God is Still Marvelously Saving Sinners!
January 31, 2023
Dear Friends,
“A blast from the past,” I think is an expression that seems to pop up occasionally. That is what I got a few days ago. And it was a good “blast.” She is a lady now, but was a nine-year-old girl when we met Tabitha in 1987. In our first church plant in Curitiba, Brazil, Tabitha was a round faced little girl who we invited to our children’s Bible school. She and two of her younger siblings would come regularly to church each week. She was taught the gospel and she memorized Scripture and learned a lot about God’s will for her life. Despite several years of showing her love and biblical teaching, Tabitha chose to lead her own life and it was not in the direction that she learned in our Bible studies and church services. For many years she was involved in demon worship and witchcraft. The “blast from the past” came last week when Tabitha messaged me, sharing that she had treasured all our teaching and examples in her heart and had finally surrendered her life to Christ! She has been marvelously saved from her life of sin and asked me if I would baptize her as she begins her new life in obedience to God. Oh, how amazing is our Savior’s grace!
Our evangelism team, Projeto Vida, has just completed its first Missions Training Seminar of the year. We had volunteers from several Brazilian states participating in this three-week experience. The first two weeks were spent in biblical and theoretical studies, and the last week was the practical application of what was learned in the classroom. During this edition of our training seminar, the volunteers accompanied our veteran team of missionaries to native Indian tribes in the neighboring countries of Paraguay and Argentina, as well as to a settlement on the Brazilian side of the shared border. Day and night the volunteers and veterans shared the gospel with hundreds of lost individuals, from little children, even to the tribal chiefs. The Lord blessed greatly and many of them openly confessed Jesus as their Savior. We’ve partnered with a local Baptist church to begin the discipleship process among those who have been converted.
Our missionaries to Portugal, Yago and Manoela, reported that they are learning some very important and helpful lessons as they reach out to the lost there. One such lesson was learned shortly after they arrived about the city where they thought they would reside in and begin a church plant. They discovered as they visited the city that most of the city’s population is made up of “vacationers”. That information helped them realize that it would be very difficult to establish a thriving church with a population that is mostly transient. They are in the process of moving to a city where the population is more permanently established. They have begun regular fellowship meetings with some other Brazilian Christians they discovered also reside in Portugal. Their main purpose, though, is to win the Portuguese people to Christ, not to form a Brazilian church in Portugal. Later this year, Charlene and I intend to go there to take some supplies and to lend some leadership training. Please pray for the success of Yago and Manoela’s ministry efforts in Portugal.
Our church will hold its first service in our “new” (for us) auditorium this coming Sunday. We held our last service in the old auditorium last week with standing room only. By God’s grace, we were packed! In my message to the congregation, I encouraged the members to invest themselves in what the Lord is doing. In an amazing show of enthusiasm and desire to serve Jesus, a large portion of the congregation showed up with tools and willing hands and hearts to move our equipment and furnishings to the new location. Many of them are working every day until 11:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. installing equipment and arranging furniture to be ready to launch our first service in the new location after having worked all day at their regular jobs. I thank the Lord for the privilege to pastor such a dedicated group of brothers and sisters in Christ. We have a lot of work ahead of us to adjust to our new installations, but this group of volunteers makes it a joy, and not a burden.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Contact Info:
Bobby & Charlene Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279
Sobrado 1, Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR. Brasil
Phone: 55-41-99899-2333
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
God at Work in New Ministry to Deaf Community
January 31, 2023
Dear Brethren,
Greetings from frigid Lexington, Kentucky (26 degrees). Yes, I am in the States and will tell you why a little later. For now though, some nice warm news from down home.
Our Christmas musical was back almost to pre-Covid levels. We averaged over 1,000 in attendance. The last night we had 1,217. There were at least 9 people saved the first 4 nights, but do not know how many after that. This was the first time that we were able to serve the deaf community. That is the next big news of the past few weeks.
Tatiana was saved as a girl right here at First Baptist Church. She married one of our young men and has 2 great kids. She served for several years as our nursery leader. She is very efficient and made that ministry what it is today – great. Just over 3 years ago, she came to me and said that she had already trained another team to take over her ministry. Then she said she was called to start a ministry for the deaf. That was music to my ears. She recruited some 20 people to start training. It was a 3-year program at 3 levels. We made sure she had all the support and resources she needed. I was with them for each graduation ceremony along the way and a few other occasions.
On the last Sunday of November, we had the first official service, which was geared to the deaf community and to get the church fully on board. There were over 15 deaf present. In the following weeks they have been back in almost every service and a few more continue to show up. Andriu was the first to be saved. Since then, 5 more have made professions of faith. In my last time in the pulpit this month one more young mother was saved. Bev and I had prayed for over 30 years that God would raise somebody up that would take this challenge. Our prayers have been answered.
The latest one to trust Christ (middle) and Tatiana (right), the ministry leader and one God used to get all this rolling. 
The deaf ministry team
I have 2 things that I really need you to pray about. The first thing will be couched in somewhat veiled language because this newsletter will be on the internet and I must choose my words wisely. Pray for the country that I serve in. It has taken a sharp turn to the left. On the last Sunday before the general election, I took 15 minutes to implore people to not stay home or abstain, but get out and vote. No party name or candidate name was mentioned. On a Friday night, just before the big day, our church was gathered in prayer in groups throughout the 2 buildings. We had been praying every morning from 5:00 AM, too. That night I was pulled from my group and handed a 3-page threat from a federal prosecutor. If I continued to “campaign” I could be jailed and fined. In the document I was directly forbidden to teach or preach about God or family. The incident was all over the news across the state before the night was even over. A few days ago, I learned that it was also reported in the third largest newspaper (also oldest) in the country. That is down south. In the largest city in the country. If it got that far it may be somewhere in the workings of the people who run the country. I pray that it is over and forgotten, but I don’t know, so please pray for me and the work of His kingdom down there. We really need you to pray for the land and people that I love so dearly. We are in deep trouble and desperate times like I have never seen in these 62 years that I have lived and served there.
Also pray for me as I have some health issues that I could not get taken care of down home. Although I did many tests as required by my doctors and gave them all the results, they did not act upon them and did not even respond to my contacts. Beverly, the family, the church, and the pastors told me to get moving. Four days later I was in the States. Just to not leave you too in the dark, the matter concerns my ongoing fuss with skin cancer. Two recent surgeries and biopsies showed positive for squamous cell and melanoma. The doctors here are acting quickly. They have seen all my testing from down there. I have also had another CT scan here. Last week I was seen by 3 different doctors. There are to be 2 more surgeries. One is scheduled for March 6 and waiting for the date of the other one. Hopefully this is not more info than you need or want to know. Just really need your prayers.
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 here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Edson Graduates from Veterinary School
January 29, 2023
It has been a very busy month. To say it has been a blessing would be an understatement. We have had a house full of visitors: our children, their spouses, and our GRANDchildren. Mary Katherine and Walmir, and their two daughters Chelsea and Ashley; Bryan Keith and Jill, and their daughter Briley. All our children and grandchildren at one time! Oh, how blessed we have been. Oh, how AWESOME is the Lord and SAVIOR we serve.
I had forgotten how busy things can get when you are trying to keep up with three young children (ages 12, 14 and 15) and all the places they want to see together. Bryan and family only got to be with us for one week, but Mary and family were able to stay for three weeks. After their departure, the house seemed so lonely.
So, we left for our trip to Brazil. It was a twofold trip. We were to visit some of the pastors there about the seminary and attend the graduation of Edson Martins. We were on nonstop appointments with five pastors, explaining the new ways that we will be teaching at the Seminary and the use of the internet. Our time in Brazil also included around 3,000 miles of travel into four different cities and two states: São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
The highlight of our trip has been the graduation of Edson, that we, as his adopted parents, were to be there. He came to the orphanage at the age of eight or nine. We have been able to see what God can do in the lives of those who will accept Him and put Him first in their lives. This young man went from a street kid to now being called a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Again, the word to describe this can only be AWESOME.
So, thank You, Lord, for putting Edson in our lives. And thank You for walking with him through all these years while in school.
Thanks to BFM for sending missionaries to the mission fields to carry the good news to the people in other countries so we can see the miracles that God can do there and everywhere. God is AWESOME every time.
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
Everyone Helping in Church Building Project
January 29, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We are thankful to our Lord for all the things He has blessed us with. The beginning of the new year is going well. We are working to get more people involved in the church and ministries. The couple that is helping at the village of Ubim is doing great. The church had a bus that was not being used. So, the couple is bringing the people from Ubim to the mother church once or twice a week. The teens there have enjoyed coming.
This month the main church is working on building a wall around the church. We are doing it as a church group project. Everyone is helping as they can: cooking, digging, mixing concrete, or carrying bricks.
The only problems that we have had are our cars. They love the mechanic’s shop. We pray that this time they will get fixed. We found a new mechanic that is very careful with his work. Pray that all will go well. Kathy has planned some visits with some of the women of the church but has not been able to go. Since there is not cellphone signal everywhere here, it is dangerous to be on the roads.
Another project we have is a camp to have to use for the ministry. In these villages, there is nothing for the kids to do, but lots of drugs. So, we want to build a camp where we can have lots of activities for the kids, teens, and adults. We have started cleaning the area and opening the area to build the dorms. Pray with us that all goes as God has planned for us.
Thanks for all your love and support. God bless each of you!
Odali and Kathy Barros
Kids giving water to people who drove by on bikes and motorcycles and in cars. 
Contact Info:
Odali & Kathy Barros
Iranduba, Amazonas
Brasil, SA
odali_kathy@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
Fruitful Opportunities in New Friendships
January 15, 2023
Dear Fellow Disciples of Christ,
We hope your new calendar year is starting well. This is the first week of my 71st year and it doesn’t seem much different from last week. (LOL) It is good to remind myself that with the Lord “one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
We are thankful and encouraged by the blessings from our Father this past year. He has given us fruitful opportunities in new friendships. Last week Judy was out walking and saw a lady who had stopped and was swinging her leg. Judy asked her if she was OK and this lady responded that she was fine but had recently had a hip replacement. This encounter led to a long walk together. The lady began sharing details of her life. She just turned 70 on December 25 and was impressed that she was the same age as Judy and I. She was widowed a couple years ago, is quite lonely, and strongly encouraged Judy to come and visit her! They have been texting each other. God has given us a number of similar encounters this year and the process of pursuing these friendships and sharing what He has done for us continues.
Our church meeting today was wonderful. We are studying through the letter to the Hebrews. The congregation is avidly attentive. Our Bible studies during the week are also going well. During the last three days we learned that two of the participants placed their faith in Christ. One is Kerwan, a young man who is now a High School Science teacher. We have had the joy of presenting the Gospel to him since he was in Elementary School. He regularly came to Youth meetings when he was in Middle School and High School. He will be getting baptized soon. He is one of the two believers besides Judy and me in the Bible study in L’Union. The participants in this Bible study show a great interest.
The other confession of faith is by Elliot, the oldest son of the couple who host the Bible study in their home in Campagne sur Arize. He trusted Christ on Christmas Day. The Parents led him to Christ when he expressed a desire to trust Jesus.
The youth meetings are also very encouraging. Most of the teenagers who come are believers. This year we are discussing how to express your faith and share the good news.
Thank you for your prayers and support. Please continue to pray for the believers and those who are seeking as the Light of God draws them. Give thanks with us for the new believers and the growth of the disciples.
May our Father’s love be evident to you today,
Judy and John Hatcher
Contact Info:
John & Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher@aol.com
Present USA phone 1-812-416-1033
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
Opportunities in a New Semester
January 8, 2023
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
I pray all of you had a wonderful and Christ-filled Christmas season. God is so good to all of us (all of His children) and we praise Him for the gift of His Son that brings us redemption and salvation. I am learning that God is good and that I complain too much.
All of my students were gone for the month of December – to rest, to spend time with family, and to celebrate the birth of the Son of God. So, while I was not in the classroom for the month of December, I was certainly not idle. I spent the month of December preparing for the two classes I will teach starting in January. I am very excited about both classes. I have the opportunity to teach Basic Theology and New Testament Survey to eager and excited Kenya students. I am excited about this term because of these two courses. These are important things for Bible students and future church leaders to learn and study. What a grand opportunity to instill into future Kenyan pastors and church leaders some of the wisdom I have gleaned from God’s Word so that they can take the Word of God back to their own people and minister to them in Jesus’ Name. I pray that some of them will even be so moved by the Holy Spirit that they take the gospel message even beyond their own people to other unreached peoples of Kenya and the surrounding countries. Lord, thank You that I get to entrust to others what little I know. May they take Your Word to all people and may Your Kingdom grow mightily in this place. May the gospel of Your Son be known and may He be loved and followed by all of Your beloved Kenyan people.
One of my new students this term is Daniel T. I am giving you Daniel’s English name because, honestly, I cannot pronounce or spell his given name or his family name. Daniel is from the world’s newest country – South Sudan. South Sudan recently received independence from Sudan, which is a predominantly Muslim country. South Sudan is a challenging place to live – Very hot, very dry, not much water, impoverished, lots of persecution. I would cherish the opportunity to visit there some day and to share and teach the gospel. I have only met a few South Sudanese people, but those I have met have left a lasting impression upon me. Not only are they always happy and smiling but the few that I have met have a big passion for taking the gospel of Jesus to their people. Daniel is no different. He is married and has two children, but he leaves them for three months at a time to come to Kenya and learn the Bible. I personally do not recommend doing that, but he wants to minister the gospel to his suffering people. Lord, may You bless Daniel for his sacrifices. Lord, keep his passion for Jesus big and his heart for Your Kingdom and his Sudanese people large. Protect him, his family, and his people from all enemies of the gospel and entrust to him a great ministry, empowered by Your Holy Spirit.
Another of my roles at the school is to serve as the Finance Manager. I usually have a plethora of students coming through my door to sit and talk with me about their finances. Most face great challenges in paying their fees and I have great compassion for them. As I have mentioned in previous newsletters, the financial challenges that face most Kenyans are very great. Most that come in to talk with me are at the end of their rope. I cry with them. I pray with them. I teach them Biblical financial principles. I help them work through various plans to assist them with their finances. This is very challenging for me too but it is a crucial part of their learning. Milkah is a student I counseled this week. A church leader had promised to sponsor her and pay for her schooling but has now backed out of that commitment. He told her to focus on her studies and not to worry about fees. Now, she is in crisis mode because she did what he advised. She sobbed into her handkerchief as she sat in my office. I cried with her and counseled her. I prayed with her that God would provide for her needs, even if it took a miracle. I helped her think through her financial situation and we are working through a plan. Lord, bless Milkah. Replace her stress and anxiety with peace and trust. Bless her efforts to raise the money she needs. And when You provide her with the finances she needs we will stop and thank You and praise You for goodness towards Your children.
Blessings to all,
Roger, Julie & Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
Moffat Bible College
P.O. Box 70
Kijabe, Kenya 00220
rojuta@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
News & Reports – January 2023
The Online Edition of the January 2023 BFM News & Reports is available at the link below. Read how God is at work through our faithful missionaries and continue to lift them up in prayer.
*Remember you can click on any headline to view the post/story on our website.
Read more
Welcoming 2023
December 31, 2022
Dear Friends,
I’m writing letter this on the last day of 2022. Throughout the past year I was baffled at how often I heard people, even some professing to be Christians, murmuring about how bad 2020, 2021, and 2022 were. For two main reasons I could not and would not join in with them: 1- No matter what the circumstances, we know that our great and good God is in control and is orchestrating them all for our benefit and His glory, and 2- When we looked back at those three years, we noticed that all of our ministries and most of our personal experiences were greater than or as great as any in our lives. So, if 2023 is anything like the last three, we welcome it with welcome arms.
I just received news from our missionaries in Portugal, Yago and Manoela. They are very excited about the opportunities they are having to share the love of Christ. They pray daily for wisdom and discernment from the Lord so that they will recognize the best timing and ways to gain a hearing from their Portuguese neighbors and acquaintances. They have already had several chances to do that and continue to look for more. Our church members pray for them and keep in touch through social media. We trust that in God’s perfect timing He will use them to win many lost Portuguese people to salvation in Christ.
Two weeks ago we closed a contract on the new and larger building where we are moving our church services. We will be able to have the whole congregation together at one time and we’ll be able to host larger events for evangelism. Our members seem to be enthusiastic and voted almost unanimously to make the move. Early this month we’ll be moving our equipment and in the first week of February we should have our first service at the new location. There will be some big challenges in the remodeling process, but the Lord has given us a peaceful assurance that this the right direction for us.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support. May the Lord bless you in this new year.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Contact Info:
Bobby & Charlene Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279
Sobrado 1, Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR. Brasil
Phone: 55-41-99899-2333
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
