Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [March 2013]

Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making,”

February 26, 2013

Dear Fellow Team Members,

We are grateful for the privilege God gives us to be bearers of the the Good News to folks that live in Southern France as well as in other parts of the world. The four weeks since we last wrote to you have gone by quickly, but we have seen God at work.

On February 9, we had “young people’s evening in our home”. It seems that the quality of these meetings has continued to improve and the young people who come are attentive and are always interested in the date for the next meeting. Of the young folks who come, only one, has made a public profession of faith and followed the Lord in baptism. The passage we considered two weeks ago included “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” This is certainly the invitation of the Gospel for those who are lost as well as a reminder for those of us who are God’s children.

One of the many towns near us that need the Gospel.

Our oldest granddaughter brought a neighbor friend who had not previously been to a youth night. One the way home, this friend was so excited about the evening that she could hardly wait to tell her brother about it and invite him for the next time.

This past Sunday, one of the teen age girls who attends with her family brought a friend. Last Tuesday in Mazere, a young man, father of three, came for the first time and was quite attentive. He was brought by a couple who have participated with us in this Bible study from the time it was first implemented. We are encouraged by the desire the believers have to share their faith and introduce others to Christ.

This past Saturday, we had a pot luck dinner to conclude a three week Bible reading adventure. The purpose of this adventure was to encourage believers to grow in knowledge of God through the study of His Word. We chose key passages (one to four chapters per day) to be read daily. These covered the historical periods from Abraham to Nehemiah. Fourteen people read together and we discussed what they had learned during the dinner. Those who were involved testified that it was a great blessing to them. We want to do something similar several times during the coming year. This should help emphasize how important it is for God’s children to “know the scriptures” and to “study to show themselves approved”. One lady, who, was not involved this time, asked me Sunday, “When are we going to do this again?”

The Lord has recently given several good openings with neighbors and acquaintances. We would like for all of these and many others to be saved. Thank you for your faithful support which enables us to be here to communicate the Good News.

City of Mazere – We have Bible study near upper right hand corner.

Your fellow servants in France,

John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com

Click here to donate to BFM.

^