New Missions Trainees, New Believers, New Beginnings
January 29, 2026
Dear Friends,
Our Missionary Training Seminar hasn’t concluded yet, but I needed to get this letter out. This time around, we have 17 first-time trainees and 2 repeat participants. We spent the first two weeks in Bible study and theological application to missions, then this week, all our Projeto Vida missionaries and the 19 trainees are ministering in an isolated coastal village several hours away, sharing the gospel with the villagers there. Our team, with the trainees, has already had multiple opportunities to put into practice what was learned throughout the teaching portion of the seminar. Since we haven’t concluded yet, I can’t give a final count on how many people came to know the Lord, but we’re certain that the gospel has been shared numerous times by every participant, and we know of several personal professions of faith in Christ.
There are some things that we are sure of as a result of this seminar, even though it is still ongoing. The Lord is being honored by the obedience to His commission to preach the gospel to every creature. Secondly, the biblical studies that were given to the participants conveyed the word of God, and He Himself said that His word would not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11), neither in the lives of the students, nor among the hearers in the village where they are preaching and speaking. Thirdly, and this we’ve learned from experience, the majority of the participants will be positively changed for the rest of their lives. Once they see how the Lord uses their willing use of their talents and gifts, their life is set on a new course of taking advantage of the opportunities to testify of God’s grace and salvation. I thank the Lord for the privilege that he gives us to have a part in what He is doing in the lives of this group.
There were quite a few conversions to Christ through the gospel drama programs that were given during the holiday season. Now, our church leaders are beginning a new round of discipleship training with these new “babes in Christ”. We are thrilled with the growth and excitement that new life in the churches brings. As always, new growth brings new challenges as well. But we would much rather deal with those challenges than with the staleness that accompanies no growth. God will guide and provide throughout the process, as He always does.
Charlene and I want to thank you who pray for us so faithfully. We see His blessings, and we know that they come as an answer to those prayers. We are grateful.
May the Lord richly bless you throughout 2026.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Contact Info:
Bobby & Charlene Wacaser
Currently Stateside ministering to Brazil
Phone: (813) 501-9328
E-mail: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.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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Sixty Years of Faithfulness: Urgently Carrying the Gospel Forward with the Next Generation in Brazil & Peru
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.
January 29, 2026
Dear Brethren,
Greetings from flooded Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil. I admit: We are better off than most of you. It is easier to deal with our floods than the winter you are going through. We are praying for you.
Today is a pretty special day to me. On January 29, 1966 I gave up the 2 week fight with the Holy Spirit and surrendered to His call to the ministry of the Gospel. I was only 17 at the time. Now I am 77 years old and 60 years into this adventure. Still preaching the same message in the same place, but with renewed urgency.
Although I have visited a few more of our works, the highlight was a trip to Foz do Breu (border between Brazil and Peru) and to our mission work at Tipisca, Peru. Two of my faithful co-workers, Rondisson and Carlos went with me. These men are part of a wider group of men who have stepped up to be with me and help me on these mission trips. I am getting older and they are a huge boost. Besides helping me, they are active in missions and will continue long after I am gone. This time instead of me piloting my boat, we decided to go in Rondisson’s boat. It was a little tight. He built his boat for speed, not space or comfort. I left all the logistics to him. There were a couple of miscalculations on fuel consumption. We ran out of gas twice on the trip. It all worked out, even though that is not a fun way to travel! It was good for him to learn more on careful planning and execution of these trips. I also was able to teach him a couple of tricks of navigation through log jams and currents. He is really sharp and humble. He is a fast and eager learner.
We stopped to visit the congregation at Foz do Breu. The next day we went by canoe on into Peru to visit our work in Tipisca. I added our missionary José Costa and one of his helpers to our team. The second day of our visit we had a long meeting with a young Peruvian, who will now be caring for the congregation at Tipisca. His name is Jordan and his wife is Cosma. Cosma is one of the twins from the Hunikuim tribe that I have told you about in the past. She was not present for our meeting as she was in the tribe (for a few days) teaching kids how to read. We were able to include missionary José Maia (who is now living in Pucalpa, Peru) in our meeting via internet. Let me tell you how that was possible. A couple of months earlier I had opportunity to buy something called Starlink Mini. It is a small satellite antenna with a router built in that runs on a battery. The equipment only cost me a little over $200.00 and my monthly subscription costs me about $60.00. I now have a way to call or even video call from anywhere. During the canoe trip from Foz do Breu to Tipisca, Peru I used my cell phone and the Starlink Mini to video call my Aunt Evelyn in Florida! Is that amazing, or what?
Now back to our meeting with Jordan. We went through as much instruction as we could in one afternoon to make sure he would understand what is expected of him as leader of the congregation. We had Fritz and Ana Elisa in on the meeting. They are Mennonites from Paraguay who volunteer to come from Pucalpa periodically to help in the work. Fritz is a seminary professor in Pucalpa. When he is not teaching, he and his wife come to Tipisca to assist in the work there. They were getting ready to go back to Paraguay the next day after our visit. Anyway, we had a good visit with the congregation and officially made Jordan and Cosma the new leaders.
On the return down river we spent a Sunday with the congregation at Foz do Breu. We had a really good crowd. There were over 80 present in the evening service. I preached the gospel, but the message was primarily a doctrinal lesson for the congregation. Nevertheless, we had 5 requests for baptism, 5 youth confessing sin and 1 young woman trusted Christ as Savior. The requests for baptism were mostly Ashaninka Indians who attend services there, but who live on a nearby reservation. This tribe has been shielded by the government and NGO’s, but we have been able reach quite a few in that region. I have baptized quite a few over the last few years.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
Mike Creiglow
CONTACT INFO
Mike & Beverly Creiglow
Caixa Postal 24
69980 Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre
Brasil, SA
mdcreig@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click the yellow “Give” button on our homepage.
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Prayer Request for Missionary Couple
“I request prayer for the Lord to guide this lovely and dedicated couple, Heverton and Jennifer, to the field of His choosing for their missionary service. They are attending our Missionary Training Seminar this month in Curitiba, Brazil.” -Bobby Wacaser, January 19, 2026
Contact Info:
Bobby & Charlene Wacaser
Currently Stateside ministering to Brazil
Phone: (813) 501-9328
E-mail: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.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
Missionaries in France Share Christ’s Mercy Across Nations in a Broken World
January 15, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I woke up at about 4 am this morning thinking about all the people dying in Iran. This led me to pray as I lay in the dark for all these needy people who are dying without Christ slaughtered by a system pretending to represent God. I also prayed for needy people around the world who are suffering at the hands of humans. We all need Christ.
Tonight, we will be having Bible study in the home of a man born in Iran which includes a couple about my age who escaped from Iran in 1986. This is the lady who lost her oldest sister to death just over a month ago that I mentioned in our last letter. They grew up under the Iranian “Persian” king who claimed to be a descendant of the King who married Esther. The Lord enabling us, tonight before study we will pray for those they know and do not know in Iran.
One of the Bible studies we have on Saturdays is with a lady who grew up in Communist Albania and was later led astray by those who call themselves the “Jehovah’s Witnesses”. She was a bit frustrated with the shenanigans of the local government’s abuse of the people where her mother still lives. This lady has clearly placed her faith in Christ.
This afternoon the Bible study is online with southern Germany where there are many memorials of the Holocaust led by the Nazis. Hitler promoted his takeover as a protection against the Communist who were attempting to take over Germany. We live in a broken world where there are “wars and rumors of war”. Our God and Savior saved us sinners to be His light to all people.
Tonight, we are studying the salvation of Saul/Paul who said of himself, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.” (1 Timothy 1:15-16)
Pray for us, saved sinners, that Christ will show His light through our presence here.
Thank each of you for your support and the special gifts for Thanksgiving and Christmas to celebrate the coming of our Lord.
May God richly bless you and use His light in you to touch people where you live.
John and Judy in France
Contact Info:
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
2 T Impasse de la Picardie
31830 Plaisance du Touch
France
jmhatcher@aol.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’s Provision Brings New Students, Returning Faculty, & Bright Hope for Future Brazilian Leaders to Seminary
January 9, 2026
Dear friends and family,
The starting of a New Year is, for the Seminary, a challenge. The pastors/students have just finished a very busy end of year (Christmas/ New Year), finished a semester of studies (3-6 courses), plus family time and ministry or work—boy, are they feeling overloaded!
Now for our upcoming semester, we will be offering 4 courses. There will be two on Tuesday and three on Thursday with two different professors. As we are talking about the seminary, let us remember that these courses are upper-level courses (Masters and Doctoral studies)! These are very challenging studies. So, how can you and I help our Brazilian brothers and sisters? PRAY!!! And if you would like to help financially (take a load off their plate), AWESOME!!!! Realize that their economy is more troublesome than ours.
Also, the seminary is in a transitional phase. We have added an academic administrator. Growth requires adaptability, which means more people are involved.
In this growth period, we are actively seeking more students. We are visiting other regions in Brazil—the South. Our last visit there was near Paraguay/Uruguay, and this semester we have gained five more students with interest from various others. We also have another seminary that is interested in using our material in their school. God is AWESOME!!!! He is the one that is in control and makes it all possible! Keep praying for the pastors in Brazil and their churches.
We are HAPPY to welcome Dr. Edge from Texas back from a one-year sabbatical as a result of his wife’s passing. Pray for him as he is jumping back in with both feet. He will be teaching the three courses and has two doctoral students he will be helping guide with their thesis. Their dissertation involves lots of research and dedication. As I am talking about these doctoral students, let me tell you that we anticipate that two or maybe three will complete the required work to become accredited.
Upon their accreditation we hope for some of them to join the teaching staff of our Seminary to help here in Brazil. Pray for these as they work their way to becoming part of the future of the seminary. AWESOME is the God we serve.
Pray for Barb and I as we are preparing for the graduation which will be in the latter part of June. I will be on the road again around that time looking for more places to plug the seminary into for more Brazilians to study God’s Word.
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 the yellow “Give” button on our homepage.
Read more
Hundreds of Brazilian Students Hear the Gospel
December 2, 2025
Dear Friends,
In Brazil, summer is approaching around the same time as Christmas. The academic school year ends around the first week of December at most schools, and this is where we hold most of our public evangelistic events.
After our long 3,000-mile multi-state journey last month, our team had to spend some time doing maintenance on our vehicles and equipment. We got that out of the way and went back to work closer to our home base of operations. The Lord continued to bless with marvelous results. In one school rally, there were 634 students present as the gospel was shared through skits and personal testimonies. We weren’t permitted to give a broad invitation at the end of the session, but in private conversations afterward, several students said that they had understood the message and had given their lives to Christ as a result of what they heard.
In another session, at a high school, our team was allowed to give an invitation at the end of the presentations. There were 436 students present, and over 30 of them gave their lives to Christ. That school has a principal who is friends with the local Baptist pastor, and he allowed our team to pass the names and contact information of the ones who made professions of faith on to the pastor to visit with them and their families.
All of our local churches are getting prepared for big evangelistic programs at their churches and also in public spaces, like malls and plazas. These events get a large percentage of their congregations involved in evangelistic outreach using their gifts, talents, time, and resources. Many of our present church members started coming to church as a result of having come to one of these events in the past. We have found them to be very fruitful and worth the effort and investment.
We hope each of you has a wonderful Christmas holiday season. Thank you so much for another year of faithful prayers and support.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Contact Info:
Bobby & Charlene Wacaser
Currently Stateside ministering to Brazil
Phone: (813) 501-9328
E-mail: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.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
Much to Be Thankful For
November 17, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we have so much for which to be thankful. You are on our thanksgiving list and I would like to share with you other things for which we are thankful as we review the past year.
Judy had cataract surgery on both eyes in March and there have been no complications. She is delighted with the improvement in her eyesight.
God has brought a number of new people into our congregation and meetings in various locations. Several have trusted Christ and are growing in the Lord and spreading the good news to those around them. About three weeks ago Léonie, who trusted Christ recently and is the only believer in her family, followed the Lord in baptism. She gave her testimony telling how Roxane was used by God to lead her to Christ. Roxane has been a believer for about three years and is actively having Bible studies and sharing the Good News of Jesus with her acquaintances. We met a number of Léonie’s friends who came to witness her baptism and several of these are seeking spiritual answers.
Yesterday I received a text message from Patricia, the mother of Maxime telling about his enjoyment of the youth Bible study. He is the young man I mentioned in the newsletter last month who was taught by Judy in children’s classes in Mazère nearly twenty years ago. It is exciting to see God at work in the lives these young adults who are in University studies or beginning their careers.
A new couple participating in Campagne-sur-Arize are in their thirties and seem to enjoy the Bible study.
Paul, my brother, supported by many of you for over 40 years as a missionary in Brazil, has responded wonderfully to the bone marrow transplant he received a few months ago. He has been declared free of leukemia. God brought him through this difficult and painful procedure. We are very grateful along with his family for what God has done for him.
Judy and I are enjoying good health and are able to continue reaching out to those who need Christ. In the past few months God has enabled us to become acquainted with a number of people in our neighborhood. We enjoy the fellowship of those who serve along with us in the kingdom of our Lord and Savior.
Have a great Thanksgiving celebration!
John and Judy
Contact Info:
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
2 T Impasse de la Picardie
31830 Plaisance du Touch
France
jmhatcher@aol.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 Boat, New Blessings: More Outreach along 3 Rivers
Mike and Beverly Creiglow have served the Lord in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil together since 1971. In addition to pastoring First Baptist of Cruzeiro do Sul, Mike builds his own boats and frequently travels up and down rivers to share the Gospel with those who have never heard.
November 11, 2025
Dear Brethren,
Greetings from warm and wet Cruzeiro do Sul. We feel for you who are already into freezing temps and rough weather. We had a mild dry season. The rains never really stopped. The river is coming up and I have already been taking advantage to get out there.
Bev and I have been on a marathon visiting churches over the past several weeks. I helped with a meeting at Refúgio Baptist Church. They are our third oldest church. We helped them celebrate their 82nd year. Then we went to First Baptist Church of Mâncio Lima. This booming town used to be called Japiim after the river that flows close by. Later the name was changed to honor the slave owner who grabbed the lands belonging to the Poyanawa tribe and made slaves of the true owners. On a more upbeat note, the lands have been returned to their rightful owners and we have a thriving church on the reservation and the pastor, Brother Amós, is a Poyanawa. Back to our visit to First Baptist. They are the second oldest of our churches. We helped them celebrate their 95th anniversary. One young man was saved on the last night of the meeting. Then last week we were at Moriá Baptist church in Mâncio Lima. It was their 4th birthday since they were formally organized in 2021. This church is a great-granddaughter of our home church. There are now 3 Baptist churches in the town of Mâncio Lima. All of them are doing very well. The buildings were packed in all of these churches for all services. If I had my “druthers” there would be only one Baptist church in in this town of just over 20,000 people, but we all know how these Baptists do things. Enough said about that.
There was still time to squeeze in one river trip. I threw some tools and building supplies into the 18-foot boat with 38HP tail motor along with 2 of our brick layers and we took off up the Moa River. We visited our missionary and congregation at the mountains. I only had time to hold one service with the folks there. The main purpose for this trip was to build a septic tank and bathroom for missionary Rivaldo and family. I drew up the plans and gave a copy to my main bricklayer beforehand. Since this was a new design, I knew I would have to be there to guide the guys along through the process. Once we got the septic tank built and the bathroom walls up to about 6 feet, I knew I would be able to turn them loose to finish up. I came back to town and few days later they arrived. It is not completely finished (lacks stucco and tile), but it is under roof and useable.
Here at the home church things are chugging along. We have had at least 3 more saved and several more folks added through church letters.
José Maia and I have been talking at least once a week since our visit to Pucalpa, Peru. The church there is excited to get started on some mission projects. They have already canvassed and chosen property to start a mission point in a new neighborhood on the outskirts of Pucalpa. They have also visited a town about 25 miles west of town on the main road to the Andes and Lima.
My special thanks to those who helped us build the new boat and buy the new motor that I used on this last mission trip. We have already used it on 2 trips on the Moa River, one trip on the Liberdade River and another on the Boa Fé River. It is a great and versatile piece of equipment. It already has a lot of mission miles on it. Pastor Mark Pyles and his church spearheaded this acquisition. Thanks again.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
Mike Creiglow
CONTACT INFO
Mike & Beverly Creiglow
Caixa Postal 24
69980 Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre
Brasil, SA
mdcreig@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click the yellow “Give” button on our homepage.
Read more
