Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher in Brazil [March 2013]
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.
Dear Friends,
The Lord has opened several new opportunities for sharing the Gospel. Within this last week, I have shared the Gospel with four couples. Each one of these couples expressed their personal resistance of stepping inside any kind of church. All four of them confirmed they’d be present this coming Sunday. I am grateful for the work of the Holy Spirit in softening people’s hearts and opening their spiritual eyes. It is great to see their interest and willingness to participate and ask if they can invite others to come with them.
This month two new home small groups were started. We have a goal of 15 small groups by the end of the year. Our small groups work with a four week cycle. On the first week we meet for spiritual accountability, prayer and planning. Men and women meet separately for the accountability. On the second week we have a Bible study and share testimonies of faith at work. On the third week we share blessings, prayer requests, have Scripture reading and pray. On the fourth week, we have an Evangelistic dinner or outing with invited guests. This format has proven to be very effective in encouraging spiritual growth, accountability, connecting with new friends, Gospel witnessing and prayer.
Last week the women had their monthly get together. The men met two weeks ago as well. The relationship bonds are deepening and the new converts enjoy being a part of something they have never had before.
In March we celebrated one year since we held our first service. Albeit the first few services were not open to public and were mostly a time of prayer, Scripture study, and sharing among our small church planting team. God has truly blessed. On Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Christ with a special supper and will include all of our new friends. We expect well over 100 people to join us for Easter.
I plan to visit Goiania regarding the new church plant. I have not scheduled the flight, but plan to be there sometime in April. We have been talking by phone over the last several weeks. Two families are currently meeting weekly for a home Bible study. Pray that all goes well as we survey the city, plan and pray. Please, invest time praying for this new work.
Raquel is about to finish her doctorate. She will defend her dissertation by the end of this month. This is truly a highlight with many years of study invested and now she is finally reaching completion. We are excited and I am especially proud of her. The children are all doing well. Sarah, Laura and Benjamin all enjoying going to school. Melissa is like wildfire whenever she is not asleep. She manages to get into everything. I am sure thankful to the Lord for having a healthy family.
Thank you for your consistent support in prayer and through financial giving. Your investment in missions is greatly appreciated. We are grateful. Please, continue to give and encourage others to invest too. Please, be our state-side missions promoters.
Grateful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
Website | Twitter | Ativa
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Missionary Update: AJ & Barbara Hensley in Brazil [March 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.
March 7, 2013
Dear friends and family,
Needless to say this has been a very busy month! The building we have rented is in need of a general makeover and we have started the work of repair. We have a concrete roof and it has about 3-4 areas where, when it rains, you can take a shower. We have re-done the roof and now will need to put a sealer down in a few weeks (giving a little time for the concrete to cure). We have also started installing additional electrical outlets and repairing the existing electricity. We also have installed 3 fans (need 2 more). It has been very hot and this additional circulation is very needed. I have been preaching and carrying a towel to keep the sweat wiped away. There is lots more work to be done.
The Sunday School group in the new church building. God is good!
Our attendance is steadily increasing. Sunday School is just an AWESOME blessing. The young children are just totally a blessing and are so open. We already have 2 mothers now coming with their children. We have increased so much now we are going to need to separate our classes. So already we are starting to need space. God is AWESOME!! Our Sunday night services have grown also and are on an average we have 30–plus or minus–adults in attendance.
When we get back to Brasil, we have at least 2 weddings to perform and several baptisms. We are looking forward to many more souls to be added to Gods kingdom through this new work.
We are working in the prison with our vocational training. We have a member who is teaching the young men a heating and air class. And I have been enjoying giving “English Classes” using the Bible as the manual. God sometimes uses unusual ways to get His work where it is needed, because here, our Church was not invited to come in, but our English classes were. Just another way we see our Lord getting things accomplished.
The road in front of our home has been worked on and is now a wonderful street. However the last 2-1/2 months in preparation has been terrible. They tore up the road in preparation and the rain started. We almost needed a four wheel drive to get in and out. We are planning 2 conferences this year. The first is to the Jewish community in Sao Paulo and the second is for the Pastors here in Brasil (September and October-November). These are two big prayer requests. The Pastors will be coming from different areas of Brasil and this will be a financial challenge for them.
We told you of the need for chairs for the new work last month–THANKS to the people who sent money to purchase 4 of our needed 50. As you can see, there is still an opportunity for you to be a part of this blessing to the new work.
We are in the States until March 25 for medical exams and to visit with Barbara’s mother. Pray for us as we return to Brasil. There is still much work to be done for God’s Kingdom and our desire is to be used in this work.
Well I know from personal experience that it is cold here in the States so if you want to get some sunshine just come on down to Caraguatatuba and enjoy the heat. We can offer you a great time in the Lord and some great fellowship with some great Brazilians. Your bed is ready and the beans and rice is on the stove.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Creiglows in Brazil [March 2013]
Mike and Beverly Creiglow have served the Lord in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil together for 40 years. 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.
March 7, 2013
Dear Brethren,
We were not able to have our monthly baptism services in December and January. We even had to postpone our homecoming service until February. We scheduled the baptism to coincide with the homecoming service. There were 862 present. We baptized 75 new members. This time we decided to let all the ladies go first. I baptized the 37 women and my son-in-law, Dauro, baptized the 38 men. A couple of the women I baptized used to be Presbyterians. One of these is a judge.
Most of the people this time are adults. The Lord’s Supper followed the baptism. At the close we fed the whole crowd up on the third story terrace of the annex. I managed to get the tile down and the bathrooms far enough along to use. There is still a lot of work to do, but at each of these events we have the building in better shape.
The newest members of First Baptist Church, Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil. 75 were baptized on Sunday morning.
A few days ago we had a get-together for all of our couple’s small groups. This meeting was also held up on the third floor. We had 110 couples present. This was a lively meeting with plenty of fellowship and food (of course). Our couples groups have tripled over the past year. The number of groups has increased and the size of the each group is really growing. Since I returned from our visit to the States in 2011 we have gotten these age/interest groups better organized and done much more training. Anyone can attend our small groups as long as the whole group approves.
We have several lost people attending. Many of these would be averse to going to church…at first. One such couple that started coming to our group a few months ago are doctors. Their marriage was on the brink. The group has nursed them along. They invited us to have our last meeting at their house. We had 18 of our 21 couples present. By the way, these groups are supposed to have only 7 couples maximum, then multiply (start a new group). Anyway, at this last meeting the husband came to me and said that they are going to go to church for the first time on Sunday. They invited themselves!
This week I met the new commander of the Military Police and his wife (similar to a local police force, but run by the state). Our small group approved my inviting them to attend our next meeting.
The elders of our church held a weekend retreat at our camp. There were 55 men present. I didn’t get to go as I was holding service at the penitentiary that weekend.
Already this year I have taught our membership class to 5 big groups of new members and some older ones, too. The course is 8 hours. So far over 200 people have completed the course. The last round was a day-long marathon to get the last bunch through by the end of the month. We started classes at 3:00PM. It was raining one of those Amazon Valley rains. I got soaked just getting from the house to the jeep; even with an umbrella! Even so, I had 50 students! Years ago we couldn’t even get out a single soul for Sunday services if it was raining. Now they come out by the dozens under torrential rain on a workday to study. We finished up in the early hours of the next day. It took us about 10 hours straight through. The students were pretty much spent, but still had enough energy to break into applause at the close of the marathon. The teacher was just plain dead, so the Holy Spirit had to drive the jeep back to the house.
Our seminary classes started last Sunday. We have about 350 students enrolled for Bible Survey, Life Principles and Study Methods. People really do want to study. More about this later.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
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 in Brazil [March 2013]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
Dear Friends,
In just 2 days (March 9th) I will have one of the greatest pleasures that I can imagine – to have my wife and 2 kids working together with me side-by-side sharing the gospel with the community of people the Lord has placed me in. My daughter, Jessie, will be arriving with a group of 55 youth and their leaders from Brandon, Florida to minister in our community for one week. Jessie serves as the coordinator of my group of translators. My son, Brennen, is only 15, but has been helping as a translator for over 9 years. He has been getting more excited by the day as we await this group of dedicated youth. I can’t even begin to describe how much of a joy it is to work together with my wife, Charlene. For you who have met her personally, it is easy to understand my feelings. Her sweet disposition and tireless work ethic keep me motivated even when I feel like I can hardly keep going. I never cease to be amazed at how the Lord takes the humble and meek to display His greatness and power, and not our own. We will have three of the Project Life teams working in and around our community for a week trying to reach every house and individual with the love of Christ. Our New Church will seek to follow up on the results of this week of outreach ministry by the visiting group from Bell Shoals Baptist Church.
I am still praying and hoping to be able place a competent leader at the head of a new mission point at Corbélia, a newly established community on the outskirts of our city. The man and his wife, whom I had hoped would accept this challenge, have declined stating that they didn’t think they were quite ready for this level of responsibility. I have another young man and his wife in mind for a more distant future leadership role, but they are key parts of my team at the new church and I wouldn’t like to see that workforce depleted at this stage. Please pray that the Lord would give me wisdom about who and when I need to really invest into planting a church in that community.
The progress of the plans to evangelize and disciple through American football is moving forward steadily. Once again I would like to encourage anyone with experience in football and would like to use that experience for sharing the love of Christ to contact me as soon as possible. Also, the team who will be coming to donate their time, expertise and spend the funds for travel and lodging need football equipment to bring with them. If you have good used equipment, or know where we can get some donated for this purpose, I would also appreciate your contacting me. With the date of this ministry coming up soon, I must ask you to act soon.
Today the material needed to put the ceiling in our new church will arrive. Also, the painter of the sign on the front of our building is working as I write and that job should be finished in two days. The Lord has greatly blessed. We are completing the finishing touches on this building and we’ve been blessed to reach this point without incurring debt, except the debt of love to God and to those who gave sacrificially to make Christ’s name known and praised by many.
We are grateful.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [March 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,
I’m doing something just a bit different this month. I’ve included a chart/picture that will hopefully give you a good idea of the happenings in Kitale and might clarify some of the thoughts in my head. More on that in a minute.
During my first term in Kenya, God began to show me that the traditional missionary approach (an approach I myself was following) was an approach that needed tweaking here in Kenya. If we were ever to get past the dependence and paternalism inherent in Kenyan Christianity and Kenyan churches we had to change our model. I didn’t want to go away from Biblical models. I, in fact, wanted to get closer to Biblical models. When we returned to Kenya after our first furlough we began to implement this new model. We started groups in people’s homes. We taught them simply from the Word of God. We trained local, lay leadership. We taught them self-governance and independence.
We taught them how to reproduce themselves without Western aid. Most of these groups slowly dwindled and faded until they had to fold. Only one of these groups became a struggling, small new church. Was it because the model was flawed that the groups dwindled and failed? No, I believe in this Biblical model now more than ever. I think what precipitated this group failure was the weekly presence of the white missionaries (Roger and Nathan) in the groups. The people would come to the meetings believing they would receive free handouts from us and when they realized they would not see their expectations fulfilled, they left and the groups faltered.
Now look at the chart/picture I have provided. I want to describe what is happening in this chart.
In one of the groups that we started was a young man by the name of Titus. Titus became very excited about the Biblical principles we were teaching and adhered firmly to and accepted our Biblical model for church planting. However, instead of us going with Titus and working directly with him in the village to start a new group, we taught and modeled for Titus the Biblical models, principles and teaching on church planting. Then we sent him out to do the work himself.
You can see from the chart the results of Titus’ work. First, he started a group in a village called Kipsongo. That group quickly grew to have about 30 members. From that one group, five other groups were started in five nearby villages: Kibomet, Shanti, Folkland, Matisi and Rafiki. One of those groups even began a new group in another nearby village called Bikeke. As you can see from the legend on the chart, all of these groups are progressing very well. The Kibomet group now has over 60 people attending the worship and Bible study every week. The most exciting part is what is becoming of these groups. We spent many weeks teaching Titus about what a church is (as opposed to just a Bible study group) and on how to organize and start a new church. Titus took these teachings and started teaching the Kipsongo and Kibomet groups on how to organize into a New Testament church. They are very close to being ready now to organize into New Testament churches. In a separate weekly session he has been teaching the leaders of the other groups the same Biblical teachings and principles.
All of this has been done without the presence of the white missionaries in the groups, a presence we have found can be damaging and preventative. We have been in much prayer about these happenings and believe God might be leading us to focus our church planting approach down a slightly different path (same Biblical model and principles just with a different path). Please be in prayer with us about these things.
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)
P.O. Box 96
Kitale, Kenya 30200
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher [March 2013]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 36 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
March 4, 2013
Dear Friends,
Greetings, the new year is well on its way. It has been great with many exciting things happening.
During the month of January, it was great to see the new believers who were saved during the Christmas program and end-of-year activities beginning discipleship classes. I am always thrilled to see their joy as they come to realize all that Christ has provided for them – forgiveness of sin, the indwelling of the Spirit to help them in their daily walk of faith in Christ, loving like Christ loved them and the hope of resurrection. Their joy is contagious even to those who have been saved for many years.
I have heard from the pastors of the churches organized last year; and the Lord continues to give them increase in the number of Christians and their growth in Christ. Pray that the Lord will continue opening doors and raise and send laborers to the fields white unto harvest. We would encourage you to pray for this always.
Even in very difficult situations, it has been good to see how God’s people have responded in a joyful way. One of the young families in the Manaus church had gone through a difficult bout with breast cancer; their peacefulness was notorious as she went through surgery and subsequent therapy. Just as she was finishing her treatment, their oldest child, Juliana – 15 years old now, who was studying in our Christian school, had a seizure and was hospitalized. Through exams and brain scans, doctors discovered she had a very deeply-located brain tumor. There are many small details that showed God’s goodness and constant care. She was eventually flown to Sao Paulo, about 1500 miles from here. There were many delays; but eventually, God brought together a fantastic group of six neurosurgeons to perform the surgery. She came through the surgery with no side effects. Testing revealed the tumor to be malignant. She has begun chemotherapy and other treatments which should last about six months. Juliana and her entire family have had such great peace and very evident joy through all their trials and suffering, which they recognize and attribute to God. Juliana, on the phone said, “I understand and know God is answering prayer. Thank the church for praying for me.”
All of our family, children and grandchildren are well and serving the Lord. We thank you for your prayers. Pray for us when you think of us, and think of us often.
Your missionaries from north and northeast Brazil,
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
Avenida J. Carlos Antony, 172
65063-150 Manaus
Amazonas, Brasil SA
hatcher[at]argo.com.br
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [March 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.
March 1, 2013
Dear praying friends,
It is now March 2013, and we are now just 3 days from the election here in Kenya which is to be held on March 4, Lord willing. We have many prayer requests for this prayer letter, as well as ministry updates. May God bless each of you for your heart for missions and interest in the Lord’s work in Kenya, East Africa.
One of our main prayer requests is for the very near election which is to be held soon here in Kenya. Please pray that throughout the electoral process, that there would be peace, no unrest, and fairness in this election. During the last election, in the year 2007, we were not in the country, as we were home for furlough. This time, however, will be different, as we will be here in the country. We don’t know how things will go, and have bought a few extra supplies, so we can lay low for a few days to see how things will go. We trust the Lord in this situation, and at this time, as we know He is fully in control. I love Isaiah 26:3, which says “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Please pray for this election, and the safety of the country of Kenya and its people. We do not want to see any danger, and we trust the Lord through it.
These past few weeks have been very busy, as we have recently moved. We lived in our last place for seven years, but were told we needed to move, as the family of the owner moved back to Kitale and took our previous place. What a job moving was! We had much help from friends and others, and we are so thankful. There is no way we could have made the progress we did without their help. We have been busy trying to get our things situated to a new place, as well as repairing and adjusting in accordance with our needs for our family. As you know, this can take quite a while. We are thankful for the progress that we have seen to this point, and we ask you to pray for us as a family, as we adjust to a new place. God is faithful, and we are thankful for your prayers for us at this time.
The church in the village of Shangalamwe has now reached the point where it will soon be turned over to national leadership. My good friend Roger Tate and I have done our best to teach, model, advise, and assist in any way that we can, and now we have reached the point where the national church leader will be taking over his duties. Please pray for him this upcoming Sunday, as this will be the first Sunday of officially leading the service. At this point, we will observe to make sure that he is following the Scriptures and leading in accordance with the Scriptures. We hope and pray that he will follow what he has been taught for the past several months and set a good example of what a church elder should be. We will keep you updated of this ministry.
We also praise the Lord for the progress we have seen working with a national separately through the week. This national has been faithful to go, teach, and Lord willing, to start more churches in the Kitale area. He also has several other men interested in expanding the teachings in church planting to their areas and villages, for which we thank the Lord. We feel this is a good Biblical model to follow. 2 Timothy 2:2 states “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
The Annex prison is continuing along well, for which I thank the Lord. We are progressing well through the T4T teachings, and the men seem to be growing spiritually and excited about what they are learning. It is wonderful to see these men grow and respond well to the Biblical teachings, as they have little interactions with their families or community from the outside. Many times they feel forgotten, and have difficulty adjusting to regular life upon their release. Please pray for these men and the continued teachings from the T4T course. We appreciate your prayers for this ministry.
In personal news, our daughter Camille turned two years old on the day that we moved. We did not have time to celebrate her birthday on the day we moved, but were recently able to celebrate it together. What a blessing she is to our family. Please pray for her, and also for her sister McKenna, who will turn five in April this year, Lord willing.
May we dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord and His service this year. The Lord has great things for us, if we will just seek His will, study His Word, and obey His leading. I will leave you with a challenging verse from Jeremiah 33:3, which says “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” May the Lord bless each of you, and thanks again so much for your interest in missions.
Until next month,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher [March 2013]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
February 25, 2013
Dear Brethren and Fellow-Workers:
Here in Urai the sun is shining brightly and it is a beautiful summer day. You may remember that when it is winter in the States it is summer for us here. It has been a hot summer with sufficient rain for the crops. The fields are very beautiful and harvest of the soy bean crop has begun.
PERSONAL–Alta and I are doing well for two oldies. Her eyes continue in perfect condition after the two cataract surgeries. My physical condition is going down slowly. We have been able to go to the city of Assai each Sunday.
ASSAI–Praise the Lord for His blessing for the work in Assai. This month a family from the Chapada Church is being sent to take care of the work here. The family is a young couple with two children. Please pray for them.
URAI–The church in Urai, under the leadership of Marcio Moraes, is doing well in the home church and in the three congregations. There is a wonderful group of young people, both men and women, who are dedicated to serving the Lord. The Seminary Classes begin again this month. Please pray for the teachers and eight to ten students.
PHYSICAL NEED–Sonha dos Santos, wife of Valdir dos Santos, pastor of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cornelio Procopio, had her left breast removed because of cancer. She is going through much suffering with the chemical treatment. Please remember to pray for this wonderful saint of the Lord.
WORK IN BRAZIL–Remember, the country of Brazil is larger in territory than the 48 continental United States. The works that have been started by missionaries of BFM or that are being started are going very well and some have grown to thousands in attendance. You who have given for this mission work can be proud of the families you have supported and the result that God has given. Alta and I count it a great privilege to have served the Lord in this country for over 58 years.
Your servants in Christ,
John A. and Alta Hatcher
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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