Newsletters | December 2010

NATHAN AND CARRIE RADFORD  |  DECEMBER 2010

December 1, 2010
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and passed, and we thank the Lord for the opportunities He gives us to serve Him, and also for His faithfulness and provisions. What a blessing it is to be able
to serve the Lord, and may we ever be mindful of and available for the opportunities that we
have to serve. This update will share ministries as well as family news.
It is hard to believe that we are now at the end of 2010 and in the Christmas season. We trust
that each of you had a great Thanksgiving holiday with your friends and families. May we never forget the reason for the season, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. One of my favorite verses concerning Christmastime is Matthew 1:21, which states “And she shall bring forth a son,  and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” We wish each of you a great Christmas with your friends and families.
In family news, we thank the Lord for the good development of Carrie’s pregnancy. She is due in  February, and we ask you to please continue to pray for her and the development of our child. Please pray that all continues to go well without any complications, and that the baby would be born healthy. We are trusting the Lord for all of this, and thank you so much for your prayers. Also, please continue to pray for us as a whole family, and also for McKenna, who is growing and developing so quickly. We are so proud of her. I have attached a recent family photo of us to this prayer letter.
I have been busy lately, making a missions DVD of our ministry, contacting churches, doing correspondence, and attending a missions conference in Michigan. We thank the Lord for the conference, our mission board of directors, and also for the hospitality and love that we felt when we attended. A big thank you to Pastor Adkins and New Hope Baptist Church, as well as all who worked hard to prepare meals, work with the  children, and serve in other ways. We greatly appreciated it.
Lord willing, we will be receiving our current missions dvd soon, so if you would like one, please let us know and we will send you one free of charge. Also, if your church would be interested in having us come, we can be contacted at the following phone number: 814-688-4703 or by email at: naterad@yahoo.com We would love to speak with you and we appreciate your interest in missions across the world.
Please also keep the ministries in Kenya in your prayers in our absence, the Rafiki ministry, annex prison, and hospital ministry. We would appreciate your prayers for each work and ministry, and we miss the people there. Please continue to pray for these works as they continue while we are home on furlough. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, the Bible says “Pray without ceasing.” What a challenge this is, as so many times in our busy schedules we find it hard to find a time to pray and talk with the Lord. Charles Spurgeon said “Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the Kingdom.  If you may have everything by asking in His Name, and nothing without asking, I beg you to see how absolutely vital prayer is.”  What a great statement and challenge for us to pray.
We wish each of you a great holiday season and we appreciate each of you for your interest in missions. Each one of you who prays for us, comes to visit the ministries, or sacrificially supports the ministries, are a great blessing to us. Thank you for being mindful of missions across the world in Kenya, and may God bless each of you, as we could not
do the work without you.
In Kenya,
Nathan and Carrie Radford  |  315 College Street  |  Youngsville, PA 16371

For ministry donations:

Pastor George Sledd  |  Treasurer of BFM

P.O. Box 471280  |  Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280

SHERIDAN AND ANITA STANTON  |  DECEMBER 2010

Mailing Address:

Sheridan and Anita Stanton | Apartado Postal 140 | Huanuco, Perú | South América

Vonage phone: 859-514-0929

sestantonperu@hotmail.com – Sheridan

arstantonperu@hotmail.com – Anita

November 30, 2010

Dear friends and family,

We are back in Huánuco recuperating after a trying month of medical interventions.  We returned to Lima on Monday 8 for Anita to have some dental work done and then on Friday 12 she had her left foot operated on.  Those things we had planned but what followed was something only God could have planned!

What happened?  On Wednesday 17 of November (just two days after bringing Anita out of the hospital from her foot surgery), I had a case of “transitory global amnesia”.  I do not remember anything about that day until about 6:00 that evening.  I always get out of bed before Anita and according to her when she got up, she found me walking around the rental apartment in a state of confusion.  She asked me several questions that I could not answer, but should have.  She called the doctor and they arranged for me to go to the emergency room. Anita said that I kept asking her “where are we going” and “why”, the whole time.  I do not remember getting out of bed, going to the hospital, the CT scan of my brain (yes I do have one!), or the seven hours we spent in the emergency room before they admitted me into the hospital for “observation.”  Remember, she was supposed to be staying off her foot and keeping it elevated after her surgery but she spent the entire day sitting in the emergency room telling me every five minutes where we were and why.  I also kept asking her why her foot was in a cast every few minutes.  Bless her heart, it is a good thing she loves me so much!

The Cause.  After an MRI scan they found evidence of two small “mini strokes” in the lower left part of my brain; one was new (the event of that day) and the other was older (we have no idea when it occurred).  They first thought the cause was probably cholesterol and blood pressure related, but after having a cardio Holter test, they discovered the severe arrhythmia of my heart.  When the rhythm of the heart gets out of sync it can cause small blood clots to travel through the blood stream; in my case going to the brain and stopping the flow of blood to a very small area.  This condition is hereditary from my Stanton gene pool.

What now?  They have me on a very expensive blood thinner, arrhythmia medication, blood pressure and cholesterol meds.  The arrhythmia meds seem to be working.  For a guy who is not used to taking medications this is the hardest part.  I will have the Holter test done every few weeks to make sure they get the right dosage.  If these meds do not work then I will need a pacemaker implanted sometime down the road.  Driving or playing tennis is out of the question for a few weeks until they are sure the meds are working.  Anita and I thank you for the calls and emails but mainly for your prayers.  Please keep praying for Anita’s foot to heal quickly and for me.

Praise to God!  Yes, we spent Thanksgiving in a rental apartment in Lima thanking God for having us in Lima when this happened to me.  The medical care is much better in the capital city than in our quaint little town of Huánuco in the Andes Mountains.  We are so thankful for all of you and your words of love and concern.  Our loving Father always takes care of HIS own; what a blessing to be a child of God!  Now we are looking forward to a quiet Christmas together here in Huánuco.  Usually this time of year, Anita decorates everything and we have several parties and meals for the children and poorer folks of our churches.  However, his year we must take it easy.  We will be doing something for the folks here but just not as much.

More praise! We had two young adults saved at the Calvary Baptist Mission during the month of October and one young man trusting in Christ as his Savior this past Sunday night the 28th.  I am starting a discipleship class for several new members on Saturday 4th; I am really looking forward to this.

We also have located a piece of property for the Calvary Mission and are waiting for the owner to get her papers in order for the sale.  We have the money for the purchase of this property but if anyone would like to help us with funds for building a proper meetinghouse, we would be very thankful.  Our Lord is always so good to us and HE always provides.  This letter is getting too long, Anita and I thank you again for your love, prayers and concern for us.  Hope you all enjoy the holiday and have a very merry Christmas!  Until next month.

In HIM by HIS grace, Sheridan and Anita Stanton

BOBBY CREIGLOW  |  MISSION REPRESENTATIVE

Dear Brethren,

After a long time of relative inactivity, I am able to say along with the missionaries, I have been very busy since my last letter.
The first weekend I was with Brother Harold Draper and Seventh Street Baptist Church, in Cannellton, Indiana, where I preached both services, and visited, with Brother Draper, some of the sick.
I returned home for a few days before going to Harrisburg, Illinois to be with Brother Art Donley and Bible Baptist Church. I preached all services Sunday and Wednesday, I also witnessed Brother Donley baptizing two young ladies on Sunday . Thursday I traveled to Kirksville, MO to hold a short meeting for Faith Baptist Church from Friday through Sunday morning. At the close of the morning service, a young man made his profession of faith, in Christ. After a very good lunch in the fellowship hall of the church, Pastor Glenn Archer, his wife Judy and I started the long trip to Dearborn Heights, Michigan to attend, and speak at the Thanksgiving Conference, hosted by Pastor Terry Adkins and New Hope Baptist Church. It was a very good conference, and I am sorry for those who missed it.
After the conference in Michigan, I always spend a few days in central Ohio visiting relatives, before returning home. On my way home Brother David Parks called me, asking me to preach the message that I had preached at the conference, for Thompson Road Baptist Church on Sunday night, which I was happy to do.
Last Sunday or Monday we received notice that a dear personal friend, and long time friend and supporter of Baptist Faith Missions, Elder Darrill Hashman, had passed away, and I was honored to be invited to serve as pallbearer. Betty and I had stayed in the home of Brother Darrill and Sister Sally many times, and now I trust that Sister Sally will find comfort and sufficient grace, from the Lord, to carry her forward.
While in West Virginia for the funeral I was welcomed into the home of Elder Mike and Sister Eileen Richardson, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their gracious hospitality.
In His Service,
Bobby D. Creiglow
615 Lane Allen Rd.
Lexington, KY 40504
606-309-2025
bob4bfm@insightbb.com

BOBBY AND CHARLENE WACASER  |  DECEMBER 2010

December 8, 2010
Manoel Valdomiro de Macedo, 2281
81170-150 Curitiba, PR  Brasil
Ph: (813) 436-9980
E-mail: robertmw@brturbo.com.br

Dear Friends,
We spent most of 2010 in the USA and so that makes us even more grateful and amazed at what God has accomplished since we’ve returned to Brazil. The evidence of His power at work in and around us leads us on to greater faith and confidence than ever before. We know that what He has done and is doing could only be accomplished by Him. The greatest joy we sense is in being giving the privilege to be His ministers of grace and love in this corner of the world.
This week we had to purchase more chairs for the increased number in attendance at our services. We will be pretty tight trying to fit them into the limited remaining space, but this type of “inconvenience” is very encouraging. This weekend we will be baptizing 7 new followers of Christ. One new convert, Lucy, a widow who lives in a house provided by her son, is suffering intense trials from him. Besides his constant display of contempt for her newfound faith, he has threatened to kick her out of his house if she insists on continuing in this “religion”. He is an agnostic and is trying to pressure her to renounce Christ if she wants to continue receiving assistance from him. Some of our church members have taken it upon themselves to see that she lacks for nothing as she seeks to follow Christ with her whole heart. We know that it is the presence of Jesus in their lives that gives them this attitude, because none of them are well-off financially.
There will be a little bit of relief on the crowded meetings at the beginning of 2011. We have found an available lot where we’ll be building the facilities for our new church plant. Charlene, our son, Brennen and I, along with five or six other members are busy meeting folks in the neighborhood of the proposed new church. Today we will sign the paperwork on the property and last week I met with the building contractor to draw up our plans for legal authorization to build. The Lord has guided us step by step in the process of launching this new work, so we trust that He’ll bless and give us much fruit there for the fame of His name. Charlene and I sold our cars a little more than a year ago to give the funds so that our mother church could purchase property for more spacious facilities. For reasons that God alone knows, our church was not able to obtain that property, but now we will be able to use those funds to begin the construction on our new church plant. My co-pastor will now become senior pastor of Bible Baptist Church and I will be the pastor of the new mission.
We are expecting great things of the Lord in the new year of 2011. Thank you for your prayers and support on our behalf.
In Christ’s love, Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser

AJ AND BARBARA HENSLEY  |  December 2010

Dear friends, Somehow it just does not seem as though it is time for the Christmas season, but it is here and I’m going to just have to go along. At home in the States I hear that it is COLD. Here it is in the 90´s and the air is heavy. We have been having rain, so with a lot of help –maybe I can see the rain as snow and get into the spirit. Have an AWESOME Christmas season.
This month has just flown by. Barb and I have been taking a “Bible Counseling ” course in São Paulo. It has been a year long course and will be well used as the course was totally based on biblical principles for counseling. It was intense but we received our certificate of accomplishment this past Saturday.
Church is going very well with lots of work, both physical and spiritual to be done. We have had several teenagers accept Christ as personal savior—AWESOME. With this we have lots of work to do. That’s what it is all about. Construction is going at a slow pace at Church. Mostly because we have lots of projects that need to be accomplished but don’t have the financial resources to accomplish them.
Sometimes the needs have to be prioritized;  for example, we need Sunday School chairs and tables. And these could double in use for breakfast for the children on Sunday morning. We need 12 tables and 50 chairs.  We also need 4-6 more Sunday School rooms. We have 3 rooms and the rest of us are sitting outside. This so far has not been a problem even though we have been having lots of rain.
Speaking of rain, tonight during the service it came a “chicken drowner”. The noise was so loud we could hardly hear the message. This is because the roof is tin and we need a suspended ceiling which would give some insulation for the sound and also for the heat. This morning service was held in somewhere around 90 degrees temperature on the outside and on the inside also (pix included notice everyone fanning). This is just another one of the needs we have for the Church building.
We also need some flannel graphs for the Sunday school teachers. You know what it is like starting from scratch;  you don’t have anything, so you just improvise until you can get the necessary things for you to use. We know that we are on the winning side because with our Lord on our side we cannot fail.
With our Church being in the beginning phase we are being Awesomely blessed. Please pray for us, all the workers, and the new members. Your prayers are our key to a successful new Church plant.
If you get tired of the snow and cold, just know that you have an open invitation to come on down and sweat with us. Your bed is turned down and there is a mint on the pillow.
In His service, Aj and Barbara

JUDSON AND RAQUEL HATCHER  |  December 2010

Dear friends,

Visiting Michigan

November was a great month. We visited a different church every weekend and made new friendships. One of our highlights this month was participating in the Thanksgiving Missions Conference at New Hope Baptist Church, Dearborn Heights, MI. It was a true encouragement to our hearts. Especially, to our children! Sister Sue Jones (Bro Bob Jones’ wife) had our three children in the kid’s conference. They absolutely loved it! Each of them also received a Bible as a gift. As for us, it was a real treat to listen to great preaching from Bros. George Sledd, Denny Herndon, Jonathan Turner, Nathan Radford, David Pitman, Bobby Creiglow, Gary Harrah & Bob Jones. We were blessed to stay in Bro. Paul & Sister Jo Anne’s home during the conference. The food served at the conference was superb! It was good to meet & talk to Bro. John Lybrook of Emmanuel Baptist Church, Oldtown, KY, Bros. Bill Brooks & Tim Summers of Twelve Ryan Baptist Church, Warren, MI, and Bro. Matt Brooks of Grace Missionary Baptist Church, Temperance, MI. We also had an unexpected surprise. My Great Aunt Neree Wood, along with my 2nd cousin Dr. Bob Wood and his wife Sharon Wood came to hear the presentation on Brazil. We had a good visit, although very short. I am so glad they got to come!

The Sunday prior to the conference we were at Lake Road Baptist Church, Flint, MI with Bro. Doug Armstrong. Sure was exciting to meet the folks who were just baptized a few weeks prior. Our time in Michigan was a real joy. Thanks to all who received us.

Thanksgiving Day

We were grateful to being with Bro. Steve Wainright and his family for Thanksgiving Day. We had an enjoyable day of eating, talking, laughing, discussing Scripture and playing some games.

Family Moment

Here is a funny family moment. A few weeks ago as Sarah (5) and I were reviewing here Bible verse for school she mismatched one of the words in their verse for the name of the book. So, this is how she said it: “No man can serve two Matthews.” Masters 6:24. When I pointed out to her of her mistake we both had a good laugh, particularly because she has a cousin called Matthew. As a result of this fun moment she hasn’t forgotten it, & says it’s her favorite Bible verse.

New Work Plans

Pray for the mission works in Manaus, throughout the North and Northeastern Brazil that each location will continue to grow through Evangelism & discipleship. Also, pray as plans are in the makings to start a new work in Teresina, the capitol city of Piaui state.  Greater Teresina is populated with almost a million people and has traditionally Catholic roots. Pray for leadership, timing, location, finances & the people to be reached with the Gospel.

Grateful always, Judson Hatcher

JOHN AND ALTA HATCHER  |  December 2010

John and Alta Hatcher  |  Caixa Postal 112  |  Urai, PR  BRASIL  86280-000

jhatcher@uol.com.br

November 9, 2010

Dear Friends, Greetings in the Name above all names.  In all things give thanks.  Sometimes, this is easier to do than at other times.  Psalm 22.1 is a prophetical cry of Jesus on the cross:  “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me…I cry in the day time, but Thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent…But Thou art Holy…”  It is a wonderful thing to know that Jesus was tried and tempted in all of the ways we are.  And, having won the battle for us, He is ready and willing to help us when we cry.  But, whatever the test, He is Holy.

As old age takes charge of our lives, we are constantly aware of the need to spread the Gospel to those who have never heard.  The command of our Lord to go into all the world and preach the Gospel and the cry of the rich man in hell crying for someone to go and tell his five brothers to trust the Lord to escape the torments of Hell cause us, to the best of our ability, to tell the Gospel each day to those who are lost.  People must hear, for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.  Paul wrote to the Ephesians praising God for all the spiritual blessings in heavenly places we receive through Jesus Christ.  In Ephesians 1.13, he makes it plain: we believe after we have heard the word of truth.  Oh, Father!  Send workers…the harvest is great and ready, and the harvesters are few.

NEW BUILDING IN ASSAI.  The constructor of the prefabricated part has drug his feet, but says that all the parts are built and ready to be set up.  Maybe next month we will have better news.  If anyone would like to have a part in this construction, your help would be appreciated.  Alta and I still go to Assai each Sunday morning for service in the home of Maria, a widow.  Her son, Edson, had surgery for cancer in the liver.  Pray for him.  The surgery took nine hours.  He is not saved.

ALL WORKS GOING WELL.  In this area of the State of Parana, we have permanent works in:  Cornelio Procopio, Santa Terezinha, Leopolis, Congoninhos, Sertaneja, Nova Fatima, Rancho Alegre, Assai, Urai, Sussumo.  Our seminary is in Cornelio Procopio and is doing well.

Please pray for us, the work in general, the new building in Assai, and for our health.

God bless you, John and Alta Hatcher

MIKE AND BEV CREIGLOW  |  December 2010

Michael D. Creiglow | Caixa Postal 24     69980 | Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre       Brazil

December 8, 2010

Dear Brethren,

There is way too much to report, but I will give you at least a little of what has been happening.

Hudson and I went up river 3 weeks ago. There was enough water in the river as far as Thaumaturgo (200 miles). From there on up it was LOW. We did a lot of dragging the boat through rapids, over sand bars and over logs. We even stopped along the way to help others drag their boats. Our intention was to go as far as Tipisca in Peru for the dedication of the building there. We got to the 60 mile point, with still 60 miles to go and had engine trouble. We had a bent prop shaft. We limped back down stream to Thaumaturgo. Once there I was able to take the thing apart and straighten out the shaft. The rains that we had hoped for did not come though, so we had to turn around a return to Cruzeiro do Sul. We were still able to visit other works though. There were no professions of faith, but the works at Matrinxã, Thaumaturgo and Triunfo are all well.

After a few days of rest (while working non stop) Hudson and I headed up the Moa River. We were undecided about which boat to take, not knowing the level of the river. We could go in the aluminum canoe with long shaft tail motor (very slow) or the little jon boat with 20HP outboard. After talking to some folks who had just come from up there and, of course, praying about it, I decided on the 20HP. This would be faster, but require deeper water. It was relatively smooth as far as República. From there on up to the mountains it was challenging, to say the least. We made it though. The rains did come on this trip! On the 4 legs of the trip we got caught in 3 of those nice tropical rains. Torrential rain, lightening and thunder. This has produced a nice little cough that just won’t go away. We spent most of our time with the congregation at the mountains. We were able to make brief visits to the works at República and São Salvador. At São Salvador they are near completion of a new brick building. At República they have done repairs are gearing up to have the congregation from Serra come down stream to be with them over the holidays. We are close to starting the new building at Serra (mountains) do Moa. They have been after ne to deliver the roofing that I promised them, but they still don’t have all of the lumber ready. We are very close though. We had really good services. They asked a lot of questions during services and even some in the following days. The rains brought the river up a little, so our trip downstream was much easier. Sure am glad the Lord gave me wisdom to take the right equipment for this trip.

Many, many years ago when I was first called to preach (1966) I started a ministry at the penitentiary. The church has continued this ministry. We have 2 teams that alternate every Saturday afternoon from 3:00PM to 5:00PM. I had not been out to visit and preach there for a long time. During that break between river trips I made that visit. We built a chapel out there, but after a rebellion that happened a few months ago the agents moved us back into the old prison complex. There were deaths and escapes during that rebellion, so it was very bad and I understand why the agents want us in a more controlled environment. We hold services in an inner court surrounded by cells. This one building could hold 70 prisoners, but has 130! It is very third world. Probably like some of the things you see on TV, but this is the real thing. We had a great service. Several of the inmates have been saved. They sing their hearts out. Afterward they surrounded me and had a ton of questions. One of the guys even had a question about one of my TV messages from 6 months ago! Wow. The guards eventually had to pull me out after our time was up. Now here is the bad news. The government built a brand new maximum security complex. After the rebellion the inmates literally run that. The guards only go in there once a month, heavily armed and in huge numbers to round up knives and other weapons. We are not able to get in there to preach to those guys. There are 250 of them! Now I was not aware of this and it is bothering me. I am praying and wracking my brain for a way to get the gospel to them. Help me pray about this.

Well there is much more news. I have visited other works, but there just isn’t space here to tell you about those. Maybe later.

Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.

In Christ, Mike Creiglow


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