Progress in the Village of Gama, Praying for Permanent Missionary
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.
October 12, 2016
Dear Brethren,
Well it has been a while. Bev and I took a month off for a much needed vacation. We just arrived back from the States. This time we went through Peru to catch our flight out of Lima. Now that many of our flights in Brazil have been cancelled due to the economy it was closer and cheaper to go through Peru. Part of this trip was by car from Rio Branco to Puerto Maldonado, Peru. A nice adventure overall. I like Peru and the lovely people there. Great visit with family, friends and churches in the US. Would have been nice to see many more of you, but time was short.
Before the trip Stateside I made a last minute visit to one of our newest mission points. Gama is in the state of Amazonas. It is on a tributary of the Boa Fé River (Good Faith River). To get there by river is a long hard trip. Down the Juruá River for almost a day, then up the Boa Fé for a day to the Generoso creek. Only a couple more hours up this small stream sits the village of Gama. There are over 300 people living there. However, now there is a dirt road through the jungle that is open in the dry season. That is how I went this time. It is “only” 30 miles from Cruzeiro do Sul by road. I have never been on this so called road in the rainy season and can only imagine the mess. It is all red clay and sand, with many stream crossings.
We have taken our doctors and dentists there twice now. Our evangelists make regular visits. Zico (our missions director) managed to locate and purchase a nice big lot to put up our first building there. While I was there we laid out the plot. While I was in the States some of our bricklayers went up with Zico to dig the foundations and start laying brick. Zico has been great with all the work, but it is outstanding to see how he gets and keeps things rolling even when I am away. I don’t even know how he raised the money to start the building! Since we are on the subject, if you would like to chip in with a little extra offering, make your self right at home. We still don’t have the permanent missionary for this new field, but are praying that the Lord will raise up one soon.
Also, while we were away the church here continued to grow. 25 new members were added by baptism in September. I preached this last Sunday to a packed house. There were two young women who had been saved for a while, but not yet baptized that presented themselves. We also took up the first of a couple special offerings for our next big building project. More about that later.
Our youth have had to spit up into different age groups. We have a big group 12 through 14. The middle bunch is the biggest. They are 15 through 24. (This works in our town, for now, but must sound like a strange grouping to you in the States). The newest group is singles from 25 years old and up. They just had their first retreat with 25 at Camp Salem.
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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Projeto Vida Travels 6,000 Miles to Share the Gospel with Different People Groups
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
October 11, 2016
Dear Friends,
We had hoped that Projeto Vida would be able to purchase an 18 passenger travel van before our scheduled mission trip to the Lower Amazon River basin, but the Lord had other plans. Instead, 25 of our dedicated followers of Christ set out in an old travel bus on a 6000 mile trip to take the gospel to many different people groups. The first stop was in the slums of Rio de Janeiro shortly after the Olympic Games. The teams shared God’s word in public schools and parks.
Leaving Rio, the bus then set out for Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, over 1000 miles away. Again, the teams were allowed to go into the schools with Gospel skits and testimonies. Many students heard the gospel for the first time in their lives. After a few days in Brasilia, the bus began the next leg of their journey to northeastern Brazil, in the desert region. Along the way the old bus began to have a few problems. First, two of the large tires blew out at the same time. After repairing them, which was not cheap, the differential gear box tore up and the bus had to be towed to a repair garage and be repaired. The original price would have been above our ability to pay, but the garage owner felt led of the Lord to give a deep discount and with the offerings of some of you, we were able to pay for the new price and get the bus back on the road.
The journey continued northward toward Maranhão where our teams had the privilege of taking the gospel to some Indian tribes. There were quite a few who surrendered to Christ during that stop. All of the team members had to learn how to adapt to the culture somewhat to gain and entrance into the people group. The different foods and unfiltered water left several of the workers ill for a few days.
Next, the group went on to the mouth of the Amazon River where it spills out into the Atlantic. They left the old bus in the last town and got on board an old river boat to travel up river for 4 days. There were over 50 people aboard that boat and everyone had to sleep in hammocks crisscrossed in every available space. The teams stopped at many small villages along the river banks to share the gospel with folks, many who had never heard the Gospel of Christ clearly presented. There were dozens saved in these visits. Our team was traveling with some missionaries who lived in the region and who would be taking note of the villages with multiple conversions to return to begin routine Bible studies and new church plants when possible.
On this journey there was a young American man named Christian Wertz from my church here in Florida. He engaged in a game of “football/soccer” with some villagers on an improvised court that was made of roughly planed boards covered with dirt and sawdust. He got a large splinter in his bare foot which got badly infected and he had to be taken to the nearest health outpost to treat him. He recovered quickly and returned to help the team evangelize in more villages on the return trip to where they left the travel bus.
On the return trip to their headquarters in southern Brazil, Projeto Vida didn’t experience any mishaps. The team arrived after a 34-day trip and having seen hundreds of people profess Christ as Savior and Lord. One of the side benefits of the trip was that while they were helping a local church in northern Brazil, two of the members felt led of the Lord to contribute enough funds for Projeto Vida to purchase their first 18 passenger travel van. Now they will be able to make more trips similar to this one at a much reduced cost and much quicker. Praise the Lord with us!
In Christ’s love,
Bobby 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
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Packed House! Ministering through Youth Meetings, English Nights, & More
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
October 3, 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In many ways the past month seems to have gone by very quickly. It has been an encouraging month. Yesterday, we had a packed out house and were glad that we had purchased additional folding chairs a couple of weeks ago. On Saturday night, there were 18 young people at the youth meeting and some who wanted to come were not unable to do so. The topic for the meeting was the injustice in the world and in us and how Jesus Christ is just and justifier of those who believe.
At the same time as the youth meeting was going on, Judy was across the Metropolitan Area of Toulouse assisting Wendy with English night. Wendy has been doing this effectively for many years now. It is open to all who would like to attend and work on improving their English communication skills. This is very important to those who want to advance in jobs. They share a meal, watch an English video and then discuss the content. The purpose is to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
In these two meetings taking place on the same night, there were people from middle school to middle age (older if you count Judy and me) representing many different orientations in life. A few are believers and want their friends to know Christ. People come to the meetings because they feel loved and welcomed. Some who used to come with friends come of their own initiative and invite others. We want to love others as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. Thank you for helping us be ambassadors for Christ here.
Nearly all who come to Christ are touched first by encounter outside of church meetings. The church meetings have as their primary purpose helping God’s children learn and put into practice what Jesus has taught us.
Last week we had the privilege of dinner with Joachim who was in town briefly for a job-related activity. He was the first person baptized here. He and his family are now actively serving the Lord near Hamburg, Germany. Thirteen years ago Judy, Amanda and I were at a city park and Amanda met a young mother from former East Germany. Amanda cultivated a friendship with this lady who desperately needed encouraging friends and that led to Amanda meeting Angela. Angela had recently become a Christian before moving to France. God brought them to us when we were praying for a person who could translate from French to German. God answered our prayers and along with Angela brought Joachim into our lives. He was friendly, intrigued by Angela’s belief, but not particularly interested himself. For a couple of years, they met with Philip and Amanda to study the Bible. This is a very short version of how God brought Joachim to Himself.
We were also surprised to see Samuel show up Sunday. He is now active in a church in Paris where he now lives. About three years ago he began studying the Bible with me. A year later he trusted Christ and then publicly professed his faith in baptism.
It is always a thrill to see those to whom God has allowed us to be light and salt following Him. So, we continue to ask God to keep our eyes open as we walk. We ask God to help us seek those who are lost. We continue the Bible studies and prayer meetings with believers and seek ways to help them put into practice the life to which Christ has called all of us. There are believers hosting Bible studies, prayer meetings and serving in various ways in their surroundings and God is giving Life through His Son!
Thank you for helping us be a light here. May God help you be a light where you are.
In France for Christ,
John and Judy Hatcher
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Trying Times, Strengthened Faith
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 30, 2016
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and we are nearing the end of 2016. It is hard to believe that another year has passed by so quickly. I am reminded of how short life really is and how we need to be involved in serving the Lord while there is still time. Now is the time to invest in eternity. I hope and pray that we will be focused on the spiritual things that will last forever. Colossians 3:2 says “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” May this be the sincere desire of our lives.
Some of you do not receive the prayer letter by email, so if others have already heard of the unrest in Kitale recently, please bear with me. I want to briefly explain what has been going on so people will be informed and know how to pray not only for us, but all those living, working, and serving in Kitale. Earlier this year, over about an 8 week period, there were repeated break in attempts at our compound. The thieves tried to enter several different ways, from breaking the wood fence on the back, to cutting the hedges around our compound, shining a light late at night around our gate, shaking our gate, etc. We praise the Lord that they never gained access inside the compound, but they tried repeatedly. This was going on in different parts of Kitale, but we felt that we were being targeted specifically.
I (Nathan) tried to get to the bottom of what was going on, as this is very unusual for Kitale and nothing like this has ever happened over such an extended time period since we have lived there. We talked to a neighbor who knows the culture, and he said he believed the thieves were after something specifically on our compound. What? We don’t really know. There is nothing of high value on the compound that belongs to us, just our normal living items. When we moved into our compound, there were several holes that were covered up. One theory is that the thieves believe something of value was buried on the compound by a previous tenant. This would make sense. In fact, the first time the thieves came, they were asking to collect their items from the tenant who lived there several years prior. I contacted this tenant myself and he said he left nothing of value on the compound and knows nothing of what is going on. So, it is all very mysterious.
After I (Nathan) left to come home just a few weeks ago, there was another attempt where they were trying to cut the barb wire on the back fence, but our day guard managed to catch two of them. They were turned over to the police and will be disciplined, so we hope this will be a deterrent to the others. Please pray for everyone in Kitale now, as this is abnormal and we need to pray that all these thugs will be caught soon and justice will be swift. God is in complete control and we trust Him. I definitely feel that spiritual warfare is a major challenge while on the mission field, and satan will do anything to try to discourage us, derail us, or oppose us. I take comfort in a verse such as John 16:33, which says “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” These were definitely trying times, and trials, but the Lord has used it to strengthen our faith in Him. We have since received a good report from our day guard that nothing has happened in the past few weeks, so we are praying that this will be over soon and go back to normal. God is in control, at all times, in all circumstances.
Please pray for our family, as we are going through many adjustments. One good adjustment is that our daughters are going to Calvary Baptist Academy in Hurricane, WV. This will be good for them, teaching them time management, getting their homework done in a timely manner, and having friends to relate to while we are here. It will also be good for them to get used to having teachers in a regular school setting, along with all the activities that go along with being in school. I am sure mommy misses having them right now, as she enjoys homeschooling in Kenya, but we both agree this is a good thing for them to have now while we are on furlough. Socialization for missionary children is very important, and is one of the major challenges of missions. This time of socialization will teach them many things, and will be a good experience for them. Please pray for them now, and as they continue along through the school year.
I (Nathan) am in the process of scheduling churches for furlough. We plan to be here through at least April of next year, so if you are interested in scheduling a meeting, you can reach me at: naterad@yahoo.com.
Please pray for each of us while we are in America for our furlough. It is great to be in our home culture, where we are used to how things are, speak the same language, etc. However, we miss our compound in Kitale, our animals, and our friends there. God is so good to help us during each time of transition, and He is so faithful. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” Thanks so much to each of you for your interest in missions and your encouragement. We appreciate you all so much.
Serving in Kitale,
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.
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Reaching Out to Youth & Training New Workers
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 30, 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We pray that all of you are well and enjoying blessings from our Lord and Savior. We are doing great and enjoying blessings from our Lord in our lives and ministry.
We have been saving an outreach for youth in the 3 communities where we have churches. The purpose is to reach new youth and also train new workers. We will have a total of 8 weeks, then we will leave the workers in these churches and go to new communities. We have had around 100 new visitors, plus the ones who belong to the churches. Although we live far from the city and with little commodities, it is unreal how much drugs are in these communities. Contact with these youth has reminded us so much of the Alpha & Omega Home. So, we are working in these churches with teens with the same needs. Pray for them and for the leaders as they reach out to them. There has been several saved. We are going to plan a baptismal service and a time of fellowship.
The mission we have at Ubim is going well. We are praying for God to show us a place to buy to build a mission. We have service on the porch of a couple’s home. It is getting a little hard to work with the group. We have a large range in ages. Pray with us that God will show us the perfect place. Kathy is training 5 of our youth to work with kids. It has been great to see them get involved.
We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support. God bless each of you.
These are pictures of the youth program Odali & Kathy are having in three communities: Iranduba, Mutirão, and the mother church Pedras Vivas. They have planned eight weeks of reaching out to lost youth and training new leaders.
Odali & Kathy Barros
Caixa Postal 1
Iranduba, Amazonas 69.415.000
Brasil, S.A.
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
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News & Reports – October 2016 [Online Edition]
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Hispanic Church Plant in São Paulo
The Lord has opened up doors to plant a church among Hispanics in São Paulo. September 4 was their first service in Spanish with 28 people in attendance. People from Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Spain & Venezuela were present! Pray for the Lord to open the hearts of the Hispanics in São Paulo.
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Jud & Raquel Hatcher
São Paulo, Brazil
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
Website | Twitter | Facebook
Click here to give now.
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Outreach & Training in Mutirão
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 14, 2016
Odali and Kathy Barros are reaching out to several different communities in Brazil.
The outreach stretches for eight weeks in three different communities.
Pictured below is a gathering in Mutirão where they had 150 people present.
The building pictured is 8 meters x 15 meters (~26 feet x 49 feet).
They are using this ministry to train some of their people and then plan to move it to cities far away. Pray for those serving and for those who will hear the Gospel!
Odali & Kathy Barros
Caixa Postal 1
Iranduba, Amazonas 69.415.000
Brasil, S.A.
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
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