Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [May 2014]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
May 5, 2014
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Thank you for participating in what God has called us to do here. I thought that it might be good to share with you the latest Good News buzz in our town. Perhaps, the question has arisen in your mind, “How does one go about reaching people in a place where there is not already a church?” Actually, it is not terribly different from the way you reach people where there is already a church.
From scriptures you might remember the training from the Lord, “I have come that you may have life….Go…seeking…the kingdom of heaven is like…” The Apostle Paul wrote, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some”. About Paul in Athens, Luke writes, “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.” Peter writes, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”.
In a country where 50% of the people are atheists you can invite people to “church” until you are blue in the face and you will get little if no results. In their mind, anyone who believes that God created the world is an idiot, and any intellectual arguments to the contrary will convince them that you are an idiot. Blind people to not see and deaf people to not hear. Spiritually, they are willingly blind, deaf or have been programed by their environment to think this way. They are positive that they are right. Any Christian arguments on the internet to the contrary is to them simply a display of close minded stupidity. But, God has placed us here as light and salt. We are living letters and God has chosen to use his people as an instrument through which He, the Great Physician works to remove the veil and give a hunger and thirst for living water, just as Jesus demonstrated by the well in Samaria. His love, active in us, is the primary means that the Holy Spirit uses to make people receptive to the Gospel.
So, you are saying what is the latest buzz in Tournefeuille? Please cut to the chase.
About 6 months ago new neighbors moved in across the street. To greet and befriend them, Judy took a platter of homemade blueberry muffins. They loved them and so, a new relationship started. I will not try to detail everything that the Lord has used in the last 6 months, but the latest event happened on Friday afternoon two weeks ago. The neighbor knocks on our front door and asked if I had anything they could use to cut a branch. As I went to get what I had, he said, “Come over. I want you to see why we need it.”
A bit earlier in the day, his wife was struck with terror when a large swarm of bees buzzed over her head and took up lodging in a branch of a tree in their back yard. She called the firehouse. They told her call a bee keeper. She found one in the phone book and called him. He needed the branch cutters to be able to cut and maneuver the giant swarm to his hive box.
I trusted the Lord to keep me and for the first time in my life worked among the bees with the keeper while the neighbors took pictures. A three hour interaction took place as the bee keeper urged the bees to the box and as we waited for them to all move in to their new abode. During this time we talked about the marvels of God’s creation and a number of important subjects. We forged a new friendship with the bee keeper and cultivated the friendship we already have with the neighbors. This is similar to the way we have made friendships with others who now regularly attend or have professed faith in Christ.
In summary, God placed us here and uses your support to keep us here. He brings events that open doors. We pray for God to open doors, touch the hearts of our acquaintances and enable us to see what He is doing as we open our eyes and look on the multitudes who are wandering around us like sheep without a shepherd. Through these contacts we are able to move from physical human needs to spiritual needs and the Living Water. Everyday is exciting, especially if you have thousands of bees swarming around you.
Please, pray for our neighborhood dinner which takes place on June 7th. Also, some of our new neighbors have asked us to host a regular “English Club” for their children. Friendships with the families of several of the teens now coming to youth meetings were cultivated through a similar “English Club” for young children. And, watch with eager eyes for the latest buzz from God in your area!
[And after reading, you will definitely want to see these bees in action and hear them buzz! Click the link to see the Bees in France Video!]
With you in the service of the Lord,
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 Radfords on Furlough from Kenya [May 2014]
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.
May 5, 2014
Dear praying friends,
As I write this prayer letter, my mind is already thinking to about a month from now, when Lord willing, we will be boarding a plane to head back to Nairobi and our life in Kenya. It is hard to believe that our furlough here in the States is almost over. It seems like just a few weeks ago that we were heading back to America. It is honestly amazing how quickly time passes.
Please pray for us and the upcoming term. There is a lot to pray about. Please pray for our family and the adjustments ahead. Our daughters will now have to be in an adjustment phase of their lives, and we will all need time to adjust back to life in a different country thousands of miles away from our home country. We will probably face some issues of “reverse culture shock,” which basically is adjusting back to a different country and ways of doing things. We go through “culture shock” when coming back to America after living overseas for many months, then go through “reverse culture shock” when returning. So, it is always some form of cultural shock and adjustments.
The Lord will help us through it all, I am confident. We trust in Him, pray to Him, and rely on Him through all these challenges. I like Jeremiah 23:23-24, which states “Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.” It is wonderful to know that God is near, not afar off, and will help us each step of the way.
Please pray for the country of Kenya, the people there that we desire to serve and reach, and for us through the daily challenges. We thank the Lord so much for each one of you who prays for us, gives sacrificially, and has partnered with us in any way to reach the people of Kenya. You mean more to us than you will ever know and we are so thankful to you.
I will do my best to give you a current update once upon arrival back to Kenya, Lord willing. The main thing to pray for at this time is what I have previously mentioned and our upcoming trip across the world. Traveling with children is a challenge, so we would covet your prayers for that also. We appreciate each of you so much and will keep you updated. Take care and God bless you.
Serving in Kenya,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
315 College Street
Youngsville, PA 16371
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [May 2014]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I look around at the Kenyan culture and I notice all of the unbiblical aspects that need changing. I see corrupt government officials who only want to fill their own pockets and not work for the people. I see corrupt police officers who terrorize the people and work only for bribes. Dependency and paternalism are rampant. Lies and deception are an every day part of society. Street boys who sniff glue run the streets. Thousands of babies are abandoned every year leading to millions of orphans. HIV and AIDS a regular part of society.
Now, to prevent you from thinking I am blind to my own culture, I also see the sinful behaviors of our own culture in the United States. Homosexuality accepted. Millions of babies aborted. Materialism. Unwed mothers. Drunkenness. Pornography. Traditional family degraded. Apathy in the churches.
Do you see any common threads between the problems in the two cultures? I do. In fact, I’m sure I would see it in whatever culture I looked at. The problem is the absence of the Lord Jesus Christ. The world sees different solutions to the problems. They throw more money at the problem. More education. More training. More government. More whatever. And yet, the only thing that will really help either culture is more Jesus and more people following the Savior. I could try different approaches here in Kenya. I could rally the people to hold their government officials more accountable and write articles for the newspaper condemning the taking of bribes. I could teach people to work and live honest, decent lives instead of looking to the West for aid. I could run a street boy ministry or an orphanage. There would be lasting value in that for sure. I could educate people about HIV and AIDS, even sharing with them the only sure-fire way of avoiding these diseases (which is total abstinence of sexual relationships outside of the bonds of marriage). Yes, I could do all of those things but they make no lasting impact or change without people learning about and following the Savior. This is why we are here in Kenya. Not to make social change. Not to end poverty. Not just to show people a better way of living. I don’t mind doing all of this. However, we are really here to teach people how to love and follow Jesus. He is the only one that can make lasting change into the hearts and lives of people. No social program or action plan will amount to anything without the hearts of sinners being captured by the love of Jesus Christ. Our program? Share the gospel. Teach the Word of God. Point people to Jesus. Organize churches. Pray that the Holy Spirit would make changes to hearts and lives. This is where real change will take place. I hope this is what you’re doing back in the States as well.
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)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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Missionary Update: Odali & Kathy Barros in Brazil [May 2014]
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.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We praise God for all the things that He has done the last couple of months. As we mentioned in our last letter, we were visiting the communities that are within an hour or two from where we live. After going several places, we have finally found several places to work. One of the communities is called Ubim. There were a couple of adults who used to go to the church where my brother is pastor. They moved to this community. While we were there visiting the town, we asked some people if they knew these people. Praise God, the first person we asked knew them and where they lived. We went to their home to visit them and ask them if they would like to have services in their home. They said, “Sure you can have services here.” Praise God!
While we were visiting one day, I decided to go by the school and see if there was a possibility of using the school building for some special program. Well, was I surprised when I talked to the principal. Said, “Sure, and it would be great if you could do something for the kids in school. You can come every Thursday if you want and stay from 9:00 to 11:00 am.” We will have our first program with them next week. We are really excited. There are 300 kids in the school from 1st grade to 8th grade. We will start working with 180 kids from 1st to 4th grade. There are some kids that come to the service we have on Monday that go to that school. We are really excited and looking forward to what God is going to do in this community. This community is right off the river, a highway on one side and the Amazon River on the other. On the river side you go to an Indian village. Toe this village you have to be invited or have permission from the chief. The chief´s daughter has been to one of our services. Also, we visited another community farther away. We had visited it before and were checking to see if they had a Baptist church. There is no Baptist church but we did find a Baptist man who wants to have services is his home. God has just done so many wonderful things. We are already making plans to get started there.
This month we also helped at my brother’s church with a fundraiser. They are trying to finish the church building. The building they use does not belong to the church and they need to move. The fundraiser went well and the raised $ 3,000 dollars. They were all very excited. We were glad we could be of help to the church.
We thank all of you for your prayers and for your financial support. Please continue to pray for us as we work in these new places that God will direct us each step of the way, and that many may come to know the Lord and Savior. God bless each of you!
In Christ,
Odali, Kathy
Titus, Jonas and Gabriel
Odali & Kathy Barros
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
Blog
Manaus, Brasil, SA
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2014 Spring Conference [Wednesday Evening]
The Spring Conference came to a close tonight with a renewed sense that today is still indeed the day of salvation.
The final session opened with two congregationals: O Worship the King and Come Thou Fount followed by two specials: Compassion Hymn and I’m Feeling Fine, and one more congregational: Sweet By & By.
Director Dave Parks reminded us that the real test of whether a conference has been good is what we do when we go back home. He then offered thanks to and for all those who had helped with the conference and to all those who came. [And if she may interject, Phoebe here would like to extend a ginormous special thanks to Bro. Parks for all he gives and does to keep everything running so smoothly and for always doing every single task with such zeal. How blessed we are to have you serve.]
The Keyes also blessed us again in song as the offering was given.
Dr. Jim Scott Orrick, Professor of Literature and Culture at Boyce College, brought the final message from 1 Corinthians 15:12-28 about the necessity of believing in Christ’s Resurrection. If you take the resurrection of Christ out of Christianity, you no longer have Christianity.
Dr. Orrick said he often asks his students “What is the bare minimum we must believe in order to be a Christian?” He said that it is possible to believe all orthodox doctrines and still be lost. Salvation does not come by believing the right stuff, it comes to those who receive the living Christ. There is one doctrine you must believe: the Resurrection. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
If Jesus was not raised from the dead, all we have left is a doctrinal system and ethical system with a smoky smell of Christianity.
I. What if Jesus was not raised? (vs. 14)
A. Then our preaching is in vain. (vs. 15-16)
If Christ hasn’t been raised from the dead, then you’ve got nothing to talk about.
B. Then our faith is in vain.
1. You are still in your sins.
Christ not being raised indicates that God was not pleased with His sacrifice.
2. All that was needed to happen for your salvation was not taken care of with His suffering alone. Your salvation requires the ongoing intercession for you. “Before the throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea, A great high Priest whose Name is Love Who ever lives and pleads for me.” We are forgiven because before the throne of God, there is a living Man.
“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (vs. 19) But do we really feel that way? We often love the world too much. We live as if we are creatures of this world when we should be living as sons and daughters of the King who have been reconciled to God! (Matthew 13:45-47; Psalm 73)
Christ is representing. He is the firstfruits, which means more will be raised. (vs. 20)
Since this whole mess was started by a man, this whole mess will be corrected by a Man. His resurrection guarantees your resurrection. (vs. 21-23)
He’s not only representing, He is also reigning. He’s putting down all rule, authority and power. He’s already dealt a death blow to death. Christians still fail physically–they die–but, your spirit will never see death. He is going to destroy the last whimpering remnants of death!
With His resurrection ringing in your ear, hear Him say the following:
“All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
And with these truths, commands, and promises ringing fresh in our ears and taking lodging in our hearts, the 54th Annual Spring Conference came to a close as we sang “Hear the Call of the Kingdom.”
May we be swift to remember that today is the day of salvation and never fail to introduce anyone to our wonderful Savior.
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2014 Spring Conference [Wednesday Morning]
The final day of the Spring Conference began in an overcast, chilly Lexington at 9:30 Wednesday morning.
John Hatcher, missionary to Brazil, opened the morning session by sharing some of his experiences in ministry and how the Lord has blessed them and then shared some Scripture. “Through many dangers, toils, and snares…’tis grace has brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.”
John 1:1-5, 14; 14:1-2, 36; 1 John 3:1-2-Oh how God loves us.
God will provide and He is still providing.
Romans 12:1-2
Darrell Messer, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Bellbrook, Ohio, brought the second message from 1 Peter 3, mainly focusing on verse 15.
This is the problem: how involved are we in the day of salvation?
1) Sanctification: “But” goes back to vs. 13-14 which is why we are to set Him apart.
2) Preparation: Be ready. Spend time with God. Know how to answer.
3) Presentation: To give an answer. Get in the Word.
4) Anticipation: A hope that transcends this life. Speak with meekness and fear, not with arrogance.
We don’t witness because of fear of men or because our life doesn’t match our witness. (vs. 16)
Larry Fisher, Pastor of Rosedale Baptist Church in Rosedale, West Virginia delivered the final message before another delicious lunch from 2 Corinthians 6.
“Then” working together with Him. All is nothing without Him. “Without Me you can do nothing.” We are not working to win the battle, the battle is one.
“Succoured” in verse 2 means to go to the aid or lift up. He helps us. He has said “do not receive the grace of God in vain.” This must mean we can receive the grace of God in vain. He has given us the time to work. Now is the accepted time, behold now is the time of salvation. Blind Bartimaeus knew the time was now for him to receive his sight.
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2014 Spring Conference [Tuesday Evening]
The 54th Annual Spring Conference continued this evening at Thompson Road Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. We were all thankful to be worshipping inside as it was raining and starting to get a bit chilly outside!
♪ Bro. Donnie Hamilton led the congregation in “Love Lifted Me” and in a new song by the Gettys called “Hear the Call of the Kingdom”. [You can listen here.] ♪
♪ Shirley Messer and Heather Messer Carrus sang “The Power of the Cross” just before the message. ♪ Took the blame, bore the wrath, we stand forgiven at the cross! ♪
Bro. Jim Orrick, Director of BFM, gave a history of the beginnings of BFM. Bro. Orrick has been at every Spring Conference since they started in 1961 (except for one when he had fallen off a ladder and broken his hip, but he still received a phone call from the pulpit so his perfect attendance would stay in tact!).
You can’t read the Bible without seeing that God has a heart for missions. In fact, God was a missionary. “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son…” –Galatians 4:4 // John 3:17
BFM has been in existence for 72 years. Hundreds of churches have been established and are still functioning all over the world.
It all began in the land of Brazil. Before BFM came along, at the end of the Civil War, some in the South decided to move to Brazil. A Confederate officer who had moved there with his family ended up returning to the States and wrote an article about the need for missionaries in Brazil. A man named William Bagley read the article and heeded the call, arriving in Brazil in 1881. He also wrote articles about the need for missionaries in Brazil, which were read by E.A. Nelson in Kansas. Nelson went to Brazil in 1891. With the help of Solomon Ginsberg, a saved Jewish man who was a missionary, they organized a church in 1897 and the first Baptist converts were baptized in the Amazon River. In 1900, Nelson organized the First Baptist Church of Manaus.
Meanwhile, in western Kentucky, a very mission-minded pastor, Boyce Taylor, had founded the Western Kentucky Bible Institute. His brother, WC Taylor, shared with him about “poor old Nelson” who was all alone down in the Amazon Valley. In 1922, WC went to Brazil and upon his return, the First Baptist Church of Murray, Kentucky, organized the Amazon Valley Baptist Faith Mission with the purpose to raise support for E.A. Nelson and any other preacher called to the Amazon. They raised $3,000 to buy a boat they called “The Buffalo”–it was the first oil-burning oil boat on the Amazon River.
In 1936, LM Bratcher (Harold’s uncle) went on a river trip with Nelson where Nelson became very ill and had to return to Manaus. He died in 1939 and all the stores in Manaus closed for his funeral.
The Amazon Valley BFM had sent out 8 missionary couples, but only 2 of them had stayed on the field any length of time. The first was Joseph Brandon who went to Brazil in 1923. He organized the first Baptist Church in all of the Acre Territory, where Bro. Mike Creiglow is now.
Brandon changed sponsoring churches often and ended up losing his support. He met with HH Overbey and ZE Clark and they agreed if Brandon would go back to Brazil, they would raise support for him. HH Overbey promised to print monthly mission letters. This was the beginning of BFM.
There were 30 copies printed of the first Mission Sheet in which the offerings were recorded (a grand total of $14.50 for the first month).
The second missionary was RP Hallum who went to Peru with his family in 1935. They were supported by leftover funds in the Amazon Valley BFM at First Baptist in Murray. In 1937, they organized the First Baptist Church of Iquitos with 11 members, the oldest Baptist Church in Peru.
There have been many missionaries who have served in different countries over the years, including a native missionary in Columbia, a family in Honduras, the Carvers in Korea, 3 families in the Philippines, in addition to our current missionaries who are serving in Brazil, France, Kenya, and Peru.
Our missionary family has not been large, but their service has been long and their faithfulness has been great.
In closing, Bro. Orrick mentioned four things churches can do to help BFM.
1) Invite the missionaries into your churches when they’re home so you can get to know them.
2) Encourage people to read the Mission Sheets.
3) Promote offerings, special offerings, and projects
4) Give Memorial Offerings when people pass away
♪ Following the first message, we sang “Send the Light” and then the conference offering was given as Bro. Stanley & Sis. Emily Keyes from Illinois ministered in song through trombone, piano, and voice. ♪ O What Love ♪ (Lyrics)
There was a record number of BFM-associated families who were present and we recognized their years of sacrifice and faithful service. Missionary families represented included the Turners, Lauermans, Bratchers, Hatchers, Creiglows, Adams, Drapers, and Radfords.
♪ Wanda Hatcher, missionary to Brazil, sang a beautiful version of ‘Tis So Sweet, part of which was in Portuguese.
Paul Hatcher, missionary to Brazil, brought the second message from John 17. He started by reminding us that it’s all about sowing and plowing, and sowing and plowing, and sowing and plowing, and eventually, there will be a harvest.
The Gospel has to be put out there and sown day after day. Even in all of our goof-ups and mess-ups, God has taken all of these things and has made it work. The Gospel has been sown and God makes it produce. From Christ to our day, people have been sowing and reaping and sowing and reaping. So here we are, sowing and reaping. And since we are sowing and reaping, there will be another generation who will sow and reap. The work doesn’t depend on us though–our Heavenly Father makes it all grow.
No one will come to salvation without knowing the Son. People have to hear about and be introduced to this wonderful Jesus.
How marvelous that He would choose to dwell in earthly vessels like you and me.
God loves sinners who don’t have anything to return. Our world is reciprocal and the love of the world is reciprocal. Give to them and they give to you. But that is not God’s love. His love is love because He loves. It is His nature to love.
Our unity, which is a product of our love, is what will convince the world that Christ has come. “I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved Me.” -John 17:21
What do you have that is different? God became a man and lives inside of you!
The day of salvation has arrived because you have arrived. But it’s not because of anything you have–but because HE dwells within you.
We ended the evening by singing, “Jesus, I am Resting”.
♪ Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed! ♪
We hope you can join us tomorrow! [Schedule]
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2014 Spring Conference [Tuesday Morning]
The second day of the 54th annual BFM Spring Missions Conference began at 9:30 a.m.
John Divito from the Midwest Center for the Theological Studies shared about why MCTS exists (2 Timothy 2:2), what MCTS is, what MCTS offers, and how God is using MCTS. You can find out more about MCTS at www.mctsowensboro.org.
Christopher Young then shared his burden for the mission field in Cancun, Mexico.
Nathan Radford, missionary to Kenya, concluded the morning session with Psalm 116:2 and Matthew 9:36-38. He shared about the benefits he was thankful for, their ministries, and also the challenges of the mission field (loneliness, homesickness, cultural fatigue, slander lies, and discouragement).
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