Training Teens to Work in Ministry
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 19, 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
First of all, we want to thank God for the opportunity to serve Him and second thank God for each one of you that serve Him through your giving and prayers. Missions is a joint effort. May God continue blessing and guiding each one of us!
Through the special gifts that several have given, we have been able to accomplish several things at the mission points.
We are working with a specific purpose to get more people from the church involved in getting the gospel out in the communities around us. Pray that God will work in the hearts of the members to see the need to get the gospel out.
There are so many kids and teens in this area. We work at reaching them because the drugs are all around us. We had a special day for the kids from the mother church Pedras Vivas. At the mission in Ubim the drug people are right next door. If we don’t help them understand how much God loves them the money that comes from the junk becomes attractive. Kathy is getting ready to start training a new group of teenagers to work in different areas in church. We have several that have started in the music ministry. Our desire is to prepare as many as possible so they can help as we reach out to the communities around us.
Some people have asked if we have any projects. We do have several and some people have already helped, praise God!
The community of Ubim does not have running water. So, we plan on drilling a well. We have the equipment, so we only need the pipes and the pump which cost $2,000. For the insides, paint and tile, and that costs $1,800. On the outside we would like to concrete the area so it can be used more. That will cost $2,000. Any help is very much appreciated.
Thanks to all you supporters! May God richly bless each of you.
Love in Christ our Lord,
Odali and Kathy
Odali & Kathy Barros
Iranduba, Amazonas
Brasil, S.A.
odali_kathy[at]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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Bluegrass Baptist Seminary Spreads in Brazil
The Hensleys have spent nearly 20 years serving in Brazil. They have established a church in Caraguatatuba and mission points throughout the city. They have also recently started a seminary to train pastors.
September 21, 2019
Friends and family,
This month has been more than busy. I will start with the end of the month and reconstruct it backwards.
Pastor Derek and I were invited to a Pastor’s conference in Goiânia, Brasil, where I was able to represent Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. This was an opportunity sent from God because we were trying to incorporate a visit to this area this year to spread the word about the Seminary. As a result, we were able to talk to representatives from six different churches. They are now going to send students to the Seminary in our location in Rebeirao Preto. This will be our first classes in August of 2020. This city is projected to be one of the permanent locations for Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. This is a very large city with an airport and in a central location to many cities. Pray for these new locations we are planning for the 2020 Seminary year.
The missionary conference in Goiânia, São Paulo.
Also this month we have put Manaus, Amazonas on our projected schedule for seminary classes. The invitation to Manaus came from the classes we are having in São Paulo, as some of the students had contacts in Manaus and spread the word about our classes. I have many friends there from language classes and work that I had done there for Pastor Paul and Wanda Hatcher.
This coming year promises to be a busy and productive one for the Seminary. Our plans are for being in Ribeiro Preto, São Paulo and Manaus, Amazonas as the new cities, and Campinas, São Paulo and São Paulo, São Paulo as the ongoing classes. With these four cities we will have eight different classes. Pray for all our professors and helpers. As you know our professors are Pastors here in the United States with their Dr’s and PhD’s and they are doing an AWESOME job. Because of their qualifications, they will help with our pursuit of accreditation for the Seminary. This is an AWESOME blessing.
My health issues continue to improve and I have an appointment in the coming weeks. Be in prayer for the latest results. I know that, as in all things, God is in control.
As you know, when you are trying to serve God, there are road blocks. My roadblock this month was on the road. Not literally, but I had an accident and totaled my car. The AWESOME news is that I escaped injury. Just a few bruises and minor scratches. Our God is an AWESOME God.
Just following up with Mary’s oldest daughter Chelsea, she went for a check-up last week and the Dr said that her spina bifida is getting better and she will not have to wear a brace. Prayer works!!! Continue to keep them in your prayers.
Please pray for Barb and I as we are going to be in Brasil for the month of October. Barb will go first to visit the grandchildren then to Garça with me for the first of three Seminary classes. Then I will finish the month in São Paulo and Campinas.
Thank you for your continued prayers for this endeavor for the Kingdom.
In His service,
Aj and Barb Hensley
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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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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Discipling Emmanuel in Milimani
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.
September 5, 2019
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and passed, and we are now nearing the final months of 2019. There is much to update about, and various prayer requests. We thank the Lord for each of you, and you are such a blessing.
Our girls are still faithfully attending the new Christian school in Milimani, where we live. They are really enjoying it and making many friends. The school is very good for them, as it keeps them active and busy, and gives them many projects. They also have homework, which keeps them busy. This has helped greatly with the much-needed socialization we have prayed for over the years.
There is a prayer request that we have currently for our girls. Another family has just arrived in Kitale and has children that make great playmates for our daughters. They are currently pursuing their work permit, which you must have to legally stay in the country. They are currently on visas, so would you please pray with us that their work permit would be granted soon, without any issues? They would be a great addition to the Kitale group of missionaries. We are praying for them, and would appreciate anyone else to pray about this as well. God is in control, and we trust Him. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” God will work it all out for His good and glory.
I (Nathan) am continuing to disciple Emmanuel in Milimani, where we stay. Emmanuel has been a very good student and a big blessing. He has been very busy with his job, and makes time to study the Word of God. One of the main things I am searching for is younger Kenyan men who are employed, to train to go out and reach others. I plan to teach him soon on Inductive Bible study, where he can study the Word of God for himself. I use the model of Ezra, who studied the Word for himself, practiced it, and went out to teach others. Ezra 7:10 says “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” Please pray for Emmanuel and his continued spiritual growth.
I am also continuing to teach at Annex prison. We recently studied about Abraham and Isaac, and the great test of faith that Abraham faced. We learned of Abraham’s complete faith in God, and how God blessed Him for his obedience. How difficult it must have been to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God, yet Abraham never wavered in his faith. There are so many lessons from Genesis 22, which I did my best to teach to the prisoners. I like Genesis 22:14, which says “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.” I think of Jehovah jireh – “The Lord will provide.” As Abraham obeyed in faith, God did a miracle – he provided a ram caught in the thicket. God will provide for us also, as we step out in faith and obedience.
We thank each of you so much for your sacrificial giving, prayers, and encouragement. We will be sure to keep you updated.
Until next month,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
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Opportunities Arise as You Walk with Jesus
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
September 3, 2019
Dear Co-Laborers in Christ,
I am sitting in the glider on David and Dulce’s porch listening to the cicadas. God’s wonderful creation even in its suffering state is absolutely amazing. Judy and I had the enjoyment of time with our grandchildren while David and Dulce celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary. We were able to come to Chicago to spend time with our children and grandchildren because Peggy, Judy’s sister is doing much better. Thank each of you for your prayers on her behalf.
In Evansville, Indiana, this past month we also spent time with Philip, Amanda and our granddaughters from France. Our oldest grandchild, Abigail, began her first year studying to be a Physical Therapist. We will certainly miss her as a missionary in France, but God continues to guide her as He does each of us giving her the privilege of being His light at the University of Evansville. Philip and the rest of his family are now back in France.
David & Dulce with their family
John & Judy with some of their grandchildren in Chicago
Sometimes an opportunity to share the light of Jesus comes when we least expect it. The following incident that took place this Spring near our home in Tournefeuille is an example. Judy and I were on our daily trek when we came alongside a young lady who was walking her dog of a rare breed. We commented on the beauty of her dog and ask her about its breed. She mentioned that she had seen us out trekking before. This led to a conversation about where we were from and her volunteering that she had been to New York and was impressed by the multi course meal that she ate there. I was impressed, considering the fact that meals in France usually have many more courses than American meals.
Her features led me to ask if she was of Italian descent. You know, New York, big meals… She then said that she was Jewish and was in New York visiting distant relatives at the time of a religious holiday. This led to discussion of Judaism. She told us that her family was non-practicing but that her mother named her Elliana because God answered her prayer to have a child. This led to a brief discussion of the beauty of her name and the God who loves. It also stirred my heart to prayed repeatedly about our next contact with this young lady and that she would come to trust Christ.
While in the US, Judy and I trek in parks. As we cross people or walk along beside them great opportunities arise. We have had the opportunity to witness, to fellowship with believers, hear the testimonies of others. God is always at work.
So, let us all walk with Jesus this month… and the next … and the next.
Your fellows on this journey,
John and Judy
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
JMHatcher[at]aol.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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God is Changing Lives through the Power of His Word
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
September 2, 2019
Dear Friends,
The winter break from public schools ended in August and our evangelism team was invited to minister in several schools in 4 different towns. The sheer number, alone, of people who were able to hear the gospel personally through our volunteers is amazing (over 5000 in one month). Most of these people have never set foot in any evangelical church. In the town of Prudentópolis over 300 people professed Jesus as their Lord and Savior!
I want to share three testimonies from among those who surrendered to Christ so that you may praise God together with us for His love and grace.
Projeto Vida preaching the Gospel in a public school!
Projeto Vida sharing the Gospel in an elementary school.
One teenage girl lives in a home where there is constant fighting and she herself is constantly abused emotionally. She had attempted suicide and even her own sister had tried to kill her. She was experiencing a deep sense of depression and hopelessness. When our group shared the gospel through a skit about family life without Christ and then followed that skit up with a message from God’s word, that girl sensed God speaking to her heart about her need for Jesus as Lord and Savior. When one of the volunteers was speaking to her personally after the presentation, she publicly called upon Jesus to forgive her for her bitterness and hatred of her family and accepted the forgiveness and mercy He gave her. She rejoiced immediately with what she knew was salvation by God.
In another situation, a lady sought out one of our female volunteers to share her deep sense of worthlessness. She had been betrayed and abandoned by her husband. When she was a girl, she had also experienced abandonment by her father. When he left, her mother had resorted to prostitution and became addicted to drugs. In her heart she harbored a powerful sense of resentment and hurt. After hearing the message of the gospel, she understood God’s love and forgiveness and was able to forgive those who had hurt her. She understands that Christ is now her defender and that she no longer needs to get back at those who have abandoned and abused her.
This last testimony reveals how powerful God’s word is.
When we go into a town to minister publicly, we park our van in a centrally located park or square. There we offer free haircuts, blood pressure checks, family counseling and activities for children. These services attract quite a few passersby and those who have heard from others about what we are offering. In the town of Paranavai, a woman kept hanging around our booths, but wouldn’t enter into any of them. This went on for most of the day. Anytime a volunteer would try to get close to talk to her she would shy off and not let them engage in a conversation. At the very end, when our team was getting ready to close up the tents, she finally came to the counseling tent and asked for a Bible. She still didn’t want to talk, so she just took the Bible and left. Later that night, our team returned to the same square to perform gospel skits, share testimonies and preach the Word. Not only did that woman show up, but she came with her husband. She had taken the Bible home and had let him read it. At the end of the gospel presentation, he came to the front to share the news that he had surrendered to Christ as His Savior. He said that he had only heard about Jesus by word of mouth from others, but that he had never read the Bible until that day. He also said that God had stirred in him a tremendous hunger to know His word more. Oh, how amazingly does our God work!
Please continue to pray for us and for God’s blessings on our ministries.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279
Sobrado 1, Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR. Brasil
Phone: 55-41-99899-2333
bobbymichael_1[at]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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News & Reports – September 2019 Issue [Online Edition]
The Online Edition of September 2019 BFM News & Reports is available at the link below. Read how God is working through the lives of our faithful missionaries and continue to pray for them.
Note also that you can click on any headline to view the story on our blog.
Click here to read the BFM News & Reports – September 2019 edition!
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Missionaries Sent to Santa Rosa do Purús; Performing for the President
Mike and Beverly Creiglow have served the Lord in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil together since 1971. 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.
August 28, 2019
Dear Brethren,
We have just completed our first month back from our trip to the States. It has been wonderful. We have had 3 cold fronts come through. The temps have been in the mid-sixties. The skies have been bright blue and clear as can be. By the way, don’t believe a word of what you hear about the Amazon rain forest going up in flames and smoke. It is more left-wing hype and hatred to try to give our wonderful president, Jair Bolsonaro a black eye. NASA’s images and data show that there is much less deforestation and burning this year than in the past. Yes, southern Brazil had some dark, smoky days, but the burning was happening in Bolivia and Paraguay, not the Amazon basin. Wow, now that I have got that off my chest, let’s get down to what really counts.
I have taught and preached several times at our home church, First Baptist, with very good results. We had several professions of faith, 3 requests for church letters and a number of requests for baptism. I have also done a few little jobs on the building, but since we don’t have any cash right now and are still paying off a few bills from the last round of construction, I am limited as to how much can be done right now.
One week I was with the chapel at Cruzeirão for 2 visits. They have finally found a lot in the right location. They have been meeting in a tiny rental property (store front) that only seats about 100 people. Their location is not ideal as far as our church strategy for Cruzeiro do Sul is concerned. The property that they have found is in the exact area that our plan had targeted. We are working out the details for the purchase. My last visit was to inform the congregation that the home church approves and will help them make the transition.
Earlier this week I visited and taught at the chapel at Cruzeirinho. I know that I have been mentioning too many “Cruzeiros”, but it just so happens that inside the city of Cruzeiro do Sul there are 2 big neighborhoods on opposite sides of town. One is called big Cruzeiro and the other is little Cruzeiro. Anyway, Pastor Francimir asked me to bring a lesson on tithing. They have built a nice big building, but still needs a lot of finish work. Their offerings are less than half of what they should be for the size of the congregation. We shall see.
This month we sent out another couple to the mission field at Santa Rosa do Purús. Lucas, Diana and their baby girl Esther arrived in the town just yesterday. It took their furniture and personal belongings 2 weeks to get there.
One of our church members, Iverson Bueno, who is a district attorney, started a musical conservatory about 5 years ago. The local army base has been his biggest helper. Several teens from our church and our school are enrolled. They have developed a great choir and orchestra. They selected 75 of the students to go to the federal capital, Brasília, to perform. Their first of several performances was for President Jair Bolsonaro and several of his cabinet members. Andrew’s oldest son Alec and Crissy’s oldest son Caleb are there. Caleb sang a solo part during one of the songs. They have also performed at the Congress and the Supreme Court. Boy are we proud of this bunch. Both of my grandsons got to meet and take a picture with the president. The president held one of little girls in his arms during a group picture. This little girl is a student at our school, Colégio Cristão Cruzeiro.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
Mike Creiglow
Mike and Beverly Creiglow
Caixa Postal 24
Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil 69980
mdcreig [at] hotmail.com
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Headed Back to Some Trouble in Kenya
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
August 27, 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am again sitting in Emily’s living room while I write this update. However, I am now at the end of my Stateside trip to take Amy to school. I fly back to Kenya tomorrow afternoon, beginning my long journey back to Julie and back to Kitale. I have been a month in the States now, getting done the things I came to do and enjoying time with my family and church.
Amy is now at Cedarville University. I am thankful to the University for the International / Missionary Kid orientation they provided for Amy. Amy and I were able to spend a few days on campus getting familiar with everything before the rest of the incoming freshman arrived. This helped Amy and the other third culture kids acclimate much easier and helped them start making friends earlier as well. I will be sad tomorrow when I leave as I will now be leaving both Emily and Amy on this side of the world.
I will be returning to some trouble on the Kenyan side of the world. In my absence some troubles have arisen at the Upper Room Baptist Chapel. The problem isn’t with any of my people. All my people have stayed and continued worshiping together in my absence. The problem comes from other Christians who are not acting too much like Jesus. The situation is thus: Another church moved into our building directly across the hall from the door to our Chapel. That means their door is no more than 4 feet away from our door. On top of this they have installed large speakers and amplifiers in their room and pointed them at the door and towards our chapel. When my people arrived at the Chapel on that first Sunday the music from the other church was already booming so loudly that the Chapel was vibrating. My people could not hear each other no matter how loudly they spoke or yelled at each other. They went to speak to the pastor of the other church and see if anything could be done about the noise. The other pastor and church refused to do anything about the music and continued to blast my people out of the building. My Chapel people did not want a confrontation with the other church and wanted to be Christ-like. They decided to take chairs outside and they met under a Mango tree for which I strongly commend them. We were hoping the problem would correct itself, but the problem has actually continued as is for the past three weeks. My landlord is aware of the problem but has not taken action yet to correct it. As a result, this will be one of the first items I will have to address as soon as I return. Since the first moment I heard that this was going on I truly believed it was an attack from Satan. I have not become discouraged about it at all yet and truly feel that it is a little test to see how we will handle the difficulty and whether we will trust God with the problem or not. We will be praying for a quick and amicable resolution and one in which God will receive all the glory.
Next newsletter will be from Kenya once again.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in Kenya,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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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