Mission Trip to Peru, Surgeries Scheduled
February 22, 2023
Dear Brethren,
Greetings from not so cold today Lexington, Kentucky. It has now been over a month that I arrived here for medical attention. Things have gone pretty well so far.
Before leaving home, I had confirmed my first visit of the year to our mission work in Peru. That didn’t quite work out as planned. Still there is good news. Our missions director, Zico took Pastor Benjamim (yes, that spelling is correct) with him and made the trip anyway. The church building was packed and they had a baptism, too.
Today is the final day of our first big youth camp of the year. Andrew is the leader of that ministry.
The last Sunday of January we had our “Ministry Fair”. This event is just as many ministries as possible setting up displays and recruiting new help for the year ahead. Our church has an average of 70% of the membership involved in some kind of ministry or service. We are so thankful that the Lord has made this happen. It is why so much gets accomplished. Sharing the workload across the membership has made it a joy to pastor.
My oldest son Adam and his wife Suzy came over from California to visit. Also, my grandson Caleb came in from Indiana. I am staying with my daughter Monica and granddaughter Isabella here in Lexington, Kentucky. We all went over to visit my Dad and his wife Lois last night. Dad is now 96. He is not in the greatest health. He is still very much alive and has not lost his sense of humor. Last night he was in great form. He told a bunch of stories. We had some really good laughs and shed many a tear. Dad and I have 90+ years of missions combined between us. One date that he and I share is January 29. He was baptized on that day in 1956. I surrendered to be a missionary on that same date in 1966. Great times. Wonderful blessings.
My first surgery is scheduled for tomorrow February 23. Please continue to pray for all of my treatment. I will have a second surgery on March 6. There will be other doctor visits and procedures along the way.
Since the treatment is going well into March I have accepted an invitation to attend the Baptist Faith Missions Spring Missions Conference in Ohio on March 31 and April 1. Looking forward to seeing many of you there.
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.
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Churches Taking Steps to Expand the Kingdom
February 21, 2023
Dear friends,
Thank you for praying and supporting us. We are truly grateful.
It has been two months since we returned to São Paulo. Our kids are in school and have settled into academic life. Everyone is in good health. Raquel celebrated her birthday this month. We have many things to be grateful for, particularly God’s providence in our lives. This month also was the one-year mark since the completion of my chemotherapy. Having gone through a battle with cancer brought a new perspective to this life and a sense of urgency in pointing people to the Savior and living generously. Every moment with the family has become more precious, friends more important, and speaking of the Gospel and mobilizing for Christ’s cause more vivid.
This month was productive as the churches, part of our Life Together Network, have taken significant steps to expand the Kingdom. I am grateful to invest time with pastors who desire to become more effective in the Gospel strategies. This weekend we have our next Network meeting as we prepare for a pastoral conference in April and actively work on shaping a leadership reproduction and multiplication culture. Additionally, several churches have taken bolder steps with evangelistic strategies within their communities. Last week I had several meetings with leaders in church planting here in São Paulo to iron out details to grow our discipleship gatherings further.
Grateful always,
Jud Hatcher
On the Sao Paulo subway en route to a visit a family. 
Traveling by bus, visiting churches and pastors. 
At the market, making my prayer rounds and meeting people.
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.
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Amazed at God’s Miracles
February 20, 2023
Dear friends and family,
Being in the ministry and seeing all that God can do, I am still amazed when I see a special need that the Lord is working on. Either I have forgotten the last time, or I think that I can take care of it, BUT He says, “AJ, it is under control,” and He makes a miracle again. Sometimes I let my human side think too much, worry too much, and all the time, He’s got it. Thank you, Lord, for taking care of the need and once again showing me my smallness. How great and AWESOME is the One we serve!
As we are planning for the class in April, we ask you to pray that we are reaching the Pastors and Churches that need the seminary training. Also, please pray that they will reach those who need to hear that gospel for saving grace.
Allow me to digress for just a moment. During the last three classes in São Paulo City, we had a gentleman who sat on the first row in the class, and we soon discovered that he was blind. He used a recorder for his notes and when it came time for his test, I read the questions for him. He passed all the exams with flying colors by the way. This is just an example for us to remember that even the blind man sees the need for the gospel! Once more we see how AWESOME our God is!!!
I want to tell you about one more miracle. Our Brazilian son (of the heart), a child of the street, will be starting his veterinarian practice and his ambition is to use his knowledge to serve the Lord in India or Africa. Pray for him to be able to get a visa to visit us and then go to one of these countries to spread the gospel. From street kid to Doctor of Veterinary Medicine! God will and does make a difference in lives! AWESOME!!!
Continue to pray for the seminary and us as we are going to be starting classes via Zoom. We are and will be purchasing some computers for our Brazilian partners. They will be helping translate and guiding in finding other Churches and communities for the Seminary to reach for God.
Thanks to ALL who support BFM— partners, friends, neighbors, churches, pastors. Without you, it would be impossible for us to be on the field. THANK YOU!
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
A blind man participating in the seminary class
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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God is Answering Your Prayers
February 15, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We are grateful to God for your faithful support for many years. Our Father is answering your prayers. The Church meetings in Tournefeuille and Bible studies in six different locations are going quite well. We are doing studies in Isaiah, John, Hebrews, Ruth and a couple of topical studies. Some of these studies are with believers who are growing in the faith and encouraging one another. Other studies are with lost people who are interested in learning about Christ.
The newest Bible Study in the city of L’Union is, besides the hostess, a meeting with seekers. The term seekers fits them well because they do not miss and have become increasingly more open. One lady, who drives about a dozen miles to the meetings, has noticeably become more open and touched by the Gospel. In the beginning she was quite confrontational. It now is obvious that she has encased herself in an armor to protect sentimental wounds that have accumulated over her 56 years of life. She has invited us and others in the group to come to her house tomorrow. Please continue to pray for these folks. Jesus said, “Seek and you will find.”
Our youth meetings have been very exciting. As I mentioned in my last letter, our present study series is about being a witness for Christ. One way to express our faith is to communicate to others how God has worked in our lives. It may be telling how Christ brought you to Himself or how He has worked in your life since you trusted Him. The youth have been enthusiastic about sharing their testimonies and hearing the testimonies of others.
By the time you read this, Judy and I will have celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. It has been a wonderful life serving the Lord together on three different continents. She is a terrific teammate as well as a very loving spouse who has personally helped me grow spiritually. God has blessed us with four wonderful children, two wonderful daughters-in-law and a fine son-in-law. They are all serving the Lord in many different areas. We are really blessed to have 12 lovely grandchildren. Most recently God added a fine Christian grandson-in-law!
Many of you have been a part of our lives for many years and we thank God for you.
Serving our Savior together in France,
John and Judy
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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Praying about Purchasing a Church Building
February 15, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We are thankful to God for the partners we have in our ministry. Each one of you are a blessing.
Things here continue doing well. We have had services in several places. There are possibilities for other places. One of the places is the village of Ariau. In this village there was a Baptist church but for some reason they closed. The building is for sale for $6,000. We are interested in having a ministry there. Pray with us about this building. We are going to meet with the person responsible for the sale.
At the Church in Ubim, we would like to put tile on the floor. It is concrete and hard to keep clean. If any of you are interested, we would appreciate any financial help. We are already checking on the prices of the tile to find the best price. Here the tile is sold by square meter. The average price we have found is around $10.00 per square meter.
We are planning a camp this month. With all the COVID problems we have not had camp. The kids are excited about the camp. We are using a place that belongs to a friend, but our plans are to have a camp of our own to use any time we want. We have the place. We are working on getting the area ready to build dorms and an area for a kitchen. Pray with us about this also that God will provide the means.
Thanks for your love, prayers and support. God bless each of you.
Odali and Kathy Barros
The building they want to purchase 
The floor of the Church in Ubim
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.
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New Believer in Portugal!
February 14, 2023
Dear Friends,
It has only been a couple of weeks since my last report, but we are so glad to report that some wonderful things have happened in that short period! I’ll jump straight to the best news of all. Our missionaries in Portugal, Yago and Manoela, were blessed to win their first Portuguese convert to Christ. You may have already read of this on the social media pages of Baptist Faith Missions, but we’re so happy for them and for God’s glory to shine, and we wanted to thank you who have been praying for their success.
They wasted no time after their arrival in Portugal in reaching out to the lost people there. The young man, Emanuel, whom they were privileged to evangelize, considered himself anti-God for much of his life. In fact, you may have watched the movies “God’s Not Dead”, 1 and 2,” that were in theaters a few years back. Emanuel was invited to go see # 2 by a Brazilian Christian friend living in Portugal and he accepted. While watching the movie, he identified himself with the atheist college professor. Similarly, his mother had died very young, and he was angry and confused at how a “good” God would let his mother die and it made it difficult for him to believe God was real. But at the same time, it got him wondering about the existence of God and, when Victoria, the Brazilian Christian friend asked him if he would accompany her to a Bible study, he accepted. Another interesting note is that Yago and Manoela did not know Victoria or she them, but on Baptist Faith Mission’s social media pages she read about their arrival in Portugal and she reached out to them to come help her evangelize her friend through a Bible study. They do not live in the same city, but they were happy to drive to meet them for this purpose. At the very first study, Emanuel, heard the gospel, believed in the Lord Jesus, and surrendered his life to Him for salvation! We are still praising God! Yago and Manoela have agreed to go weekly to meet with Victoria and Emanuel to begin discipleship training. Our continued prayer is that Emanuel will be instrumental in reaching his friends, family, and acquaintances with the gospel as well. It has only been a little over 2 months since this missionary couple arrived in Portugal and to already have a Portuguese adult turn to the Lord is astoundingly great news!
Our church did begin having services in our new location as we planned. What we didn’t plan for was the amazing turn-out in attendance. We had been having a packed house in our former location with an average of 225 in attendance. The very first service in our new location was attended by 309 people. A few of those were some curious neighbors as to what kind of church was moving into their neighborhood, but they were warmly welcomed, and some have decided to keep coming. We still have lot of renovations to do on the building and classrooms, but many of our members are stepping up to the challenge, coming out several times a week to build, paint, clean, and pray for spiritual growth. God is truly blessing our faith, and beyond it. We do at least have room now for continued numerical growth at our new location. May the Lord see fit to fill it quickly.
Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support. Charlene and I are very grateful.
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
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Praying for Rain in Kenya
February 10, 2023
Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ,
I pray this newsletter finds you well. I’m sure that life in the United States is not without its challenges. We find ourselves with some challenges here in Kenya as well.
First, Kenya is currently suffering through a more than usually severe drought. Kenya usually has its annual rainy season and dry season. And during the dry season it is always, well, dry. It gets dusty, things turn brown, crops suffer, etc. But this year is the worst of my fifteen years in Kenya as there was basically no rainy season this year. People started talking about it months ago but now we are really starting to see the effects of it. People all over the country are really suffering from a lack of water. Here in Kijabe where we live there has been no rain and so we have no water. We are now rationing water – no laundry, no showers for a while (we are at least able to take “missionary” showers now), and no flushing toilets (until it is necessary). We don’t know how long this situation will last but it has gotten to the point where we have had to send all of our students home. They were already supposed to go home for mid-term break but we had to cancel classes early and send them home. They are scheduled to return late next week but this will only occur if the school is able to somehow get some water. Nobody around here really knows when that will be. This is not really the rainy season, but we could really use some rain. Please pray for rain.
Second, the drought is really beginning to effect Kenyans financially. I am seeing it mostly in students’ inability to pay school fees. Fees are usually paid when families sell crops or livestock and then they use the proceeds to pay bills. But right now, crops and livestock are not faring well and families are struggling to eat, let alone have extra for school fees. Last month I did mention a student, Milkah, who had been left in a bad spot and couldn’t pay her fees. I want to thank you all for praying for her as she was able to raise her fees, pay her bill, and return to class (except that class has been canceled and students sent home because of the drought).
In more happy news, we had our first visitors here to Kenya in a very long time. It was a joy to have Doug and Sharon Brook visit us for a few days. They are our dear friends from our home church in Ohio. I realized when I was introducing them to folks around here that Doug and Sharon are my “oldest” friends. I don’t mean oldest in age, but oldest meaning “longest standing friends”. Of all the friends in my life, Doug and Sharon have been around and stood in there the longest. I have been friends with Doug for 43 years and Sharon for 40. You probably can’t imagine how much we miss “home” sometimes. Having friends here brought a little bit of “United States Home” to our “Kenya Home”.
We are praying for you all, that you would know and love Jesus, that you would follow and serve Him, and that the Kingdom of Christ would grow in your neck of the woods, wherever you call home.
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.
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Settling Back in Brazil
February 1, 2023
Wow! It has been a joyfully exhausting time since we arrived in São Paulo. Long days and short nights, but plenty of energy and grace from the Lord.
Struggles of settling back in
It has been a crazy season for us as a family. We needed to remodel the house before we arrived, but contractors kept delaying and didn’t finish before we returned. We arrived at the house with over half of the work still needing completion. Fortunately (even after weeks of delays and endless hours on the phone), the remodeling is coming to completion, the dust is settling down, and we began unpacking our bags. Additionally, the car on loan to us ended up with multiple issues and left us stranded too many times – overheating, losing power due to the fuel injector, and other issues. Praise the Lord, we purchased a vehicle, but the loaned car is still in the shop.
Exciting times for the ministry
During all things crazy (of settling back into life in São Paulo), we managed to visit all the people who are part of the Imagine church plant in São Paulo. We plan to have our first evangelistic gathering in February— a one-day camp/picnic with plenty of food, games, competitions, and a Gospel message. This occasion will also serve as a team regroup strategy. Word is getting out among friends of friends, and it should be a great event. The post-event follow-up with families and those who make life-changing decisions is crucial in moments like this one. Please, pray with us as we prepare.
I traveled to the interior of São Paulo and Paraná this last weekend to visit the churches my grandfather (John Hatcher) started. In Garça, I had breakfast with pastors on Saturday morning, where I proposed they join the network I lead, “Rede Convivência” (Life Together Network). All who attended came on board the network. In the afternoon, we (Pastors Gilberto, Epitácio, and I) drove an hour to Pompéia, where a church needs to be replanted/vitalized. We dreamed together at the building location and looked for houses for rent. Pastor Epitácio (Odali Barros’ brother) is considering leading the endeavor at Pompéia. I drove an hour and a half to Lupércio for their church anniversary on Saturday evening. The building was packed, and we had a marvelous celebration! Early Sunday morning, I drove an additional 2 hours to Cornélio Procópio, Paraná, to visit churches and Pastors Valdir and Silvio. We celebrated with them during the morning worship gatherings and had lunch together. We are discussing the possibility of starting a church in Londrina (the second-largest city in Paraná state). Please, pray with us as we mobilize churches and pastors to develop new leaders for church planting and kingdom expansion.
Our kids started school this week. We are grateful to finally begin a normal routine with the family and work. Grateful for your prayers and support. We are blessed by you.
Always grateful,
Judson Hatcher
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.
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