Bluegrass Baptist Seminary Adding PhD Program
November 20, 2023
Dear friends and family,
This month we made a trip to Brazil to attend a missions conference. We were granted the privilege of telling about the Bluegrass Baptist Seminary to over 200 Pastors and Missionaries from various countries. We had a wonderful time and the Lord we serve was AWESOME with His presence there. It was even better than we had prayed for in that we got to talk to everyone there and many were interested in participating in Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. For example, there was a missionary from Argentina and they have a Seminary there in Argentina, and want all 15 of their teachers/Pastors to enroll in Bluegrass Baptist Seminary’s Master’ s program. Many of their Pastors/ teachers have completed a four-year Seminary but their schools are not accredited; but for a window of time they can take a State course to get that training accredited, and that is important because we require an accredited diploma to enroll in our Master’s program.
Also present was one of the lead pastors from Temple Baptist Church in São Paulo City and we got to sit down with him and plan another graduation for the pastors there in São Paulo. Nine of them have finished their thesis and are now ready to receive their diplomas. It will be a grand ceremony for the Master’s of Pastoral Ministries, which is only given to pastors. AWESOME!
Also in January 2024 we will be initiating into Bluegrass Baptist Seminary an accredited Ph. D program. AWESOME IS THE GOD WE SERVE!!!! NOTE: we already have two students ready to enroll, one of which is a missionary to the Jews in São Paulo City.
We were able to set up a table with all our information about the Seminary and the classes for the coming year. The classes begin in January. Our family there in Caraguatatuba were a big help in manning the tables and talking to those interested in the Seminary.
As you know, it has been an uphill battle to get this Seminary running. Many prayers, tears and much sweat and dedication of our professors (all of whom are doctors and PHDs and are from the USA). These Professors donate their time as a gift to the Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. THANKS!!!
All this being said, it would have not been possible without Baptist Faith Missions and all of the AWESOME people who give regularly and pray for the missionaries and the works of Baptist Faith Missions.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
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Enhancements to Seminary Classes
October 16, 2023
Dear friends and family,
Sometimes I sound like a repetitive bell ringing. However, with the addition of the PhD program, we are encountering some changes that are needed in the curriculum. So, what is going on now? We are working on changes that are better suited for the enhancement of our NEW program addition (PhD).
Mainly our Greek and Hebrew classes are to be changed to be a more basic structure and we will also be adding an additional class to our Master of Divinity program. The class will be the Dead Sea Scrolls.
An exciting sidenote and a prayer request we are going to attempt to include Africa in our program. This will be done completely by Zoom. We will probably be doing just a certificate in the beginning then grow into being accredited. The problem we are facing is that we require an official bachelor’s degree for entrance into the Master’s program if accreditation for the class is wanted. Otherwise, we can only give a certificate of completion for the course.
All things great and small have a small beginning. Pray for the seminary to be able to assist many more Pastors in their quest for better information (Biblical training and education) to better reach their respective areas with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. AWESOME is the Lord we serve.
As Barbara and I are traveling at the end of this month and through November to Brazil, please pray for us and for the Pastor’s Conference and the meetings for the Seminary.
Also pray for Israel the Hebrew Nation.
We are anticipating the year 2024 to be an AWESOME year!!!! Prayer makes all things possible.
In His Service,
AJ and Barb
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Influencing Pastors & Churches through Seminary
September 15, 2023
Dear friends and family,
I am rejoicing in the Seminary classes that have been taught. We are in the planning stage for next year’s classes while our final semester is beginning this week.
This November will be extremely busy for us as the Seminary, Pastor Derek and myself, and many others will be involved in a Missionary/Pastor Conference with around 200 Pastors and families in attendance. We will be presenting the Seminary, the classes that have been accomplished, our accreditation through the Masters Program and what will be added this coming year: an accredited PhD Program! How AWESOME is the God we serve.
As of now the Seminary has graduated 23 to the Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies and Masters of Arts in Pastoral Ministries.
However, we have also completed several classes in Pastoral Ministries where the students received a certificate of completion. These students just wanted to be better trained and informed Biblically.
This week I heard from one of these students. He is now the pastor of one of the mission points that we started. At the time, this man was just a member of that mission point in Natividade da Serra. And wanted to learn more about God’s Word. This mission point has since been organized into a church. Israel was voted to be the pastor and his wife Joyce is making a wonderful pastor’s wife. The letter I received this week from them was thanking us for the influence and the encouragement given to him. You never know how your words impact those you speak to. I am including pictures of the church there in Natividade da Serra. This type of letter helps to keep me in focus the objective for the seminary to take basic evangelical seminary training to the underserved pastors and church leaders in Brazil. God is moving and opening doors for the seminary. We are looking to open more locations in the coming years. Please keep Bluegrass Baptist Seminary in your prayers. Also pray for Baptist Faith Missions because if it were not for them, we would not be in Brazil doing God’s work. Keep us in your prayers also as we will be traveling a lot in the next months.
In His service,
AJ and Barbara
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
The Awesome God of Miracles
August 15, 2023
Dear friends and families,
This semester of the Seminary is going great. We are having smaller numbers, but God is in control. There have been 15 in the classes and the interest in the advanced degree is growing. One of Dr. Derek’s classes had a Pastor whose wife was pregnant; the baby came but there were complications, and the baby did not make it, but the Pastor came to class anyway. The Pastor said, “I just need this class”. But I can tell you the class was not only good for him, but the students were blessed with encouragement from each other.
Our time in Brazil was well spent visiting different churches and seeing people from our past. But there was a miracle that happened while were there. Our youngest granddaughter Ashley has been suffering from food intolerances. There were two or three pages of food that she could not eat because she would vomit. So just before we got to Brazil, there was a birthday celebration at church and Ashley begged to eat one of the foods that she had not eaten for two and a half years, so her mom permitted it. We were just waiting for the normal reaction from eating non-permitted food, but the normal reaction did not come. So, she began eating everything she had been missing for so long. You know, we had been asking God for a miracle and He sent us one. So next, we started waiting for her to get sick again. You know…why do we ask for something then doubt when He gives it to us?
God is the AWESOME God of miracles, and we were able to witness one this trip.
Continue to pray for the Seminary and for our traveling to Brazil.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
God at Work in Garça
July 18, 2023
Dear friends and family,
As Barbara and I are traveling here in Brazil the climate is very different. In São Paulo City it is somewhat warm, in Caraguatatuba it is a little bit cooler but comfortable; however, in Garça…woah! — it is very cold! So, we had to find jackets, 2or 3 shirts, and other clothes that helped with the cold, and we are not yet done with our traveling. I was just not ready for this cold weather. We are planning to go to Rio de Janiero where we will present our Seminary. We will encounter a different part of Brazil, so we do not know how the climate will be.
While in Garça we were able to renew some old friendships and acquaintances. Boy how some of them have changed. (ha ha). However, the biggest surprise was when I preached Sunday night. This was the first “almost full” church I have been in since COVID. God is still at work and on His throne. Pastor Surgeno is the Pastor of the Church on the site of the Orphanage where the Alpha and Omega Home was located. Now for another blessing in this meeting: I encountered 7 of the young men who were in our charge while we worked in the Orphanage. Talk about changes! These young men were…beautiful (for lack of a better word)—and I am talking about inside and out. In their midst were some who were married with families, some were professionals, but the most gratifying was that all of them were active in the church, leading the music, playing instruments, and bringing their family to church. These young men all had jobs and were going about the business of raising a family and serving God. Just how AWESOME can things get! These were “our boys” at the orphanage and they still called me “Pa”. You can’t imagine the pleasure that this brought to my heart.
And then I get to preach and I am on a cloud. This was probably one of the most pleasurable messages I have had the pleasure of preaching and one of the pleasures was that my granddaughter Chelsea translated for me. You talk about the Holy Spirit working—what a night. Forget the cold, God is at work!!!
Not all is wonderful—I got the “grippe”. For those of us who don’t live in Brazil, that is a cold. So I got cold medicine and cough syrup, and got back on the road. It is an all-day drive back it Caraguatatuba.
Planning several meetings and another message or two after Garça. I am still on a cloud—between preaching and telling about the Seminary, I feel 48 years old again. God is AWESOME, WONDERFUL, AMAZING; there are just not enough adjectives to describe our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God is good all the time and all the time God is good!!
Pray for us as we travel, for our health and safety.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
New Plans for the Seminary
June 2, 2023
Dear friends and family,
Thank you, Lord, the COVID disaster is over. Now we can begin to get back to the planning of the Seminary. As with many ministries along with many churches, the job ahead of us is an uphill battle but we serve an AWESOME God and He is able to make things happen.
In all of the re-organizing of Bluegrass Baptist Seminary, we have a plan—then some things change. We are getting closer and closer to the structure we are desiring and praying for.
So here goes our “now” plan! In two years, a student in Brazil can complete a Masters (accredited) in Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. The degrees are the same: a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministries. A person can also elect to take all the courses for their own self edification and receive a certificate of completion for the courses they chose to take.
I pray all the time for these saints who choose to understand God’s truths in Scriptures and build God’s kingdom in Brazil through the local church.
These last two months have been a lot of telephone work getting classes organized for this year and the next year. Four of the professors we have for the classes are PhDs and the other two are Doctors. We also have two adjunct professors if needed. How AWESOME is He who puts His plans in motion. Along with these Professors we have three translators and one more for back up as needed.
All the classes are approved and planned for this year and next year. These classes will be done via Zoom with the exemption of the Greek and the Hebrew classes which will be taught on site in São Paulo City and one other location to be determined at a later date. And now for some AWESOME news: we have been approved to start a PhD program for the year 2024. At this time, I do not have all the details, but as we get them we will be passing them along to you. But for now, we invite you to rejoice with us for this blessing for the Brazilian students.
Thank each and every one of you who keep us at God’s throne for our safety and health. God has been faithful in all things. We are hoping to go to Brazil in July if God wills. Right now, we are waiting for our renewed passports, so pray with us for this. We have some people to see and places to go so we hope we are permitted.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
The Many Hats I’ve Worn
April 24, 2023
Dear friends and family,
As I look back over the past years in Brazil, I think of the many hats I have worn. In the beginning, my hat was just helper to Aj and to Kathy with the children. Then we purchased the building where we all assumed the care of one corridor with all the children decided. At this time, my hat was that of mother and all we moms know that a mom wears MANY hats. First is the caregiver and the one who gives the love to all. There is the nurse hat when one of your ten to fifteen boys is sick and you sit up all night rocking him. Also, the nurse when the boys get into fights and you are left to give out Band-Aids to all. One of my hats was a water carrier hat. That is when you call them to get up for school and they sleep right through it, so I guess that hat is the firefighter hat because the water somehow gets on the sound sleepers.
Then there was the was the wash woman hat on wash day when you gather up dirty clothes for all of the boys and begin wash day. Some days the biggest part was washing on the scrub board their “million dirty socks”. Then the pile in the living room floor to fold and separate their clothes. Also, the confidant hat where you get to give advice and hope and pray that they will listen and obey.
For the first five years, those and many more were my hats. Then we moved to another location where we were working to begin another orphanage, but the town we chose did not want Americans taking care of their children because they did not want people to think they were not doing a good job. I was Sunday School teacher, neighborhood all-around listener and adviser. So, because we could not get permission from the politicians we were forced to move to another location.
Here I stepped right into the role of youth leader and also young children teacher. The church where we began helping had a large children’s ministry and there, I fit right in and worked with the children in the church and outside of the church. So, when we started our last church, I worked in the women’s ministry and the children’s ministry.
So, as you can see, God has used me in all kinds of areas, but what is so interesting is when I look back on my own childhood and youth, I see how He was preparing me to be the wife of a missionary and to do all the things He brought me to.
My life has been a full and fulfilling one and I have enjoyed every twist and turn. I could not think of not having done any part of it. I give thanks to God for every part of it. And I look forward to everything He will bring to me to do in the future. As Aj would say, “WHAT AN AWESOME GOD WE SERVE!!!”
Thank each and every one of you who pray for Aj and I and for the ones who financially support through Baptist Faith Missions. Without your faithful support we could not do all that you enable us to do.
THANK YOU.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara Hensley
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Reorganizing Seminary Classes
March 17, 2023
Dear friends and family,
It is great to report that the Seminary is going great. We are in the middle of doing two classes now and when those are completed, we will do two more. This will be our spring semester. For the fall semester we will have four more classes for a total of eight classes for the year.
The difference with these classes is that they are being done via zoom. In years past that would not even have been thought of, let alone been possible. Also, we are planning to have not only the zoom classes but along with the zoom classes, we will have one of our professors on site at a local church for one of these four classes each semester. That puts a more personal touch on these classes.
We are reorganizing our classes so a student in Bluegrass Baptist Seminary can complete their master’s degree in two years. Some ripples will be encountered, so pray for the students, the professors, and us as we implement these changes. The same degrees will be offered: Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministries, Master of Arts in Biblical Studies. These degrees are with accreditation. Continue to pray for the Seminary and the students. As we look at all that is happening with Bluegrass Baptist Seminary all I can say is, “Our God is an AWESOME God”!
We are planning to be in Brazil either in July or August for a major Pastoral Conference where we can introduce more Pastors to Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. We are just waiting for the time and place to be announced so we can buy our tickets. There we will be able to talk to some of the Pastors who are presently taking the courses and continue encouraging them. And of course we could not go to Brazil without visiting the grandbabies. God gave us the best for last when he gave us our three grands!!!
When we started Bluegrass Baptist Seminary, I had a dream. We have been able to complete a part of that dream so now on to the next part. My dream, wish, prayer was to train the Pastors of Brazil and then because of that training, use some of those graduates to start a four-year Seminary of their own. God is faithful to answer prayers. He is AWESOME!!! I am pleased to tell you that God has put that dream to work. Some of the previous graduates have opened that seminary. The name of it is ETEBABI. They will be using some of the material that Pastor Derek Coleman wrote for Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. They will be able to piggyback on some of our zoom classes to help enhance their curriculum. We serve a God of AWESOME capabilities.
Continue to pray for us as we carry God’s Word to Brazil and for those who help in our support through Baptist Faith Missions.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
