How God Has Blessed 2016
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
November 28, 2016
The Hatcher Family
God has added people in the meetings that we have in the Department of Ariege south of us and those involved seem to have a renewed interest and are participating actively. We now meet on a rotating basis in four different homes in three different towns of this department. The meetings in this area started years ago when Judy and I started driving weekly to the city of Mazere to have Bible studies with Douceline. This young lady was a believer who had moved there to take a new job. She was very discouraged. There were no churches less than about 50 miles from her. She has now become a very effective missionary in this region. Her grandmother, an atheist until the end of her earthly life, as far as we know, died last week at the age of 95.
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
Read more
Teaching Pastors in Paraná; Another New Building Project
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.
November 21, 2016
Dear Brethren,
Just after the vacation in the States I had a visit to make to some churches in southern Brazil. This had been set up for over a year. One of our guys went to seminary in the state of Paraná. While there he met and married one of the girls from down there. After graduation, he accepted the pastorate in the city of Ponta Grossa (population 400,000) near the capital city of Curitiba. The work is new and the church is small, but already growing at a nice pace. He began with 10 members and now has 48. The history of the work is unique. Another church in town started and actually organized the new church, but then it fell apart and the mother church “downgraded” it to a mission point again! That is where and when Edeilson and Priscilla came in. Anyway, I met with the five pastors and many members of their churches to encourage and teach them about missions and small groups. The building was full all four nights. Their seating capacity is 120 max, but many more showed up and stood inside and out. This is very encouraging as the southern states are well known for their hardness and rejection of the Gospel. All the pastors are eager to grow and reach out. All of them were very welcoming, even the associational missionary….
Since returning from Paraná I have plunged in to another big building project. The church has given the OK to put up a 6,700 square foot metal structure over our present facility. After this is up and under roof we will start modifying the present building to more than double our seating capacity. We have already put up the pillars along the outside and in a few more days the new steel trusses will be in place. Our major gains will be by increasing the total height by over two times and adding balconies all around three sides. We can now seat around 850 people and hope to get at least room for 1700. Yesterday proves, yet again, that we desperately need the added space.
Yesterday morning we had our last baptism service of the year followed by the Lord’s Supper. The building was completely full. The men had to fill the aisles with chairs and the walls along the sides and the vestibules were full of people standing. Our communion trays hold about 700 cups, but the men had to fill a bunch more cups and distribute them before everyone was ready to partake. I baptized 54 more new members. 15 of these were from the home church. All the others were from our 9 chapels here in town and 2 of our congregations up river. In my 50 plus years in Cruzeiro do Sul we had never had a cold front in the month of November. Well one came through on Friday and sent the temps into the mid 60’s. The water was COLD. Easy on the air conditioning though! The building was packed again at night. We have had 2 more saved and a number of other decisions, including more requests for baptism.
Our church has 4 basic courses that are taught 3 or 4 times every year: Discipleship, Membership, Personal Evangelism and One with God. Last week I taught the last round of the Membership course to about 25 new members, giving the 8 lessons over three nights.
This month I have also been making the rounds visiting some of our other works. The last visit was to Cruzeirinho. They are now in their new building although they still don’t have windows, doors or ceilings. Over 200 were present for that visit.
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
Read more
Heading Back to Brazil; Seminary Starting New Classes
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.
November 10, 2016
Friends and family,
Time has been a little slow this month as I have been in the “count down” to the last radiation treatment. I can now say “all done” with that radiation. God is so good. “AWESOME!!!!!” This word is better but still is not sufficient to describe our Lord and Savior! After it’s all over, it does not seem so bad. AWESOME is the God we serve!
I still have some more doctor stuff to do. We have to be back in February for doctor’s appointments and my last shot. Then we will return in August for my major exams and final check-up that will determine if all is well. For this I ask your continual prayers.
The work in Brazil is going well. Our reports from Pr. Walmir are very encouraging. They have been planning a missions conference there at Caragua Baptist. This will include a week end of preaching and then a promise faith offering. This will be given for the year to help national missionaries.
It is really humbling to me as I think about the members as they consider what they can contribute to the Lord’s work. And this is what it is all about. Pray…Give…Go…Send!
Lots of work still to be done on the Church—upstairs. This is where the kitchen and Sunday School rooms are located, although we also use the downstairs and a business across the street for class space. This is a good problem to have. We have just finished the sanctuary and we still need more space.
Ministry here is a pleasure, helping our members with personal needs, i.e., food, clothing, and other basics—it is a challenge!
So here is where I want to thank everyone for all the help: prayerfully, financially, materially. We cannot do this without YOU! So, a big THANKS to all.
We are looking forward to the return trip since we have been gone for a little more than 3 months. We are especially anxious to see our 2 Brazilian grandchildren.
Our Seminary will have another class in January and March. We will be having our first graduation in the fall. How AWESOME is our God. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary has come along side with us and now we are able to give a Pastoral degree (an official diploma with accreditation). In this seminary, Caragua Baptist Seminary, our goal is to provide saints in Brazil with a solid understanding of God’s truth in the scripture, equipping them to effectively evangelize, disciple, and build God’s Kingdom through the local truth.
We have had a total of 154 students enrolled: 34 pastors and 120 church leaders exposed to God’s truth. The seminary impacted 58 churches with approximately 6,104 members located in in 19 cities in 3 Brazilian locations. What is the word? AWESOME!!!!
We have some partners in Brazil that provide direct support and benefits to the Seminary and our students:
- VIDA NOVA: a Brazilian publisher that provides the seminary a 50% discount on textbooks that is passed to our students.
- CENTRO DE STUDIOS THELOGICOSDO VALE DO PARAIBA: A Brazilian Seminary that recognizes Caragua Baptist Seminary and accepts our courses for credit in their Bachelor of Theology program.
- FIEL MINISTRIES: Provides ministry resources throughout the world. Our students have access to their online educational information and their e-books.
Our plans are to open more Seminary sites this coming year, to continue our work with the rehabilitation sites, and we will be looking for other ministry starts.
Please continue to pray for our ministries, travel and health. And come on down to see what God is doing here in Caraguatatuba.
In His service,
Aj and Barb
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
Click here to give. | Like them on Facebook.
Read more
Encouraging Month of Events 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.”
November 6, 2016
Dear Partners in the service of the Lord,
The month has seemed to pass so quickly. Sitting near bedtime after a wonderful Sunday I remembered that I was overdue on sending you news of how things have been going here.
The events of this month have been very encouraging to us. Earlier in the month we had Vacation Bible School and most of the teaching was done by those who years ago participated as children. They have trusted the Lord and have a good knowledge of His Word as a result of daily Bible reading, good teaching and mentoring. It is great to see the commitment and development of these young people.
Our youth meeting this past week was again well attended with 16 young people. A couple of these were here for the first time. The interest of teens who keep coming and show an interest in the Bible studies causes us to rejoice. Two young ladies who have been attending the youth meetings for some time were in church for the first time this morning. One is from a Muslim family and the other from a family that has no religious practice.
We are very encouraged by what is taking place in the Bible Study centered in Mazere. This Bible Study is now meeting on a rotating basis in 4 different homes and the folks in this area are really stepping up to the plate. There are more participants and the interest is very good. Seeing believers grow up and reach out to others is very encouraging.
There are a number of other ways that we see God at work in the lives of His children and seeing how He has answered our prayers is very encouraging. Our church has meetings in 8 different cities now. However, there are still many all around us who need Christ. Please pray with us that God will give them a hunger for Christ and that they will respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ.
There are scores of cities within an hour’s driving distance of us that have no Gospel witness of any kind; no church of any kind that gives even the most rudimentary presentation of salvation in Jesus Christ. Please ask God to open doors, to raise up messengers of the Good News, and to enable us to effectively present Jesus Christ.
Thank you for your faithful support.
From France,
John and Judy Hatcher
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
Read more
Evidence of Transformed Lives in Schools
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
November 2, 2016
Dear Friends,
Last month I shared that our outreach partner, Projeto Vida, was able to obtain its first travel van. Overcoming that hurdle was a great victory by itself. Now that they have the van, it is being customized for the type of community service that we use to open doors to sharing the gospel. Among the services that are offered when we pull into a target community are free haircuts, family counseling, blood pressure checks and intercessory prayer. The van itself has built-in awnings and frames to accommodate these services. The van also transports up to 17 passengers and pulls a trailer that contains all the sound equipment that is used in the public presentations of the Gospel.
Two teams were out in cities near operational headquarters with the old buses as the van’s preparation is being completed. These teams were in 5 public schools where they had great liberty to share the gospel with students, teachers and administration. We are so amazed at how many principals come to us after our events to share how much of a difference they see in their schools after our team’s interaction with their schools. We know that this is evidence that God is transforming lives by the indwelling Holy Spirit who has come into those who have surrendered to Christ.
This week they also their bi-monthly Missions Training Seminar. There are over 20 students coming from all over Brazil to attend this specialized training. They will spend two weeks giving theological studies of missions and then two more weeks of “on the job” mission trips for the volunteers to go with our teams into the public schools and parks. We have seen hundreds of students come through this training process, many who have become full-time missionaries upon completion of our training and many others return to their respective churches to challenge their congregations to be more missions-minded and focused on a practical level.
Charlene, my daughter, Jessie, and I are getting ready to return to Brazil early next year to assist a group of youth from our church here in Brandon, Florida. It looks like we will be having around 30 youth involved, along with some adult sponsors. We are looking forward to returning to visit the churches we established there while in Curitiba to encourage them, however the Lord sees fit to use us.
We greatly appreciate your prayers for us and your support of Projeto Vida’s evangelistic endeavors.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Furlough Address:
3912 Casaba Loop
Valrico, FL 33596
Field Address:
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Sobrado 1, Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
Phone: (813) 481-7007
Cell Phone: (813) 727-6405
Email: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
Give: Click here to give.
Read more
Scheduling Stateside Visits with Churches to Share about God’s Work in Kenya
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, 2016
Dear praying friends,
We hope this update finds each of you doing well. It is hard to believe that it is the end of 2016 and 2017 is quickly approaching. Time really does go by so fast. I will be writing more about that soon. We wish each of you a great upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. May we truly be thankful and grateful throughout the year and remember the many blessings that the Lord provides for us. I am reminded of Psalm 100:4, which says ” Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His Name.” May this truly be our desire.
Speaking of how quickly time passes, I (Nathan) celebrated a big birthday just a few days ago. My 40th birthday. I was with family members recently and one of them said something like “I cannot believe you are 40.” I really cannot either. It seems just like yesterday that we were going to Kenya, started our family, etc. When I look back on it and really think about it, it is shocking how quickly time goes. Time is a gift from God, and how I need to use it wisely. Psalm 90:12 says “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
Our daughters have been in school full time this year at the Christian school that I (Nathan) attended in West Virginia. This has been a much-needed time for them, as they are learning time management, responsibility in their assignments, and developing relationships with other kids their age. One of the major challenges of missions for children is making and developing relationships while on the field.
Please pray with us that God will send other missionary families to Kitale with children, so that they can make these much-needed relationships. Socialization is very important and we are trusting God with this need for our children.
I (Nathan) am in the process of scheduling meetings to share what God is doing in Kenya, so if you would be interested, you can email me at naterad@yahoo.com. God deserves all the praise and glory for all things, and may we rely on the Lord each day for all that we need. What a great God we serve. Psalm 96:4 says “For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods.” May each of you have a wonderful upcoming holiday season.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Furlough Address:
56 Lobo Lane
Culloden, WV 25510
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.
Read more
Stones Turned to People in Pokot Town
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
October 26, 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
For the past many months, I have been praying for an opening back into the land of the Pokot people. The way had been closed to me for a long time but God may have opened a way back.
The Pokot people live north of Kitale. I don’t want to call them primitive, because they aren’t. But these people certainly live “off the map” and “off the grid” in a land that is very hot and very dry. Oppressive even. This month I took my tent, my sleeping bag and my backpack and took the 7-hour drive over dirt roads (aka – paths) to the Pokot town of Kasei. I spent 5 days there talking and walking with Daniel Loyelel and with many of Daniel’s people. Daniel is a 47-year-old pastor of a Baptist church in Kasei. Daniel was saved and baptized under the ministry of a pioneering Baptist missionary to Pokot back in the 1980s. When the missionary left, Daniel decided to take up the call to his own people and plant a Baptist church in Kasei. He had no building and no money so he decided to place 60 stones on the ground under a tree for people to sit on while he preached the gospel. But nobody came. The next week, again, nobody came to hear the gospel. So Daniel began to pray, “Lord, turn these stones to people” and continued that prayer. In a couple of weeks, he had 10 people under the tree listening to the gospel.
Downtown Kasei
Now, Daniel’s church under a tree has a semi-permanent mud building to worship in and 200 men, women and children worshiping in it. But even beyond that Daniel and his people have seen the need to send the gospel to the rest of his people. They have sent their own men across the nearby mountains and have started a number of other Baptist churches in other villages. They are truly carrying on the great commission there from Kasei. Given Daniel’s start under the tree I am reminded of John the Baptist’s words to the Pharisees, “God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones” (Matthew 3:9) and Peter’s message to the pilgrims of the Dispersion, “You also, as LIVING stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5), and also God’s message to the Israelites of His power to “take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). What a great and awesome God we serve who can “turn stones to people”. To walk and talk with some of these folks and discuss their changed lives and their glorious Savior was a joy.
Let me briefly share a few entertaining stories of my trip.
Story #1: My new Pokot name. So, I was given a Pokot name from some of the Pokot people. My new name is Limakou. It means “a bull with spots on his head”. When I asked why they had given me that name all I got in return was chuckles and laughter.
Story #2: The coffee experience. I had taken with me some instant coffee in the off chance I might have an opportunity to enjoy some caffeine. So my new Pokot friends heated some water over a fire and asked if they could drink coffee with me as they had never tasted coffee before. I enjoyed my instant coffee from a rusting tin mug but my Pokot friends didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I did. They kept sticking out their tongues and frowning after each sip. Then they would add more water and sugar in an attempt to dilute and sweeten their nasty drink. I guess coffee is an acquired taste and the Pokot haven’t acquired it yet.
Story #3: The jimmy-rigged vehicle. Some friends of mine from Kitale graciously agreed to drive me to Kasei in their Land Rover. We were 4 hours out into the “bush” when the vehicle broke down. The missionary way of repairing vehicles out in the bush can be quite comical. It took twisty ties, binding wire and lots of electrical tape and sweat but two hours later we were back on our way.
Story #4: The ride home. My ride home from Kasei was in a public vehicle shuttle. It left Kasai at 2:30am. I was so tightly packed into the shuttle with other people that I couldn’t move. The driver drove and bounced us over the path faster than a whirlwind. The person behind me vomited 7 times. The 3 chickens in the back squawked the whole time. The drive blared the radio the entire trip on WKMC, the home of Africa’s greatest hits. Every song sounded exactly the same to me – Thunderous beat, repetitive rifts, indecipherable lyrics. Oh, well, at least I made it home safely.
Now that I’m back home the challenge will be to see if I can work with the people of Kasei. I want to help them in their ministering and their walk with Jesus but I also don’t want to get in their way. They would like for me to return and teach them in various Biblical seminars. They also begged me to bring Julie and Chloe with me but I just don’t see how that could be accomplished. I will pray and ask God to show me what he would like me to do and if the way is open.
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 Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
Read more
Treatments Finished; Children’s Day
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.
October 25, 2016
Friends and family,
Well another month has come and gone and we feel like it has been an eternity. I have completed my 38 radiation treatments and am doing real well. I am scheduled to see the Oncologist on the 7th of November and the general physician also–then we can return to Brasil. I then am released ’til the 3rd of Feb. I will have to return to get another hormone shot and still will not know the results of all this until August. Continue to pray for God’s hand of healing, we know He can and that He still does today.
We have been visiting local churches during this time of treatments. This week we have ventured out a little farther. We are visiting our supporting churches in Georgia. If we did not get to see you and your church please contact us and maybe on these next two trips we can see you all and let you see what God is doing in Brasil.
Celebrating Children’s Day in Caraguatatuba
While we have been here in the States, Igreja Batista Caragua celebrated Father’s Day and Children’s Day (picture included). Children’s Day is the day that is more celebrated than Christmas there in Brasil.
We covet your prayers for the church and her new Pastor Walmire Quaresma as the church goes forward with new leadership. Also continue to pray for me as we seek God’s will for our future.
We are looking forward to the next semester of seminary. This is an AWESOME way to further reach Brasil for Christ, training Pastors to better reach their communities for Christ.
Come see what your mission dollars are doing in Caraguatatuba.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
Click here to give. | Like them on Facebook.
Read more
