Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [August 2013]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We thank God daily for your faithful support. Thanks also to each of you who from time to time send a card or write a letter to encourage us.
The month of July news begins with the baptism of Samuel, the young man that I mentioned in my last letter. He is the son of Vietnamese parents. His mother was the first to be saved in her family who were Buddhist. She was saved during the Vietnam War and escaped in an overloaded boat that eventually was rescued. There is a church of Vietnamese people that meets on the opposite side from us of the Toulouse metropolitan area. It is made up of people who were saved through missionary work in Vietnam and their children. Their entire service is in the Vietnamese language.
Samuel’s Baptism
Because Samuel had gone to this church with his parents when he was a boy, he wanted to get baptized in front of them as well as our congregation. So, we made arrangements to have a joint service with them and use their baptistry. The pastor asked me to preach before I baptized Samuel. The sermon was in French and the rest of the service was in Vietnamese. This Vietnamese church shares a building with two other churches, one French, one Korean. The building is marked with bullet holes. You may remember the terrorist who killed a number of people in Toulouse last year including several paratroopers and a number of children leaving their Jewish school. He lived just across a one lane street from this church building. When the police tried to arrest him he barricaded himself in and eventually came out firing. He was killed in the shoot out and it left marks on the church building.
I don’t know what language we will speak in the New Jerusalem, but we won’t need buildings, we will all understand each other, there will be no bullet marks or war or terrorists, and we will enjoy the Lord and each other forever! Doesn’t that make what we do the most exciting promising thing that can be done?
So, you continue giving and witnessing where you are. We continue giving and witnessing here. God makes it all happen and enables us to participate. Every place is different and in different places we are at different stages in the process of plowing, sowing, cultivating, watering and reaping. But God receives glory in all of this. This was so clear to me as I read the June Mission Sheet letters. The Radfords and Tates deal with challenges that are partly the result of colonization and God is helping them learn how to be more effective. Mike Creiglow mentioned a city of 8,000 with one Adventist Church and four kinds of Pentecostal churches besides the Catholic Church. Tournefeuille, the city where our primary work is located has a population of 30,000. Besides us there is the poorly attended Catholic Church and a Synagogue that meets in a house. We deal with result of forced falsely called “Christian religion” that spread by the sword and kept kings in power. It is like planting seed in granite. But, our Lord Jesus has chosen us, disciples (not just pastors and missionaries), to be the light of world and the salt of the earth. He uses our life’s witness and our words to make more disciples who in turn will make other disciples. It has been happening for 2000 years and will continue until our Eternal King manifests Himself.
After our last youth meeting at the end of June, the mother of one of the participants requested the schedule for the coming School Year youth meetings so that they could put it on their calendar and not let anything get in the way of the daughter attending. This young lady is Abigail’s friend. Abigail, who was baptized less than two years ago has brought several friends to youth meetings and church services. This is how it works, friends bringing friends.
Last Sunday, a young married man who comes regularly to church services told about his progression in spiritual matters. He, along with many here, was an atheist. His parents were atheist, his brother and sister are atheist. His parents both died before he became a teenager. I asked him, “What did God use to change your mind?” He answered, “My wife and her way of living and Joachim.” He said, “Joachim started out like me, he didn’t believe, but he examined the truth and became a believer and he didn’t go crazy.” Joachim was the first person that was baptized here. This is why we keep plowing the granite!
Thanks for being used by God to contribute so that we can let Light of Jesus shine through us here.
Your fellow servants in Christ,
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher in Brazil [August 2013]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
August 1, 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We thank you and praise the Lord for your faithfulness in prayers and financial support for many years. Things have certainly changed since our arrival in Brazil in 1955. Today, there are more cars on our short street here in Urai than there were in the entire city of Manaus when we arrived. Praise the Lord, the spread of the Gospel has been widespread, also.
During the month of July we had a few days of very chilly weather; that has passed and now we are enjoying beautiful sunny weather with temperatures between 70 and 90 degrees. Alta and I are well with just a few physical and mental reminders that we are human and reaching an advanced age. We praise the Lord for His goodness to us and for the joy of serving Him here.
PRAISE THE LORD! The small mission in the suburb of Urai, Sussuma, has seven persons to be baptized at the next baptismal service. There are three young people from the Urai Church who work in this Mission: Wiler, Odete, and Jefferson. They are wonderful young people and have been faithful in this work. I am asking you to try to remember their names and bring them before the Throne of God in your prayers.
ANOTHER PRAYER REQUEST–In the Urai Church there is a large group of young people who are in the time of their lives to select a partner for life. This choice is vital for the continuation of their spiritual welfare. Please pray for them in this choice.
OUR PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER–Alta and I are eternally grateful for His blessings on our family: We have two in heaven, awaiting our coming: a baby boy born dead in Faro, and Lynn, our oldest. She left her bereaved husband, Ross, and five children. All are serving the Lord faithfully in special ministries. Paul and family faithfully serving the Lord and planting churches in many States of Brazil. John Mark and family serving Him in France with many doors recently being opened. David, who is pastor, and his wife, Pennie, work in the Chapada Baptist Church in Manaus. Kathy, our youngest, and Odali serve the Lord in Garca, Sao Paulo. We have 15 grandchildren, all of whom serve the Lord in special ministries. We have 26 great-grandchildren, seven of whom have been saved and some of these baptized.
EVANGELISTIC WALKING–Three or four days a week as weather permits I walk a few blocks for the purpose of talking to people about the Lord. The past week I was able to evangelize nine persons; Alta teaches a Bible Class for pastor’s wives the first Monday each month.
Pray for us. Thanks for your prayers and support.
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [August 2013]
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,
Well, the time is almost upon us. We are just a couple of weeks from departing Kenya and returning to the United States for furlough / home assignment. We are all excited about this but because we are so close to returning we are in almost total and complete shut-down mode here in Kitale. Shutting down operations here in Kenya while we are gone takes a great amount of time and a good amount of money. We have tried from the beginning of our ministries this term to build independency into the people and churches. We have been training them for a long time now and we believe they are ready to begin to stand on their own and lean on the Holy Spirit alone for their strength, wisdom and leadership. Thus, while we are not abandoning these ministries, they will be forging on ahead without us during the time we are in the States. I know it will be hard for them to carry on but it will be hard on me also as I wonder in what way they will proceed in my absence. I wonder if Paul worried much about the churches he started and the men he trained when he left a city and went to another city to continue to preach the gospel. OK, I guess I don’t have to wonder because he said did worry. In 2 Corinthians 11:28 he spoke of his “deep concern for all the churches”. But he also was able to trust in the Holy Spirit to take care of them and knew they were better off in God’s hands then in his own.
We are also in full shut-down mode with all our personal and living arrangements. Making sure everything here will run smoothly for six months is not easy. If there are problems I will certainly not be able to “run back to Africa” to see to things. The logistics of leaving everything for that long can be overwhelming, especially knowing there is little you can do if something goes wrong. Much of it we will have to leave in God’s hands.
Obviously, since we will returning home soon for furlough, we will also begin traveling to our various supporting churches in order to see you all and to give updates and reports of our work here in Kenya. After we have returned and spent some time with family and our home church, Emmanuel Baptist in Bellbrook, Ohio, I will begin contacting you pastors and churches to set up times for us to visit. So, I hope you will be expecting to hear from me. I can also be contacted via email at rojuta[at]gmail.com. We do not currently have a US phone so that is not currently an option. Looking forward to seeing you all soon.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Emily, Amy, & Josiah)
P.O. Box 96
Kitale, Kenya 30200
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [August 2013]
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.
Dear praying friends,
It is now the month of August, and the time this year has flown by. I cannot believe how quickly this year has passed. It seems like the older I get, the faster the time passes. I am sure you all can relate to this as well. How we need to be busy in service to the Lord while there is still time and opportunity. Psalm 90:12 states, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
Since I write month after month about ministry, I thought this month I would write something different. I enjoy reporting on the ministries, and I plan to continue to do that throughout the months ahead. I thought this month I would report more on how life is on the mission field, or what typical living in Africa is like. I know that this is probably interesting, and since I have not reported much about it, I would like to this month.
Life in Africa. How do you describe it? It has daily challenges that only the Lord can help us through. Many times it really gets hard. Why? Separation from friends, family, culture, customs, etc. Trying to understand the Swahili language when someone is talking a mile a minute in the language and your brain has just “checked out.” I have been there many times. It is exhausting just to try to follow what is being said, especially if it is said at a very fast rate.
Maintenance. There is so much maintenance, both on vehicles, compounds, places to live, etc. I rarely drive long distances because of the conditions of the roads. When a road is fixed, it usually does not last long as the conditions deteriorate rapidly. I usually take public transportation in a van, called a “matatu” here. The matatus are usually jammed with people, with people sitting four in a seat that seats two. Chickens on the buses and vans at times. People preaching on the public vans and passing around their hats and taking up an offering. Yes, life here is certainly different.
What about the family? Typically my wife spends most of the morning schooling with the children. We are so proud of McKenna and her progress. She is a smart little girl. Camille is coming along closely also. Our daughters have friends here, although most are older than them. As I said before, we continue to pray for children their age to play with. God will answer in His time. Cooking for my wife takes twice as long here as cooking at home. All is made from scratch. Something that would take 30 minutes in America takes 2 hours here to make. These are just some of the things that teach us patience here, day by day.
Through all the challenges of daily life on the mission field, God is with us each step of the way. He will never leave us nor forsake us. No matter what we face, He is there. As the saying goes, “No matter how rough or smooth this day, He is with us each step of the way.” Hebrews 13:5b says “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Are you thankful for that? We sure are.
Thanks again for your prayers, sacrificial giving, cards of encouragement, and emails. They brighten our days here.
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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Missionary Update: Odali & Kathy Barros in Brazil [August 2013]
Odali and Kathy Barros have served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil for many years. In addition to leading their newest church, they also run “Alpha Omega Family Development,” which provides a home and stability for needy people, many of whom are recovering drug addicts, etc.
July 28, 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Hope and pray that all is well with each of you and your loved ones. We are all doing well. This has been a month full of many happenings.
We took a few days break and went to Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, where we met our daughter KathyLee and her husband. We had a great time together. The boys enjoyed the beach. It was a little cold but they still got to learn to surf. This time of the year here it is winter.
The Barros Family: Gabriel, Tito, Kathy, KathyLee, Jonas, & Odali
When we went on our break we took Kathy’s car because my truck’s transmissions was bad and I left it in the shop. Well, on the way back Kathy’s car heated all at once and stopped. Thank God we had left KathyLee at the Airport and had traveled 5 hours. That got us to Curitiba. God took care of us. There we have friends. They provided food and a place to stay. The next day we were on our way home on the top of a truck. We made it home safely. We took Kathy’s car to the shop too. Well, the cars are in order now.
The church is doing great. We praise God for the 10 people baptized last Sunday. There are others who have made professions of faith. We pray that they will soon be baptized also. We have several people that come to church that came from other churches. There are all kinds of churches in Garca with some really crazy doctrines. Mostly salvation by baptism and by works and mixture of all kinds of beliefs. So we have been teaching on what the Bible says about baptism–especially that baptism is not salvation. Pray for these new babes in Christ.
Those baptized last Sunday!
So many times we preach and come in contact with many people. Some times we may think that nothing is happening and that no one is hearing, that is when we remember that God is always at work.
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. -I Corintios 3:6
This week I was looking for a mechanic and I went to his home to talk to him. His wife told me that he was at his church doing some work on the building. So I went to his church, and when I got there…was I surprised! There with him were two others that I knew. Actually all 3 of them had worked with me and been to our church. Now they were saved and serving God. It is important that we keep on telling people about God. It is God that works on their lives and hearts. Praise God!
I want to thank all of you who prayed for me during my father’s death. I praise God that he was saved and that we are only separated for a short time.
Also we thank all of you for your prayers and support. Each of you are an important part of our ministry. God bless each of you.
Love
In Christ,
Odali and Kathy
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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July 2013 Mission Sheets [PDF]
Your July 2013 Mission Sheet is now available in PDF format. Follow the link below to view it!
The flip-through version is being contrary this month, but please don’t let that make you flip out–hopefully it will be up and running soon.
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Missionary Update: AJ & Barbara Hensley in Brazil [July 2013]
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.
Dear friends and family,
How AWESOME is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When we start talking about plans (ie: for our Church construction), I’m thinking I see a year’s worth of work to make this building presentable…then miracles start taking place. After 4 groups come and go (over a month and a half), our church building is absolutely beautiful. What should have taken a year got finished in a little over a month and a half. AWESOME!! And I am thinking Jeremiah 29:11—For I know the plans I have for you—–it just reminds me that my God is watching out for me and my small Church here in Brasil. He knows what He has planned for us and we just have to let Him work His miracles. Just one more display of how AWESOME magnificent, all powerful, all knowing our God is.
So thank you to our groups: Pastor Foy and group from Mount Eden Baptist Church, Pastor Allen and Pastor David from Centerville Baptist Church, Pastor Dan Russell from Immanuel Baptist with the group from Central Baptist in Paris, Ky, and two firemen from Atlantic Shores Baptist Church in Virginia Beach. Our Church wants to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
So you ask, what got done in these short weeks: well, the Church was painted inside and out, one bathroom remodeled, one bathroom constructed, two mobile cabinets constructed, cabinet for the kitchen made, kitchen sink area remodeled and a new countertop added, dorm room at school painted, windows at our home painted, the floor in the Church tiled (200 sq meters), waterproofed the roof of the bathroom, water fountain installed, sound system installed, and electrical work done in several areas.
And now what is yet to be done: repair our overhead doors, install screens on the windows, install metal fence in the front of the Church building for security, remodel the balcony area for Sunday School rooms, and make cabinets for storage. In comparison, this list is very small.
But these groups did not just do manual labor, they also did Back Yard Bible Schools. We were able to do four. Two of these were in public schools. While the team for the Bible School was busy in the classrooms teaching God’s Word, another team was busy outside painting the concrete fence all around the school. We like to do some work project at the schools where we go because they do not expect us to. This shows them the love of God through the actions of Americans that not only come to their country to spread the gospel, but to help in anything that they can. One of our Bible Schools was at our Church and the children loved it. We also used this to gather more children into our new Church. Then we took the gospel to the Guarani Indians in Rio. There we also took food baskets to each family. You would have to see this tribe to know how much a food basket means to them. And while we were ministering to the Indians, we also ministered to the missionary that works with them. We took an offering on the spot to buy new tires for his car. The road he has to travel to get to the tribe is very bad and his tires were showing the fiber from the inside.
Some of their Sunday School children with a banner made for their church by some children in the states from Pellville Baptist Church.
During this time we have had two people move their membership so we are growing a little at a time. We are having on average 32-37 children on Sunday morning and we are fluctuating on Sunday night between 40 to 80. We are having Bible Study in the home of one of the newest members, English classes on Saturday evenings, and then Youth meetings after that. When the balcony is ready, we will divide the children into two classes and they will go into these classrooms. Then we will be able to have two adult classes in the auditorium. We continue to serve breakfast to the children on Sunday morning and we have several adults that join in. As we have said before, you need to feed their physical hunger before you can feed their spiritual hunger.
Needless to say, all of this activity has left us tired so I ask that you pray for our health to continue to be good and that God continues to give us strength to complete everything that He wants to do.
Our Sunday School children would like to give a shout out to the children in the States who made this banner for our Church. Thanks Kim Mitchell and Pellville Baptist Church. The children love their banner!!! And thanks to the other Churches who made banners as well. They are beautiful in the Church.
As you can see by this letter we have the room to host many groups. So if you and your Church would like to experience mission work up close and personal just give us a call and we can start planning your mission trip. We will treat you so many ways that you will have to like one. Come on down!!!
In His service,
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: Harold Bratcher on Permanent Furlough from Brazil [July 2013]
Harold Bratcher served the Lord in the Amazon Valley for 52 years from July 15, 1959 through December 29, 2012. His dear wife, Marie, faithfully served with him for 51 years until her death in February 2011. The Bratchers organized over 20 Baptist churches and many other missions in Brazil. He is now on permanent furlough in Kentucky, still in the service of the Savior.
July 10, 2013
Dear Brothers of the Blessed Lord and Sisters of the Savior:
Once again we (Asa Mark and I) greet you not from the Amazon Valley of Brazil, South America, but from our temporary warm and rainy Kentucky home where the sun is not shining bright right now.
This Mission Sheets month began June 8 and finishes today. During this period I heard 7 sermons, or Bible studies. I also had the privilege of preaching three times. The first time at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Oldtown, Ky where Bro. John Lybrook is pastor, the weekend of the 16th. I also heard Stephen preach, as Asa Mark was in Brazil, taking care of the house sale. The second time was Sunday morning the 23rd of June, at the Berry Baptist Church of Berry, Ky, where Bro. Carl Morton is pastor. During the Sunday School hour, Asa Mark spoke and Stephen sang as we enjoyed a time of great food, preaching and fellowship. The third time was the following Sunday at the Calvary Baptist Church in Richmond, Ky, where Bro. Bobby Greene is the pastor. I preached at the morning service there while Asa Mark preached at the Clarksville Baptist Church, Bro. Bradley Johns, pastor. Then we all enjoyed a great meal, and Asa Mark spoke at the afternoon service. We appreciate my sister in law, Deane Cruise and my niece, Donna Lynn, attending that service. Then Bro. Bobby and Sis. Sandra took us to visit our dear friends, Carroll and Bessie Sowers. Also during this MS period, we attended several services at the David’s Fork BC, our home church in Lexington.
I hope to continue to be a blessing to many of you, during this first year of my permanent furlough. I would like to report and thank each of you that have supported us during these past 53 years. We appreciate the invitations we have already for this month, and look forward to seeing many of you soon. We hope to be in Western Kentucky soon. Do pray for us, as this week, we have started earnestly looking again for the house the Lord would have us have. Also continue to pray that the Lord will heal Asa Mark’s eye, as both doctors in Lexington and Manaus, have done all they can. He is certainly able, and may He receive all the glory. The Lord permitting, until next month.
Yours in the Service of the Savior,
Harold Bratcher
1012 Balsam Drive
Lexington, KY 40504
(859) 277-3716
(859) 806-9827 cell
harold_bratcher[at]yahoo.com
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