God’s Provision Brings New Students, Returning Faculty, & Bright Hope for Future Brazilian Leaders to Seminary
January 9, 2026
Dear friends and family,
The starting of a New Year is, for the Seminary, a challenge. The pastors/students have just finished a very busy end of year (Christmas/ New Year), finished a semester of studies (3-6 courses), plus family time and ministry or work—boy, are they feeling overloaded!
Now for our upcoming semester, we will be offering 4 courses. There will be two on Tuesday and three on Thursday with two different professors. As we are talking about the seminary, let us remember that these courses are upper-level courses (Masters and Doctoral studies)! These are very challenging studies. So, how can you and I help our Brazilian brothers and sisters? PRAY!!! And if you would like to help financially (take a load off their plate), AWESOME!!!! Realize that their economy is more troublesome than ours.
Also, the seminary is in a transitional phase. We have added an academic administrator. Growth requires adaptability, which means more people are involved.
In this growth period, we are actively seeking more students. We are visiting other regions in Brazil—the South. Our last visit there was near Paraguay/Uruguay, and this semester we have gained five more students with interest from various others. We also have another seminary that is interested in using our material in their school. God is AWESOME!!!! He is the one that is in control and makes it all possible! Keep praying for the pastors in Brazil and their churches.
We are HAPPY to welcome Dr. Edge from Texas back from a one-year sabbatical as a result of his wife’s passing. Pray for him as he is jumping back in with both feet. He will be teaching the three courses and has two doctoral students he will be helping guide with their thesis. Their dissertation involves lots of research and dedication. As I am talking about these doctoral students, let me tell you that we anticipate that two or maybe three will complete the required work to become accredited.
Upon their accreditation we hope for some of them to join the teaching staff of our Seminary to help here in Brazil. Pray for these as they work their way to becoming part of the future of the seminary. AWESOME is the God we serve.
Pray for Barb and I as we are preparing for the graduation which will be in the latter part of June. I will be on the road again around that time looking for more places to plug the seminary into for more Brazilians to study God’s Word.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
Contact Info:
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
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 the yellow “Give” button on our homepage.
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Equipping the Called: Bluegrass Baptist Seminary Prepares for New Semester
July 9, 2025
Dear friends and family,
July for me is always a good month— why—I love July the 4th celebrations, the food. That is the one time of the year I get to eat a lot of “hot dogs” and of course I know how good they are health wise for me— it’s the 4th!!!
The students in Bluegrass Baptist Seminary are happy for the intermission. No classes!! We are anticipating around 50 to 65 students in our classes starting in August. There will be four classes. Our professor who teaches two of those classes may not be able to teach this semester due to his wife’s cancer. Today they found out that she will be leaving the hospital tomorrow. They were planning treatments; radiation and chemo, but the cancer is so accelerated that she has elected NOT to do any treatments. She is in lots of pain and now is just waiting to go home to be with the Lord. Pray for her peaceful passing and for Pastor Edge.
The classes for this upcoming semester in August are: Evangelism, Discipleship, Biblical Proclamation, and Survey of Church History. Please pray for the students and the Professors (especially if Dr. Edge is unable to teach this semester).
For the Graduation in September we have ten students prepared to graduate of these 10 three will receive Master’s in Biblical Studies and seven will receive a Master’s in Pastoral Ministries. All seven are pastoring churches here in Brazil.
Our September is going to be a very full month. We will be having this graduation on Saturday night then on a Sunday, we will be a part of a new church dedication, then Tuesday we will fly to another state here in Brazil to attend a Pastors’ Conference for three days. Our part in this Conference will be to give them information on Bluegrass Baptist Seminary and how they can be a part of it. Getting the word out—how AWESOME for these pastors to learn how they can better spread the Word. Our God is an AWESOME God!!! With all that is going on in our world today we need more and more well-trained Pastors.
This seminary is only possible because of Baptist Faith Missions and those who donate financially and with the faithful prayer warriors. Thanks to all.
Our prayer requests for the month: Pastor Edge and his wife in Texas, Barbara’s health, the work of BFM and their missionaries, the travels in September, and health for ALL.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
Contact Info:
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
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.
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