Mom and Wanda’s mother live. Despite a few exciting hours the Lord protected us all and I was glad to be there to help. Thanks to all who were praying for us and others during the storm. Our hearts go out to those poor folks in the islands who suffered so much.
This is a reminder to us that we live in a world that “groans in travail waiting to be delivered”. We look forward to new heavens and a new earth where we will be forever with the Lord. May God help us to display the love of Christ in our lives and communicate the Good News of Jesus to all around us who so desperately need it.
We are looking forward to seeing some of you during the Thanksgiving Conference hosted by New Hope Baptist Church in November. Look for the information on the Baptist Faith Missions site and join us if you are able.
In Christ,
John and Judy
John, Judy, Peggy, & Sarah
10/18/2017 – PS: I did not realize that this letter never made it out of my box. The news during the last couple of weeks from the field is good. We also had an enjoyable visit with Sarah Wainright this past Sunday. Besides being a friend and sister in Christ she works diligently to publish and post our news. We thank God for her faithful service.
Temporary Address
John and Judy Hatcher
1901 Shepherd Dr.
Evansville, IN 47715
jmhatcher[at]aol.com
Field Address
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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