Challenges in Resuming Services
September 22, 2020
Dear Brethren,
Greetings from the lockdown in the rainforest: Cruzeiro do Sul. My days alternate between “frustrated” and “angry”. Our timid (spineless) governor has tightened the shutdown even against the data that show we should be moving toward normal.
We had already authorized our congregations out of town and our chapels in town to resume services, as I reported last month. Three weeks ago, we had our first (limited) Sunday school. After our weekly pastor’s meeting, we had decided to have a Sunday morning service of just an hour (9:00AM), but without publicizing the first one. If the news leaked and folks showed up, then fine. It did leak and we had 191 present. We followed the state rules as close as possible. The next week we had a 20% increase. The third week another 44% increase over the previous week. There were 329 for that service.
Then the state brought down a new law requiring ALL citizens in the Acre to wear a mask in all public and PRIVATE places. It is now illegal to eat or shower without a mask if you follow the law as written. The next Sunday morning we had only 225, a 30% drop in attendance.
For the past 2 plus months I have been getting data on the state of the pandemic in Cruzeiro do Sul. The daily cases have dropped way down. Hospitalizations, which had been in the hundreds is now down to 7. There have been 4 deaths in over 2 months. There had been as many as 6 deaths weekly 3 months ago.
The “tyranny of the mask” as I call it, has kept me oscillating between frustrated and angry. I called off the livestream of our services until this is past. The livestream could bring the authorities down on us, if they saw anyone without a mask in the auditorium. I refuse to comply and certainly refuse to preach in a mask. Now I am back in the studio recording messages and lessons for all those who are afraid to come to church. We continue to have live services, but I must also prepare duplicate lessons and sermons for those too timid to get out or for the few who are hindered by some other high-risk factor.
One of the pastors wants us to follow the letter of the law, which is impossible. He comes to staff meetings in a huge cannister mask, face shield and gloves. The other 6 pastors take it in stride, even though we can’t understand a word of what he says during the meetings! All of us get along fine though and do the best with all of this mess around us.
To end on a better note: We have added some new members by letter. Then on Sunday we presented a new baby that was born during the pandemic. Of course, that too is illegal as no children are allowed (according to the law) to be present. Someone more important than the governor once said, “Let the little ones come unto me.” I think letting them come to His house counts, too.
Pray that we will be able to be faithful and continue to do our best for Christ and His kingdom.
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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Special Program at Pedras Vivas
Odali and Kathy Barros served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil together from 1987-2013. In late 2013, they transitioned to Manaus in Northern Brazil to start sharing the Gospel and planting churches in villages along the river.
September 20, 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We are all well and hope that each of you are doing great. This month was a little different here at home. Kathy went to the US to help with her dad. Paul had messed up his arm pushing his dad in the rain coming from church. So, they asked her to come to help with him. She is back now and had a good trip and visit with her dad and Paul and Wanda.
We are doing a special program at the mother church, Pedras Vivas. We invited a team of 20 young adults to help with Sunday School and teach music to those interested. We want to make an emphasis on fellowship with other churches and get more people involved in the ministries in the church and show the importance of each one serving in the church.
The church in the village of Cacau is really doing great. We are excited that soon we will be back in the church building with more space. We have put the ceiling in and an air conditioner. The members that had scattered are returning. Praise the Lord!
We are still limited with all the different activities and being careful with everyone’s health. We have had the virus in 2 families from our church. They stayed out of church for over 2 weeks. Thank God they are all well.
Today the last things that we had left in Garça arrived here in Manaus at our home. Thank God that the trip with the things went well. The driver was raised at the Alpha and Omega Home. What a blessing.
Pray that God well lead us in the new project of getting people involved and reaching out to more places. Thanks for your prayers and support. God bless each of you!
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 & Ministry During a Pandemic
Dear friends,
FAMILY
Praise the Lord, the six of us remain in overall good health during this pandemic lockdown. Not that we have not encountered a few occurrences during the last few weeks. About two weeks ago, Benjamin suffered a muscle trauma in his right foot while playing basketball. Based on the pain, we suspected he could have a hairline fracture in his foot, but the x-ray confirmed otherwise. The doctor prescribed painkillers, and no running or jumping until it heals. Melissa underwent an infected tooth treatment at the dentist. I have faced a couple of acute allergy attacks during this last month. The intense sneezing left me feeling mulched and beaten by day’s end – as if I had been through the meat grinder a couple of times. Thankfully, this was about it during this month.
As a prevention remedy to COVID-19, we are taking a what was once an “over the counter” medication. A childhood friend (who holds a doctorate in biochemistry and is a university professor) suggested we take this specific medication after his research team reached empirical research results indicating its efficacy against the virus. We truly are grateful to the Lord for caring for us. We have multiple encounters with infected people, but none of us have caught it (or, if we have, it has been asymptomatic).
Benjamin, Laura, Sarah, and Melissa (front) 
The Hatcher Family 
Melissa with Maggie
EXERCISE
All of us have gained a few pounds during this COVID “stay at home” season. About 8 weeks ago, I was challenged by my son (Benjamin – 12 years old). He asked for us to wake-up an hour earlier each day to go running. I agreed to the challenge. We often take Maggie (our Golden Retriever) with us, as she is also needing the exercise. There is a large pond not far from our home that is a popular destination for runners and exercise enthusiasts. The first few days of running were the toughest, but we have gained momentum with the “new” routine. Benjamin and I get a chance to talk about all kinds of topics. He is not running now, at least until his foot fully heals.
SCHOOL
The new school year is up and running for all four of our children, albeit it continues as distance-learning via online classes. Sarah is a freshman in high-school, Laura is in 8th, Benjamin in 6th and Melissa in 3rd grades. Government authorities keep postponing the return dates for school to resume on-campus classes. Our kids are ready to get back to “normal” at school and regular activities. Unfortunately, getting back to “normal” may take its own good time.
MINISTRY
This last Sunday was a full one. I preached at the morning service at Maria Virginia Baptist Church and went to a luncheon/afternoon gathering at our home. Pastor Helder is doing a great job as the new lead pastor of the “Maria Virginia” Church. Just last month a couple surrendered to Christ. Everyone was excited with the great news! We definitely celebrate new life in Christ.
We continue to follow-up with people through social media platforms and personal in-home visitations with folks. There are a lot of high-risk people we minister to within our ministry. Although, a lot of people we connect with have already caught COVID and have returned from self-isolation.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Our children’s education.
2. Ministry expansion and new leadership.
3. Discipleship of new believers.
4. Our health.
Thanks for reading, praying, and supporting us!
Grateful always,
Judson and Raquel Hatcher
Contact Info:
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
São Paulo, Brazil
judsonhatcher@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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Planning Continues for 2021 Classes
September 17, 2020
Dear friends and family,
This has been a month that went into our history books. So for a moment let’s ALL remember the lives that were lost on 9/11, and pray for their families and others affected on that tragic date. This is especially close to me as I served with the Lexington Fire Department for 23 years before I surrendered to the call to be a missionary to Brasil. God is AWESOME, we do not always understand all but one thing never changes, God is God. It is He who is in control!!
It has been another month for planning and preparation, but before I get into that I need to tell you about an interruption that has happened to me this month. While doing some clean up on the property here in Lexington I had an accident. I was removing some tree limbs from a trailer and lost my balance and began to fall. So I jumped and landed wrong and broke my ankle. Now I am wearing one of those boots and looking to be wearing it for 6 weeks. But the good part of this is that I did not have to have surgery.
As the planning continues, both here and in Brasil, we are zooming with our pastors there, working with leaders and professors here, and we are confirming dates for our 2021 classes. This planning involves choosing the locations, the professors, the translators, and the tech support people. We have completed our first virtual class. There were some minor glitches but we are getting them corrected. So, we have the first of many under our belt and looking forward to many more.
We request your prayers for this ministry and all our involved partners and volunteers, students, and most of all—YOU— our financial supporters and prayer partners.
It is with much appreciation and gratitude that I express our love and prayers to all of you who sponsor, support, and loyally give to BFM. During this pandemic we appreciate even more your financial support as we know you have families and it gets harder to continue your outside giving. So, one more time THANK YOU for your financial support and prayerful intercession for our ministry.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
592 Emery Court
Lexington, KY 40505
AJ: 859-539-2302Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
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Chapel Resuming Services; Celebrating Chloe’s Birthday
September 17, 2020
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
It has been an interesting month to say the least. For the last few weeks Julie has been in the United States on a much-needed trip to visit family. Since we haven’t had a furlough since 2013, we do not get back home very often to visit parents and children. So, it is good that Julie be there for a little while to see our very missed family members. So that means that I have been here in Kenya alone with Chloe. That, I guess, is what is making this month so interesting. But Chloe and I have been surviving and getting along OK. I have learned to pick my battles with her. The day I am writing this update is actually Chloe’s birthday. She turned six years old today. That is hard to believe! She didn’t come home to live with us for another month after her birthday but I was contemplating this today: Six years ago today an unknown Kenyan girl, from an unknown Kenyan village gave birth to a 2 pound baby and this event would change my life forever. I didn’t know it yet, but God knew it and His plan was to bring her to our home. Chloe would change our lives, we would change hers, and we would be linked together forever. All according to God’s plan (which he would unfold for us in the weeks following her birth).
Ministry at the Chapel has started up very slowly. Our first week after restarting from the Covid shutdown we had 5 in attendance. The second week we had 6. The third week 7. The fourth week 8. Seeing a trend here? Well, we were going in the right direction as far as attendance is concerned but then we hit the fifth week. On the fifth week we had 2 – myself and Victor. So, I thanked God for Victor. Victor faces some mental challenges but he loves Jesus, is a humble and loving man and he rarely misses a service at the Chapel. In fact, he usually shows up an hour early to clean and help me get everything set up. As far as I know, Victor has no job and no income but I have on multiple occasions seen Victor take a loaf of bread or a bag of chips that I have bought for him and immediately open it and give half of it to people on the streets. He has a big heart. So, on week 5 I thanked God that Victor was at the Chapel, even though there was no one else there. Victor and I sang a few songs together, talked about God and some things in the Bible, prayed for a while, and finished our service. Week 6 we then had ten in attendance. We will see where the trend goes from there. My goal is to get back to where we were before Covid hit. I am not referring to numbers in attendance but to closeness, to relationships, to spiritual growth, to glorifying God together, to the Kingdom of Jesus, and to the overall desire to see the ministry develop and progress.
Please keep our Chapel in prayer and pray that my wife gets back here soon.
Blessings to you all,
Roger, Julie, Amy, Josiah & Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
P.O. Box 96
Kitale, Kenya 30200
rojuta@gmail.com
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Worldwide Worship
Missionaries John and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
September 13, 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Praise the Lord with me. My heart overflows. During our walks the last couple of days Judy and I have chatted about the Beatitudes. We are blessed!
Our church meetings during the past month have been quite a blessing. The church is able to meet again in person with masks. The Sunday before last there was a houseful including four or five visitors. One lady, a relative of one of the church families, was there for the first time. Judy and I have known her for many years.
Today the house was full and the attendance was from Indiana to Austria. Besides the group meeting in Tournefeuille, there were members in 5 other locations in three countries participating. These are young people from our congregation who are working or studying elsewhere. Two of them could not be around others because of their contact with people who have tested positive with the Covid virus. What a joy to sing, study God’s Word and fellowship with the folks from our church family in France.
We thank God for your faithful support and partnership with us in the Kingdom of God. We thank God for the ability to fellowship with our home church. We thank God for the way He is working in the lives of the young adults who have come to Christ and grown up in our fellowship of believers. We thank God for many opportunities to minister (at a social distance) to folks in our temporary neighborhood. We thank God … and our hearts are overflowing.
Praising God from Whom all blessings flow,
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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Renewing Work Permits & Planning for Furlough
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and we are entering the last part of 2020. Time really does pass so quickly, and may we be busy serving where the Lord has us. This update will share current prayer requests as well as current updates.
This past month has been very busy. So many things to do. We made a big “to do” list, and you never really realize what a job it is until you start shutting down for furlough. Various insurances to be paid, trying to find someone to stay in our house while we are away, arranging for paying bills here while we are in America, and the list goes on and on. It can be overwhelming and you have to take one thing at a time. We are thankful to have neighbors now so if there are any urgent matters, they can inform and assist us.
We also were working on our work permits that expire next April. We did get the documentation done, and there are just a few minor items to send in soon. We are thankful for the progress that we made on the permits, and ask that you would pray with us that they will be renewed without any issues.
In health news, I (Nathan) had to see a dermatologist recently and she recommended the removal of seven different moles. There is a history of melanoma in the family, so I need to be seen regularly and need to be careful with sun exposure. I did have all seven moles removed and have been able to recover well, for which I am thankful. The sun is strong here in Kenya and you need to take precautions. Thanks for your prayers in regards to not only my health, but the health of the entire family.
We appreciate each of you so much. Thanks so much for your prayers, sacrificial giving, and encouragement. You are such a blessing.
Contact Info:
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
naterad@yahoo.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
A Testimony to God’s Grace & Power
It is so wonderful to be back to having worship services together with our brothers and sisters in Christ in person. We are glad that we got the opportunity to learn how to use technology to increase our outreach while in quarantine, but nothing replaces the warmth of physical fellowship.
The great majority of our members are attending regularly and we have quite a few new people attending. Or at least I think they are new people. With everyone wearing masks, it is sometimes hard to identify everyone. We are hoping that this safety measure and municipal requirement will soon be removed.
Charlene and I had an opportunity to minister to a young man named Elizeu a couple of weeks ago. Elizeu’s story is such a testimony to God’s grace and power. For several years he suffered from debilitating headaches and seizures. The doctors discovered that he had a tumor on his brain that was causing this and they were able to remove it. Because of Elizeu’s gratitude to God for relief from his suffering, he offered to work as an unpaid volunteer for a social services organization that helps the underprivileged and shares the gospel.
Neither Charlene nor I knew Elizeu or anything about him before, but one of our church members heard that his family was in great need and asked if we would make a visit. It was suggested to us to donate some special medical supplies and nutritional supplements that he needed. I don’t like to just throw money at people’s circumstances without using the opportunity to speak of Christ’s love and grace. That was our intention when we went to visit Elizeu and his family. Instead, God spoke to us through Elizeu. This man had lived years with great suffering. A successful surgery had relieved that, but then he discovered that he had cancer in his stomach and it had to be removed. It would be easy to understand how someone in his circumstances could become bitter or cynical, but not Elizeu. We went to his home to minister to him, to share a word of hope, but it was he who ministered to us. We did deliver the medical and nutritional supplies to him, but God delivered to us a message of courage, faith and joy in suffering that we’ve rarely seen. Most of this man’s life has been one of hardship and pain, but he was so grateful to God for his salvation and for his purpose in life to tell of God’s goodness that we were amazed. Humanly speaking, Elizeu’s life expectancy isn’t very promising, but, WOW!, what a life lived for God’s glory!
Because of COVID-19 and the cancellation of the in-person school year, our traveling outreach team won’t be able to get into public schools until next February. We have been praying for and working on ways to get the gospel message out and we have found some that, we believe, will be used of the Lord. The whole country is tired of being cooped up indoors and we are planning some outdoor presentations of skits and gospel films in public parks where people are gathering. Our volunteers are trained to interact with the spectators at these events and seek opportunities to share the gospel one-on-one. Please pray that the Lord will help us to be successful in these endeavors.
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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