Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [August 2015]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil since 1974. Their main ministry is church planting.
August 07, 2015
Dear Friends and Co-laborers,
We greet each of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are so thankful for God’s goodness and grace. We do not cease to be reminded, and Praise God the Father for providing unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. He so graciously supplies our every need and much more; we want to always be grateful and gracious to others even as God has been to us.
There is an update on the new church plant in downtown Manaus. The building is almost complete and plans are being made to start having services the last Sunday of August. The final painting and refurbishing of chairs is under way and all are excited about what God is doing and especially thankful for the provision that the Tabernacle Baptist Church of Manaus has made to complete the project. Pray that many will be saved and added to the church.
Three pastors and a deacon were ordained at Tabernacle Baptist Central in Manaus.
Tabernacle Baptist Central is rejoicing because three pastors and a deacon were ordained to the Gospel Ministry. The church’s senior pastor, Michael Samples, is doing a great job leading the body. They are beginning an additional service in mid August. Pray for them, as the gospel is sown and as leaders are equipped that the kingdom of God shall have great increase in fruit for the glory of God.
We had a great time with Judson and Raquel and the grandchildren. They spent a week with us at the beginning of their time in the States to visit supporting churches. Pray for their travelling safety and that the Lord will open many doors for the presentation of their mission ministry.
We pray for you that your knowledge and remembrance of our Lord, the only true God, may abundantly increase in wisdom and discernment, that your trust and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ may be steadfast always, and that the love of his Holy Spirit may fill and overflow in your every word and action, with thanksgiving to God though Jesus Christ our only Lord and Life. God bless each of you richly through Jesus Christ.
Thanks for your love and support.
Love, Paul and Wanda
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
rphatcher[at]gmail.com
15905 Mercott Court
Clermont, FL 34714
(239)227-6551
Read more
Missionary Update: Mike & Beverly Creiglow in Brazil [August 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.
August 6, 2015
Dear Brethren,
The recovery from the flu has been slow, but I am almost back to normal. We have a new building going up at camp and I have been able to help the crew with that. I went up a couple of days in my jeep and helped haul lumber from out of the jungle. I was even able to help carry some of the beams. The trailer was only able to get so far and we had to carry some very heavy stuff for a couple hundred yards out of the woods. So I guess I am back to the usual self.
We have had a good month at First Baptist. We have held 2 baptism services a month apart. There were 15 and 12 baptized. A good many more have been saved. Attendance has been really good for summer time. In fact one Sunday night we had an overflow crowd in which many could not get into the building. We have been needing to expand for years. God will make that happen in due time. Right now construction is a little far out there as the economy has really gone south. At least we have our new property waiting for the right moment.
One of two baptism groups from the past month at First Baptist of Cruzeiro do Sul.
This month was our annual missions conference. We had most of our missionaries in from the fields. We had three of our men who work in Peru, who managed to get all the way here. José Maia is our Brazilian missionary who works in Tipisca, Peru. Eduardo, who is a Peruvian citizen from the Caxinauá tribe, came in. Then, for the first time, Laureano, who is a Peruvian from the Ashaninka tribe came in. It was so good to have Larueano. I had not seen him for 2 or 3 years. He is one of our first converts from the days when I first started going across the border (about 15 years ago). He takes care of 4 preaching points at the mouth of the Huacapisteia River and up the same river. These are the villages we plan to visit with our medical mission team in October.
Men Present at Annual Preachers Meeting
Our newest missionary family came in, too. Idelvaldo and family were approved last year and were sent to the city of Jordão 5 months ago. They have already had a few people saved. They started meeting in a space in a public school. Then they moved to a covered area at their rented house. Now they have spruced up a “store front” and have a nice big sign up front. They are having about 40 people in services. We already have property to build our first church building. Jordão is one of the 22 “county seats” in the state of Acre. Our goal is to have a solid church planted in every one of them. We have already gotten to seven!
Meal at the annual workers meeting
Last Saturday morning we held our annual preacher’s meeting. There were 84 present. The men had 3 solid hours of practical classes on 5 different topics. It went by so fast. I taught just one of these and had 2 more ready if there had been time. The wives also got together for a lecture from Dr. Suiane. Suiane is one of our medical doctors who goes along on our medical mission trips. She just concluded another missions course and followed that with a month long practical internship in Bolivia. The ladies were thrilled to hear her testimony and teaching. We closed out with a great meal. We had over 150 present for lunch.
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
Read more
Missionary Update: Bobby & Charlene Wacaser [August 2015]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
August 3, 2015
Helping to take care of my father has been quite a different experience from my mission routine of the last 30 years, to say the least. First, I can say that it is a privilege and, in an ironic way, a joy to do it. I’m sad that he has lost so much of the independence and strength that he always displayed, but I truly am thankful for the opportunity to spend large blocks of time in close conversation about the really important matters of life. He has shared with me his testimony of his conversion to Christ and the thoughts and conversations that he and our mother had about how to raise me and my 7 siblings. His strength continues to decline, but his spirit is at peace with God’s will for his remaining time on earth.
Charlene and will be making another trip back to Brazil in September to renew our permanent visas because they will expire before the end of the year. We are scheduling our trip in such a way as to be of the most help to our ministry partners there. I will be teaching at the mission training school of Projeto Vida and will also do some intensive training at our former church. We are looking forward to seeing our Brazilian family for a couple of weeks during that visit.
Projeto Vida had a very busy month of ministry. The Alpha bus, though not quite 100% complete, was back on the highways and took a team of missionaries two states away to aid the ministries of several local churches. The team was very helpful in teaching and encouraging the youth of those churches to heed the call to go to the lost with the gospel. The team taught some innovative ideas for gaining a hearing among one’s own peers and age group. Their own experiences were helpful for these young people to see that evangelism and outreach doesn’t have to be rote, canned or outdated. They stick to the Scriptures in their message, but use creative means to gain a hearing from folks their own age and beyond.
The Logos team was busy in the public schools both near Curitiba and in the state of Minas Gerais, about 15 hours away. This group had the privilege of being instrumental in bringing over 500 people to make a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ. One of the missionaries had the privilege to lead an older couple who had been Catholics all their lives to a personal relationship with Christ. They knew a lot about Jesus, but they had never known how to KNOW Jesus. After hearing the gospel clearly both the man and his wife surrendered their lives to the Lord and were immediately overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness.
There was another man who seemed irreligious who was angry at God because he blamed Him for his son having walked away from the family. The missionary from the Logos team shared the story of the Prodigal Son and explained to the man that all we have behaved like that prodigal son by walking away from God, but that God, like the caring father in the parable patiently and lovingly waits for his lost children to come home. The man understood and embraced the message and surrendered his life to Christ also and was full of gratitude to the missionary for sharing God’s word with him. We are so thankful for our faithful mission teams and to God for guiding and sustaining them. We also thank you for your faithful prayers and support so that we may continue this outreach.
In Christ’s love,
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
Give: Click here to give.
Read more
Missionary Update: Odali & Kathy Barros in Brazil [August 2015]
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.
July 26, 2015
Dear Brothers & Sisters,
We rejoice in the Lord that all is well here and we pray that all is well with each of you. Kathy got back from her trip to the US to see her parents and our children. She had a great time. She really enjoyed the BFM conference in Lexington.
We are really excited with what God is doing here. I have been pastoring the church for a little over a month. God is really working and the people are responding. Before, when services were over the members of the church would leave immediately. It has been wonderful to see them change and just enjoy hanging around and having fellowship. We praise God for this. There were some children that were coming to church with some members of the church. After a while the mother started coming. Then this month the father came. The father got saved after the second time he came. Kathy and I went to visit them. I asked him why he started coming to church. He said that we started to notice a difference in his children, so he wanted to see what made the difference. Last Sunday night I did not have an appeal for salvation at the end of service, but as soon as service was over the children’s mother came to me and said she wanted to be saved. Praise God! At the next midweek service I asked if anyone wanted to be saved and the lady made a public decision. Also another man got saved this month. This last month we have averaged 66 in church. Last Sunday we had 10 people baptized. What a blessing!
The youth group is doing great! We have had to drive two cars to take them to church. Last Sunday night we had to drive 3 cars. We are praying that God will give us a van.
Last letter we mentioned about a group that was going to come and build a church building in one of the communities where we were blessed with a lot given for a mission. Two weeks before the group arrived we had a group of men putting in the foundation. The group that came arrived here on the 9th of July. They stayed here at our place. They started putting up the building on Monday and had walls up, windows in and lights and fans ready to use in four days. They worked hard and did a great job. On Sunday we had an inauguration service. The building was full and 3 people were saved. Kathy and a group of young people are having a children’s program Saturday afternoon. The first day they had 63 kids. Then on Saturday night and Wednesday night we have services. The response has been great. Pray that God will continue to open doors in this city, MUTIRÃO. We want to thank Tabernacle Baptist Church for the lot where the building was built. Also thanks to Judson Hatcher who gave our name to the group that wanted to build a church.
We have talked to the people in Garça these days. They are really excited with their new pastor. They are doing some remodeling in the area where the church meets. It is really great to see how happy they are.
Please continue to pray about the court hearings about the closing of Alpha and Omega because of the accusations that the kids were mistreated. Pray that God will give the Lawyers wisdom as they gather information they need. We thank those that have already been praying for us.
In Christ,
Odali and Kathy
Odali & Kathy Barros
Caixa Postal 1
Iranduba, Amazonas 69.415.000
Brasil, S.A.
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
Blog
Read more
Mission Sheets: July 2015 [PDF Version]
Get your advanced PDF copy of the July 2015 Mission Sheets at the link below!
Read more
Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [August 2015]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
August 1, 2015
Dear Fellow Servants,
We hope that you are enjoying the Lord’s blessings this summer. Many of you are busy with Vacation Bible School and Youth and Family camps. The effort invested in these summer ministries is well worth it. During our lifetime we have seen many come to Christ and mature spiritually through Christian camps and evangelistic outreach to youth.
The month of July was quite busy which makes me happy. On the 4th of July, the annual neighborhood dinner was held. We are very grateful for this gathering because it gives us the opportunity to build relationships, get acquainted with folks and witness. These usually start at about 6pm and continue to 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning. And at the end there is the clean up.
This year I had the opportunity to communicate our reason for believing with two neighbors. One of these is a professed atheist and the other is an agnostic. This is not the exception in France. Our yard is bordered by four other yards. Three of these four immediate neighbors are atheist. However, we have a cordial relationship with all of them. We sow in hope. According to Christ, our behavior is essential in communicating the gospel to these folks. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Good works in this context does not seem to refer to church activities, but serving others for Jesus sake. Daily, we must ask ourselves, “How can I show the love of Christ to this (or that) individual in my actions?” The apostle Paul seems to mean this in the counsel to “walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
Several years ago a new neighbor informed us that she was an atheist. A little while later she said, “You know I don’t believe in God, but we feel so good when you and Judy are around.” And…we did share meals together quite often. These usually included at least one other family. Often, this lady’s husband would say to everyone at the table, “I have just about come to agree with John” and then to me, “John, tell them what you believe.” About four years after meeting them, she invited us to help her celebrate her 50th birthday along with about 70 or 80 people from all over France. Just as everyone was getting ready to dig in, she stopped them and pointing to Judy and me, said, “These are some of our best friends. He is a pastor. John, please say a few words.” Unexpectedly, she called on me to share the gospel with her friends. Not too long before they moved to a neighboring town, she came running over, knocked on the door to tell us, “I want you to know that I now believe in God and that He has worked personally in my life.” From atheism to this point in her life was a stretch of about 10 years. We love what we are doing in France.
Evidence of God at work in new disciples has also been a part of the blessings this month. Many years ago Judy and I started driving weekly to the city of Mazere which is a bit over an hour’s drive each way. The purpose was to have a weekly Bible study with Douceline, a young Christian lady who lived there, and who was very discouraged because she was alone and over an hour’s drive from any church. She has grown in the Lord. She started to invite people she met to the Bible study. Some of them are now saved. She now sees herself as a missionary to this spiritually needy area. About a dozen persons come to the Bible study and she has individual Bibles studies with others. While she was gone on vacation this summer, a couple that has been coming for about two years invited us hold the Bible study in their home. Then another lady who has been coming for about a year invited us to hold the next one at her home and to stay for dinner afterwards. This is one of the individuals with whom Douceline has been having Bible studies investigating the Gospel. This lady who invited us is married to a likable young man who is an atheist. I will include some snapshots of the evening.
Well, I will save the rest for another month. This letter is beginning to look like a journal. Thank you for your regular participation in what God is doing here. We thank God for you daily. May His richest blessings fill your life.
Joyfully sharing the Good News in France,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
Read more
Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [August 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.
August 1, 2015
Dear praying friends,
It is hard to believe that we are already in the month of August. Where has the time in the past year gone? It seems to pass faster and faster each year. Time is one of the most important gifts from God that we have, and how we need to use it wisely for His honor and glory.
We thank the Lord for the opportunities each day that He gives us to serve Him. Service is a privilege. I think of Matthew 20:27-28, which say “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.” What greater example could there be, than our Lord and Savior? Considering all that He has done for us, how could it not be a privilege to serve Him?
Please pray for the Annex prison ministry, as I am at the time of renewal of the prison permit. A permit is needed through the government to continue with this ministry, and I am praying that the Lord will provide this permit in His time and plan. My thoughts have always been to be faithful to this ministry as long as the Lord would have me there. I believe by faith that the permit will be renewed, and would appreciate your prayers as I am in the renewal process. It is all in His hands and I trust Him. The studies are continuing along well, and we are nearly done with the Old Testament and getting ready to move into the New Testament. The men who have been coming seem to be very dedicated and have a heart for the Word of God, which is a definite encouragement. Many of them face many challenges, yet they are faithful to come and study the Word of God. One of my favorite verses on the Bible is Psalm 119:89, which says “For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.” What a comforting verse to cling to throughout our lives.
The village ministry in Robinson is continuing along well. It has been challenging, as many who were coming at the beginning have fallen away. This is to be expected, as it happens anywhere. I think of John 6, where so many were following the Lord for the loaves and fishes and not to truly follow Him. I have been praying that the Lord would bring those who would be there for the right reasons, and Lord willing, to be a good foundation for a future church plant.
My partner Roger Tate and I agree that we need to bring further teachings and do visitation, share the Gospel faithfully, and pray for the Lord’s will to be done in the Robinson area. We would appreciate your prayers also to this end. We desire to be faithful, and leave the results in the Lord’s hands, trusting Him each step of the way. We are currently teaching the group on offerings and the Biblical uses that we see in the Scriptures. It has been good and has brought many questions. As we continue in the teachings of the Word, and pray for His will to be done, may we serve together in a spirit of love and unity. John 13:35 says “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Thank you so much to each one who writes, sends letters, or emails. We appreciate each of you so much. Homesickness is a real challenge that missionaries face, and each caring act is greatly appreciated. Thank you also for your faithful prayer and financial support, and for the faithful example of service that each of you are to us. May God abundantly bless you as you serve Him, wherever He leads.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
Read more
Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [August 2015]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
July 28, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In many of my monthly reports I oftentimes ask you to pray for us and our ministry here in Kenya. This month I want to relate to you the items that I, myself, am fervently praying for concerning our Kenyan ministry. That way you can join me and send your prayers up with mine for the things we are working on here.
First and foremost (ie, the main priority of our ministering here in Kenya), is the starting and forming of new New Testament churches here in the city (town) of Kitale where we live. We are currently working with a new group that meets in the house of Kefa and Matilda and we have been working with this group for a few months. It has has its ebbs and flows, its many visitors who have come for a week or two and then left. The ones who have remained appear solid and seem like they want to really serve the Lord and see the work grow. This is how I am praying for this group: That they might grow spiritually and know Jesus and follow Him on the same road He is walking, that they might reach out to their village with the love and gospel of Jesus Christ, that they might mature enough to be organized into a church, that they would stand on the Word of God instead of on the whims of man, that they would be the hands and feet of Jesus to the villages around them, that they would be led and strengthened in all things by the Holy Spirit, depending upon Him for all things, instead of the missionaries.
Roger and Blessed
For your enjoyment I have included a humorous picture of me and a little girl named Blessed who attends the meetings. Blessed is an orphaned girl who has been taken in by Kefa and Matilda (something which is very unusual in this culture) and I think she has taken a liking to me. Anyway, please don’t look at the picture and think that Roger has lost his mind. Let me explain. I have been teaching the last couple of weeks on the wise use of offerings and on how the early churches used the collections they took up. I showed them that most of the times the early churches in the NT took up collections, the money was used to help the poor and needy or to send missionaries along on their way. As an illustration, I decided that I would act out a conversation between a husband and wife on offerings and giving and how they would like to see a church utilizing the money they donated. To make the illustration memorable to my audience, I purchased some hair in town and whenever I was talking as “the wife” I put the hair on, moved to an adjacent seat and talked in a high, falsetto voice. Then, when I talked as “the husband”, I removed the hair, moved back to my seat and talked in my normal voice. The “conversation” proceeded in this way until my point was made. Blessed got a kick out of me wearing this hair and later put it on herself. Then I put the hair back on myself and snapped the picture you see. I think it’s funny and cute. Julie thinks I look like a hippie and a druggie.
The second item that I am fervently praying about is my ministry up in “the bush” with the Pokot people. I have been praying a lot about this but it seems that at the time God has put things on hold. I think God has things only on a temporary hold and I believe He will once again soon open things back up for me to be able to get back to some of these remote people and villages and spread the gospel and the kingdom of Christ there. The man I work with up there wants us to visit a very remote village behind the mountains where the people still wear animal skins for clothes and have never heard about Jesus before. I pray that we will be able to reach this village, that we will have boldness to preach about God’s love and salvation, that the village would trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior and that a congregation of Jesus would be started in that place.
The last ministry item that I am specifically and fervently praying about concerns a small, local Bible college located here in our town. I have been invited to teach a class at this college and have accepted the invitation. The class I will be teaching is hermeneutics (How to interpret the Bible). This is an extremely important subject in Kenya as many of the pastors, teachers and leaders in the churches know very little about properly interpreting the Bible and end up teaching anything and everything except what the Bible actually teaches. I am thrilled to be able to teach on this topic and hopefully help some of these local, Kenyan pastors teach their people from the Bible in a profitable way. I pray that God would lead me in my own study, that the students would grasp the concepts of Bible interpretation, that they would learn to love God’s Word and want to teach its life giving principles to others, and as a result that many people would hear God’s Word, that they would be saved, and grow to maturity as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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!
Read more
