October 26, 2021

Dear friends and family,

This has been an AWESOME month traveling in Brazil. We arrived and went to Caraguatatuba to see the grands and family. My first message preached here was at Caragua Baptist Church where our son-in-law Walmir Quaresma is the Pastor. Always great to be back in the home church. There we have so many sweet memories of establishing this church and all the children that we ministered to, and also all the groups that came there to help in the construction and evangelism around the community. What an AWESOME time we have had there in Caraguatatuba.

The churches of Brasil have had the same challenges as ours here have had. One of those challenges is dealing with COVID. The challenge is getting the word out and now to get the people to come back to in-person services and classes. Here, as in the States, it is predicted many will not return to Church nor Seminary.

However, our Lord is in control and with Him all things are possible.

This trip has been to encourage our students who are attending Seminary. Before COVID our enrollment was nearing 400 students counting all the locations. During the pandemic we have gone down to around 200.
I have been encouraged with the enthusiasm from the different locations where we have visited on this trip. They have demonstrated that they are ready to return to classes.

We have re-organized the classes and with the problems of COVID we have learned how to reach the students with Zoom. And now we will have some classes that are in-person four times per year, and four by Zoom. Through the Zoom classes we will able to reach many more Pastors and Church leaders with classes and instruction. What an AWESOME God we serve!!!

Even though we have had some problems in the pandemic like losing four of our pastors to COVID we know that God is in control. Good things have come out of this also. Because of the pandemic we have been given permission to have more Zoom classes than in-person classes. Because of this we are able to still maintain our quality of instruction and training, reaching more students, and expanding the Seminary.

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Our first graduation for our Master’s program will be this coming year. In this Master’s program we are offering two different degrees: a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies and a Master in Pastoral Ministries. The Master in Pastoral Ministries will only be offered to Pastors. The schedule for the upcoming year has been discussed with the students and is now on the calendar.

This trip has been wonderfully blessed with renewed contacts, classes scheduled, and many miles traveled. Pastor Derek and I were invited to be speakers in a Bible conference in one of the towns where we have had classes for the Seminary in Nativity da Serra with Pastor Israel. We spent Saturday and Sunday there and went back to Caraguatatuba because it was overly cold where we were. Then to end the trip, I was asked to preach back in Caragua on the Sunday before we left. Barbara and I have had a wonderful time with the grandbabies (they are no longer babies) who are 10 and 13 years of age.

Thanks to all who are our prayer warriors because without all of you we would not be able to do what we are doing. A special thanks to Durbin Memorial Baptist Church and Heritage Baptist Church for helping with this trip financially and to all the Baptist Faith Missions supporters who make each month easier by your financial support and prayers that hold us up when we are too weak to hold ourselves up.

Continue to pray for the missionaries and the work that is being done to take the word to the needy.

In His service,
Aj and Barbara

CONTACT INFO

AJ & Barbara Hensley
592 Emery Court
Lexington, KY 40505
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com

For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.