Group from Georgia Helps with Construction, Bible School, Food Baskets for Indians
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 9, 2016
Dear friends and family,
Our last month at home in Caraguatatuba was a month of construction. We started by painting the house. You see, there, the homes require much more maintenance than here in the States. We finished the house and the group from Georgia arrived. It was a combined group from Centerville Baptist Church and Pinehurst Baptist Church. The Church had sent money for the new tile for the sanctuary, so we were ready and waiting when they got here. Our first task was to go shopping, and yes—the ladies were in charge of that part as they do it so well.
Then the next day, with no waiting, the tile work began. While the strong and able laid tile in the sanctuary, the rest put on their painting clothes. These tackled the high ceilings upstairs. While the painting job was just to put on the sealer coat, it was nonetheless important. The work continued for several days with little let up. But the end result is AWESOME!
This was an AWESOME week where we renewed old friendships and began new ones. We were able to do this because our friend Pastor David Grantham has assumed the leadership of the new church Pinehurst Baptist. So he led the group with two churches and everyone had a wonderful time.
Inside the new building in Caragua
We were also able to conduct a Bible School there at the Church and we had around 100 children in attendance. We had planned to do another Bible school at the Indians in Parati, but the group over tourism would not let the bus that we were using enter on the road where the Indians live. It was a great disappointment as we were not only going to do the Bible school, but the group had purchased some much needed food baskets for the Indians, and some repair on the swing set that this group had constructed in past trips. The missionary that works directly with the Indians was so upset because he told us that the Indians were in desperate need—so we made plans for him to come to Caragua to get as many baskets as his car could hold. He since has told us how much the Indians appreciated the baskets. You see, that was the only food some of them had for the month.
We got an email from the missionary just some days later with a picture showing us a tragedy that had occurred in a wind storm some days earlier. You see, the wind storm had uprooted a large tree and that tree had fallen on the swing set that the Americans had made for the children there. Well, when we get back to Brasil we will have to assess the damage and see what we all can do to set that swing set to right.
Loading the car with bags of food for the Indians in Parati
Here I want to interject something: without YOU and people dedicated to missions, none of this can happen. Groups, financial support, prayer warriors, Baptist Faith Missions and other friends make this ministry here in Caragua able to do God’s will. We want to thank everyone for your contribution however it might be. Thanks sometimes does not seem enough—you all are AWESOME!!!
This does not let you off the hook, we still need lots of help. There is still work going on on the school property and so much more. See where God might use you in Brasil and let us know what He is calling you to do. We do have an apartment for those who want to stay longer than the normal 8 to 14 days.
Barb and I got to the States on the 26th of July and began the long journey of the radiation therapy to take care of the prostate cancer. We had been told that I would have 30 radiation treatments, but when we met with the oncologist, she wanted to add 7 more treatments. She also wants me to stay in the States for some follow up after the treatments are finished. So the trip that was to be over and we were to go back to Brasil on the first of November has been prolonged. But we are in God’s hands and we know that He is taking care of every aspect of my life. I have had about one third of the treatments today 9/9/16 and God has been faithful. I have had so few side effects they are not even worth mentioning. I take treatments Monday through Friday with the weekends off. So maybe I will see you in Church. Continue to pray for great results and good tolerance.
We hope to be in Brasil for Thanksgiving so if you need someplace to go to get out of the snow then come on down! We will put some more water in the beans and treat you so many different ways that you will have to like one.
Lord bless,
In His name,
Aj and Barb
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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Rotating Bible Studies in Mazere, Sowing in Hope
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
September 7, 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I hope this finds you well and enjoying the Lord’s faithfulness. It just dawned on me that I have not written a letter this month to update you on what God is doing here. I have been affected a bit by sciatica the last couple of months and it is difficult to type at the computer. So, I have gotten out of my regular routines. This is not all bad. God uses all things for His glory! Thank each of you for the regularity of your giving and praying for us. Each of you is also living life in a physical body on a fallen earth and it is not always “a piece of cake”. We really do appreciate your faithfulness and pray for you.
One of the things that I can do is walk. So, I walk and walk. Besides keeping me in shape it also opens up doors of opportunity. During the past few days I have had a number of good conversations about spiritual matters and about what we are doing here. These have been with people that we know and whose path I crossed as I walked or new people that God has brought into our lives.
During the month of August we have had unusually well attended meetings. Normally at this time of the year many are on vacation, but this year seems to have been different and we have had excellent services and Bible studies.
Normally we do not have youth outreach meeting in August because there are few young people at home. However, our granddaughters were in contact with many of their friends who were already back home so Philip and Amanda decided to host an “early” youth meeting. We were all thrilled by the 14 young people who came and participated. About half of these are unsaved and from homes where there are no Christians.
This Bible Study in Mazere started around 2004 when John & Judy started driving down about an hour from their home to have weekly Bible Study with Douceline.
In addition to this Bible Study, Douceline also now leads two evangelistic Bible Studies with other ladies.
I am enclosing a couple of pictures of the Bible Study last night at Mazere which is about an hour south of us. You will see that we are eating. Douceline, the young lady in whose home this outreach started turned 43 yesterday. In the last couple of years some of the folks who were invited by Douceline asked if they could host it in their homes. So, this Bible study now rotates among 4 homes. You might find this strange, but it actually is a blessing. When members of the group host, they take “ownership”. They are more likely to invite their friends to their home. This study first started about a dozen years ago when Judy and I started driving down weekly to have a Bible study with Douceline, a believer who had just moved from our area to a job in Mazere, who knew no other believers in the area and was very discouraged. In addition to this Bible study, this single lady now leads two evangelistic Bible studies with other ladies.
There are multitudes who need Christ so we just keep sowing; asking God for wisdom to do so effectively. Our church in Tournefeuille is now reaching out to 7 other communities. This is not much when you consider the fact that there are about 35,000 communities in France that need the Gospel. We sow in hope and God produces!
May the Lord richly bless you,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Back in Kenya after Wedding
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
August 31, 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We spent the month of August in the United States. Most of you didn’t see us because this was not a furlough or anything like that. The only church that I even spoke at was our home church, Emmanuel Baptist in Bellbrook, OH and a short ministry update at Calvary Baptist in West Branch, MI. So the month of August wasn’t really about ministry and it wasn’t really about rest either. Really, the only reason we were even in the States was because of our daughter, Emily’s, wedding. We are now back in Kenya after the short, whirlwind trip to the States and still recovering from jet-lag.
I am now the father of a married child. Many of you precede me in this event and can attest to the “weirdness” of the feeling. Even after they returned from their honeymoon it was strange to go out to dinner and sit across the table from my married daughter and newly acquired son, Igor. But they made a beautiful couple at a lovely, outdoor setting before friends and family as they made their life-long vows to each other. It was emotional to walk her down the path to the pergola by the river where the ceremony was held. I was able to reminisce and think about the day of her birth while she stood with her soon-to-be husband. And I cried during the father of the bride dance as the song Butterfly Kisses was played. But at the end of the day she was married and still smiling as they drove off. Her name is now Emily Levit. She has been out of Kenya for three years now and has started a family of her own. And because of this you will see in the near future that I will update our newsletter picture to include only my children remaining in Kenya. Our prayers are with you, Emily and Igor. We love you and miss you.
Our next move is to start up our Kenya ministries once again. It’s not the beginning of a new term in Kenya since we didn’t go home on furlough but being away for a month does allow us to rethink some things and re-assess how our ministry is going here. We’ll start things back up again, modify a few approaches and hopefully be able to report on some ministry aspects next month.
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 Emily, Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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Scheduling Furlough Visits; Daughters Start School in the States
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 30, 2016
Dear praying friends,
We are now all safely back in America, for which I (Nathan) thank the Lord. Many of you have been interested to know what has been going on with our safety/security issues in Kitale, so I want to take some time on that in this update, as well as share current ministry opportunities.
Believe it or not, just a few days after I left Kenya to start our furlough, two thieves tried again to break in. I don’t know all the details, but from what I have been told, they were trying to cut the barb wire on the back of our compound. Our guard dogs were following the problem closely and barking loudly, which led our day guard to find the thieves. He somehow managed to restrain them and tie them up, and the police later apprehended them and they were taken in. I have been told that one thug was jailed seven years in prison. It seems there was swift judgement, for which I am thankful.
We are really praying that this all stops soon and things will go back to normal. Since this incident around a month ago, nothing else has happened and all has been quiet. We have been informed that our third guard dog we recently acquired is excellent and very protective. We are trusting the Lord for all these matters and know He is in control. Psalm 9:9 says “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” We trust Him with all these things.
I am now back in the States and am in the process of scheduling churches for our furlough. Lord willing, we plan to be in America until at least around end of April next year. If you are interested in scheduling me for a meeting to share what God is doing in Kenya, you can reach me at: naterad@yahoo.com. Please let me know and I will try to get back with you in a timely manner.
Our two daughters are now attending school at Calvary Baptist Academy, the school that I attended for 12 years (Kindergarten through high school). The school has come a long way and is a blessing to many students in the area. This is very different for our daughters as they are home schooled while in Kitale, but it is also very good for them. They need the socialization with other children their age and to learn some independence and skills such as time management. Socialization is one of the major challenges while on the mission field, as many families come and go, move around, etc. Please pray with us that some families with children their age will come and stay in the Kitale area, if it would be the Lord’s will. This would help greatly with the socialization issues while on the field.
Each of you are such a blessing to us and we appreciate you so much. We will be sure to keep you updated. Thanks so much for your heart for missions and servant spirit. Please note our new mailing address.
Serving Him,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
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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News & Reports – September 2016 [Online Edition]
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The Power of the Gospel Prevails in Porto Walter!
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 12, 2016
Dear Brethren,
Two years ago I made one of my visits to our work at Porto Walter. I took plans for a new church building. The congregation was growing, but was still mostly children and teens. They were already needing to move out of the old wood frame building that we put up in 1993. Our missionary, Brother Alexandre, was dismayed when I showed him what we were going to build. He said, “We have nary a chance of building a 2 story building for 500 people.” That night we gathered the congregation to present the concept drawings and the plans. I had to get tough with Alexandre in front of his folks. I let them know, in no uncertain terms, that God is the One who would provide and make it happen. Then I just told them that this is what we are going to build and with little help from First Baptist Church of Cruzeiro do Sul. At that point I am pretty sure that I was the only one who thought that it would be possible.
Last week I spent 4 days with them for the dedication of the lower floor of the new building. We had over four hundred present for all the services and many not able to get into the building. We couldn’t get to the 500 prediction because they are on the lower floor with all the columns down the middle that take up quite a bit of seats. During the meeting, the congregation commissioned a couple to take over the mission point at Vitória. We had 3 professions of faith, too. Then on Sunday morning we hauled 4 truckloads of people down to the beach for a baptism service. I baptized 41 new members.
There was a new experience for me, too. At the dedication of the new building the members were so excited that they went out and spent a bunch of money on fireworks! Then to top it off they set off another bunch during the baptism service on Sunday morning down by the river. It was actually a very pleasant surprise to see how they really were wanting to celebrate these events in the loudest and flashiest way possible! It had never occurred to me to commemorate a dedication of a building or a baptism with so many big bangs, but it was actually pretty cool. The world ended up seeing how serious God’s people are about their Christian service and what He can do.
That is the news. Now a little background. Porto Walter is 100 miles upriver. Not long after missionary Joseph Brandon arrived in Cruzeiro do Sul (1926), he had a launch built to make mission trips. He named it the “Pilgrim”. On one of his first trips he took some of the young converts from First Baptist Church to share the gospel with the folks along the river upstream. When they arrived at Porto Walter one of the members grabbed the rope to tie up the “Pilgrim”. By this time the local priest knew of their arrival and sent a mob armed with machetes and shotguns with orders to not let the “believers”, as we are called, even get off their boat. One of the mob stepped forward and said, “The first believer that tries to step ashore with that rope will see the rope cut and the person, will be chopped up, too.” To avoid bloodshed Brother Brandon decided to not stay there, but go further up river to a place called Campo de Santana. Eventually a church was organized there. That priest later became the bishop of the whole region of the catholic parish in Cruzeiro do Sul. For years the Catholic church controlled the town with an iron fist.
In 1992 the towns at Marechal Thaumaturgo and Porto Walter were incorporated and became 2 of the 22 cities (county seats?) of the state of Acre. At the same time, I decided that enough is enough and we were going to start churches in these towns no matter what the Catholic church, her bishops, priests and nuns think about it. That same summer I took my cousin Paul Creiglow and one of our local missionaries to check out the field and procure property. The river was low and it was a long hard trip in a dugout canoe.
That same year God raised up the 2 missionaries. The church approved and sent them out in 1993. It has been long hard work, but now we have the biggest congregations of any denomination in both towns. In fact, while I was in Porto Walter I checked out the attendance of the Catholic church, Adventist and 2 Pentecostal churches. The Pentecostals have about 30 or 40 each. The Adventist have 15 at most. Here is the real shocker though: only 10 to 15 people attend mass these days! The Baptist church averages over 250. Thank you Lord. The power of the Gospel has prevailed.
The river is VERY low this year. You can wade across the Juruá just about anywhere and we could see the sand bars and bottom all along the way. Pastor Rondisson went with me. My trusty 25HP jet drive outboard took us right through all the shallows. Many hours navigating through all the stumps and shallows. Bright blue skies, beautiful, brilliant white sand beaches and exuberant green jungle all around. People being saved and baptized, the work growing by leaps and bounds and cruising through God’s creation: This is pretty much a big slice of heaven on earth. Am I having fun, or what?
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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Brazilian Skateboarder Uses Fame to Share the Love of Christ; Florida High School Grad Heads to Brazil for 6 Months
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
August 8, 2016
Dear Friends,
One of the most remarkable aspects of our outreach ministry, Projeto Vida’s, effectiveness is how the Lord provides innovative ideas to our leaders. This past month was another clear example of this. Throughout Brazil, thousands of youth are enamored with extreme skateboard events and athletes. One of the country’s most talented skateboarders is a Christian and lives near our headquarters. He accepted an invitation to partner with Projeto Vida to go into the financially distressed neighborhoods to present the Gospel at our outreach events. They were able to obtain hundreds of donated shoes for the residents and distributed them at the local skateboard parks where the team also presented the Gospel through skits, testimonies and one-on-one interaction. The young man used his national fame to attract crowds of youth where they were loved on and told how to have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Dozens of young people professed Christ as their Savior and Lord at these events.
I also want to give you an update on how the progress is going on toward the purchase of the passenger vans to replace the old travel buses. Of the $53,000.00 needed to outfit one van and trailer, $33,000.00 has already come in to date. I am expecting an email today to confirm that most, if not all, of that remaining $20,000.00 will be donated by a caring church in Kansas City, KS. Projeto Vida has already purchased the material to build the trailer (two actually) and is waiting to receive the remaining funds to purchase the first van. In faith, the teams are continuing with plans to be out on the highway to northern Brazil by the middle of September. If you feel led of the Lord to contribute toward this ministry, please label your offering “Projeto Vida.”
A young high school graduate named Hannah Baxter from Brandon, Florida has just arrived in Curitiba to work with Projeto Vida for six months before returning to the USA to go to college. She will accompany the teams to the Amazon region to take the Gospel into the villages along the rivers and tributaries. She has been working hard to learn Portuguese so that she is able to communicate with the people. Dedication like this on the part of some of our teens today keeps me motivated and excited about staying faithful in God’s business. Hannah is just one of many young people whom I know that are answering God’s call to go to the nations with the love of Christ. These are great times to be living in!
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
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God Connects Believers in Unique Ways
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
August 6, 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Yesterday evening about 9pm, as I was lying back in a garden chair enjoying the sunset and talking to the Lord, I realized that I had not yet written my August newsletter. So, here it is a bit late. Judy and I have been back home in France for about a month. At the beginning of July we enjoyed a wonderful week with all of our children and grandchildren. It had been 10 years since we had been together with all of our children and since then God has given us 8 more grandchildren for a total of 12.
As in the US, this is the vacation time between school years and therefore our attendance is reduced considerably. Most of the families in our congregation are originally from other areas of France and moved to this area for jobs. During vacation they often return to be near their extended families elsewhere in France. However, we have had good services and Bible studies with those who are here.
We have also had the opportunity to spend some time with some of our neighbors who need the Lord. Inviting neighbors for dinner is a great way to share Christ. We have had several good conversations during the last couple of weeks. One of our backyard neighbors informed us that the folks who had moved in across the street from them were “protestants” and so she had told them about us. We had been watching to catch them at home to invite them to services. A couple of weeks ago there was a knock on our front door and it was the sister of the new “protestant” neighbor asking about services. A couple of days later, she, her son and her brother were here for Sunday services. They indeed are believers who have moved here from an African country. Their father is a pastor. This illustrates a number of things: News spreads fast and people take note of the arrival of believers in their neighborhood. Christians are noticeable because they are a small minority. Only about 1 in every 200 people claim to be evangelical believers in France and most of these are immigrants from other countries.
Speaking of immigrants from other countries, about the time we arrived home I was contacted by Bruno, a Baptist young man from Portugal. His wife is a pediatrician and they have lived in France for a year. They live about 120 miles north of us and we are the closest Baptist church to them that he has found. Baptist believers are very scarce. Only one in every 21,667 people in France claim to be Baptist (of any kind). That is less than 0.005%. Look up the statistics for your state. So, you understand how I often realize that the picture is not so clear to many American believers when some well-meaning person in America says to me something like, “Things are about as bad spiritually here as they are in France.”
So, the couple I just mentioned are planning on driving down to be with us tomorrow. He was saved 6 years ago when he attended a baptismal service of a Baptist church in his town in northern Portugal. He was formerly a devout Catholic. So, you may be asking, “How did he find you?” This is what he wrote to me, “aujourd’hui, Dieu m’a mis dans ma tête de rechercher dans les liens de missions américaines. Dans le lien https://www.baptistfaithmissions.org/John_Mark_and_Judy_Hatcher.aspx, je vous trouvez comme missionnaire en France. Quelle merveille de Dieu! “—which translates as, “Today God gave me the idea of looking up links for American missionaries. On the site www.baptistfaithmissions.org/John_Mark_and_Judy_Hatcher.aspx I found you who are missionaries in France. What a wonderful blessing from God!”
So, take time now to thank God for the work that Sarah Wainright and others do and have done to make our news available online! This is not the first time we have been found this way. And, be careful what you post online including Facebook! The world is watching!
Thank all of you for your faithful support and prayers. May God richly bless you.
Joyfully serving in France,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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