THE CHALLENGE OF MISSIONS by John A. Hatcher (Part 3)
THE CHALLENGE OF MISSIONS
John A. Hatcher
Chapter 3
[click here for previous chapters]
MISSIONS IS GOD’S PLAN TO GIVE MEN
AN ETERNAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM
Missions is God’s plan for bringing men into an eternal relationship of sons. God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.” Missions is the plan of the New Covenant. In the Old Testament the prophets wrote, “Blessed be the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” That Covenant took Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land of Palestine. God’s covenant through Jesus Christ makes fallen men to become sons of God, taking them out of the kingdom of darkness and placing them in the kingdom of light, and transporting them to Heaven, where they can be blessed with all spiritual blessings. Let’s say it together— “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places.” Amen.
Israel was chosen through Abraham to manifest Jehovah’s name to all nations; the redeemed are chosen for the eternal praise of the glory of His grace.
The Son came to earth in obedience to the Father’s plan and purpose. The Father’s will is accomplished through the merits of the Beloved Son. In Him, sinners are made acceptable to the Father; by His blood men are redeemed, divine justice is satisfied and the wrath of God is turned away. Jesus came into the slave market of sin, purchased the slaves sold under sin, took them off the market—never to be sold again. They have been purchased to be in the Trophy Room of Heaven as exhibits of the power and glory of God’s Love and Grace.
JAHatcher
(to be continued…)
[Click here to view all “The Challenge of Missions” posts by John A. Hatcher]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence. They now reside in Florida where they continue to share the Gospel with everyone they meet.
15905 Mercott Court
Clermont FL 34714
229-529-8497
jhatcher1925[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher Stateside from Brazil [December 2015]
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.
December 14, 2015
Dear friends,
I recently received an email from a student, who had an assignment from his Christian School teacher to write about an overseas missionary. His great questions led me to include them here with my answers.
- Can you tell me a little about what you do in Brazil? I see from the Baptist Faith Missions website that you are part of the “Seed Factory” church planting initiative – can you tell me about that? How many churches have you planted?
I am a pastor, church planter, professor and pastor trainer in Brazil. I’ve participated in 24 church plants. My first church plant was in 1998, alongside me were 7 pastors-in-training. In one year we saw 320 people professed Christ and 285 of them were baptized. The “Seed Factory” is the concept where every church produces “seed” for sowing and heavily focuses on reproducing leadership and sends out as many church planters as possible. My wife (Raquel) and I have four children – Sarah, Laura, Benjamin and Melissa. - Can you please tell me a few prayer requests you have so me and my classmates can pray for you?
- I am currently recuperating from a fractured fibula and a damaged Achilles tendon.
- Government instability in Brazil. The president is currently under an impeachment process for corruption.
- Economic vulnerability in Brazil. A year ago the Brazilian Real (currency’s name) was 2.35 for every 1 US Dollar. Within the last few months it has risen past BR$ 4.00 / US$ 1.00.
- Our children’s English and schooling.
- What challenges have you faced in Brazil and what changes have you had to make to your life to be a missionary in Brazil?
- I was held hostage by five armed thieves in a travel bus while traveling in Northeastern Brazil. An armed police officer was in the bus as well. There was gun fire exchange, with 1 dead and 5 wounded. Four of the wounded persons were sitting near my seat. Now, I try not to travel by bus at night.
- Two men (one was a pedophile who received church discipline the week before) attempted a force entry into my home as I stood at the door. Since then, cameras were installed at every point of entry of our home.
- Month-to-month financial support.
- When do you start your mission work in Brazil and how long have you been there?
I am a third generation missionary in Brazil. My grandparents (John & Alta Hatcher) arrived in Brazil in the early 1950’s and my parents (Paul & Wanda Hatcher) arrived in the early 1970’s. I was born and raised in Manaus. I am a dual citizen (American and Brazilian), bilingual (fluent in English and Portuguese) and am also bi-cultural.My family and I are on a one year furlough/state-side assignment. I am currently serving as visiting professor / adjunct faculty at Liberty University’s School of Divinity in Pastoral Leadership.
As stated earlier, I began my ministry in Brazil in 1998. I have served as a missionary support worker & as missionary through Baptist Faith Missions since 2003.
When we return to Brazil in July 2016, we plan to start churches in Sao Paulo city. Sao Paulo is the 7th largest city in the world with 29 million people. We plan to start churches throughout region of the subway system. The subway has a network of 67 stations and services 4.9 million people every day.
- What are some interesting things about Brazil that my classmates and I might not be able to learn from doing research online?
Watch this video on YouTube concerning Sao Paulo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3pBJTTjwCM You can find all kinds of interesting info by searching on the internet for the Brazilian cities. Here are a few: Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Manaus, Joao Pessoa, Joao Pessoa, cidade de Natal, Boa Vista, Macapa, Porto Velho, Londrina, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Recife, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Palmas, Rio Branco, Campina Grande, Teresina, Sao Luiz & Campinas.There is a lot of research & census info at: www.ibge.gov.br/english.
You can also find me on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/judsonhatcher
- I see that your wife, Raquel, is a Brazilian. Has that helped your ministry in Brazil? Describe any extra challenges you face.
Yes, the fact that my wife is a Brazilian is a major advantage for doing ministry together. She holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from an American university. So, our American education and connections open a lot of doors. Essentially, what an American pastor/family is to a successful church plant in the United States, we are in Brazil.The greatest challenge was getting Raquel’s American citizenship. It was only on May 19, 2015 that she finally received her American citizenship, despite being married for 17 years. Now, all of us have dual citizenship. All this time, she was an US “Permanent Legal Resident”, but every time she traveled she endured 4 to 5 hours of waiting at the airport and was threatened to be deported once. Later, we received a letter of explanation from immigration services stating they had lost her documents/file internally, thus complicating our life. Thankfully, these years of extra legal costs and travel frustrations are over.
Grateful,
Jud Hatcher
Furlough Address:
216 Mill View Ln
Lynchburg, VA 24502
(859) 608-4742
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
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Missionary Update: AJ & Barbara Hensley in Brazil [December 2015]
The Hensleys have spent nearly 15 years serving in Brazil. They run a vocational school and orphanage in Caraguatatuba and have also established a church and mission points throughout the city.
December 12, 2015
How awesome to be involved in the Lord’s work here in Caragua, SP (Brasil, SA). The month of November has been great!! We have had our Pastors’ Conference and it was a huge success. Thanks to all who were involved.
This year’s conference was made possible by these pastors and churches:
Dr. Jim Perdue, Second Baptist Church, Warner Robbins, GA
Dr. David Grantham, Pinecrest Baptist Church, Cordele, GA
Pr. Mike Durough, Riverbend Baptist Church, Gainesville, GA
Pr. Tim Price, Pinehurst Baptist Church, Pinehurst, GA
Pr. Jason Hamlin, First Baptist Church, Centerville, GA
Dr. Luann Purcell. Member of Second Baptist Church, Warner Robbins , GA
The weeks leading up to the conference were somewhat difficult, to say the least. Satan was working to his fullest to impede our conference planning efforts. Just to mention a few, Pr. Mike Durough had many last minute issues so he was unable to leave Georgia. Dr. David Grantham made it to Brasil and as we were traveling to Caragua, he received a phone call advising him a member of his church had gone home to be with the Lord. Dr. David was able to preach for us Sunday evening at Igreja Batista Caragua before he returned early to the US. So, even with problems, God is blessing. We temporarily moved our church, chairs, sound system and the lot, in order for Dr. David to preach in the new building—the first message. We were able to use and be blessed by Dr. David in a very special way. AWESOME! So this obstacle became a blessing, our first Sunday in the new building and it was full. The space in our new church building will be double our present rental building. All we can say is GOD IS AWESOME!!
Now don’t think we don’t use these pastors and helpers when they are not otherwise occupied teaching and preaching. As conference began Tuesday night, Monday morning Dr. Luann and Pr. Jason helped the church members go through old vegetables and fruits a local supermarket had designated as past their time to sell. Many of these vegetables and fruits are just bruised and soft and are still good enough to be eaten. So they helped sort this food to be given away to church members in need and the poor people in our church’s neighborhood. Also, we had enough to help a recuperation center (drug and alcohol abuse center) who were very grateful for the supplement to their needs.
It always amazes me how here (USA) we have so much in abundance and here (Brasil) many have so little. This food supply, after we had sorted, cleaned, divided sacked and thrown away the undesirable in our eyes, some others went through that “undesirable” or “bad” portion and saw it as good. Sometimes even at home we see people going through our trash to get the “leftovers”. So please pray for our church and the outreaches we have in the communities of Caragua.
Now to the conference—Tuesday night through Friday noon. It was held at a local hotel and we had approximately 180 in attendance. We had approximately 86 churches represented which included church plants. We were expecting more, but God had there those He wanted. There were over 50 ladies present and they were blessed by Dr. Luann Purcell daily. Our daughter Mary interpreted for her and with Mrs. Barbara did a wonderful job encouraging these ladies to follow God and to support their husbands in the ministry.
So, now you may say, why a pastors’ conference—I think it is an excellent way to further reach Brasil for Christ. So from all these present, we estimate the outreach of this conference to touch over 10,000 lives. So this is an AWESOME number, but what excites us is the pastors are rejuvenated and will go back to their communities more excited about reaching people for Christ!
Pray for all as they return to their respective regions and us as we continue our ministries here—reaching more people for Christ!
God is AWESOME!
AJ and Barb
P.S. More about our new church building next letter.
P.S.S. Everyone have an AWESOME Christmas!!
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: Mike & Beverly Creiglow in Brazil [December 2015]
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.
December 9, 2015
Dear Brethren,
It has been exactly one month since my last letter, but it has been a short month. We have continued to have good services at First Baptist Church. We have had a few folks saved every week. Last Sunday Pastor Benjamin baptized 8 more. I served the Lord’s Supper. We had one more profession of faith during that service even though we never have an invitation on those days. Just before services a man named Ney came to me to talk. He has attended our church for 20 years, but just got saved Sunday morning and wanted to make his public profession of faith. There were 3 more saved in the evening service.
We finally got all the trusses and purlins on the building at Cruzeirinho. The roofing is going on right now.
Bev and I visited the church at Assis, Brasil a couple of weeks ago. They have a big building, but have purchased new property and are building an even bigger building. They continue to partner with us on several mission projects.
Zico is at Jordão right now. He reports that the new work there is going great. They have been averaging 55 people in Sunday services. Although we had made some trips there over the past 3 years the work was just really started this year when we sent Idevaldo and family to that field. Some have been saved already. Zico will be leaving Jordão for Santa Rosa do Purús this week. We don’t think there is any church of any kind there. I will report on his findings next month. Santa Rosa do Purús is one of the 22 cities of the State of Acre that we plan to start a church. First Baptist has sent missionaries to 7 of the 22 cities so far. We still have a long way to go.
We now have a new missionary to send to Foz do Breu on the Peruvian border. Mário and his wife came before the church for approval 3 weeks ago. That field has been without a missionary for 10 months now. During this time one of the local men has been taking care to hold services, teach and even make a few mission trips.
Our television program just celebrated 25 years. I have had a half hour program on a local station every Saturday and Sunday morning. I don’t know if anyone has been saved. The only real feedback is from folks I run into downtown who say they never miss a program. You and I have bought all the equipment, studio setup. The church here pays for the airtime. We will probably only be able to gauge results in eternity. Hopefully we will be able to keep the program on the air for a few more years.
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: The Wacasers Stateside from Brazil [December 2015]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
December 7, 2015
Dear Friends,
What a trip! Our ministry partners from Projeto Vida (Project Life), Paulo and Luiza Novaes, came to the USA to spend a month with us and visit with some supporting churches and to attend the annual Baptist Faith Missions conference in Dearborn Heights, MI. On that trip, we traveled through 11 states in 9 days. The Lord blessed us to provide the amazing beauty of the autumn leaf colors of the Great Smoky Mountains—something our partners had never seen and we hadn’t seen in many years.
We had the privilege to share our ministry endeavors and goals with two wonderful churches: The Concord Baptist Church of Leesville, SC and the Emmanuel Baptist Church of Bellbrook, OH. Both churches and their pastors hosted us graciously. Charlene and I and our ministry partners, Paulo and Luiza, were encouraged and refreshed by spending quality time with new friends from these churches.
Three of our teams were very busy in outreach this past month. They were blessed to have 26 public schools open the doors for them to present Gospel skits and testimonies to over 7,000 students and faculty. There were just under 200 professions of faith in Jesus Christ as a result of these efforts. The Lord has truly blessed!
Thank you for your continued prayers for my ailing father and for Charlene and me while caring for him.
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.
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Missionary Update: Odali & Kathy Barros in Brazil [December 2015]
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.
December 4, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Time goes by so fast that it is hard to believe that it has been 2 years since we moved to Manaus, Amazonas. This past year has gone so fast. The Lord has blessed our ministry here in so many ways. We had visited different villages and communities near us. We wanted to start works in some of them and were praying for God to open the doors. Well, God provided 4 different places, all of them in very exciting ways. We praise God for His blessings! Many people have been saved and baptized. It has also been great to see members from the mother church getting involved and excited about the ministries in the church.
Children at the Mission in the city of Iranduba
We appreciate your prayers for each of these ministries. We have services every day except Tuesday and Friday. Last Sunday we had a baptism. Our baptism may be different for some of you. The last three times we had a baptism, it was down by the river. So we just took advantage and had a cookout for fellowship. Everyone has enjoyed the time of fellowship.
Tonight while we were waiting for church to start a teenager that comes to our house a lot called me to the corner and asked if he could ask a question. I said, “Sure.” He asked, “Pastor, what does it mean to receive Jesus as Savior?” Well what a blessing! At the end of the service when I asked if anyone wanted to accept Christ as Savior, the teenager promptly responded and came forward. Praise God!
Clemersom, the teenager who was saved.
Please pray for all the new converts as they grow in the Lord. We appreciate all your prayers and your support. May God bless each of you!
Love,
Odali & Kathy
Odali & Kathy Barros
Caixa Postal 1
Iranduba, Amazonas 69.415.000
Brasil, S.A.
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
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Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [December 2015]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
December 4, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
May this find you enjoying the blessings provided by our Creator and Father. We have certainly seen God at work this month. We thank each of you who expressed your concern and who have prayed for us following the attacks in Paris. This along with the killings in the United States of America has dominated the news here. These events remind us that humanity is broken and that there is no hope outside of Jesus Christ. The events have opened doors of opportunity to talk about the hope that we have in Him.
Our Youth meeting the weekend after my last letter to you was very good. Our discussion was about God speaking to us in these last days by His Son and what we learn about God in Jesus. The majority of the 15 young people who were present are not Christians. They come because they have been befriended by the youth from the church who are Christians. It is very encouraging to see the missionary spirit in those who are saved.
We have also been blessed by a renewal of desire to serve in the members of our congregation. Last Sunday we spent the entire service presenting the outreach and disciple making activities. Several believers committed themselves to serve in Sunday school, youth meetings, home groups and other areas of ministry. This past month two prayer meetings and a college age Bible study that meet in homes during the week have been started and are going well.
We are very encouraged, as well, by the meetings in the city of Mazere. A couple and a lady in the group have asked to host meetings in their homes so we are now meeting on a rotating basis in three different homes in this area. It is great to see the participants taking ownership and showing concern for the salvation of their acquaintances and families.
This month Judy received her long term residents card. We have worked toward this goal for over ten years. Up to this time we have had to spend several days each year on the process of renewing our annual “visitor permits”. I received my long term residents card at the beginning of this year.
The Hatchers visited a museum where Douceline is chief staff.
(Left to Right: David, Pennie, Douceline, Judy)
On Tuesday of this week David, my brother from Brazil and his dear wife Pennie arrived to spend a week with us. They were last here about 13 years ago. We have had a very enjoyable time visiting and talking about what God is doing around us.
Please continue to pray for Eva, the young mother that I mentioned in my last letter and for her husband. She has now been confined to bed in the hospital for two months to avoid an untimely delivery. She is thrilled that she has been able to witness to her doctor. I was even able to talk to him about our ministry here during one of our visits to the hospital. Her husband, who is also a believer works hard as an aeronautical engineer and they have a two year old son at home.
I am including a photo of our visit to a museum where Douceline is chief staff. She is the single lady who hosts our Bible study in Mazere and who in addition has a couple of evangelistic Bible studies with unsaved ladies.
Thank you for your faithful support and prayers. May God richly bless you, work in you where you are and provide for all of your needs.
Your fellow servants 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 [December 2015]
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.
December 1, 2015
Dear praying friends,
We hope this update finds each of you doing well. We wish each of you a great holiday season ahead. This is such a nice time of year, with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day all within a few weeks of each other. We had a good time celebrating Thanksgiving with
friends here in Kitale, and are looking forward to celebrating Christmas and New Year’s Day in the coming days. It is difficult to be away from friends and family in America and we certainly do miss these times of year with you. Each of you are so special to us and loved. The Lord provides grace for each situation we face.
Speaking of various situations we face, we finally were cleared to leave Nairobi and return to Kitale a few weeks ago. As I had mentioned before, we took both of our daughters in for doctor appointments in Nairobi. Both of them had been complaining of frequent stomach aches for months, so after seeing multiple doctors in Kitale and Eldoret, we finally decided to go to Nairobi. Although Nairobi is far from Kitale, it has the best doctors in Kenya and we thought this was necessary at that time. We saw two very qualified doctors at a big hospital in Nairobi. One trained in America and the other in Canada. We did multiple tests and even a colonoscopy and endoscopy on McKenna, as stated last month.
We got the results back and then went to see the infectious disease doctor from Canada. He looked over the results and concluded that nothing was majorly wrong medically so there was nothing to treat. He thinks Cami may have had a form of food poisoning earlier in the year, then other possible minor illnesses, but nothing major.
Both doctors met together with us in the final visit and they concluded it was either frequent abdominal pain (FAP), or anxiety. At this time, we think it is related to anxiety, but we are still trying to determine specifically what it is. The main point is that the tests revealed nothing medically wrong and if it is anything, it is something that can be managed. We are thankful for this and for the prayers that each of you offered on behalf of our girls. We cannot tell you how much it means. Colossians 4:2 states “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” We are to continue in prayer, or to pray consistently. What a challenge to pray at all times of life, both during difficulties and times of blessing.
Speaking of prayer, here are a few requests for us in the coming year of 2016. Please pray for our daughters, and for playmates for them. There is supposed to be a family from America coming to Kitale soon, but they are waiting on the approval of their work permit. Please pray that they would be cleared soon so they can come to Kitale. Please pray for McKenna and her schooling. Please pray she would not feel anxiety during her schooling, but would settle and rely on the Lord to help her as she studies. Please pray for Nathan, as
his work permit expires in April of this year. We are trusting God for the renewal to come and for the door to remain open to serve in Kenya. Please also pray for his prison permit renewal, that it would process with no problems.
Please pray for Carrie and all of her responsibilities, both in teaching the girls and her other ways she helps the family. Please pray also for her to have stable friends and relationships, as this is so needed while on the mission field. Please pray for Nathan and Roger as they work together in church planting, that the Lord would give wisdom on the best way to proceed. They have tried different ways of doing church planting and they have all had challenges. Pray as they continue to pray and trust God to give them help and wisdom as they rely on Him. Finally, pray for the upcoming year and the challenges ahead. We know there will be challenges, but we trust God through them and know He is in full control. We will remember to pray for each of you also, as you serve the Lord faithfully wherever He has led you.
With the upcoming year, it is easy to get anxious at times and to falter in our faith. How we need to remind ourselves of verses such as Philippians 4:6,7 which say ““Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Isn’t that wonderful? As we pray and trust the Lord, His peace, which passes all understanding, will come. Do you desire that peace? Do I? I hope and pray so. God bless you all as you serve Him. Have a wonderful 2016 ahead and we are so thankful and appreciative for each of you. We will
be sure to do our best to keep you updated.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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