Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher in Brazil [May 2012]
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 pray partner and giving friend,
We have great news! In this issue you’ll find updates on the new church plant, a salvation testimony, the flooding in Manaus, our family and prayer requests. The Lord is blessing. Please, join us in prayer and financially investing. Visit us at www.judhatcher.com.
Church Plant
In March of this year, we began our church plant’s first service. We have a lot of home visits and follow-up by phone. On Sundays we have on average 40 people attend. First time visitors are common & returning visitors as well. Our three pre-evangelistic cookouts have given us over 100 contacts to continue connecting. This month 6 people will be baptized and we will have our first Lord’s supper. We are currently meeting at home. Join us in prayer as we search for a location to rent or purchase & build.
A salvation decision
Just recently I was talking to a 19 year old man, who had attended a Catholic church since he was a young boy. The last 7 years he dealt with severe back pain due to a genetic disorder. Consequently, his search for God grew based on his pain. Within the last two years he was working on his salvation and attending a prosperity gospel & works salvation type church. On the very first week we meet we talked for over 4 hours on a Saturday night. By the end of they evening he confessed to the Lord that his efforts to attain salvation we worthless, that he was sinner and that he wanted to surrender into God’s grace through Christ Jesus. His hunger and growing love for the Lord had lead him to bring his mother and five sisters to our services. Praise the Lord!!
MaNAUS Flooding
As I right this Manaus is on the verge of its worst flooding in recorded history. Our city his 4 inches shy of the highest level the Amazon River has ever reached. We still have 2 months of river uprising. Many of the downtown streets are already under water. As a result, we have more mosquitoes flying into our home, rats coming up the pipeline. There are also incidents of snakes in houses due to incoming water.
Our Family
Our family is doing well. Sarah, Laura and Benjamin are all doing well in school. Melissa, who is now 5 months old, is rolling over in the bed and sitting up on her own. Sarah and Laura went to the dermatologist this week due to skin irritations, but should diminish with the doctor’s recommended treatment. Raquel and I are doing fine. We love the Lord, our children and the work of the ministry.
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. Increased financial giving to the General Fund of BFM.
2. Growth of the new church plant.
3. Leadership training.
4. Search for church’s new location – rent or purchase & construction.
Grateful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
Website | Twitter
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Missionary Update: Sheridan & Anita Stanton in Peru [May 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.
May 11, 2012
Dear friends,
The month of April I had the opportunity to travel to Ecuador thanks to my good friend, Jim Miller. While in Ecuador I was privileged to visit the very spot where Jim Elliot, Nate Saint and three other missionaries were killed by Waodani Indians on January 8, 1956; I was two years old at the time. From Shell, Ecuador we flew to the village and then took a canoe to a spot on the river called “Palm Beach” where the missionaries were attacked. Most of the villagers are now followers of Jesus Christ. The oldest woman in the village was the first believer and also worked as the first translator for the mission team. 
Back in the town of Shell, Ecuador I also enjoyed the blessing of leading the morning devotional for the Doctors, Nurses and staff of the Shell Missionary Hospital and visited an amazing missionary orphanage for mentally and physically handicapped children.
The country of Ecuador gets its name because the equator passes right through it. In the city of Quito, there is a place called the “middle of the world” where you can stand with one foot in the Northern Hemisphere and the other foot in the Southern Hemisphere; a unique experience to say the least! 
On the 25th Anita and I began our trip back to the United States to begin our furlough. We arrived a week before my graduation from Louisiana Baptist University. After several long years of study and hard work I finally received my Doctorate in Christian Counseling. This past year I had several attempted suicide cases referred to me as well as some estranged couples seeking marital counseling. The Lord has given me the gift of a counselor’s heart. There is a great joy in giving hope to those that have reached their lowest point in their lives; that hope is Jesus Christ!
At the beginning or our last furlough a few years ago we discovered Anita had breast cancer and that of course changed all our plans. After three years since she finished her chemo and radiation treatments she continues to show NO signs of this dreaded disease! We rejoice in God’s manifest mercy shown to her.
We were not able to visit several of our supporting churches as a result of her treatment, so we are hoping that this time we can visit everyone. Pastors please contact me at the phone numbers listed below so we can set a date to come and share about the great work God had done in Peru and our vision for the next several years. Some exciting ministry opportunities have developed for us in Peru and we would love to share with you about them! Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.
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: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [May 2012]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 36 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
Dear Friends,
We started the month enjoying the services and fellowship at the spring conference.
It was a great time to hear and share what God is doing in the life and ministries of our friends and co-laborers in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
While in the US, Wanda and I always enjoy time with Mrs. McGary, my mother-in-law. She travelled with us during our stay; as our time was short, this was the best way to spend the most time possible with her. She really likes to attend the conference and keep up with the mission news.
We were privileged to visit several churches and talk about the work God is doing. We appreciate all the churches and individuals praying for us and contributing to our ministry. Thanks to those who hosted us – New Life Baptist Church, pastor Steve Wainright, in Lexington; Thompson Road Baptist Church, pastor Dave Parks, in Lexington; Calvary Baptist Church, pastor Bobby Green, in Richmond, Ky.; Grace Baptist Church, pastor Mark Pyles, in Fairborn, Ohio; and Emmanuel Baptist Church, pastor Darrell Messer, in Bellbrook, Ohio .
We visited John and Judy in France. This was a long-time dream, and we are thankful for the opportunity God made possible. We also enjoyed the visit with our nephew, Phillip, his wife, Amanda, and their children. This was a great family reunion. We had a chance to catch up on our experiences in the gospel, and see the challenges of sharing the gospel where most are atheist. We rejoiced as we attended the Bible teaching and worshipped with our Christian brothers and sisters of the church in France.
Back in Brazil, we’re back to full throttle. Yesterday evening, I was with the mission in Ouro Verde and was pleased to see their progress during the weeks we were away. I expect they will soon be ready to organize a church.
Thank you for your prayers on our behalf. Pray that the Gospel will continue to spread, and that the Lord will give us wisdom to best optimize the time He gives us.
Yours in Christ,
Paul & Wanda
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
Avenida J. Carlos Antony, 172
65063-150 Manaus
Amazonas, Brasil SA
hatcher[at]argo.com.br
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers in Brazil [May 2012]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
Dear Friends,
The mountain trek was absolutely beautiful for our little group last week. The weather had been overcast and rainy for the last several days and the forecast for our hike was more of the same. It was a holiday here and we hoped that we’d be able to take along several new friends who had shown interest in our message at the new church. So we prayed for a decent day and made preparation to head out at dawn the next day. The Lord saw fit to bless us with gorgeously clear weather and a nice 40 degree temperature. The cool air helps to keep the body cool as we climb two mountains to reach the highest peak in our region. The peaks aren’t monsters in altitude, being only slightly higher than a mile. The greatest challenge is the distance we have to hike and the terrain we have to do it in. The trail is in a dense Atlantic forest and the round trip is 10 miles. It took us 4 ½ hours to reach the highest peak where we ate lunch and turned around to return. The whole adventure provided us with 10 hours of unbroken time together with our unsaved friends where we were able to share the gospel and the abiding presence of Jesus in our daily experiences. Leo, one of my friends, has become more and more interested in knowing Christ because he likes what he sees in our relationship with the Lord beyond the walls of the church building. We thank God for answering our prayer for good weather, but we thank Him even more for using us to share His love with those dear people that He has placed in our sphere of influence. Oh yeah, and I thank God for the health to be able to enjoy the amazing beauty of His creation up close and personally.
In my last letter I mentioned that we would begin to pour the concrete floor of our auditorium. Well, I’m happy to report that we just finished doing that last week. Now we are beginning to lay the ceramic tile of the floor. This is a process that should take around two weeks. One young man and I are the volunteer helpers of a man whom we’ve hired who knows what he’s doing. I understand the process, sure, but he’s got the experience and I think everyone who will use the facilities will be glad that I was just the helper providing the tools and material for him.
I still didn’t get to show you pictures of the installed windows with this month’s letter, but the glass company has assured me that Monday May 14th that they’d be installed. Hopefully next time I can post the pictures. God willing!
Our former church’s pastor, Afonso, and his family have been very busy since their arrival a little over a month ago. They have been making a lot of visits to get to know the members and have also gotten to know the new visitors. They have a very winsome way and are rock solid in their Bible beliefs and teachings. God has already blessed and they have baptized two new members and have two others studying the Scriptures with them in preparation to be baptized also. We are happy to see our former church enthused with their new pastor and also excited to be involved in reaching out to their community to win others to Christ. The two churches are each working earnestly to reach their immediate neighbors, but are united in purpose and hearts to reach together our broader scope of unreached people. We thank the Lord for like-minded co-laborers.
Thank you for your prayer on our behalf. God hears and answers mightily. We also want to thank those who have contributed to Baptist Faith Missions so that we may continue to minister in the place where God has placed us. May He bless you for your faith and generosity.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Manoel Valdomiro de Macedo, 2281
81170-150 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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Missionary Update: AJ & Barbara Hensley in Brazil [May 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.
Hello to friends and family,
Sometimes you are so busy that you look back and say “What did I do or accomplish?” This month has been one of those. I will start with the van…we had to put it in the body shop because of its roof. It started rusting and the rust became holes and the rain came into the inside. So much for the ceiling upholstery! Oh well, that is what you get when you live at the beach. So when we repaired the roof we also had to put new seals around all of the doors. Now we are just about to put it back into use but there is still some mechanical work to do. While we are without our van we are borrowing or renting others to fulfill our church transporting. Pray with us that we could receive the financing for a bus to fulfill these transportation needs.
Lots of physical work is going on around the Church building. We have been painting, doing masonry work and various repairs. But the biggest of the projects is the pouring the sidewalk in front of the Church. We could have put off some of these projects but we are going to organize our Church and we would love for it to look good. The organization will be the 13th of May at 7:00 in the evening service. Pray that all goes as planned and that the Church continues to grow spiritually. We will have 81 members at this organization. Praise be to God for the growth in these 2 years.
We are having to do some construction around our home. Several years ago, we finished the area around the house but this year the city put in trunk lines for the sewer system. When we connected to these lines, we found out that all our lines had been put in wrong. So this week we are tearing up all the tile (because we bought the close out line to save money and there is none of that tile left at the construction stores) and the plumbing to redo everything.
We are starting to start work at the vocational school next week. The next step that has to be done is the electrical work. We have the conduit in the walls and next week we start installing the wire and the electrical panel. The next step is to tile the floors. There is a lot of paperwork to be done so we are starting to plot the buildings and the lots. For this we need an engineer. So today we began the measurements. The completed paperwork could take months to process. So pray with us about this also.
We have gotten back into our family discipleship and it is going very well. We are working with one family with 2 girls. They are 5 and 8 years old. These 2 young girls are memorizing verses and learning how to be children that God will be proud of. The government here does not cooperate with raising Godly children. As a matter of fact they promote anti-biblical things in the raising of children. So we are trying to help these parents to use the Bible in the raising of their children. In this process the parents are also growing spiritually. So our days and some nights are being dedicated to the helping of parents and children.
We had another baptism this month. There were 5 baptized and we (like good Baptists) had a cookout afterwards. We also have 4 more awaiting baptism so they will be our first candidates for baptism into our newly organized Church. God is AWESOME!!!!!!
I have given you an idea of what we will be doing for the next 2 or 3 months so read it over and decide which you would love to participate in and then go and buy your ticket and COME ON DOWN. We will treat you so many different ways that you will have to like one of them. Come see what God is doing with your mission dollars!!!!!
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [May 2012]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making,”
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We hope this finds you enjoying the Lord’s blessings. Thanks for your faithful support. We have had good church meetings during this month with a good attendance. Several of those who come are not believers. The believers seem to be growing in the Lord.
My brother Paul and his wife, Wanda were here for a 10 day visit. This was their first time to come to France. We enjoyed immensely the opportunity to converse about the things of the Lord. It had been many years since we had been able to do so. Paul spoke to our congregation one Sunday and also to the youth in the young peoples meeting. None of these young people have made a profession of faith but we see indications that the Lord is at work in the hearts of some of them. Once there are young people participating, if they feel loved, they will bring their friends. We are thankful for the open door that God is giving us with this age group.
We now have adult Bible studies on-going in the Book of the Revelation, Luke, I Timothy, John (3 different studies), Ephesians, and another which is topical. Our goal is to help believers grow up in Christ as they study God’s Word and put it into practice in their lives.
French people tend to spend a lot of time outdoors. Sunny weather and longer days give us many opportunities to visit with people and this opens doors to share the gospel. One of our neighbors organizes a neighborhood potluck dinner at the beginning of each summer and this will happen again this year. As we eat with folks, they are often inquisitive and open to hearing about our faith in Christ. We would be grateful for your prayers concerning these contacts.
Yesterday, the citizens of France elected a new president. In a few weeks we will have legislative elections. Presidential elections are approaching in the USA. This should remind us to pray for all men, especially for those who are in positions of leadership as we are instructed to do in I Timothy chapter 2.
Thanks again for your faithful support and prayers. God is using you to help us in the Cause of Christ and the spread of the Good News here.
Gratefully in Christ,
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [May 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,
I pray that this letter finds you all joyful in the Lord as “the joy of the Lord is our strength”. Like you, I am not joyful in the Lord at all times. Like you all back in the States, we missionaries in foreign fields struggle with that fruit of the Spirit sometimes. However, just as Paul wished the following blessing upon the Roman believers, I say concerning you all “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
So, let me try and keep this joy in mind as I describe a couple of things concerning our ministries. The first concerns one of the groups I described to you last month. This group was the one that was expecting us to give them things, build buildings for them, support them financially in their ministries, etc. After we had explained our model of ministry to them, there were some who questioned the wisdom and rightness of this approach. From the outside, the next couple of weeks looked “OK” as we continued to teach and see how God would lead. From the inside, however, certain things were happening. Some of the members of this group started rumors and accusations that the owner of the house in which the group was meeting was receiving financial kickbacks and support from the missionaries so that we could meet in her house. This was not true as we clearly explained to all those who attended the group meetings. The accusations didn’t stop there, however. We also found out that our small house group was being accused of witchcraft. Yes, witchcraft! Now, I know that our approach is different than what the Kenyans are used to, but anyone with an observant eye whatsoever would easily be able to discern that no witchcraft was going on within our group. We get together, pray, sing, and study the Word of God. Everybody that walks by knows that this is what we are doing. But this did not stop the accusations, however. This was the first time I have been accused of witchcraft. I think somebody is trying to run us off and out of this village. Nathan and I have talked and prayed about the situation and want, more than anything, to just have the wisdom and guidance of the Lord concerning this group. We want to know and follow his will concerning this group, no matter what that will is. The next day, as I was contemplating these events, a friend of mine approached me and said, “Congratulations, I hear you’ve been accused of witchcraft”. I thought he might be out of his mind but he just stood there and smiled at me. He said, “You should be joyful. Satan is opposing you strongly. He must not like what God is doing in that group. That means God is doing something great”. Upon further reflection I decided I had to agree with him, even though I told him I still thought he was off his rocker. How would you take accusations of witchcraft? Ought I not to be joyful in this situation knowing that God is on our side and that no weapon formed against us can prosper? I guess the answer is “YES.”
Now, fortunately, there is something else that I can easily find joy in. One of our group members, after hearing our teachings and encouragements, was empowered by the Lord to start another group in another village. I have spoken of his group before. He started with three people, then it grew to seven, last I heard it was ten, and this morning found out it was sixteen! They filled the house where they were meeting! He has taught them all the basic lessons we taught to him and has proceeded to the next step of teaching them inductive Bible study. They are going passage-by-passage through the book of Matthew. He told me that this is the first time any of these people had ever studied verse-by-verse through any book of the Bible and that they were learning so much from the Word of God. This has all been done without missionary presence in the group. As you can see, this was something I could easily find great joy in.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God inEast Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Emily, Amy, & Josiah)
P.O. Box 761
Kitale, Kenya 30200
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [May 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.
May 2, 2012
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and passed so quickly, and we are now nearly into the middle of the year 2012. It is hard to believe how quickly time passes by. What a challenge there is to us to make the best use of the opportunities that we have to serve the Lord. What a great reminder we have from the Word of God, which states in Ephesians 5:16, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” This update will share current ministry progress, as well as prayer requests.
In regards to church planting, my good friend Roger Tate and I are continuing to pray, seek the Lord’s guidance, and work with groups of people in different areas of Kitale. We praise the Lord that one of the groups has already expressed a desire to definitely move in the direction of a church. Recently, a different group has also expressed the intentional purpose of moving towards a church. We are so excited with what the Lord is doing here.
In a different group, false rumors have been spreading in an attempt to divide and disrupt the ministry. We know that the enemy is not happy and he is opposing what the Lord is doing. While it may seem that this would be discouraging, we are actually excited to see how the Lord is working. This reminds me of Ephesians 6:12, which states “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” We are definitely involved in a spiritual battle, and we would covet your prayers for us as we continue in these ministries. A verse that often comforts me is 1 John 4:4, which says, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” We are thankful for what we see God doing amongst the people.
The Annex prison ministry is also continuing well, for which I thank the Lord. We are continuing in our studies of the course “Firm Foundations – From Creation to Christ.” The men who have been coming seem to be growing spiritually from the teaching and studies that they are receiving. These men seem to be taking seriously their study of the Word of God. How we need to study the Scriptures well, and apply ourselves to digging deep into the truths of the Bible. 2 Timothy 2:15 states “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” I am thankful also for the support of the staff at the Annex prison, and ask you to please keep this ministry in your prayers.
In regards to the country of Kenya, please be praying for the upcoming elections, as this is an election year. Every five years, an election is held. As far as I know, there has not been a definite date selected. I have heard December of this year, and also March of next year. When the time for the election draws near, please be praying for fairness in the elections and also for the safety of the people of Kenya and those that work and minister in this country. There was a lot of violence in the country during the 2007 election and we do not wish to see these actions repeated. We know God is in control, and we can trust in Him at all times. What a mighty God we serve!
Please keep us in your prayers for our safety, health, and faithfulness to serve here. Also, please pray that we will rely fully on the Lord to help us each day. We are so thankful for each of you and greatly appreciate your cards, emails, or letters of encouragement. May each of you have a great 2012. We will do our best to keep you updated.
In Him,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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