MIKE AND BEV CREIGLOW  |  October 2011

mdcreig@hotmail.com

Caixa Postal 24  69980  |  Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre  Brazil

1012 Balsam Drive | Lexington, KY  40504

(859) 277-3716 | (859) 494-2845

October 8, 2011

Dear Brethren, Beverly and I have had a great time visiting friends, churches and just plain resting. We have travelled over 6000 miles, seen a lot of the United States and, best of all, made new friends.

In Colorado we met Ole, Dawn Ann Johnson and her mom. We were impressed with this family. In fact Dawn Ann’s mother has been on several mission trips to Brazil. On her last visit to a favela in Rio she was actually dodging bullets. I’m not telling how old she was at the time she was being shot at!

Later we visited Ole’s brother Jim in Reno. He asked me to present the mission work to his men’s group. This group of Christian businessmen has been meeting for over 25 years! What an encouragement. After the brief visit with Jim and Cris Johnson they offered us their cabin in the Sierra Nevadas for a few days of rest. We got to see lots of wildlife and beautiful scenery. One day I took off on a hike of over 6 miles. Along the way I got to see a mountain lake. The hike took me to the summit of a 7400 foot mountain. Eureka Peak overlooking Eureka Lake. What a view! There was snow up there, too: in September. I was all alone on the trail and mountain. It was a wonderful time of prayer.

We got to visit Berean Baptist Church again after 5 years. This is a great independent Baptist church in the middle of a spiritual wilderness. Pastor Mark Smith is quite isolated, but is still doing a great job. One of the members shared with me that they are in the middle of the largest concentration of witchcraft in the nation. This is northern California. Really tough circumstances.

Bev and I dropped down to the central valley where we visited Sonrise Baptist Church. This was a first. This church is so similar to our church down home. I sat on the front row and the tears poured down as I waited to get up and preach. Pastor Otis Ledbetter has been there for 25 years. That tells you lot.

My very good, lifelong friend, Sherman Smith is executive pastor at Sonrise. After our visit with the church we spent a few days with Sherman and Kathy over in Monterey. We talked all day and most of every night, trying to get caught up. Very refreshing.

Before I go on, let me ask you to pray for the churches in California. They are really struggling financially. You are too, I know, but times are REALLY hard out there.

Bev and I took the scenic route back east. The breathtaking beauty of God’s creation made me shake my head, cry and praise Him all along the way.

News from home is good. More folks saved and good attendance. On Sunday nights they have been blocking off the street and putting up a screen outside for the overflow crowd. The rainy season has started early this year though, so pray that we can finish our annex SOON.

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

In Christ, Mike Creiglow

JOHN AND ALTA HATCHER  |  October 2011

jhatcher@uol.com.br

October 1, 2011

Dear Friends – this has been a good month.  Praise the Lord!  Alta’s eyes continue perfectly since her two cataract operations. She is looking at her husband of sixty-four years through new eyes. She thinks he looks a little older than before the new eyes.

TWO NEW BAPTIST CHURCHES FOUNDED IN THE STATE OF SAO PAULO AND THREE PASTORS ORDAINED TO THE GOSPEL MINISTRY.  On September 25, the Faith Baptist Church in Marilia founded two new churches and ordained three pastors in the same service.  Gilbert Stefano is the pastor of the Faith Baptist Church. He was one of the very first persons to be saved in the work we began in Cornelio Procopio.  His lovely wife was saved in the work we began in Galia.

One of the new churches is in the city of Pompeia and the other is in the city of Oriente. Each church had about fifteen charter members. About three hundred people attended the service of founding and ordaining.

Needless to say, it was a blessing to two oldies, close to closing up shop, to see how God continues to bless His Word and Work. On Sunday morning, we had morning service in Assai. We then drove four hours to Marilia where we stayed at the home of Maria. Other than a little ‘hangover’ from the drive, we made the trip without incident, Praise the Lord!

On Monday afternoon, we drove to Garca and spent three days with Kathy and Odali. It is always great to spend a little time with our children whom we seldom see.

THE WORK IN URAI  –  Recently, two young couples have been baptized into the fellowship of the Urai Baptist Church.  Each couple is around thirty years old. One family has three beautiful little girls and the other couple has a handsome robust boy. Both of the men are studying in the Seminary in Cornelio.  There are seven from Urai who are studying in the seminary.

WORK ON THE NEW BUILDING IS STOPPED IN ASSAI.  PLEASE PRAY FOR THE MAN TO FINISH HIS PART OF THE CONTRACT.

Your servants, John and Alta Hatcher

JOHN AND JUDY HATCHER  |  October 2011

JMHatcher@aol.com

Dear Fellow Laborers,
Another month had gone by quickly.  We hope that you are enjoying the blessings of the Lord as the weather gets colder and the days get shorter.  The changes remind us that there is a season for everything in this world God has given us.  Our responsibility in the Kingdom of God is very similar to gardening.  There is a lot of digging, sowing, watering and weeding before we see the produce.
The Youth meeting last week went quite well.  There were 10 young people present.  We have usually had 10-12 each time, but not always the same ones.  Of those who come, not one has made a profession of faith.  We are glad that they come and listen, that most return and that many ask a lot of questions.  Two boys who had never been before were here for this meeting.

They are sons of a lady with whom Judy has Bible study.  Two other young men, who had been before with friends, returned and we were able to meet their mothers.  The mothers expressed gratitude for our interest in helping adolescents.  None of these young men have ever been to regular services.  Plowing and planting is most of what we do.
I just answered two people by email who live in Spain.  One is a lady from our congregation who with her husband, started a business in Barcelona. We are helping her prepare a lesson for teaching children where she lives.  The other person lives in a town north of Barcelona and had written to share that she was able to lead a young Muslim lady to the Lord.  This young lady is in her Catalan (language of the Barcelona region) class.  A lot of our work is helping believers grow in the Lord and pass on what they have received.  I guess that is sort of like fertilizing and watering.  We garden, God gives life and growth. And he (Jesus) said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.  For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. (Mark 4:26-28)
Yesterday, I met with a handful of faithful Baptist pastors who are working in places scattered across southern France.  We see each other twice a year to encourage one another and work on a joint project of Bible expositions.  The meeting took place in a small town about one hour north of us.  The testimony of Pierre, the pastor of the Baptist church that hosted our meeting is worth sharing.  He just retired as a mail carrier.  He had been a member of this little church for about a dozen years when the former pastor stepped down because of bad health.  They asked him to pastor, and he is doing a great job.
Years ago, when he was about 20 years old.  His good childhood friend was arrested in Mauritania.  A catholic priest visited the jail and gave the young man a New Testament. Reading the New Testament, he trusted Christ. Unexpectedly, 11 days later he was released and thrown out of the country.  He went to Senegal and ran into some Pentecostal Christians who got the money together to pay the young man’s way back home in the Paris area of France.  Pierre was impressed by what God had done in his friend’s life and realized that he himself was throwing his life away.  He found a Bible and read it convinced that it would lead him to salvation…and it did!  Shortly thereafter, he started serving in the local church and was discipled by an American Baptist missionary. After years of working in with La Poste, he was transferred to this town where he found a church plant by a missionary and just went on serving the Lord.  He hasn’t stopped and is doing a great job.
God get’s His work done using you and others like you.  Keep on serving and growing.

Until next month, John and Judy Hatcher

AJ AND BARBARA HENSLEY  |  October 2011

ajcaragua@gmail.com

Dear friends and family,

It has turned into a very warm time here in Caragua. It is not yet summer but the days are hot and the nights are comfortable. As our summer approaches, it will be getting HOT. But we cannot complain because our Lord is AWESOME. When it is hot, we want it to cool down;  and when it is cool, we wish it were warmer. Oh well, let’s quit complaining and keep on keeping on.
We have had some exciting days lately. One of the mission points that we helped start 5 years ago has been organized into the Baptist Church in Nativity da Serrha. How AWESOME is that. The pastor there is Pastor George and his wife is Alda, Keep them in your prayers. Pastor George was one of the first students in our seminary here in Caragua, and I had the pleasure to be one of his professors. In addition he was one of the two ministers that was ordained in our previous work, Igreja Batista Nova Vida. Several men from the States were here to participate in this ordination service. The other pastor that was ordained was our son-in-law Pastor Walmir. He is now pastoring in Sales Oliveira which is about 7 hours from Caragua.

We have had several baptisms in our Church. Our membership is steadily growing and we are approaching 80 members. On Sunday nights we are now having around 130 people in attendance. AWESOME how the Lord is bringing people in. We are having new members classes and we now have 5 more waiting for baptism. That is not counting the 3 that were baptised yesterday.

We are constantly working on the building we are using for our Church services. We are now looking at the wall in front of the Church and the sidewalks. They are in need of repair. If this were in the States, the building inspectors would have already made us do the work. So now it is time to get to it.

I know that sometimes you can beat on old horse to death, but I need to tell you about our transportation needs; a BUS is becoming more crucial all the time. Our van has been making two and sometimes three trips to pick up people for every service, and this week it just quit. I guess it just got tired. The problem is the motor.  We are having to re-work the motor and that, as some of you know, is not cheap. This last few weeks have been a challenge, members helping others and everyone pitching in to help out with the transportion needs. This past week we were able to get a bus for both services on Sunday. God is great, AWESOME, all the time. We hope to get the van back this week and the repairs will be about $3000.00 (not definite yet).  Pray with about our transportation needs.

We have a big holiday coming up this month. Here it is called Children’s Day and it is comparable to Christmas back in the States. It will be lots of work – Bible stories, games, candy, food – well, you get the picture: work, work, and more work. But it will all be worth it if only just one child comes to know the Lord as Savior. We are planning for 200 children for 6 hours telling them about our Lord and Savior. Pray for this day.
Construction on the dormitory is at a standstill because of lack of money. But we are still looking to the future for things to change.

We are praying for all who help us here financially. We realize the financial hardships being suffered back home. And we wish to say ‘Thanks’ for your faithfulness in the midst of these hardships. We continue to ask for your prayers for the works here. And what we wish to say is “many thanks” for all u “awesome people”.
We are planning to come home for Christmas and stay until the last of March, so if we can come to visit you we would love to. Pastors, e-mail us and we will fill our calendar with your requests.
When we come back to Brasil, we wish that some of you could come with us. Know that you are as welcome as a summer rain.

In His service, Aj and Barb

NATHAN AND CARRIE RADFORD  |  October 2011

naterad@yahoo.com

P. O. Box 4150  |  Kitale, Kenya 30200

October 7, 2011 Dear praying friends, Another month has come and gone, and we are now at the end of the year 2011. We are now back in Kenya, and specifically, in Kitale. We appreciate so much each one who prayed for our safety as we traveled back to Kenya. We had a long trip back to Kenya, and our daughters did very well with the traveling, given the distance, time changes, etc. It was hard to say goodbye to friends and family that we love, and please know that each of you are so special to us and we love to hear from you. Life on the mission field has many challenges, and your prayers, encouragement, and friendships mean so much to us. We would ask for your continued prayers, as we are adjusting back to Kenya and life here. We would ask for your continued prayers for us in many ways this upcoming term. We would ask you to please pray for our health, as it is a daily struggle to stay healthy. Also, for safety traveling, for good friendships with others, and for the Lord to lead and guide us. We want to be where He wants us to be. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 32:8, which says “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” What a tremendous verse of encouragement this is from the Word of God. We would covet your prayers in the above areas. Also, please pray for our visitors who will be coming in the next few days from the States. Please pray for safety as they travel, for good ministry opportunities as they are here, and that we would be a blessing to them, as well as the people of Kenya. We are so looking forward to their arrival and would ask you to pray for our time as we serve the Lord together in Kitale. Please also pray for the ministries that the Lord has for us here in Kitale. Please pray for my wife, as she plans to continue serving in the district hospital, for the annex prison ministry, and for church planting this term with my friend and partner, Mr. Roger Tate. We are excited to see what the Lord will do, and are excited to be part of His work here in Kenya. There is so much work to be done for the Lord, and we must pray that the Lord would send laborers into His harvest field. Matthew 9:36-38 states “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” What challenging verses these are, and a reminder for us to be involved in the harvest, whether through praying, giving, or going. We will be sure to keep you updated. Thanks so much to each one of you for your prayers, interest, support, and encouragement. You all mean so much to us, and we thank God for you. Please note our new mailing address. Until next month, Nathan and Carrie Radford

BOBBY AND CHARLENE WACASER  | October 2011

robertmw@brturbo.com.br

Rua Manoel Valdomiro de Macedo, 2281  |  81170-150 Curitiba, PR  Brasil
Ph: (813) 436-9980

October 13, 2011
Dear Friends, The construction on our new church plant continues. The plaster needed to make ready to place the windows has been done. We will have to wait, though, to install our doors after our floor is poured.  You may still contribute toward that phase by giving $2 per square foot. Our leadership team embraced the challenge of paying to complete the bathrooms with funds above and beyond their regular offerings.
This weekend, October 15th, we will be holding an evangelistic event for married couples with the folks in this unreached community. This is our third of the year and they have been well attended. We are expecting encouraging results.
We had an amazing month of opportunities for our all four of our Projeto Vida teams. Two teams traveled to the distant state of Minas Gerais, Brazil where they had exceptional responses. Together the four teams were privileged to present the gospel to 20,074 persons during the month. We are amazingly blessed with this privilege and do not want to ever take it for granted. This type of ministry is only possible because the Lord opens the doors. The workers and their leaders show exemplary attitudes of dedication and humility and spiritual maturity. As a result, there were over 850 responses to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. The two teams that stayed in state worked in the metropolitan area of the capital helping to launch new church plants in unreached towns. The reception there was also very positive and we hope to see a new congregation growing as those who were converted are baptized and discipled.
I’m still in need of football players who want to use their talents and gifts for God’s glory. Our Brazilian semi-professional league is a great avenue for demonstrating why God gives such abilities. The attention that a good player would draw would provide wide open doors of opportunity to share one’s faith and testimony. If you know of a young man who would like such an opportunity and truly knows the Lord, please contact me at the contact info above.
In Christ’s love, Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser