A Glimpse into the Life of Judy Hatcher in France
April 19, 2023
Bonjour from France.
First of all, thank you for your loving support for almost 24 years here. God is gracious! Fifty years ago this year, John and I started our life together. First, in Brazil for about a year and a half, then Evansville, Indiana for almost 25 years and then, here in France. Over the years we have lived in different cultures, reared children, enjoyed grandchildren, laughed and cried together, laughed and cried with friends and family.
While lots of things have changed, the basic hasn’t. We still have a desire to share the gospel and how it has changed our lives with people around us. Presently, what does my life look like? How do I fill my time? We are presently involved in three Bible studies: one where the majority are unbelievers…two with Christians who are growing in how to live their faith. I participate in these and also teach a children’s class at one of them. We host the church family each week in our home. I get to pray together with my French sisters in Christ. We connect with those who don’t know Jesus personally by way of English conversation class weekly. We share a coffee, listen to life problems, and counsel pre-marriage couples.
However, among the most exciting part of our days is walking! Yes, walking. French people appreciate the outdoors and it is not unusual to see people walking, running, pushing strollers, or riding bicycles. It has become our inroad to French life. Often and at the most unexpected times, God brings someone across our path that needs to hear about Him. Often, we will be walking along, someone will say hi…a conversation is started…et voila! Sometimes it’s because they hear us speaking English…often, it’s John’s friendly -never-meet-a stranger personality. Whatever the means, God opens doors that, humanly speaking, we would have no access to.
So, we pray, we walk, we talk, and God goes before us and opens doors!
May God bless you as you discover how to integrate into the lives of people around you and share His love.
Because of His love,
Judy 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.
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The Influence of My Mother on My Own Mothering & Ministry
April 18, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Hope and pray that the mothers will have a wonderful day and that God will fill each one with His love and wisdom.
Every day as I pray, I always thank God for my mother and the wonderful example she was as a mother and also as a servant of the Lord. So many things in my life as a mother and missionary have been greatly influenced by her example. I remember as a young kid doing visitation and witnessing with my mom. Today, that is a great part of my ministry. Also, having worked for so many years with kids and teens with problems, the Lord has helped me to use that experience helping people here in our new ministry.
My prayer and desire is to help the young people and the parents to not give up, but to seek the Lord each day and ask for wisdom. The enemy is in the world working overtime to distract this generation. As the Lord’s return gets closer, things get worse. That what God has told us in His word. May God richly bless each one of you and that we may reach out to all those God leads us to.
In Christ,
Kathy Barros
Kathy’s parents, John & Alta Hatcher 
Kathy’s parents with her daughters: KathyLee & Amelia
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
Spiritual Growth in Believers
April 17, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It is great to be teamed up with you. Judy and I enjoyed being able to join the Spring Conference hosted by Grace Baptist Church of Fairborn, OH. Thank you, Pastor Pyles, for inviting us to join you and making the arrangements for the Zoom meeting.
You will see along with this letter a picture of our Sunday service last week and one of our last youth meetings. We are particularly encouraged by the spiritual growth that we see in our young people and adults.
A bit over a week ago Judy asked me if I had anything planned to celebrate her birthday. My answer was, “No, what would you like to do?” I had sort of thought we would go to a nice restaurant to eat. Her answer was, “I would like to go to the Pic du Midi.” On a clear day this distinct mountain peak can be seen from the second floor of the house in which we live. It has an astronomy dome and research center at the top. We made the two-hour plus drive from our home to the base of this mountain. After a fine meal at the only available restaurant, we took two sequential cable cars to the top of Pic du Midi. It was a wonderful celebration of Judy’s birthday while enjoying a beautiful part of God’s creation. Though we have seen the Pic repeatedly over a period of 23 years, this was our first time to the top!
Sometimes it is hard to believe that we have been fulfilling our calling to bear the good news and make disciples here in Southern France for more than 23 years. It is a continuous joy to serve God in this way with helpers like you. A good number have come to Christ and become His disciples. They are actively serving the Lord here and in a number of other countries and regions of France. God enables us to have meetings on a regular basis in five different locations where He is at work.
We are getting older, but our Saviour has given us eternal life. One Eternal Day you will get to meet those who have come to Christ with your contribution of what God has given you.
Look up! We are closer to the day of our Lord than we have ever been before.
From France,
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
Rain and Showers of Blessing
April 8, 2023
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
First, I want to give you a quick update on the drought situation here in Kenya since I have been speaking about it in the last couple of newsletters. I want to say, “Praise the Lord!” This past month we have been getting rainfall in good quantities and the Lord has blessed us with rain. I really wasn’t crying “wolf” in previous newsletters. Kenya does have yearly dry seasons, but this season was extraordinarily dry for a much longer period. We thank the Lord that we have received rain here in Kijabe but the crop and economic situation for many Kenyans is still dire. We need the rains to continue, and I still don’t know what the drought will mean for the crops this year. We are still very much dependent upon the Lord’s blessings.
Second, it seems like there is always some kind of catastrophe to be praying about here in Kenya. Now we are facing weekly tumultuous riots, mainly in Nairobi. We went through a stressful presidential election last year and now the candidate that lost (who has been running and losing for the last forty years) has called his people to riot in the capital until some of his demands are met. So, his people have obeyed and are rioting in and around Nairobi, burning things, hurting people, causing trouble, and preventing business. Oh, what can I say? I understand so little of Kenyan politics, but I can’t see how this is helping the Kenyan people. Please don’t lose patience with me but it seems I’m always asking you all to pray for peace in Kenya, and I’m doing it again now.
School is currently on break and the students are home resting, doing ministry, and spending time with family. With school being out I have had a couple of opportunities to speak at a couple of churches. The first church was by far the biggest church I have spoken at in Kenya. It probably had six to seven hundred people in it. That’s probably close to the largest congregation I have preached to in my life. The second church was a church that one of my students is a member of. He and his pastor invited me to come and preach. It was a considerably far drive and I got to see a large portion of Kenya that I had never seen before. My student told me that there were two services with about 300 people in each service, so I was expecting a fairly large town. After I arrived and checked into my guest house I went to “town” to see what it was like. Can I just say, there was nothing there. The whole town consisted of about ¼ mile of wooden shacks on either side of the road. It certainly wasn’t what I expected. But the student was correct, and I preached to two services of about three to four hundred people each. Simple, gospel messages that focus on Jesus and salvation to a total of about 1200-1400 people. What a privilege. Now, in the meantime, I am busy preparing classes for my students returning next term. I am looking forward to teaching them 1) General Epistles of the New Testament and 2) Church Planting.
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
Developing Leaders to Equip Churches
March 23, 2023
Dear friends,
We thank you for supporting us through prayer and financial giving. THANK YOU. Please, continue reading to know how your fervent prayers and investment impact the Kingdom of God in Brazil.
A Swiss Chalet & 98 Leaders
“Rede Convivência” (Life Together Network) had its first DayCamp on March 18th with pastors and their leadership teams to equip churches and inspire leaders. There were 98 participants from three different states. It was a memorable day of leadership development and exchange of ideas. “Rede Convivência” is a network of pastors and churches I started a few years ago that seeks to 1) Promote connectedness between pastors, pastors’ wives, and leaders amongst churches and within the church to make disciples, inspire and develop new leaders and pastors for the local church ministries. 2) Recruit, train, place, and network leaders and pastors to plant new churches and expand the Kingdom of God.
Hearting it Together from Chicago to São Paulo
On April 27, 28 & 29, we are hosting the “Heart of the Matter” seminar with Pastor Hanibal Rodriguez from Wheaton Bible Church, Illinois. Pastor Hanibal ministered to my heart and our family when I underwent cancer treatment a year ago. On May 1st (a Brazilian holiday), he will also speak at a conference in Marília, São Paulo, with churches from several cities coming together.
Intentional Expansion Strategy (IES)
The Life Together Network provides monthly gatherings for pastors, leaders, and team members to nurture a healthy context for the leaders to engage in metacognition in meeting local community needs with the Gospel and disciple-making. Healthy and intentional local churches need to develop a Biblically grounded and culturally relevant vehicle for people to hear the Gospel and to mature spiritually. Scripture is foundational, and the Gospel must always remain crystal clear. Additionally, understanding the culture (local context) and using the culture to reach the culture is vital to developing effective ministry strategies to connect with people. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:22, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” He was intentional about the way he engaged with people in the context they were in and in a way they could understand. Five core values are: 1) Communication – precise, efficient, and frequent communication. 2) Consistency – all decisions need to be consistent with Scripture and the direction established by the church. 3) Creativity – there is a creative solution for almost everything. 4) Commitment – A commitment made is a promise kept. 5) Recruitment – recruit the right people to mobilize and work strategically. We must recruit for the Kingdom and the local church to inspire new leaders and expand the Kingdom of God.
An Evangelistic (Mexican Food) Picnic
This next Sunday, we are having an Evangelistic picnic with friends (this is an initiative through our current church plant). Over forty non-believer friends are confirmed to join us for an afternoon of Mexican food, activities, and lots of fun as we connect more closely with our friends. We have invited our next-door neighbors, the auto mechanic, the restaurant owner down the street, and friends we have met over the last few months.
International Foster Care Symposium & Center Inauguration
Raquel participated in the IV International Foster Care Symposium at the University of Campinas this week. She was one of the guest lecturers and spoke on “Trust-Based Relational Intervention.” A new foster care center for intake and foster parent training will inaugurate on April 4th. Raquel actively recruits new foster care parents and develops teams to assist orphans and at-risk children and parents.
Family Time
Overall, everyone in the family is in good health. Sarah sprained her left ankle but is recuperating quickly. Our kids are doing well academically and are heavily involved in school sports. Sarah is a starter for the varsity volleyball team. Benjamin is a starter for the jr. varsity volleyball team. Laura saved up money while working at Culver’s Restaurant in the States for horseback riding lessons in Brazil. Melissa is practicing basketball, soccer, and jiu-jitsu in the after-school program for elementary students. We love to hear our kids pray, are blessed to see how the Lord is growing them spiritually, and have a deep desire to see their unsaved friends surrender to Christ. Raquel has a constant smile in her heart – the joy of the Lord is her strength. I am progressing well in my doctoral studies and am currently in chapter three of my dissertation.
Investing
As you pray with and for us, please consider investing financially in our ministry fund – please designate for church planting, pastoral leadership training, the church network, or foster care.
Always grateful,
Judson Hatcher
Benjamin with Kaká (world famous Braziian soccer player and a Christian) 
Contact Info:
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
São Paulo, Brazil
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
(872) 400-6522
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 Kingdom Bursting Along the Breu River
March 23, 2023
Dear Brethren,
Well I have now been here in the States for two months. It looks like I will be here for a while. I have been through many visits to the doctors, many tests and two surgeries. The recovery will be long and even once that is finished I still will have 6 weeks of daily radiation treatments. It could be another three months, so please continue to pray. So far the expenses have been low and some friends and family have been helping out. I am so thankful that Baptist Faith Missions has provided such good health coverage.
Here is some really good news, at least for me. The church down home has paid for Bev’s tickets to come and be with me for the coming months. She will be leaving Cruzeiro do Sul in a couple of weeks. The news from my doctors has all been pretty good. News that Beverly will be here with me is very, very good news.
Things are going well in the work. Attendance has been growing over the last weeks. We are now consistently over 600 in both morning and evening services. We had been just over 500 each in January. February was better. Now in March almost every service has been 600+. Last Sunday 2 more were saved including another young lady from our deaf folks.
Two weeks ago, our deaf ministry started having discipleship classes. We have 4 basic training courses for all new converts. These are now being ministered to our new deaf members.
Last Sunday 2 newborns were presented to the church. We also found out that 6 more couples are expecting. Over the past weeks 3 couples have done “reveals” out at our house and property. This is an honor for Bev and me. Shame I am not there to participate.
As a reminder, our church has a team of 7 pastors. I am the senior pastor. While I am away the others pick up my slack. Pastor Ezi Lopes went to visit our congregation on the Breu River. This river runs along the border between Peru and Brazil. He baptized 22 new members at the Hunikuim tribe.
We sent a missionary there several years ago. José Maia was forced to leave by a federal judge. That is when one of the young girls, Damiana, went to live with Maias in Tipisca, Peru. She got saved and she was the first person that I baptized in Tipisca in 2017. She later returned to the tribe and was used to reach them with the gospel. A couple of years ago I baptized the first 9 converts there. Among them was Cosma, Damiana’s twin sister. One of the young men who was baptized is now their pastor. Aldenir is his name.
When Christ’s kingdom bursts out no one can stop it. The judge kicked out our missionary. One girl left with him. She got saved and went back to her people. Many others got saved. God called one of the young men to shepherd them. I baptized some, but am not there to care for them. Ezi went and baptized another large group. I didn’t tell him to go. One of the videos I saw of the baptism service showed the congregation singing “I have decided to follow Jesus” in the Hunikuim language as they made their way to the river. Who taught them that? Where did that come from? How can that be? It’s not me. It’s not José Maia. It’s not Ezi Lopes. You know who it is! To God be the glory.
Thanks for all your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
Mike Creiglow
Pastor Ezi baptizes a man in the Breu River 
Baptism of 22 new members at the Hunikuim tribe
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
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
Blessings Abound Across Different Communities
March 16, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We praise the Lord for all the blessings and for each of you for your prayers and support. We pray that all of you are doing well. The ministries here are doing well. Last week Kathy and I went to visit the mission point of the community of Multirão. It was wonderful to see the work the team has done there. It was wonderful to see some who were kids, who now are teens, and are helping with the children. We are going to have a pizza day there.
The work in Ubim is also growing. It is wonderful now that we have a couple that lives closer who can help. They are doing Bible Study for those who have accepted Christ. They are also teaching some teens different instruments. Pray for these ministries as the teens grow in age, and also in the Lord, that they can help in the ministry.
We are excited about getting our camp buildings started. The rain is slowing down, which makes the work easier. Also, we are thankful for the financial help that has been given. God bless those who have given.
The mother church has been working on the wall around the church. A group has enjoyed getting together and doing the work. A wonderful time of fellowship and service. Even the ladies have helped fixing the food for everyone to eat together.
The building in the village of Ariau should be solved in the next few weeks. But as we wait, we are meeting some of the people that used to go to the church there.
Please continue to pray that God will help us get others involved in the ministries so we reach more people in more places.
Thanks for your prayers and support! God bless each of you.
Love in our Savior,
Odali and Kathy Barros
Odali inside the church building they plan to buy at the village of Ariau 
The inside of the church they plan to buy at the village of Ariau 
Multirão Mission
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
