Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher on Furlough from Brazil [April 2014]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 40 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
April 1st 2014
Dear friends,
God is always gracious and good. Each day He reveals His love and tender mercies. We are writing from the mission residence in Lexington, Kentucky. Wanda and I are in the states for a year furlough along with my parents, missionaries John and Alta Hatcher, and Wanda’s mom, Willa McGary, who had come to live with us in Brazil.
Dad and Mom have lived and served in Brazil for sixty years; Wanda and I have been serving there for 40 years. We are enjoying seeing old time friends and getting adjusted to a different pace and ways.
We had a wonderful trip, and the Lord provided great help along the way, as three were in wheelchairs. Everything went smoothly – planes on time, good connections. We praise the Lord.
March 24, we organized a new church in Coroado 1 subdivision. The church was organized with 45 founding members. Ivaldo Junior, the evangelist who started the congregation, was ordained to the pastoral ministry on the same day. We rejoice to see the kingdom of our Father grow and multiply.
Missionary Raimundo Pinto moved to Aracaju, capital of the State of Sergipe, in northeastern Brazil, to start a new church plant. Pray for the family as they make new friends and contact people to begin evangelizing and teaching the new believers. He is looking and praying concerning the best location to rent. Pray for this new church start and for the family that they will fully rely on God to overcome all the challenges usually associated with new beginnings.
We are available and will be glad to share and speak about missions. We would love to have the opportunity to talk about the great things that God has done and is doing as well as opportunities available to each of us, individuals and churches.
We are looking forward to seeing each of you during the coming year. See many of you at the Spring Mission Conference on behalf of Baptist Faith Missions at the Thompson Road Baptist Church in Lexington with Pastor Dave Parks.
Yours in Christ,
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
rphatcher[at]gmail.com
239.277.6551
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Missionary Update: The Radfords on Furlough from Kenya [April 2014]
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.
April 2, 2014
Dear praying friends,
We wanted to write and thank you all so much for your prayers for us during our furlough as we have been in America. It is hard to believe that Lord willing, we plan to return to Kenya in early June. The time has passed so fast, and we appreciate your prayers for the remainder of our time here.
I have recently been reading a book on “third culture” kids and those who live and grow up overseas. Suffice it to say that as I have been reading the book, my eyes have been really opened. I had no idea the challenges that those growing up between cultures face. It is so easy for children to get overlooked and for their needs to not be known or addressed. As I read the book and continue to read it, the Lord has been showing me ways that I can try to help and assist our daughters in different ways.
One of the main challenges that they face is “Home is everywhere and home is nowhere.” Meaning, they grow up in different cultures but neither culture is home. There is no ownership within that culture. This feeling contributes to restlessness and rootlessness. Among the uprooting between cultures, different challenges emerge for them. I have much more of the book to read, but please pray for me, that God would give me wisdom for how best to help them as we live and serve overseas and return for our time of reporting here in America. I am thankful for this book and the insight it has given.
Please also pray for us as we have much to do before returning to Kenya, Lord willing. My wife has huge tasks ahead of her, as she is trying to decide what to take for the term ahead, what to leave behind, schooling supplies, etc. I cannot imagine all the pressures that she will be under soon, and we covet your prayers for us as we work through all of the packing issues. Psalm 4:1 states “Hear me when I call , O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.”
Thanks so much to each one of you who prays for us, gives sacrificially, and is involved in missions across the world. Each of you are such a blessing and we thank the Lord for you.
We will keep you updated.
Serving in Kenya,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
315 College Street
Youngsville, PA 16371
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Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [April 2014]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
April 1, 2014
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today is known in the USA as April fools day. It reminds me of what martyr missionary Jim Elliot wrote in his journal, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” This may well reflect what Matthew Henry repeated about his father who was a kind and charitable man, “He is no fool who parts with that which he cannot keep, when he is sure to be recompensed with that which he cannot lose.” It certainly comes from the teachings of our Lord and Savior who told his disciples, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” This is what we all should be doing with the lives, time and wealth of all kinds that God gives us.
We never know exactly how God is going to use our investments. The “preacher” in Ecclesiastes concludes, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. . .In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.” So, I will tell you about one of the fields where we are sowing seed and why we are encouraged by what we see.
About 10 years ago, Douceline, a young lady believer whom we had met when we first came to France called us. She had taken her first job in the town of Mazere where there was no congregation of believers of any kind. Away from other believers she was very discouraged. She was born the year her parents trusted the Lord. Both of her parents were previously atheist. Since we had some weekday evenings open, we decided that it would be a good investment into her life to have Bible study with her in her apartment one evening per week after work. After about 2 years of weekly round trip drives of 2 and ½ hours and a couple of hours in Bible study each week, Douceline seemed to have a change in outlook. She began to see herself as God’s agent in this town.
About this time she met a lady through her work at the city library who was nominally Catholic and whose oldest child was to start catechism classes. Douceline suggested that Judy could teach them about Jesus from the Bible. The lady thought that would be a good idea and dropped the kids off at the apartment an hour before our Bible study. Judy had children’s Bible classes with them for an hour each week before our adult Bible study. Douceline started inviting people she met; a few came and very few returned. But, we have continued. For several years we took a guy with us from our area who was a new believer. He now has two Bible studies in Toulouse each week and has led others to the Lord that he is discipling. He is a pastoral leader in his church.
Patricia, the mother of the two children Judy taught, never came to the Bible study but Douceline is now having evangelistic Bible studies with her. Douceline is quite a missionary and is witnessing to several other people on a regular basis who do not come to the Bible study. We have probably had 50 people come do this Bible study over the years. A widow lady in her early 70s who comes has trusted the Lord. She is the only believer in her extended family. She daily watches and witnesses to her 9 year old granddaughter whose parents are atheist. One newly married couple young believers participates, she is a school teacher and he is a carpenter. A lady about 60 comes who is a nursing assistant in a senior citizens home is the only believer in her extended family. A young man who has come is reading his Bible and seeking. Douceline’s parents participate and are reaching out to several others. This has opened the door with their older daughter and her family. The children from this family are enthusiastic participants in our Youth meetings. We are supposed to have a new participant next week at the Bible study in Mazere. There are believers, there are disciples, there are missionaries because your support enables us to be available here and because we believed God wanted us to invest part of our lives into a discouraged believer.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” The completion of this story and millions of other like it will be experienced in heaven…our Fathers house!
May God bless you. Thanks for investing in this part of the world.
Investing 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 Tates in Kenya [April 2014]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am writing this on March 28th, 2014. By the time you read this letter I will be gone from the United States because the family and I leave for Kenya in just five hours. Six years ago when I was just five hours away from leaving the States and heading to Kenya on my own for the first time I was scared to death. My stomach was in knots, my mind was whirling, my chest was tight and my head hurt. I am thankful that today, even though I know we are just hours removed from our flight back, that my mind is at peace, I am fairly calm, and I don’t fear the future. I can sum my feelings up right now with the following sentence: I am ready to go but not ready to leave. I hope that is understandable to you who are reading. We are all ready to head back to Kenya and get back to ministry there, but we are not ready to once again leave family, friends and church in the States.
As we head back to Kenya, I thought I would show you my checklist/to-do list.
DONE
- Visit all the churches, report on our work in Kenya, remind everybody who we are, make sure everyone is praying for us
- Spend time with our home church, friends and family as we will probably not see them again for over three years
- Pack up the house where we are currently living and clean, clean, clean
- Discontinue all services (internet, phone, utilities, etc)
- Return all borrowed items
- Pack the luggage we are taking to Kenya. Weigh it. Re-pack it. Weigh it. Re-pack it. Weigh it. Re-pack it…
- Have “going away” dinner at church. Say goodbye to church members.
NOT DONE
- Wait 4½ more hours
- Call Emily
- Weigh luggage one last time
- Get to the airport on time
- Say goodbye to friends and family; cry
- Travel 10,000 miles and arrive in Nairobi
- Renew life and ministry in Kenya
- Terribly miss all our loved ones back home
So, as you can see, much has been done and much has yet to be finished. Thank you all for your continued love, prayers and support. The Lord be with you.
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)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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Mission Sheets: February 2014 [PDF & Flip-Through]
Your February 2014 Mission Sheet is now available in PDF format. Follow the link below to view it!
BFM Mission Sheet – February 2014
You can also flip-through at the following link:
BFM February 2014 Mission Sheets [Flip-Through Version]
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Missionary Update: The Hensleys in Brazil [March 2014]
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.
March 10, 2014
Dear Friends and Family,
Well, with our church only a little over one year old, we have had our 1st revival. It was lead by Pastor Mike Dorough from 2nd Baptist Church in Warner Robbins, Georgia. Even being a young mission, we had many re-dedications and commitments. While he was here, we had a baptism, the second of the year, and now we are planning another on the 16th of March. How AWESOME is the Lord we serve.
While Pr. Mike was here, his church sponsored many food baskets. First, we were able to minister to the people in our church and then to the Indians in Parati. Many of our church family have physical needs, needs for food and clothing, and also spiritual needs. We are located in a very populated area. The city government has constructed many houses and are planning more. These are for the families that couldn’t afford to buy a home for themselves. They, the government, are planning more, and this is good for the residents as this is one of their greatest needs. This reminds me of the 70’s and 80’s there in the States when the government built the 235 homes. We are hoping that many of our members will be selected to receive one of these homes. But we are also looking forward to being able to evangelize in these new neighborhoods.
Now for an update on the Indians in Parati – we don’t realize what poverty really is until we make a visit to these Indians. There we see profound poverty. After a visit to these people, we, as a Church, realize that we can and are making a difference in the lives of these people. We always take something when we visit. Sometimes it is food, clothing, and other times we take Bibles and Bible studies. But as you have heard me say many times, we can’t help with their spiritual need until we help with their physical need. This month we took some of our youth and they came home with a different outlook. They realized that they are truly blessed. And they were encouraged to do more for the Lord.
Now for the rest of the story about this particular visit. On the way to visit these Indians, Barbara was sitting with one of the youth and was witnessing to her about our Lord and Savior, and this young lady accepted Christ as her personal savior. AWESOME!!! How great is our Lord!!! And just to think that this happened when we were going to visit with a people group that serve many gods. Our God is alive!! So, as you pray for our work here in Caraguatatuba, don’t forget to pray for these people. And pray for the missionaries that work with them. Their labor is hard as they have seen maybe only 6 come to know the Lord.
These Indians are not the only group here who need our prayers. We work and minister with a group that are in recuperation from drugs and alcohol. They are really special for me as they are wanting to change their lives. And in this group, the only medicine they receive is Jesus Christ. We pick some of them up on Wednesday night and take them to Church. This is the ones that want to go, and there are about 15 to 23. When they go, they are our responsibility. There in the recuperation center, they live under a very strict routine. While at Church, we have to monitor them so that they don’t leave the building. But all that is worth it when you hear them praising the Lord in song.
This week we had a going home party for one of men. We served cake and ice cream, and we presented him with a study Bible. This was a gift from our Church as he has been one of the faithful ones. He broke down and cried. He also gave his testimony and it was AWESOME.
We have been doing lots of work on the Vocational School this month also. The dorm house and the shop where lots of training will happen. The group in rehab are anxious to start classes here. This week they volunteered to clean and maintain this property.
We have been working on the papers to make our school and our church legal in the eyes of the government. We are jumping through many hoops. Pray as we are submitting our paperwork this week. We know that God is in control, but He loves to hear from His servants, so PRAY.
It would take lots of paper to tell you everything that God is doing here in Caragua. So it would be a good idea to come on down and experience the many blessings and miracles we get to experience on a daily basis. We are not saying we do not cry sometimes or that we do not experience problems–that is just a part of life–but seeing lives changed–that is what it is all about.
Find out where God is working and get involved.
Keep us and our work in your prayers.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers in Brazil [March 2014]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
March 9, 2014
Dear Friends,
It is good to hear someone say, “God is good, all the time.” It is a needy reminder to me to reflect on the fact that God isn’t good only when we get a surprise financial gift, or some good health report. He is always good, even when we are struggling financially or when we are suffering terribly from some sickness. I’m as human as anyone else, so it’s easier to recognize God’s blessings when they relieve some lack or ailment we have been enduring. My concern is that by saying that God is good only when these improvements in our situation come is that we dishonor Him before a world that is watching how we Christians live to determine if they are interested in what we have. But with this kind of gratitude and praise only when the extra benefits come, even they would be grateful then. It is when we praise Him for being good while we are still in the middle of our struggles that really magnify how strong our Lord is, in whom we place our faith. So I say it now, God is good, all the time!
That being said, it has been great to enjoy the goodness of the Lord recently in the saving of two more people through our work. Next week we’ll be baptizing a man and his teenage son who professed Jesus as their Lord and Savior. On the same weekend that these two men professed Christ, I had the opportunity to share the gospel with a young man who has been suffering with deep depression for about 7 years. He came to offer to help as a translator for a team of youth from the U.S. who are spending their spring break evangelizing in the public schools in our city. His name is Eduardo. The friend who brought him told me that he was in a separate room crying and that he often would just start crying for apparently no reason. I sat with Eduardo and began to ask him what he thought made him sad and he said that he didn’t know, but that his depression began shortly after a severe auto accident when he lost the hearing in one of his ears. I had supposed that he was a Christian by his coming to volunteer to translate the sharing of the gospel, but in my conversation with him I learned that he had never surrendered his life to Christ. I used that information to let him know that he could not know true joy or overcome his sadness until he given his life to Christ. It was a simple thing for his friend to bring him to participate in our spring break evangelism, but the amazing thing that the Lord did was to send us a translator to hear the gospel when his interest was only in improving his emotional state of being. He had imagined that he could be happy if he could just get his hearing back, but the Lord helped me to show him that what he truly needed is a relationship with his Creator.
That team of youth who are here on their spring break brought us two very special presents, our kids, Jessie and Brennen! Jessie is the coordinator for the interaction between the American youth and the Brazilian translators who volunteer to help us each year. Brennen just moved to the U.S. this past December, so it was a treat to us for him to return again so shortly after leaving home. God is good, all the time! He showed His goodness again by allowing us the privilege of working together for a week with our kids in sharing the gospel to a people we love about a God we adore. We still have 6 days to work together with them side-by-side and this is truly a blessing to us.
Yesterday we took the group of youth with their translators to a large and busy park to share the gospel. We started out by handing out cups of water to the joggers, bike riders and walkers. Along with the water, we also gave out tracts that contained a clear presentation of the gospel. It was very encouraging to see some positive reception to our attempts. We saw several people who had accepted both the water and the tract still have the tract in their hand on their next lap around the park, even though they had finished their water and had thrown the cup away. The youth also shared the gospel through skits and testimonies on an improvised stage in the middle of the park to an audience of over 300. It was a great start to an exciting week. We will be in many public schools during the rest of the week where we’ll be able to talk to over 4,000 students and teachers about the love of Jesus Christ.
Thank you for keeping us in your prayers.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Sobrado 1, Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
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Missionary Update: Odali & Kathy Barros in Brazil [March 2014]
Odali and Kathy Barros have served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil together since 1987. They are currently in the process of transitioning to Manaus to start sharing the Gospel and planting churches in villages along the river.
Manaus, Brasil
March 8, 2014
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Time flies by so fast that it is hard to believe that it is March 1st. We are getting adjusted to our home and getting repairs done. The Lord willing we will get the tile put done this week. The floors are just concrete floors. Our children have also started school and are adjusting well.
We have a van that we have purchased to use in the ministry. It needs some work done on it we have bought new tires for it. We have changed the parts on the sliding door and need to change the rubber around the doors. The van is for 16 passengers, a good size to use for having services in the new communities. There is room for taking instruments, chairs and some helpers also.
This week we are having a camp here at our place. There is a pastor of a church in Manaus that works in a poor area of town, who needed a place to have camp. They could not afford to rent a place so we let them use our place. We are glad that we can be of help to them and their church. We had a great time with them here. The church we attend came over on the last day to have fellowship with the other. The time together was wonderful.
Camp at their house–having fun with different sports.
The new church building they are working on.
Fresh fish grilled for lunch.
The church that we are working with, which we mentioned in our last letter, is coming along great. Since then we have put on the roof, poured the concrete on the floors and stuccoed the walls. Every one is excited to get down so we can move into the new building. We are already making plans to start new works in 4 different places at the same time. We have 4 different teams that will be working in these places. We will be working with each team.
Pray for us in these projects, that God leads us each step of the way. The area that we will be directly involved in will be a challenge. The village is known for drugs and homosexuals. But we know that God changes lives. We already have one family that lives there and that wants to get involved. Praise God!
In Christ,
Odali, Kathy
Titus, Jonas and Gabriel
Odali & Kathy Barros
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
Blog
Av. Victor Hugo Boaretto S/N
Garca, Sao Paulo 17.400,000
Brasil, SA
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