Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher in Brazil [August 2012]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
July 31, 2012
Dear Brethren and Fellow Workers,
Greetings from Brazil in the Name of our Great Savior. Alta and I have had a good month and have gone to our mission in Assai each Sunday morning. Our attendance has not grown but we have the promise that where two or three are gathered together in His Name He is present with us. His promise is His Word will not return void. We are trying to be faithful and one day the Isaac will be born.
God has blessed us in the old age of our life. It is a great joy to look back over the years and see how God has been faithful in all His promises. Our children are serving the Lord, all of our grandchildren are faithfully serving the Lord and our great-grandchildren are being saved as they come to the age of accountability.
Another great thrill is to see how God has blessed and is blessing the works that He gave us the privilege of beginning. Those works have also begun and are beginning other new works. We want to encourage you young persons to surrender your lives to serve the Lord. Make the surrender while young; you will never regret doing the best for your Lord and Savior.
(Just had a wonderful interruption of fifteen minutes–a phone call from John and Judy in France. The Lord knows how we love them and miss them.)
Last week we had a wonderful two-day visit with David. He came down to our State for the dedication of two new buildings: One in the center of Parana and the other in Curitiba where Bobby and Charlene Wacaser work. We praise and thank the Lord for how He is using our children in His vineyard. They are all so far away and sometimes the heart aches to see them. Kathy is the closest and we get to see her every two or three months.
All of the work is going well in this part of Brazil. In Urai the work is going well. The pastor, Marcio, is doing a good job. There are about ten young people and two young married couples who are faithful and working in the church and congregations. There are six or seven who study in the Seminary. Pray for us. At age 87, things are not so easy.
God bless you, we love you,
John and Alta Hatcher
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers in Brazil [July 2012]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
July 11, 2012
I enjoy life. Not every single detail of it, you understand, but life itself is good. There is a wonderful reason that this is true. My purpose in life is what makes it grand. I have the privilege to serve, fight for, honor, make famous, and love the Creator of everything, who is my God and Savior.
Some details in life are honestly a pain, some literally, others metaphorically. For example, a couple of mornings ago I woke up with a terrible headache. I didn’t like it, you know? It hurt. It didn’t want to go away. I was happy, though, that I had the ability to FEEL. I was thankful that it was only a headache and not something more serious. A few days before that I was working on the electrical installation of our new church plant and I pinched my finger in my own pliers (not on purpose, of course). It hurt. I did not immediately say, “I thank Thee Lord for that sharp reminder that I am frail and prone to errors.” No, I gasped and groaned and murmured for a few seconds. I am grateful, though, that I have the mobility and strength to be able to work with my fingers in the Lord’s service, because I know that many do not have that gift. The work on the new building is progressing very well and, in fact, we will be holding our official inaugural service on the 22nd of July. Life is great because after a year of very hard work (with some minor injuries) and much prayer and sharing God’s Word with neighbors and friends, God has tripled our attendance and those who attend are helping us to invite more friends and family to the special inaugural service.
Life is great because the absence of it is just awful. I do not fear death, neither do I seek it. I am ready for it, because the One who makes and gives it, Jesus Christ, has already done everything needed for me to obtain and keep it. Some of the details of everyday life are disheartening, like poor health, betrayal by friends, being ridiculed by unbelievers and the letdowns that come from my own errors. But, God’s word sheds light on even these shortcomings so that I might see that He uses them for my good and His ultimate glory. The knowledge of that fact makes life very good indeed. Even the bad – results in good! Who could ask for better, or more?
My hope and my efforts are not based on improving or lengthening this earthly life. What I see in this life is the opportunity to invest in the real one that awaits me. This one is a shadow of the real thing up ahead. What make this one good is that even it is lived in fellowship with my Savior and King who has promised that He’ll return to take me to LIVE with Him eternally. And He assures me that that LIFE has no undesired details, not even little ones.
The God that provides a life that grand deserves to be worshipped, honored and loved. It is my joy to use this life that He has given me to do just that. I don’t have plan B! I rejoice that God also gives me the privilege of partnering with you in making Him known and praised. That way, both you and I are blessed when I speak God’s message of love and salvation here; you are a co-laborer in that ministry. Without you, I couldn’t be here. I thank God for you.
We are training over 20 new missionary candidates at our Projeto Vida Mission School this month. There will be two weeks of intensive study and rehearsals of skits, then our four teams will head out into the interior on their buses together with these missionary candidates to work in the public squares for another three weeks. Pray with us that many lives will be reached and that God’s name will be glorified.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Manoel Valdomiro de Macedo, 2281
81170-150 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [July 2012]
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.
July 9, 2012
Dear Friends,
We just came through a record high-water season – the highest in over a hundred years. The rainy season in the Amazon Basin begins in December and lasts until the end of June. During this season, the Amazon River and tributaries are at flood stage for three to four months. Most of the houses are built above flood stage, especially housing built on stilts in the swamp area. Many of the poor families build in these swamp areas because land is cheap, or they just “squat” on it. However, provisions were not made for such high waters as we had this year. As a result, about a hundred thousand people had to move from their houses and seek refuge in shelters or homes of relatives. One of the churches organized last November by Tabernacle Baptist Church was affected by the high waters and was totally flooded for about six weeks. Many of the members lived in lower areas where their homes were flooded for an even longer period. The church here in Manaus had a food drive and furnished food for members of that church and other families in the community whose homes were flooded. It is good to see the outpouring of love by God’s people and His church. The church there has continued to grow even through all this difficulty.
Since last writing you, we had four great joys from the Lord. Our first two are the births of two wonderful grandchildren. Melissa Nicole was born November 30 to Judson and Raquel Hatcher; and Noah Christian was born June 18 to Michael and Leigh Anne Samples. It is certainly a great privilege to have our three children and families (a total of seven grandchildren) near us for the time being, as the Lord wills. Neither Wanda nor I or our own children had the privilege of being near our grandparents as we grew up. So you see, it’s a big deal for us! We are grateful to the Lord and pray for them that they will at an early age come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, trust Him in every area of their life, and love others as Christ has loved them.
The next two joys are also very dear to our hearts. Two new churches were born here in Manaus in the last six weeks. The first is Impact Baptist Church in the community of Ouro Verde. They have made a great impact in their community through their Christian love for one another. The second one is the Victory Baptist Church in the community of Cachoeirinha, also a very loving church, comprised mainly of young couples who are very excited about the Lord. Both churches are very committed to knowing God through the study of the Scriptures , to encouraging each other to trust God in the big and little things each day, and to modeling the love that Christ has shown us.
The sowing and reaping continues. Our prayer is that Christ’s will be fulfilled in us – “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
Thank you for your support. Pray for us always. May God bless you.
Love,
Paul and Wanda
Your missionaries to North and North East 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 Wacasers [June 2012]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
June 9, 2012
Dear friends,
I have learned from my reading of the apostle Paul’s letters that we need to discern the difference between prideful boasting and glorying in the Lord. Satan and his demons would have us do much of the boasting and none of the glorying in the Lord. For fear of doing the boasting we sometimes leave off doing the glorying in the Lord and God is robbed of opportunities to be magnified. I don’t want to be guilty of either, so I will glory only in what God has done. But, He has done much. It boggles my mind to realize that during the month of May we had the privilege of sharing the gospel with over 19,000 people through our various ministries. We worked in three different states of Brazil and at the same time have made great progress on the auditorium of our new church building. We heard over 500 people profess Christ as their Savior. We give ALL the glory to God. I know that without God’s blessings and His Spirit’s working in and through us, none of this would be possible. We are thankful and we rejoice that He sees fit to provide us with these opportunities.
With opportunities and blessings like these come hardships, trials and persecution. Just this week we were attacked through the internet by a selfish and vengeful mother who is angered because her three kids have surrendered their lives to Christ and want to live for him rather than live for her. They are very respectful to her and have not abandoned her. But, her plan was for her kids to stay at home and use their income to make her life luxurious. When she saw that their surrender to Christ set them on a different course she took to the internet to attack our ministries. May God strengthen her kids in their resolve to live for Him and also to convict her of her selfishness and bring her to repentance and faith in Christ.
Charlene washing down the new windows (with a smile!)
I was able to get pictures of the windows and glass doors installed in the new church building. Check to see if they have been posted in this edition of the Mission Sheets. Also, we have nearly completed the laying of the ceramic tile floors. Ceramic in our area is less expensive than most any type of flooring, hence our use of it. It is easier to keep clean and costs less to install.
Charlene and a friend washing down the new windows!
We are very grateful to you who have been so faithful and generous in giving toward our ministries. We have been able to continue our building project without having to incur debt and we are very thankful for that. God has seen fit to provide the resources as they have been needed.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Manoel Valdomiro de Macedo, 2281
81170-150 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher in Brazil [June 2012]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
Dear Brethren and Friends,
Greetings from two oldies in Brazil. God has blessed us this month. I told Alta, “It is not a sin to be old, but sometimes it has its difficulties.” Alta’s eyes are still doing wonderful and my hearing is great so between us we are seeing and hearing well.
My Brazilian drivers license expired the last of April and I am still trying to get my new one. It has been quite an ordeal. I was required to get three doctor’s statements that I was still physically and mentally capable of driving. Statements from a cardiologist, orthopedist and neurologist. After two months I have the documents in hand and tomorrow, the Lord willing, I should get my license.
ASSIS—Alta and I are still making the trip to Assis and during the month, four new children have attended. The new building that was built by the Chapada Baptist Church is certainly a wonderful blessing.
URAI—Brother Marcio is doing a good job in teaching and reaching out. There are five persons who are studying in the seminary as well as being active in the work. Last week Marcio took the young people to Rancho Alegre where they visited and gave out invitations for service that night. The result was good and they had a full house. Susumo is another congregation on the other side of town. Three young adults care for that work.
A PERSONAL WORD TO YOU OUR BELOVED BRETHREN AND FELLOW WORKERS.
Alta and I thank you for your faithful prayers and financial help for many years. It has not been an easy road, but it was not an easy road that our Lord walked to Calvary. When the first Church in Jerusalem continued the work after Jesus ascended, their story seems to indicate, especially their manner of giving, that Jesus would come very soon. They gave generously, some gave all. They did well even though Jesus would delay His coming. In the year 70 AD, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and most of those had given were probably killed.
THE BLESSING is: They saved all they had given!
This is true for us today. All invested in the Lord’s work will be received in Heaven with His benefits.
We love you, in the Name of our Lord Jesus,
John and Alta Hatcher
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [May 2012]
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.
Dear Friends,
We started the month enjoying the services and fellowship at the spring conference.
It was a great time to hear and share what God is doing in the life and ministries of our friends and co-laborers in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
While in the US, Wanda and I always enjoy time with Mrs. McGary, my mother-in-law. She travelled with us during our stay; as our time was short, this was the best way to spend the most time possible with her. She really likes to attend the conference and keep up with the mission news.
We were privileged to visit several churches and talk about the work God is doing. We appreciate all the churches and individuals praying for us and contributing to our ministry. Thanks to those who hosted us – New Life Baptist Church, pastor Steve Wainright, in Lexington; Thompson Road Baptist Church, pastor Dave Parks, in Lexington; Calvary Baptist Church, pastor Bobby Green, in Richmond, Ky.; Grace Baptist Church, pastor Mark Pyles, in Fairborn, Ohio; and Emmanuel Baptist Church, pastor Darrell Messer, in Bellbrook, Ohio .
We visited John and Judy in France. This was a long-time dream, and we are thankful for the opportunity God made possible. We also enjoyed the visit with our nephew, Phillip, his wife, Amanda, and their children. This was a great family reunion. We had a chance to catch up on our experiences in the gospel, and see the challenges of sharing the gospel where most are atheist. We rejoiced as we attended the Bible teaching and worshipped with our Christian brothers and sisters of the church in France.
Back in Brazil, we’re back to full throttle. Yesterday evening, I was with the mission in Ouro Verde and was pleased to see their progress during the weeks we were away. I expect they will soon be ready to organize a church.
Thank you for your prayers on our behalf. Pray that the Gospel will continue to spread, and that the Lord will give us wisdom to best optimize the time He gives us.
Yours in Christ,
Paul & Wanda
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: AJ & Barbara Hensley in Brazil [May 2012]
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.
Hello to friends and family,
Sometimes you are so busy that you look back and say “What did I do or accomplish?” This month has been one of those. I will start with the van…we had to put it in the body shop because of its roof. It started rusting and the rust became holes and the rain came into the inside. So much for the ceiling upholstery! Oh well, that is what you get when you live at the beach. So when we repaired the roof we also had to put new seals around all of the doors. Now we are just about to put it back into use but there is still some mechanical work to do. While we are without our van we are borrowing or renting others to fulfill our church transporting. Pray with us that we could receive the financing for a bus to fulfill these transportation needs.
Lots of physical work is going on around the Church building. We have been painting, doing masonry work and various repairs. But the biggest of the projects is the pouring the sidewalk in front of the Church. We could have put off some of these projects but we are going to organize our Church and we would love for it to look good. The organization will be the 13th of May at 7:00 in the evening service. Pray that all goes as planned and that the Church continues to grow spiritually. We will have 81 members at this organization. Praise be to God for the growth in these 2 years.
We are having to do some construction around our home. Several years ago, we finished the area around the house but this year the city put in trunk lines for the sewer system. When we connected to these lines, we found out that all our lines had been put in wrong. So this week we are tearing up all the tile (because we bought the close out line to save money and there is none of that tile left at the construction stores) and the plumbing to redo everything.
We are starting to start work at the vocational school next week. The next step that has to be done is the electrical work. We have the conduit in the walls and next week we start installing the wire and the electrical panel. The next step is to tile the floors. There is a lot of paperwork to be done so we are starting to plot the buildings and the lots. For this we need an engineer. So today we began the measurements. The completed paperwork could take months to process. So pray with us about this also.
We have gotten back into our family discipleship and it is going very well. We are working with one family with 2 girls. They are 5 and 8 years old. These 2 young girls are memorizing verses and learning how to be children that God will be proud of. The government here does not cooperate with raising Godly children. As a matter of fact they promote anti-biblical things in the raising of children. So we are trying to help these parents to use the Bible in the raising of their children. In this process the parents are also growing spiritually. So our days and some nights are being dedicated to the helping of parents and children.
We had another baptism this month. There were 5 baptized and we (like good Baptists) had a cookout afterwards. We also have 4 more awaiting baptism so they will be our first candidates for baptism into our newly organized Church. God is AWESOME!!!!!!
I have given you an idea of what we will be doing for the next 2 or 3 months so read it over and decide which you would love to participate in and then go and buy your ticket and COME ON DOWN. We will treat you so many different ways that you will have to like one of them. Come see what God is doing with your mission dollars!!!!!
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [March 2012]
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.
Dear friends,
Another year is ended. This one went by so rapidly. We are grateful to God and rejoice in his blessings and mercies.
The Lord blessed; the missions (church starts) had a great year. In October, six of the missions were ready to organize and incorporate as Baptist churches. At the same time six new Baptist ministers were ordained to the gospel ministry. The legal paperwork was a little complicated, however, all was completed. The following month of November, an additional eight churches were organized and properly registered with the government. Six additional pastors were ordained to the Gospel Ministry. Certainly this is reason for us all to rejoice in the Lord. You share in these blessings through your prayers and contributions to missions here in Brazil. Together, we are making friends for eternity. It is certainly a priceless hope to have eternal life. Imagine the joy of being received by friends in eternity – Brazilian friends you never knew in this life time – friends you made by sending the Gospel of Jesus Christ; they believed and now are children of God even as you and me.
Wanda and I thank you, too. Thanks for being prayer partners and giving friends. Jesus Christ has promised “Great is your reward in heaven.”
Now, a news update regarding our family. Wanda and I are doing well. We have great joy seeing our children walking with God and serving our Lord. We are enjoying our wonderful grandchildren – two boys and four girls. All the children, spouses and grandchildren are doing well.
We ask that you remember us in prayer, here are some special requests for the year: that the gospel will continue to grow and those who believe will grow in the Lord. Pray that the door of opportunity for the gospel will stay open. Pray that we will be wise stewards of our time and resources to achieve maximum amount sowing and reaping of the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that God will strengthen us in faith, love and persistence.
We love you in Christ Jesus. May God richly bless you with peace and grace in Jesus Christ.
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
Avenida J. Carlos Antony, 172
65063-150 Manaus
Amazonas, Brasil SA
hatcher[at]argo.com.br
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