Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [March 2013]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making,”
February 26, 2013
Dear Fellow Team Members,
We are grateful for the privilege God gives us to be bearers of the the Good News to folks that live in Southern France as well as in other parts of the world. The four weeks since we last wrote to you have gone by quickly, but we have seen God at work.
On February 9, we had “young people’s evening in our home”. It seems that the quality of these meetings has continued to improve and the young people who come are attentive and are always interested in the date for the next meeting. Of the young folks who come, only one, has made a public profession of faith and followed the Lord in baptism. The passage we considered two weeks ago included “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” This is certainly the invitation of the Gospel for those who are lost as well as a reminder for those of us who are God’s children.
One of the many towns near us that need the Gospel.
Our oldest granddaughter brought a neighbor friend who had not previously been to a youth night. One the way home, this friend was so excited about the evening that she could hardly wait to tell her brother about it and invite him for the next time.
This past Sunday, one of the teen age girls who attends with her family brought a friend. Last Tuesday in Mazere, a young man, father of three, came for the first time and was quite attentive. He was brought by a couple who have participated with us in this Bible study from the time it was first implemented. We are encouraged by the desire the believers have to share their faith and introduce others to Christ.
This past Saturday, we had a pot luck dinner to conclude a three week Bible reading adventure. The purpose of this adventure was to encourage believers to grow in knowledge of God through the study of His Word. We chose key passages (one to four chapters per day) to be read daily. These covered the historical periods from Abraham to Nehemiah. Fourteen people read together and we discussed what they had learned during the dinner. Those who were involved testified that it was a great blessing to them. We want to do something similar several times during the coming year. This should help emphasize how important it is for God’s children to “know the scriptures” and to “study to show themselves approved”. One lady, who, was not involved this time, asked me Sunday, “When are we going to do this again?”
The Lord has recently given several good openings with neighbors and acquaintances. We would like for all of these and many others to be saved. Thank you for your faithful support which enables us to be here to communicate the Good News.
City of Mazere – We have Bible study near upper right hand corner.
Your fellow servants in France,
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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February 2013 Mission Sheets [PDF & Flip-Through]
Your February 2013 Mission Sheet is now available in PDF format. Follow the link below to view it!
BFM Mission Sheet February 2013
You can also flip through the mission sheet at the link below. When flipping through, you can enlarge the pages by clicking the magnifying glass with the arrow in it. ( <–> ) Flip by clicking on the curled up page corner.
(Once you get there, click at the bottom of the page to flip through.)
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Missionary Update: Harold Bratcher [February 2013]
Harold Bratcher has served the Lord in the Amazon Valley since July 15, 1959. His dear wife Marie, faithfully served with him for 52 years until her death in February 2011. The Bratchers organized over 20 Baptist churches and many other missions in Brazil, and he currently serves at the 24th of March Baptist Church in Manaus.
February 10, 2013
Dear Brothers of the Blessed Lord and Sisters of the Savior:
Once again I greet you not from the Amazon Valley of Brazil, South America, but from my cold Kentucky home where the sun is shining bright!
This Mission Sheets month began January 6th and finishes today. During this period I heard 12 sermons, or Bible studies. On Wednesday night, January 9th, we had the privilege of attending at the New Life Baptist Church here in Lexington. We heard an excellent Bible study on Isaiah 7, by Pastor Steve Wainright. On Friday the 11th, we moved into the Mission house on 1012 Balsam Drive. We are enjoying the house, while we await the sale of my house in Manaus. We also appreciate the excellent condition it was left in by Anita and Sheridan.
The second Sunday of January found us at the Clarksville Baptist Church of Richmond, Ky where we participated in the lesson taught by dear pastor Bradley Johns, and then I heard Asa Mark preach in the AM service. We then had the privilege of having lunch with Deane Cruise. The next Wednesday night, we had the privilege of hearing dear pastor Mickey Hyder at the 212 year old Historic David’s Fork Baptist Church. We are attending Wednesday nights there for the Bible Studies, the Story, studying the Bible, book by book during the year.
On Sunday morning the 20th, we attended the also 212 year old Glen’s Creek Baptist Church in Versailles, Ky and heard the Pastor Justin Rader. We then participated in a Chili dinner to raise money for a Mission trip to Central America. The next Sunday we attended the am service at the Ashland Ave. Baptist Church here in Lexington, hearing the sermon by Pastor David Prince. That pm, we heard Dr. Greg Waltermire at the Heritage Baptist Church, in Lexington.
During the month of February, we have attended services at the Clays Mills Road Baptist Church here in Lexington where my niece, Carolyn Sue Bratcher is a member. Dr. Jeff Fugate is the pastor. We also have attended the service at Lexington Baptist Temple, at the invitation of our dear family friend, Sister Ann Burris. Appreciated the music and message by the pastor, Derek Holmes.
I hope to be a blessing to many of you, during this first year of my permanent furlough. I would like to report and thank each of you that have supported us during these past years. We appreciate the invitations to come during the Spring. Until next month.
Yours in the Service of the Savior,
Harold Bratcher
1012 Balsam Drive
Lexington, KY 40504
(859) 277-3716
(859) 806-9827 cell
harold_bratcher[at]yahoo.com
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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher in Brazil [February 2013]
Jud and Raquel Hatcher serve the Lord in Manaus, Brazil. They are part of the “SeedFactory” church planting initiative, which is a movement to plant churches in all 26 Brazilian capitals. Since 2006, 43 churches have been started in 5 states.
Dear friends,
The Lord is blessing us everyday and we are thankful. The church is growing and as a result, we are encountering several growing pains. When people are reached by the Gospel of Christ, the enemy will do everything within his reach to create havoc. Nonetheless, the Lord gives us wisdom to help people and find ways to share the Gospel.
Here are three special prayer requests:
Please, pray for a couple in their late twenties (I am not able to mention names) that they may surrender to Christ and for the Lord to save their marriage. This is a couple we’ve been working with for a few months now. A couple of weeks ago they had a physical altercation. They have a son who is 5 years old and witnessed everything. Unfortunately, this is not the first time the child had seen this behavior from his parents. Pray for the Lord to transform their lives.
Also, pray for a 17 year old man (again, no names). He impregnated his 19 year old girlfriend. The girl’s mother is a widow and they boy’s parents have a rocky marriage. This young couple does not know the Savior and have been living together for the last 3 months (with their parents’ endorsement). Now that she is pregnant, both parents are furious. A few weeks ago the young couple had a severe fight and the neighbors called the police. She had him gasping for air in a headlock when he bit her arm, amongst other aggressions. I was informed that the young lady was dedicated to the “spirits” as a baby by her mother in a “Candomble” ritual. She struggles with frequent demon possession and is fearful of what the demons may do if she surrenders to Christ. Pray that the young couple and their parents may heed to the Gospel.
Pray for an opportunity to open a new church in another state. Rogério, Dani, and their son Matteus moved last week to Goiania (capital city of Goiás) due to his work. We believe the Lord is opening doors to start a church in this city. We are exchanging ideas and praying for the Lord’s will in this matter. We plan to start a home prayer group once they are settled in at their new house. I’d like to visit them soon for a city survey and planning. Please, pray for inroads within the community and for the family to develop new lasting relationships.
Goiania, the capital city of the state the Hatchers are praying about starting their newest church plant.
Thank you for your prayers and support. Continue to pray and give to the BFM General Fund. It is crucial for the work of our ministry and all of our other beloved missionaries supported through Baptist Faith Missions. Do you know of other churches or individuals in other states who currently do not support missions thru BFM? Do think they may to consider partnering with us too? Could you speak to them on our behalf? I pray that you will.
Grateful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
Website | Twitter
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers in Brazil [February 2013]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
Dear Friends,
I hope you got to see the picture of our new church building after we finished painting it. We are sure happy that part is finished. We had been having services in it all during the construction process, but several people have asked us when we are going to begin holding services.
There seems to always be “one more thing” to do when building, but there are basically only two that we are focusing on: 1) buying and installing our sound system, and 2) putting in a ceiling in the auditorium. We are almost there!
The new church building–now painted!
My foot and leg have nearly completely healed. I will have the opportunity to really test them out next Saturday when we take a group mountain hiking. I have run a few times and did a short mountain hike a couple of weeks ago and didn’t feel too much pain or swelling afterward. It has been 3 months since I broke them, but I’m very grateful for how well and quickly they are healing.
Our outreach ministry through American Football is developing very well. One of the 5 teams in our city has recently hired a former NFL player to be their head coach and his brother, a former Arena football player, to be the defensive coach. I have met and spoke with both of them and they have shown interest in working with me to evangelize and minister to the players, leaders and fans. Once again, I want to encourage any football coaches or players to contact me if you are interested in participating in an evangelistic mini-camp in June of this year. Also, we are in great need of football equipment: pads, helmets, cleats, pants and practice jerseys. This equipment can be used, of course, if it is in good condition.
I am praying for guidance about the leader to put over our new work in Corbelia, a neighborhood nearby. There are several thousand residents in this area, but not one single church. We are visiting the folks who live there, but we strongly believe that the most effective way to reach them and impact their lives is to plant a church in their community. I have trained a man for several years who, I believe, would be the right person for the job, but he is also the right-hand man of my former church’s pastor and his leaving would be a great loss to him. Pray with me to act wisely and to truly discern God’s will concerning this decision.
The Lord has blessed us so much with great health, a growing ministry and met needs. We are truly thankful. We also thank Him for you who have felt led to give toward our ministries so that we can continue to share the gospel and minister to those whom the Lord has put in our sphere of impact. We trust that you will be greatly rewarded, both now and forever.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [February 2013]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Hello, Beloved, and greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ our Savior. A friend of
mine often ends her Facebook posts with the acronym GIGATT. It means “God is good, all the time.” For years at my home church in Bellbrook, Ohio, my pastor would say from the pulpit, “God is good” and the congregation would spontaneously respond, “All the time.” And one of our beloved deacons would even add “Rain or shine.” You know, this statement is true even though sometimes you and I don’t always realize it or recognize it. God is good to His people in America. And he is good to His missionaries in Kenya. This paragraph is an aside and a freebie. No extra charge.
Now, unfortunately, because of extenuating circumstances, I don’t really have anything very interesting to report this month (Hopefully that last statement didn’t cause you to stop reading this update right here). Why is that, do you ask? Well, it’s because I have spent most of the last month in Nairobi, 350 kilometers away from home and ministry [Editor’s Note: about 218 miles]. In fact, even as I write this I am again at a guest house in Nairobi. The first reason I’ve spent so much time in Nairobi is, strangely enough, because of my dog. Back in December I ran over his leg and broke it clean through up near his hip. Since there were no vets in Kitale or even in Eldoret who could take care of such a major break, I had to take him to Nairobi to be fixed up. Since that initial trip to the vet I think I have come to Nairobi five more times just for the dog. Each trip takes at least 2-3 days.
The other thing that happened was that Julie was ill. We came to Nairobi for a few days so that she could see a good doctor and get some real tests done. We ended up staying for 14 days. While here in Nairobi we went from one doctor to the next, from one hospital to the next and from one test to the next. I think we were about to give up hope of finding the problem until one doctor actually discovered something. Julie was finally able to get some care. She had an outpatient surgical procedure at the Aga Khan hospital here in Nairobi and a few days later we were finally cleared to go back home. She is feeling some better now and hopefully will continue to feel better for a long time.
Now, let me look forward a few weeks. By the time you get my next newsletter update Kenya will have held it’s presidential and local elections. After the last elections Kenya was a blood bath and thousands of people were killed in rioting and tribal conflicts. We pray that the situation will be different this time, however, no one really knows what will happen. To prepare for these elections we have been stocking up on some necessary items: I bought 60 extra liters of diesel for the car, bought two extra bottles of cooking propane for the stove, stocked up on rice, beans, pasta, flour, etc, got some extra malaria medicine and have basically prepared for what the US embassy calls a “zombie apocalypse”. We will stay in Kitale through the elections and try and ride out any storm and violence that may arise. Please be in prayer for God’s protection in our lives, in the lives of other missionaries here in Kenya and for the Kenyan people and their country.
So, if you didn’t stop reading after my earlier statement above, I congratulate you by
saying that I do have some interesting thoughts and perspectives on my current and
future ministry direction here in Kenya that I would like to share. I haven’t formulated
them all or worked them all out in my head yet, however. My aim is to start sharing
them with you next month.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Emily, Amy, & Josiah)
P.O. Box 96
Kitale, Kenya 30200
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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Missionary Update: Sheridan & Anita Stanton in Peru [February 2013]
Sheridan and Anita Stanton have served the Lord in Peru since 1983. Their main ministry is church planting and they have helped establish churches all over the country. Sheridan also works to train pastors and Anita works with the ladies’ ministry and developing children’s material.
February 5, 2013
Dear friends,
Anita and I arrived back in Peru, safe and sound on January the 9th. It was a long day with several memorable events. First, our commuter flight from Lexington to Chicago almost collided with a bus on the tarmac at the Chicago airport. I did not know airplanes had brakes that could stop so fast. Never unbuckle your seatbelt before the plane is completely stopped at the terminal. For our next memorable event we flew from Chicago to Houston and only had a forty minute layover to catch our international flight to Lima, Peru. We did not know what gate had been assigned for our next flight. We knew we had to hustle to get to the next gate (thinking we would probably have to go through a security check again). So we get off the plane in Houston and quickly check the large “departure board” and found that the assigned gate was E21. It was then we realized we had arrived in Houston at gate E20, the gate for our departure flight was right behind us! How often does that happen? First time for us.
Our last unforgettable experience was when we arrived in Peru, and while going through immigration I realized I had lost my wallet on the plane. Though I had our passports, the wallet contained our Peruvian visas. I was not allowed to go back to the plane and could not go through immigrations without the visas. So the airline agreed to search around the area where our seats where and thankfully they found my wallet. This ordeal took about an hour but worked out okay because all the luggage from the plane arrived at the carousel five minutes after we finally cleared immigrations. All the other passengers were hopping mad wondering if their luggage would ever arrive. It seems the truck that pulls the luggage carts had broken down and it took them an hour to replace it. Then, the icing on the cake was that we got the “green light” going through customs; nice finish for a long day. Thanks for all your prayers.
Bro. Sheridan with Bro. Roosevelt Hermitaño, missionary pastor of the mission work in Cayumba Grande. [View Video]
[Click here to view a video of Bro. Stanton introducing 3 missionary pastors in Peru]
Paolo, a young Peruvian police officer who just trusted Christ!
Several days ago, a young Peruvian police officer came to my house and asked to speak with me. His wife used to be a member of a church I had pastored before. His name is Paolo and he serves his country in a very dangerous capacity. He had vacation time and asked to come every day and let me teach him about the Bible. On the fourth day of teaching him through the course “Basic Bible Truths”, he trusted Christ as his Savior. Paolo is a very quiet person and shows little emotion, but when he said with great confidence, “Yes, I believe Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again the third day,” the biggest smile broke out on his face. He told me that now he knows if he is killed in the jungle fighting the drug cartels, he knows he will go to heaven. Please pray for this young police officer, Paolo, serving his country.
SPECIAL PRAYER REQUESTS
- Hilda Bayhi (Anita’s sister) continues to battle with brain cancer and is now home with Hospice Care.
- For the Calvary Baptist Mission of Huánuco, Peru and all the churches and pastors of Peru
Apartado Postal 860
Huanuco, Peru
South America
(614) 500-8823 – Internet Number
sestantonperu[at]hotmail.com – Sheridan
arstantonperu[at]gmail.com – Anita
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Missionary Update: The Creiglows in Brazil [February 2013]
Mike and Beverly Creiglow have served the Lord in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil together for 40 years. In addition to pastoring First Baptist of Cruzeiro do Sul, Mike builds his own boats and frequently travels up and down rivers to share the Gospel with those who have never heard.
Dear Brethren,
Our medical missions team just arrived from a long trip up the Juruá River. Hudson and I went up
river 5 days before the rest of the team.
Last year I had ordered lumber to build pews for our work in Tipisca, Peru. They only had a couple
of benches. The lumber I ordered was being used as improvised benches for the services. We
loaded up a bunch of my power tools and a generator and headed the 500km up stream. It rained for 2 days which brought the river way up. They only have lights for a few hours in the evening at Tipisca and it is 220volts. That is why I had to take the generator and all the power tools.
Bro. Mike Creiglow with his 9 year-old helper Carlos sitting on some of the pews they built at Tipisca, Peru.
Our missionary at Tipisca is Brother José Maia. He has a couple of Ashaninka Indian boys that do odd jobs for him. He had the younger brother, 9 year old Carlos, to help me. This kid is amazing! He is a hard worker and sharp as a tack. He watched me closely and would have tools, screws, glue, nails or whatever ready at each step of the process. I don’t speak much Spanish, but we got along just fine. We even had some good laughs. He was with me for at least 10 hours every day for 4 days. At the end of each day we would clean up the building; sweeping and mopping (on hands and knees). After all that he would still ask in Spanish, of course, “Quieres ayuda, Pastor?”
“Do you need help with anything else, pastor?” Wow! What a worker. We made 10 mahogany pews in 4 days. They are sanded and ready for varnish. Each night we had a few more seats for the services.
Our team arrived on day 6. This was the first time that we have had a medical team in a foreign country. We had 15 members. The great thing was that this was the first time after 17 years and over 40 clinics that all the members were just from our home church. We had 1 doctor, 2 dentists and 3 nurses on this team. We still have other nurses, 1 more doctor and 1 more dentist in our church. There are a doctor and 2 nurses in Tipisca. We included them in the project. They were amazed at the kindness and care our team gives. They were also astonished at the amount and variety of medicine that we have for the people.
The medical missions team
We cared for the folks and held services there for 3 days. Then we went back down river to Foz do Breu, on the Brazilian side for 2 more days. After that it was on to the village of Caipora for 2 more days of clinic before returning to Cruzeiro do Sul. No one was saved on this trip, but we cared for hundreds of bodies and shared the Gospel with many more. These projects cost a minimum of $10,000.00 each. Our folks here foot the bill. You’re allowed to help, too, if you like.
Dr. Suiane listening to a mom and her child at Caipora
We suffered through some extreme heat. One night was the hottest ever in my 52 years of life in the jungle. We were at Caipora. Camp was set up under a covered area, but no walls. At 3:00AM the generator was still running. The guys were playing games and telling jokes. It was too hot to sleep. Late that night I went out into the field to call Beverly on my satellite phone. There was a bright full moon, but it was just crazy hot! Sweat was dripping off my chin and rolling down my body. What I didn’t tell her at the time was that I was wearing only my underwear. Didn’t mean to spoil your day with that last line, but it REALLY was HOT! We are back in Cruzeiro and cold water never tasted so good. I’m already looking for an ice maker that I can hook up to my little generator.
Their nurse, Vieira, sorting medicine as the last day of the clinic began
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
Mike and Beverly Creiglow
Caixa Postal 24
Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil 69980
mdcreig [at] hotmail.com
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