4 More People Saved! Starting New Work in Cajatuba
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.
August 21, 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings from the Amazon jungle!!! Hope and pray that all are doing great and enjoying the peace and blessings from our Lord and Savior. We are doing great. We have been busy since we got back from our short break in the US. The work in the city of Iranduba is coming along. We are in a new location where there are actually more people. The Pastor and his wife who came to work with us are going there. Please continue to pray for this work. Also, in two weeks we will be starting a new work in the village called Cajatuba. To get there we have to go by boat. There are 2 families that we know that live there.
Each year we have 3 festivals as a reach-out program. We had our first one this year last Saturday. We visited the villages near the church and made a purpose to visit especially those who were not Christians. The festival went great and we had over 300 that attended. We had a singing and praise time, then there was a skit that presented the gospel. What a great time! The last two weeks we have had 4 people saved! How exciting to see God working in the people’s lives.
Pray that God will direct us as we try to reach out more and more in the communities around us. Many of the people do not have transportation so it is hard for them to come to church. Some only have motorcycles and can only bring 2. We have a family from the church that live a good distance from the church and if they all come to the same service they make 2 trips so everyone can come to the same service. That is why we have several services or Bible Studies in the different communities.
We want to thank those who prayed for our son and his wife who lost their baby. They are doing very well. God has given them the comfort they need.
Thanks for your prayers and your giving to the ministry. God bless each of you.
Odali & 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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Making New Friends, Introducing them to the Very Best Friend
Jud and Raquel Hatcher serve the Lord in São Paulo, 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.
August 21, 2019
Dear friends,
Here are a few key phrases to encourage you to keep reading and find out more: “Did she break her ankle?”, Darkness falls in the metropolis, Ministry explanation
I have been fighting a throat infection for the last few days. The strong antibiotic is taking a toll on my stomach. Sarah (8th grade) was invited to play in the Sr. Varsity basketball team this school year. She was surprised by the coach’s invitation. Even more surprised when he put her in to play twice during the first game of the season. Her coach is impressed by her development and drive. Unfortunately, she sprained her ankle this week. One of the coach’s first questions once we returned from the hospital was “Did she break her ankle?”. Thankfully, it was just the ligament. So, she may not get to play in the next game at the end of this week. We are thankful for no broken bones. Sarah & Laura adapted well with using braces. Melissa will be using special braces as some of her baby teeth fell out too early and the spaces for the teeth need to remain open until the new teeth drop. Benjamin is loving school and soccer – he is one happy dude. Raquel is doing well, whilst staying busy.
The last couple of weeks we’ve had very hot days followed by very cold days. The weather gets extremely melancholic during this time of the year. The day before yesterday was an even more bizarre day. Due to all the fires in another part of the country, the wind brought in a dark smog and by 4 pm it was dark as night.
Over the last month there was a lot of discipleship with new believers and planning with leadership. We had an evangelistic event this last Sunday. We had a “Friends Barbeque” at the church in Jardim Maria Virginia. We had an icebreaker before lunch began where people used a whole two minutes to talk about themselves to another person (some found it easier than others). Then, the person who listened had 30 seconds to introduce their new friend to another. It is interesting to see you people interact with having to talk about themselves and then listen to their introduction, yet they loved it. Making new friends is important, but meeting Jesus – hey, He is the best friend anyone can have. Almost 100 people turned out to the event. There were 6 decisions in all – 4 salvations, 1 reconciliation and 1 for baptism. I love interacting with the unchurched. They often don’t know what to expect and don’t know how to do the “church thing”. After we finished the altar call, one lady raised her hand and blurted out “Hey, I surrendered to Jesus several years ago but was never baptized. What do I need to do to get baptized?” I gave a brief explanation so that all could hear, and we scheduled a follow-up meeting to talk about baptism and what we believe.
This next Sunday we begin a new children’s ministry campaign to reach young children and their families. Raquel did the curriculum training and planning for the kick-off day (this coming Sunday). We are inviting families with children left and right, through social media and face-to-face. The team is excited, and the parents are encouraged that people want to invest in their children.
Grateful always,
Judson Hatcher
Judson & Raquel Hatcher
(859) 544-9040
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
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Seminary Classes Scheduled in Manaus
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.
August 12, 2019
Dear friends and family,
Hope your summer has been a good one. Barb and I have had an enjoyable one with just a few hiccups. Have you ever heard the saying, “Man makes plans and God laughs”? Well, He has had a belly laugh on us this past month. We have been planning a trip to Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil for about two months now. The reason for this trip was to scout out new places to take the Seminary. Places where we could help pastors of Brazil. So we had a Pastor in Manaus get in touch with us and ask us to come there. We went into planning mode. Since myself and Pastor Coleman were going on this trip and it was not a teaching trip we thought it would be good to take the wives along. So plans were made. We have a person that graciously helps with our tickets when going to Brasil so we called him and set in motion the booking of the tickets. But as Delta does not fly to Manaus anymore, we had to book the second leg of the trip with another airlines in Brasil. I am telling you all of this to get to the REST of the story. You know the quote I wrote at the first of the letter? Well, it goes into effect now. Barb, Linda and I went to Louisville on the 19th to fly to Atlanta, but the flight was delayed because of bad weather, so we continued behind a long line to the ticket counter. By the time we got to the counter there had been another delay of the flight. The agent then told us even if we got on this delayed flight, we would miss our connection to Brasil. And to top that off we would not have a chance to fly out til the 21st. All that resulted in us missing the flight in Brasil to Manaus. By that time Pastor Coleman’s wife had decided to not try again but I was persistent and decided that Barb and I would drive to Atlanta. Well, guess what. We were unable to get on the flight there either. But Pastor Coleman had gotten on his flight on Sunday and was able to make all his connections. Therefore, we had one representative to do the research in Manaus. Thanks to Pastor Paul Hatcher and Wanda and Rosevaldo who took special care of Pastor Coleman. As I was saying, God had His way for this trip to be accomplished and He did it His way without my help. Not only were we able to meet with all the Pastors, and Pr. Coleman got to speak at the conference on the scheduled dates, he was able to set the dates for the Seminary in Manaus for next year. These dates not only include Manaus, but also the State of Rondonia. Now our calendar is full for the next 18 months. We have 14 seminary classes scheduled in five different cities. Pray for travel mercies and for the professors, translators and for me. We are still jumping through hoops to get accreditation for the Seminary in Brasil. One of the things we had to do was change our name. The Brazilian law says that to be an American Seminary with Brazilian accreditation we have to have an American name. So let me introduce you to Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. We have officially changed from Caragua Baptist Seminary to Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. As those requirements have been met and we have scheduled the classes for 2020 we now have another problem. We are going to be needing some more professors. The requirements are these: pastors with PhDs and with churches that are willing to let their Pastors go to Brasil and help finance his trip. But what an AWESOME problem to have.
Also, as the Seminary is getting known, we were having more and more requests for us to come to other regions to teach. Another AWESOME problem to have. Pray with us and for us as we continue to take God’s Word to Brasil.
We do ask that everyone continue to pray and give to BFM to support this work. Without faithful givers and prayer warriors we could not do this work we are doing.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
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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Church Camp, Fellowship, and Encouraging Disciples in France
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
August 10, 2019
Dear Brother and Sisters,
We thank God for each of you who have been used by God to help and encourage us. In the middle of July Judy and I were able to be with East Keys Baptist Church in Springfield, IL. It is always a blessing to be with Dan and Marsha Hillard. Judy especially enjoyed Marsha’s enthusiasm in her service to the Lord. I have also known the Hicks family since a child, and it is always a blessing to be with them again. The entire church is always very welcoming, and we thank them for the fine reception they gave to us.
Church camp!
A week later we had a wonderful time with the Foster family at their reunion. Peggy, Judy and I were able to visit with members of their paternal and maternal families. On Sunday we were blessed in the services of First Baptist Church of Lloyd, KY where Russ Foster, a cousin, is pastor. I was encouraged by their desire to reach out to untouched families in their community. The next day the girls dropped me off at youth camp sponsored by the Addyston Baptist Church which included participants from Hope Baptist, Fairfield, OH; Bible Baptist, North Vernon, IN; Dearborn Baptist, Aurora, IN; Emmanuel Baptist, Bellbrook, OH; Trinity-Northbrook Baptist, Cincinnati, OH and Doorway Baptist, Charleston, SC.
Church camp
I enjoyed speaking to the campers and counselors and the great time of fellowship with David Pitman and Philip DuBarry, their families; Alicia and other members of my paternal family and many wonderful friends in Christ. I met several brothers and sisters in Christ that I did not know previously. I enjoyed the lessons by Pastor Pitman, Philip DuBarry and Russel as well as the message by Steve Hall. It was a blessing to see the joy of those who received Christ while there and the way the Lord was at work in many. I am including pictures of the participants and counselors. Thanks so much Deborah Hall for passing along the great pictures. Thanks, Addyston Baptist, and especially the ladies for your generous gifts.
We are glad to be able to be it regular contact with believers in France and to be able to have Bible studies and encourage disciples through internet communication. There, as well as here, some are touched by death, others by illness and other challenges of our world that is groaning in travail waiting to be delivered. However, the light of Jesus dissipates the darkness and we enjoy hearing testimonies about how God is at work.
May the light of Jesus shine through each of us.
Your brother and sister,
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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News & Reports – August 2019 Issue [Online Edition]
The Online Edition of August 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.
Click here to read the BFM News & Reports – August 2019 edition!
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Teaching in the Annex Prison
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.
August 3, 2019
Dear praying friends,
We hope this finds each of you doing well and staying busy in the service of our Lord. Hard to believe that it is already August. Time goes so fast. This update will share current prayer requests, as well as ministry updates.
I (Nathan) am continuing to disciple a younger Kenyan man in Milimani, near where we live. Emmanuel has been a very good student and seems to really have a hunger for the Word of God. We recently studied a lesson entitled “Other Christians.” This lesson gave us a good understanding of how we are to relate to fellow believers. What are some things we are to do? We are to pray for each other. We are to serve each other. We are to love each other. We are to forgive each other. Colossians 3:13 says “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Also, John 13:35, which says “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” Please continue to pray for Emmanuel and his spiritual growth. I have seen much progress in his life since beginning the teachings, and I pray that he goes out to teach others.
I also am continuing to teach at the Annex prison. I am very thankful for the prison officials for being welcoming and allowing this ministry to continue. We recently studied about the Tower of Babel, and how God humbled the people there. Ultimately, their plan of building a big Tower was defeated by God, as He caused them to speak different languages and they could no longer understand each other. God is sovereign, rules over all things, and He alone is the mighty God. I think of Isaiah 42:8, which says “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”
What a lesson from the Tower of Babel. May we live humbly, walking with God, and giving Him the praise the belongs only to Him. Please pray for the prisoners that come, that they would continue to grow spiritually.
Please continue to pray for the new Christian school here in Milimani, where my wife serves and volunteers. Please pray for God’s leading in all that is done, that there would be many students who have a desire to follow Him, and for possibly even more international students to come. We leave this all in His hands, and trust Him for the results.
We appreciate each of you so much. Thanks so much for your encouragement to us. You are all such a blessing to us.
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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God is Still Showing His Love & Power
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
July 30, 2019
Dear Friends,
The month of July is a wonderful month for us here in southern Brazil. One of the highlights is our church’s anniversary. What makes it a little extra special is that it falls during the winter season when the climate and culture lend themselves to a festive sentiment which makes it ideal for inviting folks to our services. We had a record crowd a couple of weekends ago which also led to our highest regular service attendance the following week. We are excited and thankful for the new opportunities to minister to those whom the Lord brings our way.
Our traveling mission team, Projeto Vida, was up on the state line that separates our state, Paraná from the next state north, São Paulo. Where they were ministering there is an extensive river valley called Vale do Ribeira. Along this valley are a number of towns and communities in great need of the gospel and our team was used of the Lord to preach and share there for two weeks. The public schools are our usual venue for presenting the Word, but they were on winter break and the team presented in the public squares instead. Still there were many who surrendered to Christ as their Lord and Savior.
School has already started back up now and the team will be traveling again this week to other interior towns to minister.
We are still rejoicing from the wonderful grace the Lord showed this past week among our youth! Four teenagers made public professions of faith in Jesus at their most recent meeting. One young lady, Maria, has been attending with her boyfriend, Eric for several months, and, finally, she surrendered her life to Christ. Two others were attending for the first time, but the Lord graciously opened their hearts to understand and receive the gospel also. I didn’t get the personal information on the fourth person, a girl, that also trusted in Christ. I will be meeting soon with their leader who will begin a personal discipleship program for each of these new converts. We are so grateful that God is still showing His love and power at work even when society, in general, seems to be more and more decadent.
Thank for your faithful prayers and support.
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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A Time of Transition
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
July 27, 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I get the privilege of writing this update in much closer proximity to you than I normally do. As I write this, I am sitting at my daughter Emily’s dining room table in Detroit, Michigan. I am here for a short visit to bring Amy back to the States to commence her university career. Julie has had to stay back in Kenya with Josiah (who will be doing this same thing next year at this time) and Chloe.
So, yes, Amy has graduated from high school at Rift Valley Academy where she has attended and boarded for the last five years. This is a very traumatic time for all of us, especially Amy. It is traumatic for the rest of us because Amy will be leaving us for who knows how long. Her Mama has already hugged her neck and kissed her cheek for the last time in a long time and in a couple of weeks I will do the same before I board a plane to return to Kenya. This is harder than you might think for us. In fact, I think it might be the hardest part of being a missionary—leaving your kids in a place on their own 10,000 miles away. We don’t like it and we mourn and lament having to do it. But it is even more traumatic for Amy. She says goodbye to everything that is now familiar—Goodbye to RVA, goodbye to friends, goodbye to her (almost twin) brother, goodbye to her house, goodbye to Kenya, goodbye to her pets, goodbye to her mama and in a couple of weeks goodbye to her daddy. She returns to a country that is foreign to her. Amy has lived in Kenya since she was 7 years old. She knows Kenya. America, she doesn’t. When she starts school at Cedarville University in Ohio everything will be foreign and unfamiliar. Everything will be strange and uncomfortable. And everything she has left behind will be far, far away. In the last six years Amy has spent less than a month in the States. Please pray for all of us but especially Amy as she makes this transition. We know she is in God’s hands but it hurts us so much that first our precious Emily has left Kenya and now our precious Amy is also leaving. Lord, may you bless my dear children with your presence in their lives. Bless them with your love, your grace, your protection. Draw them close to you and close to your heart. Be the Father to them that I cannot be and may they always know that you are near.
Having left Kenya for a month I have, out of necessity, left the Upper Room Baptist Chapel on its own as well. This brings a bit of anxiety and trepidation into my heart as well. I don’t know what the state of the Chapel will be when I return. I’m sure every minister, pastor and missionary deals with this same anxiety when they are away. Will the ministry survive while I am away? Will there be anybody left at the chapel when I return? Will I be starting all over again? Will the dear people coming to the Chapel stick it out in my absence? Is the ministry there strong enough to endure my absence? These are all questions that obviously concern me. I have worked hard to start the Chapel and the Chapel people are precious to me. I want to continue to watch them grow in Jesus Christ and I want them around when I return to Kenya. I have to entrust them to the Lord’s care, believing the Lord will care for them. But I also know that they are good and strong Christian people and I DO trust that they will be around when I get back. In my absence they will continue to meet together at the Chapel, to worship the Lord together and to study the Bible together. I trust that when I return, they will be an even stronger knit together group of Christian believers than when I left. Because, after all, it is not my ministry, but it belongs to Jesus. They are not “my people” but they belong to Jesus. It is not my work it is Jesus’. He cares for the work and the people even more than I do. Into his hands I commit them. They are in safe hands.
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
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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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