New Opportunity at Bible College in Kijabe
July 19, 2022
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
Well, it took three weeks of packing and two trips to Kitale to get all of our stuff, but we have finally brought all of our belongings and unpacked most of it into our new house in Kijabe. Unfortunately, household stuff wasn’t the only thing I brought back from Kitale. I also brought back Covid. I started feeling the symptoms during the drive down from Kitale to Kijabe. By the next morning I was pretty sick with it. The worst part of it was I couldn’t keep warm. I know we live less than 100 miles from the equator, but we do live on the side of a mountain and this is the cold season. I know you are mocking me right now for being cold while living on the equator but at this time of year it gets into the 40s at night and there is no such thing as heating in Kenya. So, yes, it was cold. Anyway, I was over the worst of it after about five days but unfortunately, Julie and Chloe both got it too. Chloe slept for literally three days straight and then was over it. Julie was really sick for about two weeks, to the point I was pretty concerned about her. She is over the virus now but some side effects remain – namely, some chronic fatigue and coughing. This Covid has really hampered us from getting into the swing of things here in our new home.
So, speaking of our new home in Kijabe, I want to let you all know what I will be doing for the immediate future. The main thing that I will be doing for now is ministering the gospel at a Bible college located about 200 meters up the hill from our house. The way that this worked out really seems like something only God could have done. Many closed doors opened all at the same time, doors that were solidly closed and that I wasn’t really even looking to open. Even my first interview with the Principal of the college happened just two days after my throat surgery back in March. On Friday, I had my surgery. On Sunday, I was sitting in a chair in my house in my pj’s, and HEAVILY drugged. The vice principal called and asked if he could come and talk to me about working at the college. I told him he could come but that I was in my pj’s, I couldn’t talk, and was HEAVILY drugged. He came and he talked for as long as I could sit upright. The next day was my interview with the Principal. And that was only part of what God was doing and would finalize over the next few weeks. And so now I am on staff at Moffat Bible College. First and foremost, I will be doing what I prefer to do most – teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to people who want to learn it. And my favorite part of doing my favorite thing is to teach the Bible to other people who will then be teaching the Bible to even other people. I love teaching future pastors and church leaders the Bible. I love it because in this way the true message of the Bible gets passed on exponentially. If I teach 20 future pastors how to properly interpret the Bible and each of these students goes to a church with another 50 people each, that equals 1000 Kenyan people who are hearing Biblical teaching about Jesus. Throw into the mix that there are also Congolese, Sudanese, and Ugandan students and this becomes a big deal. East Africa so needs good Bible teaching and this is an amazing opportunity to really propagate the gospel. I will also be mentoring students and working with them in practical ministry endeavors. I am excited to see how God will use this opportunity to work with Kenyan men and women to spread the kingdom of Jesus Christ and the gospel, even potentially for future church planting activities. It is still to be seen what God will do.
In closing my letter, however, I am reminded that we live in a really harsh, brutal, and sinful world. A dear Christian, Kenyan man and friend from Kitale is with the Lord today. Evans Barasa is a man I have known for my entire 15 years in Kenya. He actually worked with Mike and Pam Anderson before I was working with him starting 15 years ago. He was a pastor, a good Christian, and a friend. If you had ever met Evans, even if for just one minute, you would remember his amazing and catching smile and laugh. Evans had been hired onto the police force a couple of years ago. He was working last night and someone hit him in the back of the head and killed him. I don’t even know what the murderer was after. It is a shame and that makes me really sad. He leaves behind a wife and four children. Rest in peace, Evans.
Roger, Julie & Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
P.O. Box 96
Kitale, Kenya 30200
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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First Festival Since Pandemic & New Visitors
July 18, 2022
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We thank God for each one of you for your prayers and support. Missions is a joint effort of those going and those sending. Praise the Lord that He has called us to be used by Him.
We had our first festival since the pandemic. It was wonderful. We had many visitors. That was the main purpose of the event: bring new people to visit our church. Thank God! If things continue calm, we will have another one in a couple of months.
We have had to change some of our plans, but the Lord is helping us put new plans together. We had planned the pizza day in some schools but they all went on break. They will start back next week, so we will be scheduling the new dates for pizza day. We thank all those who have given for this. We will be contacting an Indian tribe to do pizza there also.
The services in the homes have been a blessing. In the home where we go on Friday, it has been wonderful. Their son has mental spiritual problems. They told us last week that he has changed a lot since we started the services in their home. Pray that God will open his mind to hearing God’s word. His name is Nelson.
A family has moved here in the other house on our land. They have four children. They are precious kids. They are always asking Kathy and I if they can help do something. They say, “If you need help just call us”. The parents have problems with drugs. Pray for them. They are going to church with us. Pray that God will strengthen them and have victory over their problem, and that if they are not saved, that they will accept the Lord as their Savior.
The other teen we help is doing well. Last Sunday he spoke in Sunday school the plan of salvation. He was nervous but did well. His name is Cleomar. He will be baptized next week.
Pray for us as we want to reach out into the communities. There are so many in the area. Pray that God will open doors for us to have services and that we can preach the gospel in as many places as He opens.
God bless each of you!
Odali and Kathy Barros
Love in our Savior,
|Odali and Kathy Barros
Love in Christ,
Odali and Kathy
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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Life On Mission
July 16, 2022
Dear friends,
We are grateful for your prayers and financial support.
Sarah is halfway thru her two-month mission trip in the Amazon with Jonatas and Charis. She is actively engaged in the daily ministry activities in four different locations on the outskirts of Manaus. There are Evangelism and discipleship opportunities during the home visits and church gatherings throughout the week. It has been a fantastic experience for her. We are delighted by her heart’s willingness to serve and learn under the leadership of godly friends and the ministry team. Jonatas and Charis are part of the leadership team in Brazil. I invited them to come to the States this last January for a month of mentorship and exposure—a customized training trip to 3 destinations, 3 universities, and 3 churches.
Laura is on a 7-day mission trip to Cleveland, OH, with a group of 54 high school students and 18 adult leaders from Wheaton Bible Church. The team will:
- Run a children’s day camp at a local Baptist church.
- Package medical supplies for overseas shipping.
- Separate donated clothing for distribution in the inner city.
- Assist at a homeless shelter.
- Paint an elderly couple’s home.
- Engage in sharing their personal salvation testimony at every opportunity.
Benjamin recently returned from a 5-day mission trip to Harvey, IL, with a group of middle school students. They served at a non-profit organization that provides hope and life-changing opportunities to recovering addicts, at-risk youth, families, and seniors struggling in poverty. They assisted in running programs for elementary-age children, helped in the thrift store and food pantry, met some of the men and women in their recovery programs, and worked in the neighborhood garden. It was an intense week of ministry with spiritual growth for Benjamin. He made new friends and made some critical decisions. We are excited to see how the Lord will continue to use Him for His glory.
In August, Nova Baptist Church (where David Hatcher is pastor) is hosting the largest church ministry conference within our Brazilian fellowship of churches/ church plants. Through your financial contributions, we are sponsoring 8 pastors, 3 pastor’s wives, and 4 church leaders from 5 different states to fly from their cities into Manaus. (Most will be in the airplane for 8 hours or more just to get there!) This conference happens every two years, but COVID caused it to be postponed twice. I prayed the Lord would allow as many pastors and leaders from our churches & church plants to attend this unique gathering. If you desire to sponsor a Brazilian pastor or church planter in any amount (costs $350 per person), please make a financial contribution thru Baptist Faith Missions and designate “Jud Hatcher – Conference training.” Please visit https://portals.icheckgateway.com/BFMNow/ to give online.
In August, Raquel is attending the CAFO Summit at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, GA. This conference is on adoption, foster care, and global orphan care. She recently completed training and was certified in Trust Based Relation Intervention (TBRI) and EMDR (for traumatic memories processing). With these tools, Raquel can assist children and adults in working through traumatic experiences. I (Jud) am currently undergoing my first year of doctoral studies at Columbia International University. I will graduate in May 2024 with a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership. My dissertation is a qualitative study on Steward Leadership influences on succession planning amongst Baptist pastors in Brazil.
We aim to recruit, train, place, and network pastors, church planters, and leaders to serve in Brazil. This additional education for us and our team brings practical knowledge for application in Brazil. We are grateful for personal growth.
Our prayer requests:
1. Sarah (17yo) has one more month on her mission trip in the Amazon. Pray for her learning, spiritual growth, and impact as she serves.
2. Laura (15yo) is part of WBC’s mission trip to Cleveland, OH. Pray for her learning, spiritual growth, and impact as she serves.
3. Jud & Ben (14yo) are attending a 2-day leadership conference in Aug. Pray for a great learning experience.
4. Jud & Raquel’s studies.
5. Upcoming trips to Ottawa, IL, Teays Valley, WV, and Findley, OH.
Thank you for your love, the care you demonstrate to us, your financial investment, and your regular prayers. We are thankful and are deeply encouraged by you.
Grateful always, Jud Hatcher
Sending Laura on mission trip 
4th of July in Chicago 
Nova Conference 
Sarah with ministry leaders 
Sarah in Manaus
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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New Opportunities to Witness & Make Disciples
July 8, 2022
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Thank you for your prayers and support. We are very grateful for your faithful commitment for many years to the making of disciples here in France. Sometimes when things seem to be going slow God opens a new door that becomes an opportunity to witness and make disciples.
Let me tell you about a couple such events this month. At the time I received a message from my brother saying Dad had passed into the presence of the Lord, Judy and I were on the road returning from the home of Laure and Henri. Laure started coming to the Bible study at Mazere about 8 or 9 years ago. Henri started coming with her after they were married, and they hosted the Bible study at their place from time to time.
About two years into their marriage, we helped them move to a little town that is quite distant from our home and Mazere. He is a cabinet maker and she an elementary school teacher. Shortly after the move, their first child was born, and she stopped teaching to become a full-time mother. We remained in touch but his working hours at a distance from their home and caring for a child made it difficult for them to drive to a Bible study an hour away. There is no church close to them. Within 5 and half years they had four children. During a good part of this time, we were in Indiana caring for Judy’s sister who is now with the Lord. When we received notice of the birth of their fourth child we were back in France and made arrangements to visit them. Their home is a bit over an hour’s drive from us. This visit was the one from which we were returning when I got the news about Dad.
They were really concerned about their inability to be in Church and their children not being in Sunday School. We suggested to them what God had laid on our heart; starting a Bible study in their home including a time of Bible teaching for the children. They were thrilled with the idea, and we had the first meeting a couple of weeks ago. They invited Henri’s aunt and her husband, and they attended and showed a great interest. Please pray for God to use this Bible study for His Glory.
We have also gotten reconnected to a couple who were our neighbors years ago. They now live about one hour north of us. When they had dinner in our home a couple of days ago, she asked question after question about God and how to have a relationship with Him. She really seems driven to know God. When we first met them, she was an atheist.
These are only two of several incidents that we are very excited about. However, I think I had better stop for now.
Thank you for your prayer. Could you take a moment now to pray for God to speak to hearts here and give us the wisdom to pursue each opportunity that He gives us?
Your sister and brother in France,
Judy and John
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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Sharing the Gospel in Festivals, Schools, Public Squares, & More
July 5, 2022
Dear Friends,
Recently we hosted a group of 7 American Christian brothers and sisters who were led of the Lord to come work with us for a few days. They ministered together with our traveling evangelistic team, Projeto Vida. We traveled with them to a town about 2 hours from our home base to share the gospel in public schools and parks. During the week of their time with us we shared the gospel in school gymnasiums and auditoriums to over 1,500 students and faculty. In these public-school presentations, we are not allowed to give an invitation to come forward publicly professing Christ, but we were able to speak one-on-one with dozens of students and faculty members after each presentation and many of these shared that the Lord had spoken to them through the gospel message that was shared through testimonies, skits, and the preached word.
June is the first month of winter in southern Brazil and is also culturally a time of winter festivals. Our church takes advantage of this practice and puts on a gospel centered Winter Festival. This year was our most attended to date. We had a packed house for two consecutive services. One of the great benefits of this event is to engage almost all our church members in serving the visitors from the community with refreshments, games, and activities. Even greater is that the festival serves as an attraction for unchurched neighbors to attend. At each service the gospel was preached, and we have two new families attending regular Sunday services since that festival.
Another “most attended to date” event we had in June was our second married couples meeting of 2022. We put on 4 of these meetings per year with a two-fold focus: Present biblical principles for healthy and happy marriages and evangelize lost couples who attend. June 12th is Brazil’s closest thing to “Valentine’s Day” in the USA. So, on Saturday, June 11th we put on our Couple’s Night banquet, and we had 57 married couples present, our greatest number present for this type of meeting to date. Our own church members are encouraged to invite their unsaved friends, relatives, and co-workers and several of these were in attendance. Though there was no “invitation” to commit one’s life to Christ on the spot, I preached the gospel in my “marriage message”.
In the past few weeks our traveling evangelistic team ministered the gospel in 6 states and the Federal District of Brazil. In these locations, the main venue was public schools and public squares. The gospel was presented to 4,915 persons and we were able to hear a public profession of faith from 63 adults who also began a “next steps” Bible study course with a local church. There were many (hundreds) of students who prayed orally a “confession prayer” at our rallies, but we do not enter these numbers in our records since we are not able to converse with most of these individually because of time and institutional restraints. The Lord has blessed greatly, and we are thankful to you, our fellow-laborers, for your prayers and support of our ministries. May the Lord richly bless.
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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Teaching Men in Taito about Prayer
July 5, 2022
Dear praying friends,
We hope this finds each of you doing well. We thank the Lord for each one of you, and your heart for missions. We could not do the work here in Kenya without you. This update will share current updates as well as prayer requests.
There has been much going on in the missionary community in Kitale since we have returned to Kenya. Several families have moved from Kitale to different parts of Kenya. While this is not easy, and these families were our good friends, we wish each of them well in this transitionary period. The westerners are few in Kitale now, so it is difficult, but we are trusting the Lord to provide other families in His timing and plan.
We have heard of interest from other missionaries coming to Kitale later in the year, and we are praying and trusting the Lord for His will during these transitionary times. Psalm 28:7 says “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him.” Please pray with us as we trust the Lord to provide families here in Kitale.
Another big prayer request now is for the presidential election scheduled for August 9th. Lord willing, we are going to be stocking up and buying extra supplies in case of any problems. The last few elections have gone peacefully, and we are trusting the Lord for the election this year. Kitale has a good safety record, as there are multiple tribes in this area and violence is rare. However, we are still taking precautions and seeking to stay as safe as we can. We will let you know how it is going in the coming weeks. Psalm 9:9 says “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” Amen. May we trust Him in the coming days and weeks, as He will protect us.
The family is doing well. Our daughters are continuing along well in their homeschooling studies, and my wife is doing a great job teaching them faithfully. Please pray for her, as she has a big responsibility with educating our children. Please also pray for us as parents, as we have a big responsibility as we raise them.
I (Nathan) am continuing in the discipleship studies in the village of Taito. I have recently been teaching on prayer and we have learned much about the subject. In Psalm 55:16-17, David says “As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.” I challenged the men to begin to commit to prayer, and showed them many verses from the Word of God that show the importance of prayer in our daily lives. Please pray with me that the Lord would raise up men who would be discipled, trained, and then sent out to start churches in their respective villages. God is in control.
We again thank you so much for your heart for missions. Each of you are such a blessing to us.
Until next month,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Contact Info:
Nathan and Carrie Radford
naterad[at]yahoo.com
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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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News & Reports – July 2022
The Online Edition of the July 2022 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.
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A Crazy, Busy Life
June 28, 2022
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
The first thing I need to do in this newsletter is to apologize to all you partners in our ministry in Kenya. I have failed to write a newsletter update in a couple of months and have been very bad at communicating with you all what is going on in our lives and in our ministry. I offer only a crazy, busy life and a crazy, mixed-up mind as the only excuses for my laxity in reporting. These are not valid excuses and, again, I apologize for not writing. I will have to do better.
A crazy, busy life? For sure!
Last month Julie and I celebrated with our daughter, Amy, as she married her husband, Matthew Earl. So, Amy is now Amy Earl, and our family continues to grow. This obviously means that Julie and I made a trip to the United States for the ceremony. We made it a quick two-week trip because Chloe could not make the trip with us, and we did not want to leave her in Kenya without us for too long. It took a lot of planning to make this trip happen and for Chloe to be cared for properly. We worried a lot about leaving Chloe in Kenya for two weeks without us because 1) she needs special care and attention and 2) she is very attached to us and experiences attachment issues. But Julie and I have not been to the United States together at the same time in over six years and Amy’s wedding was a crucial event we needed to attend. So, the planning leading up to us leaving was crazy busy, the travel was crazy busy, and our time in the United States was crazy busy. But, at the end of the trip when we were back in Kenya, we could praise God for the two big things we had prayed for: 1) Amy was married and happy and somewhere in Costa Rica with her new husband and 2) Chloe did well in Kenya with her caretakers while we were away. She also did well transitioning back to us being there again. She was definitely a trooper.
So that was last month. Has this month been any different? Not really. If you recall from a previous newsletter, Julie, Chloe and I have been temporarily living in a place called Kijabe so that Chloe could receive some necessary therapy at the Kijabe Mission Hospital, the only place we know of in Kenya where she can receive some of the various therapy she needs. Now that we have been here for a couple of months, we have decided to move our Kenyan ministry from Kitale to Kijabe. This is a major change for us. We have lived in Kitale for fifteen years, the entire length of our ministry work in Kenya. All of our lives and work was poured out in Kitale, on the people there and into the churches we have had a hand in starting. It is hard to leave a place where you have spent so much of your life ministering and used up so much energy in mission work. What is probably harder, though, is to look back and realize you are not leaving behind nearly as much as you wished you were. I couldn’t care less about leaving behind a legacy or a name or anything like that. I do wish I was leaving behind more lives changed in the name of Jesus, more churches started and organized, and more workers trained to carry on the mission. I would have liked to have seen more of the expansion of the Kingdom of Christ, not for the pat on the back or the acknowledgment of men, but for the glory of our Savior. We will leave what we have done in Kitale in the hands of God. And our last work we will also leave in the hands of Elphas Ochila, a Kitale pastor I trust to continue the work of Upper Room Baptist Chapel.
And now, we really have left Kitale, which is why I said this month has been so crazy busy. Julie stayed in Kijabe with Chloe and I spent the last nearly three weeks in Kitale packing things up and shipping them to Kijabe. We moved into our house in Kijabe just four days ago and are trying to get all unpacked, except all three of us (Julie, Chloe and me) are all currently sick from something I picked up and brought back from Kitale. It could be Covid or it could just be the flu, we don’t really know.
Crazy, busy life has led to a bit of a crazy, mixed up mind for me. But now, after we can get over this sickness we all currently have, we can settle into living and ministering for Jesus in Kijabe. I hope to write more about this next month.
Blessings to you all,
Roger, Julie & Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
P.O. Box 96
Kitale, Kenya 30200
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
