Missionary Update: Mike & Beverly Creiglow in Brazil [January 2016]
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.
January 13, 2016
Dear Brethren,
What? Half way through the first month of a new year already! Closing out the old year was busier than ever. Besides making the rounds taking care of churches and congregations, counseling pastors and missionaries, I helped out with the Musical de Natal (Christmas Musical) at our home church. Fortunately my part is building the stage and props. My daughter Crissy and her team write the script, select the songs and produce the whole thing. There are teams that do advertising, direct traffic and parking, care for the motorcycles and helmets, crowd control, reception, nursery, children, reception, ushers, decisions, counseling, stage hands, refreshments, besides all those who participate directly in the production. We have over 350 people working.
The preparations start out a year in advance. Every year is a new story and all original materials. The last three months are crazy. Then with a month to go we have to alter our services and all activities at church. There are activities going on for 20 hours every day right up to the last dress rehearsal. I put in some 16 hour days along the way.
This year we had one night just for members. Since the whole program is visitors only we have had quite a bit of griping from some members over the years. That night was Saturday, December 19. It rained and yet the building was full. Then we began the official program on Sunday, December 20 and ran it through Christmas night. It ended up being a whole week this time. From Sunday through Friday we did not have any rain at night. It rained almost every day, but not at night. The main building was standing room only every night. We have overflow on the third floor of the annex. We can seat 600 there. It too, was standing room only on Sunday and Christmas.
We can gauge the crowds by counting the number of motorcycles in our parking garage. I’m sure that sounds strange to all of you. Small motorcycles are still the most common kind of personal vehicle in Cruzeiro do Sul. Our previous record had been 122. The first night we had 136. The last night we had 181. Since we can’t really count people in the two venues, we count motorcycles. Cars also line the streets for blocks from the buildings. It was tough to see hundreds of people turning around and going home, because they could not get in. The good news is that 37 people were saved. Some of these are already in discipleship, small groups and have requested baptism.
In January we give folks a break. We only have Sunday night services. That means that five other regular weekly services are put on hold. All the training programs stop. There is still a lot going on, because this is when we do all of our planning and preparation for the year. The two Sunday services of the year have been overflow crowds. Pastor Pedro and I are doing all the preaching this month. The other pastors, all the ministry leaders and teachers are all resting up. We have already had 5 more saved, 3 new members by letter and several requests for baptism.
Please pray for Beverly. She has been diagnosed with diabetes and a couple of other things. Her treatments start today. She is really tough, but right now she is discouraged.
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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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher Stateside from Brazil [January 2016]
Jud and Raquel Hatcher serve the Lord in Manaus, 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.
January 5, 2016
Dear friends,
Thank you for your faithful support and prayers, for they are greatly appreciated.
Family
Melissa is sick. She woke up last night with an awful laryngitis cough – she sounded like a dog barking. We pulled out the vaporizer we brought from Brazil to provide the much needed relief. She cried and breathed in the medication for 20 minutes. In the midst of her struggles, Raquel and I were encouraged to hear her say: “Jesus is going to help me get better.” Certainly a healthy dose of applicable theology in her statement. I was reminded that we must trust Him for salvation, but we must also trust Him in times of need. We must have childlike faith, every day, every time and all the way. He cares for us.
Everyone else is in good health.
Sarah, Laura and Benjamin’s English has progressed extremely well. Every time I hear them speak in English I am surprised by their diction and ever expanding vocabulary. I am thankful for all the teachers at school and folks around us who instruct, chat and encourage each one of them as they catch up on their language skills.
I am recuperating successfully from the fracture to my right fibula and from the damage to my ankle’s tendons. The physical therapy is helping regain full movement and muscle confidence. Raquel is always healthy. Overall, I am thankful unto the Lord for taking care of our needs.
Jud with Dave Adams, Quincy Thomas, and Sam Stone
São Paulo, the 7th largest city in the world with 29 million people, is where the Hatchers plan to relocate in July 2016 to plant churches.
Liberty University
The partnership with Liberty is a tremendous blessing. I am truly grateful to my dear friend, Dave Adams. Without him and the support of BFM directors this wouldn’t have occurred. The first semester was a great success. I was involved in five courses and am individually mentoring several students. I was blessed when Dave Adams thanked me in front of the freshman class of pastoral leadership students and received a standing ovation. I am grateful for the opportunity to be involved in the lives of future senior pastors, for the connectivity with other professors, for meeting area pastors, and being introduced to pastors from across the country as they visit the university. I am also grateful to pastors Jonathan Falwell, Matt Wilmington, Charles Billingsley and Scott Phillips at Thomas Road B.C. for their ministry into my life.
Traveling
During the month of December we drove to Clermont, FL to be with my parents (Paul & Wanda) and with my grandparents (John and Alta Hatcher, and Willa McGary) during Christmas break. We enjoyed the time with them and my mother’s exceptional cooking. While we were there we visited Chapel Baptist Church, where Chris Lupino is senior pastor. We also enjoyed visiting with Pastor Doug and Ramona King. To this day, I remember a deeply moving conversation I had with Bro. King concerning missions/ministry while sitting in his silver Lincoln TownCar, I was twelve years old at the time.
From Florida we drove to Virginia Beach, VA to visit some dear friends and supporters, and to attend Atlantic Shores Baptist Church’s first Sunday service of 2016. It was good to see pastors Scott Dishong and Jerry Flug. I was ordained at this church.
We are back in Lynchburg, VA now and the kids have returned to their regular school routine.
Fire at the Estação Luz subway station in São Paulo.
Church Planting in São Paulo City
I am excited about what the Lord has planned for us upon our return to Brazil. As you may already know, we plan to relocate to São Paulo city upon our return in July 2016. São Paulo is the 7th largest city in the world with 29 million people. Two weeks ago fire broke out at the “Estação Luz” subway station. According to the local newspaper, the station receives 200 thousand people into the subway each day and houses the Portuguese Language Museum. This is a historic site in central São Paulo built 148 years ago. A firefighter died of cardiac arrest due to smoke intoxication.
We plan to church plant within the area of the subway network stations, “Estação Luz” being one of the 67 sites. Please pray for us as we make plans and raise additional support to reach this city.
Facebook
Let’s stay connected. Please, friend me on facebook.com/judsonhatcher.
Grateful,
Jud Hatcher
Furlough Address:
216 Mill View Ln
Lynchburg, VA 24502
(859) 608-4742
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
Website | Twitter | Facebook
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers Stateside from Brazil [January 2016]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
January 4, 2016
Dear Friends,
Welcome to 2016! The last month of last year was very productive for us in several ways. We had the privilege of hosting some of the best missionaries in the world, Bro. and Sis. David and Pennie Hatcher of Manaus, Brazil. We also got to share the gospel on a personal level to a few people involved in the hospice care of my dad in Plant City, Florida. Our outreach teams in Brazil had opportunities to present the love of Christ in 4 different cities in 2 separate states. Overall, the gospel was shared with over 4,000 people in one month.
After coming to the US in March to help my siblings with the care of my ailing father, Charlene and I still were able to return to Brazil twice to help tend to our outreach ministries there. Those works are doing very well and we are excited about the opportunities to continue those partnerships this year. My father’s health continues to decline as his need for assistance increases. Please keep him and my family who cares for him in your prayers.
In a couple of weeks I plan to attend the Winter Missions Conference on behalf of Baptist Faith Missions at the Park Ridge Baptist Church in Gotha, Florida. Bro. Benton Glover, the pastor, was gracious enough to invite me and I’m looking forward to reuniting with some wonderful friends and brothers and sisters in Christ and also to meeting some new ones.
Our outreach teams, Projeto Vida, spent several weeks on the highway in December taking the gospel message to 3 Brazilian cities in the states of Minas, Gerais, and Parana. Those trips were very fruitful and the teams had the privilege of leading 54 individuals to Christ as their Savior and Lord.
During the month of January the teams will take a short break and then return to do maintenance on the vehicles and begin practice for their gospel skits before going out on the highways again. We are looking forward to a challenging and productive 2016 with God’s blessings with us at every step.
Thank you for your care and support through prayer and offerings.
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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Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [January 2016]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
January 4, 2016
Dear Fellow Laborers,
We hope that this finds you enjoying the Lord’s blessings and growing in your walk with Christ. Your continued faithfulness in your service to us is a blessing to us. Judy’s sister, Peggy, spent the last couple of weeks with us and we enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with her and Philip’s family during the Holidays.
Earlier in December, we were able to have dinner with one of our former members who now lives in Hamburg, Germany. Joachim was the first person baptized here in Tournefeuille. It was great to hear how God is continuing to work in his life and the life of his family. The fact that there is so much mobility in our area resulting from job transfers means that those who have been saved and discipled often move away. However, as one studies the book of Acts as we are doing on Sundays here, it is obvious that the early history of the churches of Jesus Christ were greatly affected by mobility. We are not persecuted as they were, but mobility is used by God for the spread of the Gospel and the multiplication of disciples. So, we work hard at helping new believers live out the life of Christ.
Children in Sunday School Class in Tournefeuille
A picture of the Sunday School class wall which represents our church: a school of fish following Jesus.
Yesterday, after the morning meeting, the Tournefeuille church had a meal together to fellowship and celebrate what God has done for us. Though a couple of families could not be with us, we had a very full house. As we review the past year, we see progress in the work here and that encourages us as we anticipate what God will do here during the coming year. The new prayer times and Bible studies are going well and several of the believers are taking on new responsibilities. We have several new believers who are awaiting baptism.
I am including a picture of one of the Sunday School classes and another of the class wall which represents our church: a school of fish following Jesus.
Thank you again for your faithfulness. May God crown this year of your life with His blessings and don’t forget to “Brighten the corner where you are …”!
Your team members in France,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [January 2016]
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.
January 1, 2016
Dear praying friends,
As I write this, we are right at the beginning of the year 2016. It is hard to believe how quickly the past year went. It seems they go faster year after year. I am sure many of you can identify with that. How quickly time passes reminds me of the verse in James. James 4:14 says “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” May we make not only this upcoming year, but the rest of our days on earth, count in service to God. Each breath we have is a gift from Him.
The past year was quite challenging in several ways. We had two families in Kitale that we have known over the years that moved this past year. Although this was difficult, and change is always happening throughout our lives, God has given us grace and strength for each day. Lord willing, there are two new families from America coming soon to Kitale. One of the families has several little girls, so we are hoping and praying that they will become long term friends for our daughters. The other family will be going to Tanzania to study Swahili, but they are around our age. It is always good to have new friends and develop new relationships.
In the annex prison this past month, I (Nathan) was blessed to be able to do a small Christmas project for the prisoners. I had not done one in several years, and felt led to this year. There are around 200 prisoners in the prison, so I discussed with the chaplain, and provided some basic, needed supplies to them, as well as Gospel tracts. It seemed to be received well and appreciated. Several of the prisoners thanked me and seemed very grateful. Many of them receive no visits from family, and are even abandoned by their families upon their release. They also have difficulty finding work, so this was the least I felt I could do this year. It was also a good time to announce about our classes there and invite the others who have not been coming to study with us. Please pray that more of the men would come to hear the teachings of the Word of God. I try to be faithful to pray for the men, sow the seed, share the Gospel, then entrust the results to the Lord. Jonah 2:9 states “Salvation is of the LORD.”
We trust the Lord with the upcoming year, with all its blessings and challenges. We know that He is in control, and nothing takes Him by surprise. We know He is sovereign, and we can entrust all to Him. Perhaps there is someone reading this update who is going through a trial or difficulty, or does not understand. We have passed through similar things this past year. I have to remind myself of Isaiah 55:8-9, which says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” God bless you all for the upcoming 2016, as you trust Him daily. Please pray also for us, as we trust Him. We will keep you updated, and each of you are such a blessing. Happy 2016.
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [January 2016]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
December 27, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I like living in Kenya. Most of the time. I think.
Ok, I can’t really make up my mind. I guess most of the time I get beyond tolerating living here to liking living here. Other times I desire the comfort of the familiar that I experience when I’m in the States. As we approached and passed the Christmas season here in Kenya, a couple of things I desire were brought to the forefront of my mind based on a variety of experiences. Those have to do with law enforcement and travel. I desire the familiarity and trust I have with law enforcement and travel that I experience while in the States.
Last month I was traveling back home from Nairobi with the family in tow when I was pulled over by police officers. They told me that they had clocked me speeding somewhere around 20 miles ago. I was incredulous because, first of all I was being very careful of my speed (not wanting to be arrested) and second of all because I had no idea where I had been clocked, what the speed limit in that area was and the speed they “clocked” me at far exceeded the maximum speed I had been going the entire trip. Although I argued my case, I was still arrested, paid a cash bond to be able to leave and had to appear in court the next day.
I was not happy.
I arrived in court the next day early and was sitting in an empty court room when I heard people shuffling around in the hall outside the courtroom and dropping a container that sounded like it contained a hundred gallons of water. Subsequently, a river of liquid came rushing down the center aisle of the courtroom near where I was sitting. As it turned out, however, the liquid was not water but a local brew of alcohol that had been confiscated and unfortunately dropped right outside our courtroom. The courtroom smelled like a brewery for the rest of the day as I waited (with a hundred other people) for my case to be heard. When my case was finally heard near the end of the day I plead “Not Guilty” and my case was immediately arraigned and rescheduled for two weeks later.
I was not happy.
When I returned to court two weeks later I sat all day and waited for my case to be heard once again. This time, however, the police didn’t show up and the case could not be heard. The judge told me I could either plead “Guilty” and have my case done with or reschedule my case for another day. I told the judge I could not plead “Guilty” as that would be lying to the court. My case was arraigned and rescheduled for January 14th.
I was not happy.
Then, last weekend we were all back in Nairobi to take Emily and Igor back to the airport and as I stopped the vehicle to wait and cross three lanes of traffic, Julie was attacked by a thug through the window. He grabbed what she had in her lap and ran off but when he realized it was just her pillow and valueless he returned, threw the pillow back into the car and grabbed Julie instead. A short scuffle ensued that included a lot of screaming, a water bottle being smashed into his head by Julie and Emily leaving a fingernail or two in his face as Julie fought him from the front seat and Emily from the back seat. I was helplessly sitting in the driver’s seat trying not to get hit by oncoming cars. Julie and Emily were able to fight him off and he fled into the darkness. We were only three minutes away from our guest house in Nairobi so we quickly escaped that area and hurried to our destination where tears, anger and some trauma followed until all our adrenaline subsided.
I was not happy.
Finally, to cap the weekend off, I returned Emily and Igor to the Nairobi airport. I found their terminal and pulled into the area clearly designated “Drop Off Area”. There were four lanes designated as drop-off and I pulled into the second one, dropped off Emily and Igor, and proceeded on my way. I only got ten feet down the path when two police officers again pulled me over. They told me I was being arrested for “Obstructing Traffic”. No amount of arguing would convince them I was in the right place, doing the right thing in the designated area. They spent the next few minutes intimidating me, threatening me with going immediately to jail where I would pay a large cash bond and be forced to appear in court the next morning. They insisted that they get in my car and I drive them to the jail. On the way they also insisted that in order to be set free I would need to give them “kitu kidogo” or “a little something”. In other words, I had to “grease their palms”, “buy them coffee”, give them “chai money”. In short, they needed a bribe to satisfy their corrupt demands.
I was not happy.
But on a different note, one thing that did make me very happy was Emily and Igor’s two week pre-Christmas visit. It was wonderful having all our children together for the first time (including Chloe) and celebrating the birth of our Lord together. I will focus on the fond memories of their visit instead.
And that makes me happy.
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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Mission Sheets: December 2015 [PDF Version]
Get your advanced PDF copy of the December 2015 Mission Sheets at the link below!
BFM Mission Sheets – December 2015
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Where are our Mission Sheets?
We hear you. We know you have not been receiving your Mission Sheets through the mail. Many of you can’t access your Mission Sheets online and depend on the paper issues being delivered to you – and we want you to get your Mission Sheets.
We want you to know that the Mission Sheets are composed and printed in a very timely manner by the middle of every month. Then, they are sorted, labeled, and are ready to be mailed to you by the end of the month of issue.
But, the Mission Sheets that are delivered by USPS mail have been delayed month after month since September. They have been printed every month, but we haven’t been able to mail them. It is really nobody’s fault specifically, but the delays have been caused by changes in the USPS bulk mailing regulations which apply to the Mission Sheets.
Here’s the way it has worked out: the good people at Storms Creek Baptist Church in Ironton, OH get the Mission Sheets ready for mailing. They have performed this volunteer service for years. They count them out, sort them, put them in envelopes, print and apply the labels, and take them to the Post Office to be mailed out. They do this faithfully and in a timely manner every month.
The August issue had been prepared the same way it had been prepared for years. They took the issue to the Post Office to be mailed out – the same way they had done it month by month for years. Only to discover that the regulations had changed, and that they would have to take them back, re-package them, and bring them back again. (Except that, at that time, the Post Office person who knew how to instruct and train them in the new regulations was on vacation. And so, they waited for him to return, re-train them in the new regulations, and then re-package them for re-mailing.)
So, they re-prepared them for mailing – only to discover this time that there was a problem with the labeling process. Again, they were applying the same labeling they had been using for years. So, they took them back the second time to re-label them.
All of these necessary changes to comply with regulations created prolonged delays and a backlog of multiple months’ issues waiting in the queue to be mailed out.
But, you didn’t receive your August issue until November, and the September issue was arriving the second week of December. October and November followed in short-order tandem sequence after that. (Those of you who are reading this online or in your emailed edition, your October and November issues will be arriving shortly.)
We are making every effort to be back on schedule by the January issue. All we can do is ask for your understanding and thank you for your patience. We promise you, we haven’t been negligent or dragging our mail-delivery feet. We had them printed, prepared, and ready to go out – we just couldn’t get them to you before complying with the new regulations.
And, as always, thank you for your faithful prayer and financial support for your missionaries. They couldn’t continue without you.
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