November 2012 Mission Sheets [PDF & Flip-through]
Your November 2012 Mission Sheet is now available in PDF format. Follow the link below to view it!
BFM Mission Sheet November 2012
You can also flip through the mission sheet at the link below:
(Once you get there, click at the bottom of the page to flip through.)
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Missionary Update: Odali & Kathy Barros in Brazil [December 2012]
Odali and Kathy Barros have served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil for many years. In addition to leading their newest church, they also run “Alpha Omega Family Development,” which provides a home and stability for needy people, many of whom are recovering drug addicts, etc.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We hope all are enjoying on this Thanksgiving the blessing of our Lord and Savior. We are all doing great. God has done and is doing great things in our lives and ministry. At the moment we have no plans for our furlough. We still have not received our children’s documents. Pray that they will come at the right time.
Our services have been wonderful. Sunday morning we work to a great extent with children and teens. We have a group of about 60 that come faithfully. It is so wonderful to see them change their
behavior as they keep coming. They come from homes that are a total wreck.
The Sunday night services have been great. We have several couples that have been coming for about a month now. Sunday night we had 3 of them that made professions of faith. Pray for these new converts. We will continue teaching on the doctrine of the Baptist church. Several of these adults had attended other evangelical churches. So they have been taught several doctrines. They will be a great blessing to the church.
We still spend lots of time with our children on Sunday morning. Since they come from so many homes where the suffer abuse of all kinds. Kathy and I love to sit out in front of the church and the children come and hug us. The young man that we mentioned a few months ago that came to church high on drugs is still coming. He has changed so much. Pray for him. His name is Clayton.
On Sunday night we plan for the next Sunday school. We decide what the menu is and everyone helps giving something for the meal. Everyone loves to give for the kid’s meal. Below is our last meal. The little boy in blue that is watching me cook is my helper. When he started coming to church he was absolutely terrible. His name is Bruno and his mother is HIV positive. That can kind of tell you where he is coming from!!!!!
Bruno (in the blue shirt) is Odali’s special helper.
Bro. Odali prepares the kids’ meal–a weekly event!
We are coming to a close of another year and we are making plans for our ministry for the coming year. We will share with you in our next letter what God has placed on our hearts. Thanks for all your prayers and support. God bless all of your tremendously.
Odali & Kathy Barros
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
Blog
Caixa Postal 182
17400-000 Garca, SP
Brasil, S.A.
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [December 2012]
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,
This month I want to do something a little different and instead of talking directly
about the ministry I want to address something that will effect the lives of every Kenyan –The upcoming Kenyan presidential elections (and so, in a very real way, I WILL be addressing ministry because this event will not only effect the lives of every Kenyan, but our lives also and the ministry that we do here). I know that we just finished a presidential election in the States. And whether you like the results or not, I’ll bet none of you reading this worried, even for one moment, about losing your life because of the election process. Well, that isn’t the case here in Kenya. The last presidential election in Kenya in 2007 resulted in mass rioting, ethnic cleansing, tribal warfare, murders, looting, and crop burning. People were targeted, profiled and killed simply for being in the wrong tribe. Others ran to churches for refuge only to lose their lives when those churches were intentionally set on fire and burned to the ground. Thousands of people lost their lives, many of whom lived in Eldoret, a city not 50 miles from where we live in Kitale. This went on for months before things finally got settled down and the rioting and killings stopped.
Why am I mentioning this? Because we have another presidential election coming up
in March, 2013 and there is already tension in the air. Nobody is certain how things will
go and so we are beseeching your prayers.
Most of you probably don’t know this but I am the warden for the United States embassy here in the Kitale region. That means that I work with the embassy to distribute information and help the American expatriates in the Kitale region try and stay safe in Kenya. So, to help me in this position I attended a meeting at the US embassy to hear what they were saying concerning the upcoming elections. They related a number of problematic scenarios that could occur over the next couple of months that I would like to relate to you so you can be praying for us, for our ministry, and for the people of Kenya.
First, a change in the registration process here in Kenya is cause for concern. The new constitution made it available for Kenyans to register and vote within whatever district they wanted. That means that if a presidential candidate thinks he has a certain district locked up, he can send followers from that district to another district that he doesn’t have locked up. The bottom line is that people from other districts, who have no links or connections to Kitale whatsoever, could be bused to Kitale to register and vote. Having people in Kitale with no links or care of this place could bring unwanted abuses.
Second, the high court of Kenya is supposed to vote soon on whether two presidential candidates can even run for president. The problem with these two guys is that they were indicted by the ICC at the Hague for stirring up the people to riot and murder after the last presidential election. These guys are guilty of mass murder and yet are trying to run for president. Depending on the high courts decision, this could cause further rioting and problems.
Last, the elections take place in the first week of March. But since there are many candidates running and since they need 50% of the popular vote to win the election, there is a potential for a run-off or even several run-offs before one candidate gets elected. This means the election process could drag on for months with lots of uncertainty and tension. The embassy’s advice has been “prepare for the worst and hope for the best.” Hopefully the Kenyan people have learned from the last time that they don’t want a repeat performance of the rioting and murders of 2007. But when I ask Kenyans what they think will happen this time around, only about half of them feel comfortable and think things will go smoothly. I tell you all this because, again, I desire your prayers for our family and this country. May God receive glory in Kenya even throughout this entire process.
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
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Missionary Update: Mike & Beverly Creiglow in Brazil [November 2012]
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.
November 5, 2012
Dear Brethren,
Many of you may know that we have had a local TV program for over 22 years. We have our own little studio and every Tuesday or Thursday night a couple of young men from church help me record and edit a half hour program. Many people watch the program that airs every Saturday and Sunday morning. They tell me and thank me. Many would never come to church, but they still tell me how much they enjoy it. There haven’t been many to come out and profess trust in Christ. Last week though I had some great news. At 6:30AM as I was getting the building open to start work a young man stopped by and introduced himself. He is one of two sons of the former mayor of Porto Walter. The mayor and his 2 boys were arrested and convicted of corruption and were in the local penitentiary. Demerval thanked me for the program. He said that he, his brother and dad watched every weekend and all three were saved while in there. He said, “When I went in, I thought I knew who Jesus was, but I didn’t know Him. Because of the messages that we heard now we KNOW Him!” Our teams that visit the prison every week took care of them while they served their time. All 3 are now free and I hope that they will get in church at Porto Walter.
We had a great baptism service last month. 24 new members. We have had a few other new members by church letter, too. Last Sunday we had 5 more people saved.
Zico and I took off for a visit to Porto Walter a couple of weeks ago, but didn’t quite make it. We had been on the river for over 4 hours and were just about an hour away when we had engine trouble. A very major tropical storm had been stalking us for over 2 hours. We had been through the edges of it because of the horseshoe bends of the river. At 5:30 it got ahead of us. Right then the motor banged a stump and started to vibrate. I thought, “There goes the brand new prop.”
When I stopped at a beach to check it out I discovered that the lower motor mount had broken and fallen off. No way to buck the current and continue up stream. Thank the Lord and Park Ridge Baptist Church for the satellite phone. Just as the storm slammed us I was able to warn Bev and the folks at Porto Walter that we were not going to be able to make it. What next? The engine was purring nicely and could turn the prop at idle speed, but nothing more. I asked Zico what he would rather do: find a house to spend the night or poke along until we eventually got back to Cruzeiro do Sul. He said, “Let’s go home.” The storm passed and the moon came out for a while. My really good and powerful flashlight helped us thread our way through all the stumps and shallows. It took us 10 hours and we arrived back in Cruzeiro at 3:30AM. After a couple of hours of sleep I got up and went to church for Sunday morning services. Zico was beat and didn’t make it to the first service of the day! I am grateful for the good health, stamina and drive that the Lord has given me.
Please pray for my safety and those who are working with me on the annex. We are putting up the steel structure for the third floor. I built and erected the columns. Today I will finish the last steel truss. Later this week we hope to get them up and the roof on no later than the 15th. I promised the church that I would build all this stuff myself to save them some money. Just this one job is a savings of $22,000.00. The church and Bev worry about my safety, which is understandable. The hours have been long for many weeks. I start my day at 5:00AM with prayer and devotion with several church members. Then it is work from dawn to dark. I have to keep up all my teaching and preaching, too, so pray for me.
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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Missionary Update: Sheridan & Anita Stanton on furlough from Peru [November 2012]
Sheridan and Anita Stanton have served the Lord in Peru for 28 years. 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.
Dear friends,
The autumn mix of red, yellow, gold and orange has been amazing as Anita and I have traveled the interstates this past month. The first of the month we were in Michigan and had the opportunity to visit Niagara Falls for a few days on the Canadian side for Anita’s birthday. Then we came back to Michigan in time for the Annual Mission Conference sponsored by the Grace Baptist Church of Holly, Michigan –Pastor Bob Hopkins and the Lake Road Baptist Church of Clio, Michigan –Pastor Doug Armstrong.
October – 7 in the morning with the Grace Baptist Church, Holly, Michigan, and then with the Liberty Baptist Church, Burton, Michigan in the evening -Pastor Tim Works.
October – 14 with the Grace Baptist Church, Fairborn, Ohio, pastor Mark Pyle (am service). Emmanuel Baptist Church, Bellbrook, Ohio, pastor Darrell Messer (pm service), then back on Wednesday – 17 with Emmanuel Baptist for their Annual Missions Conference.
October – 19 we headed to Florida so we could be with our home/sending church, Jordan Missionary Baptist of Sanford, Florida on the 21st.
October- 18 we began a four day Revival Meeting with the Grace Baptist Church of Bradenton, Florida, Pastor Jim Burnham. The Lord blessed our meeting with power of the Spirit of God being gloriously manifested. We would have enjoyed attending the Annual Mission Conference of the Bryan Station Baptist Church of Lexington, Kentucky, but the dates conflicted with the meeting in Florida.
At this time Anita and I are in Atlanta, Georgia attending a conference sponsored by the NCCA – National Christian Counselors Association. We head for Glenville, Georgia tomorrow.
We continue to be graciously received by each church. New friends have been made and a lot of old friendships have been strengthened. The amount of miles travelled on furloughs never changes but Anita and I feel this furlough has been a little less stressful due to your faithful prayers. Thank you all so much!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Hilda Bayhi (Anita’s sister) has finished taking chemotherapy and radiation treatments for brain cancer and will undergo cyber-knife surgery to remove the four brain tumors on November 5th.
- Our son, Major Joshua Stanton, USAF, for his safety as a pilot flying missions in Afghanistan. Hopefully he will return to the States soon and see his new born son, Benjamin for the first time.
- God’s grace and protection as we continue our furlough travels.
- Anita’s knees are doing a bit better but still hurting her.
- For the Calvary Baptist Mission of Huánuco, Peru and all the churches and pastors of Peru.
For the churches reading this letter please consider giving a special, generous, Thanksgiving Offering designated for the General Fund of Baptist Faith Mission.
Until next month,
In HIM by HIS grace,
Sheridan and Anita Stanton
Furlough Address:
1012 Balsam Drive
Lexington, KY 40504
(859) 277-3716 – mission house
(859) 490-5370 – cell in States
(614) 500-8823
sestantonperu[at]hotmail.com – Sheridan
arstantonperu[at]gmail.com – Anita
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Missionary Update: AJ & Barbara Hensley in Brazil [November 2012]
The Hensleys have spent nearly 15 years serving in Brazil. They run a vocational school and orphanage in Caraguatatuba and have also established a church and mission points throughout the city.
Friends and family,
The Lord is sooooo good!!! The work here in Caraguatatuba is going just AWESOME! Two weeks ago we had yet another baptism and God added three more souls to the kingdom.There were two more that were scheduled to be baptised but could not be on that date. Now we have those two plus three more. God is being honored here in Caraguatatuba. Sometimes we don’t know why things don’t go the way we think they should but we fail to remember that God sees the big picture and He sees and knows what is good for us and the hour that is right.
For some more AWESOME news, We now have a micro-bus (25 passengers and 1 driver) We took the van to the dealership and drove home with the micro-bus. That is with the van and the money that has been given for this purchase we are now the proud owners of a bus. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. The trip from the dealership was about 4-1/2 hours and we made it without any problems. The bus is a 2000 model so there are some things that will need immediate attention and then some things that can wait to be fixed a little at a time. My mechanic says that we need springs and shocks and we will need 4 or 6 new tires to begin with and about 1/2 of the lights work. But having this bus is such a blessing that I would not dare to complain. If you were not able to help with the purchase of the bus, maybe you are now able to give to help on these needed repairs. We are hoping to have the bus back in top notch shape before May of next year as we are planning on hosting 6 mission groups in 2013. Two of these groups will be work groups and others are planning Bible schools and other mission-related activities. It’s going to be an absolutely AWESOME year. Pray for the success of these groups and projects.
The vocational school is in progress. The last group this year put up the doors and now the glass is needed in the windows. We need the bathrooms done and the kitchen done, then we will be ready to open the dorm. But without the dorm being finished, we are planning to begin with a new group of boys on the first of the year. We have been in contact with a boys’ correctional facility and they are very interested in our vocational school. What they are asking us to do is take the boys that are incarcerated and teach them a trade so that when they go back into the real world, they will be prepared to be a functioning part of society. These young men are between 14 and 18 years old. They also are interested in us teaching English to these young men. God is opening many doors for us here. We have talked to the wardens and told them that we were greatly concerned in training these young men to have a vocation but our main concern is their spiritual lives. So we are going to have devotional with them each time we are together before we start our classes. After several meetings we have been asked to be on the board of the prison as a religious advisor. So we will begin with these young men no later than next week.
The ladies of Novo Tempo had a Ladies retreat this month with around 80 ladies in attendance. There were ladies from 4 different Churches. They had 3 days of fellowship and Bible studies. Many lives were changed and many were given new hope through Bible study. We have these retreats each year and the ladies always come home renewed in spirit and ready to tackle all problems for another year. Our men are now wanting to have a retreat for themselves since the ladies came home so pumped up.
This month, our old brick layer had a tragedy in his family. One of his sons died with cancer. He had fought this disease for over 2 years but he lost the battle. The praise about this is that when a group of Americans were here we were able to talk to him about his salvation and he told us that he had Jesus in his heart. And then later in the month our son-in-law visited and reaffirmed with him his salvation. This helped in this time of grief to give console to the family. Also one of our Church members passed away and it was unexpected. He was just 58 years old and he is definitely missed.
Our granddaughter had her 4th birthday on the 30th so we made the 8 hour trip to celebrate with her. My son-in-law asked me to preach in the Church there in Sales. So we were able to bring Mary and the 2 girls back to Caragua for a short vacation.
We got back to Caragua last night and today myself and three other preachers will be traveling to Garca for a conference with various other pastors for three days. So as you can see our life is full of doing and going. Please pray for our stamina to hold out so that we can reach more souls for the Kingdom.
As I said we are having 6 groups this coming year but there is still room for you to come and see what God is doing with your mission dollars. Let me know when you want to come and we will turn down the bed and put some more water in the beans. We will be waiting for your call.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [November 2012]
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.
November 1, 2012
Dear praying friends,
Another month has quickly passed, and we are now at the end months of the year 2012. It is hard to believe that 2013 is just around the corner. Each year seems to go by faster and faster. I pray that we will commit ourselves anew to service to the Lord, wherever He leads us. I like Deuteronomy 13:4, which says “Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.” I pray that this would be our heart’s desire, that we would walk with the Lord, fear Him, keep His commandments, obey Him, serve Him, and cleave to Him. What a challenging verse from the Word of God.
The church plant in the village of Shangalamwe is continuing along well, for which I thank the Lord. My friend Roger Tate and I have been working with these dear people for several months now, and we have been able to see spiritual growth and progress. Some of the church members have grown discouraged as they have been faithful to go and share their faith, yet the work has been difficult and others have been giving excuses, etc. I tried to encourage them by sharing the verse in Galatians 6:9, which states “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” I reminded the church that we are to be faithful in serving the Lord, and leave the results with Him. Please pray for these members, that they would find strength and encouragement from the Lord and faithfully serve Him, no matter what the difficulties are.
We are also now meeting with a national, as he has been faithful to go and start different Bible study groups in the Kitale area. We have been meeting with him, sharing with him and training him to go and teach the lessons to other groups. The time will be coming where he will ask to see if the groups desire to be churches of the Lord Jesus Christ, so please be praying for him in the days ahead, that the Lord’s will would be done. It is good to do church planting using different ways, to compare and and see which is more effective in this culture. We covet your prayers as we continue to plant churches, with the Lord’s help, in the Kitale area.
The Annex prison ministry is continuing along well. We are now near the end of the course “Firm Foundations – From Creation to Christ.” The men coming seem to be really growing and doing well. I thank the Lord for this, and for their faithfulness to come and study the Word of God. I am also thankful for the cooperation of the head office of the Annex prison and also for the cooperation of the chaplains. Please pray for these men and their spiritual growth as they learn from the Word, as well as for the other men who have not yet decided to trust Christ and follow Him. How we need to share the Gospel message and share it with the lost. I love Luke 19:10, which says “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” We will keep you updated of this ministry.
In family news, please pray for each of us, and for our health and safety daily as we serve here. There are many health hazards here, and we would appreciate your prayers for our continued health as we serve in Kitale. Please also pray for us as it is now near the holiday season, and it is always hard to be away from those that we love. The Lord gives strength daily, and we are thankful for this. His strength is perfect when our strength is gone. We wish you all a great holiday season in America, and will be sure to keep you updated. God’s blessings to each of you.
Serving in Kitale,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [November 2012]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making,”
October 31, 2012
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
There are no “big shots” in God’s Kingdom, only little people with a big God. So, I want to start by thanking each of you who participate with us in the mission to which our Lord has called us; each one who gives, each one who prays, each one who blogs, each one who works in the editing and distribution of the Mission Sheets, each one who posts on or designs internet sites related to the mission work, each one who places a Mission Sheet in the hands of each person who meets with their church or their friends, each one who serves in a conference. There are many other activities that happen which contribute together for the propagation of the Good News of Jesus Christ here in France and in many other locations. We thank God for moving each one of you to be involved!
That is really how it works here and elsewhere. Together we reach others. One of our desires is to help each disciple of Jesus Christ here in France reach their friends. This is at the heart of the being a disciple of Jesus in this present world. Disciples follow and seek to be like the Master. Our Master came to “seek and save that which was lost”. As His followers, this becomes our responsibility and privilege. This is how it worked in Judea and Galilee, in Antioch, and how it works in the USA, France and elsewhere.
On Sundays and in our Bible studies we emphasize the question, “How can we live what we have learned about Jesus this week?” We pray for our friends who need Christ. We try to encourage each other to love and help those whom we have contact with each day. We give the disciples opportunities to tell about how God has blessed them and given them opportunities to be a witness to others in words and actions during the week. Friends, acquaintances, co-workers, neighbors, and sometimes enemies come to know Christ as each disciple lives out Jesus where they live.
There are now six ongoing regular Bible Studies in four different locations. A couple of these are one on one. The others are groups. We are encouraged by new people who are participants in these Bible studies. Judy and I are also very happy about several new neighbors with whom we have good relationships. These give us opportunities to share about our faith. Word spreads. I was encouraged a while back when someone at the Sunday morning meeting for the first time told me about an incident that happened as they were on their way. The person got lost in the neighborhood and stopped to ask someone they saw if they knew where the church met. Remember, our church meets in our home. The person, from several blocks away, indicated the way. They said, “I am sure it is there. That is were a pastor lives.”
A couple of weeks ago, a church member whose children go to the public school where Philip and Amanda’s children went before moving 3 yrs. ago said, “It is wonderful, the parents that I meet at school know your grandchildren, Philip and Amanda and you the grandparents. They mention that you are all very nice and kind.”
Next week is Vacation Bible School. The six teachers are in the last throes of preparation. The children who are coming are schoolmates, friends, children of friends, neighbors. Those who come, come because they know and trust those who lead. That’s how it works!
The Youth Meeting this month was excellent. Since we had a bonfire, Philip collected a lot of combustible material, divided the youth into “work groups” whose goal it was to construct the most durable object. They then tossed the products of their work into the fire. Of course, sooner or later, all the creations were gone. He then spoke to them from I Corinthians 3 about a life that lasts for eternity. I had an excellent conversation with one of the young men who has been very skeptical in the past. He seems to be more receptive now.
Someone wrote to ask me if the the young man in the picture with last month’s letter was Samuel. It was not. The young man in that picture comes on Sundays from time to time. The candid shot was taken by Judy after Theo’s baptism. I have had many personal conversations with Him about the Lord over a period of several years. He has never made a profession of faith. By far, not all who hear trust Christ. But we are still praying for him and others on a regular basis. We would love to have you join us in our prayers.
I usually do not mention names in my letters because of laws of privacy in France and because people really want to protect their privacy. We also do not want to them to think that we are using them for our means.
Well, I must stop. Hope to see those who are able to attend the Thanksgiving Conference at New Hope Baptist Church. Judy and I will be jetting to Chicago in a couple of weeks to help our daughter Lydia and family following the birth of her third child. We will return to France, the Lord willing, on New Years Day. This trip will allow me to be at the conference. It is only my 2nd time to be able to attend in the 13 years we have been serving in France.
May you enjoy Christ and let it show today!
From France for Christ,
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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