Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [July 2014]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
July 5, 2014
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We hope this finds you enjoying the Lord. What a privilege we have as God’s children with continuous access to our Father and Saviour and with His Spirit united to ours. It is also a wonderful honor to represent the Eternal God, Creator of all things to the people who live around us.
Just after writing our last letter we participated in the annual outdoor dinner of our neighborhood which takes place in the street in front of our house. We made new friends and were able to reconnect with some people that we have not seen for a while.
During the past month we have spent part of our time reviewing the past year and making plans for the coming year. We discussed what we would teach in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and Youth meetings. We determined changes that needed to be made in class groupings and how to effectively do what God has placed us here to do. We have also discussed ways that we can connect with the people that we are here to reach.
One of the things that Judy and I are going to be doing this coming year is an English Club to help young children in our neighborhood get started learning English. This is a result of a request made by the parents of these children. Judy and Amanda did this for several years in Tournefeuille and Judy and Wendy had an English Bible Club in the city of L’Union for several years. These have given us many long term opportunities. Several of the young people who now come to our monthly youth meetings are from families that we served in this way in the past. We follow the example of Paul who said, “I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.” Judy also donated her time to teach English twice a week for several years in the past in one of our local public elementary schools.
English proficiency is required for anyone wanting to advance in white collar jobs and this is a need that opens doors for us. Parents are very interested in their children learning English to prepare them for the future. We want to serve them in this area to open the door to prepare them for eternity.
This is also a good time to remind you to pray for Philip, Amanda and their family, and Wendy who serve with us. Wendy is a single missionary who is supported by friends and churches in the US and Philip works as an engineer here to support his family while they serve with us. We thank God for your prayers and faithful support over many years.
Attendance in the services and Bible studies has been good and we see evidence of the Grace of God.
Serving with you for our Saviour in France,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers in Brazil [July 2014]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
Dear Friends,
Many of you know that Brazil is in the middle of hosting the World Cup Soccer Championship games. As I write this letter, Brazil’s national team is headed to the semi-final game against Germany where one of the finalists will be decided to play in the final for the World Championship. As you can imagine, the whole country is super excited and there are numerous venues where people meet in large groups to watch the games on huge outdoor screens.
During these events we have been able to take advantage of the gatherings to present the gospel of Jesus Christ. On four game days we took our Projeto Vida teams to distribute free bottled water and gospel tracts in several languages to these venues. We had the opportunity to share the gospel with visitors from several Muslim nations also, since their teams were playing in our city and there were thousands of fans here from those countries. We hope to have planted some seeds of faith through the sharing of God’s word in these people’s lives.
Early in the month of June we hosted a youth group from Phoenix, AZ. There were around 25 teenagers with us for a week taking the gospel to the public schools and parks around our city. On the first day they were here they helped us cook for and feed over 200 homeless people in the inner city. Before, during and after the meal we interacted with these poor folks, sharing the gospel and sharing our time with them and loving on them with the love of Christ. We are partnering with a pastor from Chile who feels called of God to minister continually with these people on a week by week basis. Also, we are organizing volunteers from our church to help with the preparation of the food and serving it to them with a word of hope.
Tomorrow our new church is celebrating its 3rd anniversary. We are extremely grateful to the Lord for how He has blessed us. We started with 8 in attendance and we now have a regular attendance between 65-85 on any given Sunday. Those that the Lord has added to us are growing spiritually and we trust that this growth will lead to more people coming to Christ and to the church.
Charlene and I want to thank you for your faithful prayers and offerings so that we may continue to use our lives to reach these folks for Christ. May the Lord bless you for your faithfulness and generosity.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Sobrado 1, Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)481-7007
bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers in Brazil [May 2014]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
May 9, 2014
Dear Friends,
I am constantly encouraged to invest in the lives of people around us by the way the Lord keeps raising up new kingdom warriors. Toni, a recent high school graduate shared with a couple of weeks ago that she’s certain the Lord wants her to dedicate next year to evangelism through our outreach ministry, Projeto Vida. I have been observing Toni’s spiritual growth for about 4 years and she truly has a servant’s heart and a passion for the Lord’s glory. She also demonstrates the love of Christ to everyone around her.
Projeto Vida has had a series of struggles with mechanical breakdowns recently. My friend and church member, Antonio, has offered to rebuild the engine of one of our motorhomes for practically nothing. We are also still trying to put together the resources to repair the damage on our Alpha motorhome that was sustained in a serious accident late last year. I don’t have a church member who does body work, so we’ll have to find an honest and reasonable repairman for that task. Even with two of the motorhomes out of commission, we were able to get into several cities with our evangelistic teams this past month. Many people heard the gospel and several surrendered their life to Christ.
An interesting thing happened a couple of weeks ago as we were getting prepared to put on a gospel presentation for our Easter service. Elias is an old hippie one of our friends introduced to us a few years ago. Elias likes to set up lighting and sound systems for parties and presentations. While visiting our church with a neighbor he heard that we were going to have a theatrical presentation and he offered to loan us his very expensive equipment and help us set it up. It came in very handy and opened a door for us to interact with him and his wife beyond the church’s scheduled services. We have gone out with them on a couple of friendly outings and have used the opportunities to share our relationship with Christ with them.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Sobrado 1, Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
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Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [May 2014]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
May 5, 2014
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Thank you for participating in what God has called us to do here. I thought that it might be good to share with you the latest Good News buzz in our town. Perhaps, the question has arisen in your mind, “How does one go about reaching people in a place where there is not already a church?” Actually, it is not terribly different from the way you reach people where there is already a church.
From scriptures you might remember the training from the Lord, “I have come that you may have life….Go…seeking…the kingdom of heaven is like…” The Apostle Paul wrote, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some”. About Paul in Athens, Luke writes, “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.” Peter writes, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”.
In a country where 50% of the people are atheists you can invite people to “church” until you are blue in the face and you will get little if no results. In their mind, anyone who believes that God created the world is an idiot, and any intellectual arguments to the contrary will convince them that you are an idiot. Blind people to not see and deaf people to not hear. Spiritually, they are willingly blind, deaf or have been programed by their environment to think this way. They are positive that they are right. Any Christian arguments on the internet to the contrary is to them simply a display of close minded stupidity. But, God has placed us here as light and salt. We are living letters and God has chosen to use his people as an instrument through which He, the Great Physician works to remove the veil and give a hunger and thirst for living water, just as Jesus demonstrated by the well in Samaria. His love, active in us, is the primary means that the Holy Spirit uses to make people receptive to the Gospel.
So, you are saying what is the latest buzz in Tournefeuille? Please cut to the chase.
About 6 months ago new neighbors moved in across the street. To greet and befriend them, Judy took a platter of homemade blueberry muffins. They loved them and so, a new relationship started. I will not try to detail everything that the Lord has used in the last 6 months, but the latest event happened on Friday afternoon two weeks ago. The neighbor knocks on our front door and asked if I had anything they could use to cut a branch. As I went to get what I had, he said, “Come over. I want you to see why we need it.”
A bit earlier in the day, his wife was struck with terror when a large swarm of bees buzzed over her head and took up lodging in a branch of a tree in their back yard. She called the firehouse. They told her call a bee keeper. She found one in the phone book and called him. He needed the branch cutters to be able to cut and maneuver the giant swarm to his hive box.
I trusted the Lord to keep me and for the first time in my life worked among the bees with the keeper while the neighbors took pictures. A three hour interaction took place as the bee keeper urged the bees to the box and as we waited for them to all move in to their new abode. During this time we talked about the marvels of God’s creation and a number of important subjects. We forged a new friendship with the bee keeper and cultivated the friendship we already have with the neighbors. This is similar to the way we have made friendships with others who now regularly attend or have professed faith in Christ.
In summary, God placed us here and uses your support to keep us here. He brings events that open doors. We pray for God to open doors, touch the hearts of our acquaintances and enable us to see what He is doing as we open our eyes and look on the multitudes who are wandering around us like sheep without a shepherd. Through these contacts we are able to move from physical human needs to spiritual needs and the Living Water. Everyday is exciting, especially if you have thousands of bees swarming around you.
Please, pray for our neighborhood dinner which takes place on June 7th. Also, some of our new neighbors have asked us to host a regular “English Club” for their children. Friendships with the families of several of the teens now coming to youth meetings were cultivated through a similar “English Club” for young children. And, watch with eager eyes for the latest buzz from God in your area!
[And after reading, you will definitely want to see these bees in action and hear them buzz! Click the link to see the Bees in France Video!]
With you in the service of the Lord,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [April 2014]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
April 1, 2014
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today is known in the USA as April fools day. It reminds me of what martyr missionary Jim Elliot wrote in his journal, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” This may well reflect what Matthew Henry repeated about his father who was a kind and charitable man, “He is no fool who parts with that which he cannot keep, when he is sure to be recompensed with that which he cannot lose.” It certainly comes from the teachings of our Lord and Savior who told his disciples, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” This is what we all should be doing with the lives, time and wealth of all kinds that God gives us.
We never know exactly how God is going to use our investments. The “preacher” in Ecclesiastes concludes, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. . .In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.” So, I will tell you about one of the fields where we are sowing seed and why we are encouraged by what we see.
About 10 years ago, Douceline, a young lady believer whom we had met when we first came to France called us. She had taken her first job in the town of Mazere where there was no congregation of believers of any kind. Away from other believers she was very discouraged. She was born the year her parents trusted the Lord. Both of her parents were previously atheist. Since we had some weekday evenings open, we decided that it would be a good investment into her life to have Bible study with her in her apartment one evening per week after work. After about 2 years of weekly round trip drives of 2 and ½ hours and a couple of hours in Bible study each week, Douceline seemed to have a change in outlook. She began to see herself as God’s agent in this town.
About this time she met a lady through her work at the city library who was nominally Catholic and whose oldest child was to start catechism classes. Douceline suggested that Judy could teach them about Jesus from the Bible. The lady thought that would be a good idea and dropped the kids off at the apartment an hour before our Bible study. Judy had children’s Bible classes with them for an hour each week before our adult Bible study. Douceline started inviting people she met; a few came and very few returned. But, we have continued. For several years we took a guy with us from our area who was a new believer. He now has two Bible studies in Toulouse each week and has led others to the Lord that he is discipling. He is a pastoral leader in his church.
Patricia, the mother of the two children Judy taught, never came to the Bible study but Douceline is now having evangelistic Bible studies with her. Douceline is quite a missionary and is witnessing to several other people on a regular basis who do not come to the Bible study. We have probably had 50 people come do this Bible study over the years. A widow lady in her early 70s who comes has trusted the Lord. She is the only believer in her extended family. She daily watches and witnesses to her 9 year old granddaughter whose parents are atheist. One newly married couple young believers participates, she is a school teacher and he is a carpenter. A lady about 60 comes who is a nursing assistant in a senior citizens home is the only believer in her extended family. A young man who has come is reading his Bible and seeking. Douceline’s parents participate and are reaching out to several others. This has opened the door with their older daughter and her family. The children from this family are enthusiastic participants in our Youth meetings. We are supposed to have a new participant next week at the Bible study in Mazere. There are believers, there are disciples, there are missionaries because your support enables us to be available here and because we believed God wanted us to invest part of our lives into a discouraged believer.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” The completion of this story and millions of other like it will be experienced in heaven…our Fathers house!
May God bless you. Thanks for investing in this part of the world.
Investing in France,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Missionary Update: John and Alta Hatcher in Brazil [February 2014]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
February 7, 2014
Dear Friends and Brethren,
About two months ago our son David and his wife, Pennie, took Alta and I on a cruise of eight days on the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean Sea. I was there during the Second World War as a seaman and it was just as beautiful as the first time I saw it.
During the cruise I had asked the Lord to open opportunities to witness of the saving Grace of Jesus Christ. One morning we were up on deck and I asked a young man what were his thoughts about Jesus the Savior.
“I am an atheist,” was his answer.
“Sir, two minutes after you die, you will not be an atheist,” was my reply. Why? Because the Bible tells of one who was an atheist or lived as one. In the sixteenth chapter of Luke, verses 16-31, we have the story of a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. If the rich man was not an atheist, he lived like one. Lazarus died and was carried by the angels to Heaven (Abraham’s bosom). The rich man died and was buried; in hell he lifted up his eyes and saw Lazarus in Heaven. When it was not possible for Lazarus to bring a drop of water for his burning tongue, he asked him to be sent back to tell his five brothers about Jesus.
I quickly told the young man about Lazarus and the rich man. I pray for his salvation each time I remember him. If God brings him to your mind, pray for him, also.
WHAT WE LEARN FROM THIS IMPORTANT STORY
- A person must hear the Gospel of Jesus to be able to believe.
- Each person who believes that Jesus died for them will be saved.
- After Death there is no second chance to be saved.
- He who dies in Christ will have eternal Joy.
- He who dies without the Lord will have eternal suffering.
- The most important task we have as Christians is to tell people that Jesus saves.
- With Jesus in our hearts, we should have at least as much zeal to tell the lost about Jesus as the rich man had as he suffered in Hell.
Sincerely yours in Jesus’ Name,
John and Alta Hatcher
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [February 2014]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
February 5, 2014
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We feel for you who are having a harsh winter in the USA. The weather here has been milder than usual for this time of the year. Thank you for your participation in the proclamation of the Gospel here in France.
All of the Bible studies and meetings are going well. I am including a picture of a ladies Bible study that meets in the home of Wendy Hinzman on Thursdays at noon. The tall young lady on the right is a member of our congregation who is a chiropractor. Her office is near Wendy’s house so the ladies meet there during her lunch break on Thursdays. They have Bible study and then eat their sack lunches together for a time of fellowship. All of the ladies in this Bible study are believers. We are encouraged by the growth that we see in them. Everyone in this Bible study also serves in ministries to children and some are involved in reaching students and other outreaches.
During the month of February we encouraged folks to read a book of the Bible they had never read before or had not read for some time. The interesting thing is that some who did the reading have not made professions of faith. Our hope is that they will soon trust the Lord and express this faith by following the Lord in baptism.
These ladies in France hold a Bible Study every Thursday at noon on their lunch break.
We have had a youth meeting since our last letter and another one is scheduled for this coming Saturday. The Lord continues to bless this means of outreach as those who come return and bring friends. Our the Bible discussion for the next meeting is “The Two Great Commands”.
The most recent Bible study in the city of Mazere (a one hour drive to the South) was packed out. Four people who do not usually come were there. Two of the four were fellows that were in our Bible study in the past. One, who is nicknamed “Jeff” has really grown in the Lord and is now holding two Bibles studies weekly. The two other special guests were individuals who have been saved as they studied the Bible with Jeff. One was saved two years ago and the other just six months ago. It was really encouraging to see God at work through Jeff whom we had discipled earlier. Jeff wanted to bring the two individuals so they could see how we do the Bible studies. We certainly want to follow the Apostle Paul’s admonition to Timothy “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” We are happy when we see evidence that it is taking place.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Judy Archer and her family. Glenn’s move to glory will certainly leave a void in our hearts, but we are thankful for the fact that He is no longer suffering as he did during the past months. May the Lord’s Spirit comfort all of those who are touched by Glenn’s absence.
Your fellow laborers,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher in Brazil [November 2013]
Jud and Raquel Hatcher serve the Lord in Manaus, Brazil. They are part of the “SeedFactory” church planting initiative, which is a movement to plant churches in all 26 Brazilian capitals. Since 2006, 43 churches have been started in 5 states.
Dear friends,
We have great news about the church plant and some sad personal news. Please, pray for us as you read the remainder of this letter.
“UNFORGETTABLE” EVANGELISTIC COOKOUT
Our latest all-day evangelistic cookout was a great success with 240 people present and 6 salvation decisions. It was a day to remember. We wanted to impress our guests with the love of Christ. Upon arrival, everyone received a nametag, had their name entered into a drawing (this allows us to receive their contact info for follow-up), and an invitation to join us the next Sunday. We had three sport tournaments with trophies and medals, rappel, “rock wall” climbing, swimming pool, Brazilian barbeque, children’s games, puppets, children’s Bible story and I preached a 30 minute evangelistic message. We wanted our guests to have and unforgettable day, but most of all, an unforgettable, life altering, personal experience with the Lord. This type of event takes much planning and preparation work, but it is well worth it all. We have great responses from these type events, as the following weeks are full of personal contacts and home visits.
KID’S CLUB
Two weeks after our “Unforgettable Cookout” we had an all-day children’s evangelistic event with 44 kids present and 2 salvations. The children absolutely loved the day. On days like this, I get a major boost of encouragement. Especially, when we play soccer – everyone wants to be on the “pastor’s team”. I now have 5 “best buds” as a result of our soccer games that day! I am so glad they feel the love of Jesus through us. It is amazing to see how connecting with children brings us to close proximity with their parents too. We will not give up on reaching children and their parents for Jesus.
GROWTH AND RELOCATION
As the church has grown, we have developed into some space challenges. Parking is an issue every Sunday, as are the children’s classrooms. Our auditorium also serves as our fellowship hall. Lord willing we plan to relocate by the end of December. We are at the end of our building’s lease agreement, so this allows us flexibility to move into a bigger location.
FELLOWSHIP AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH
After worship services everyone stacks up their chairs against the wall to make room to eat and mingle with our friends and guests. We always serve finger foods to eat after our gatherings. This allows us to enjoy each other’s fellowship for an additional hour beyond the last worship song. Our fellowship has brought a unity amongst our people and our studies have rendered a spiritual awakening into Scripture with thirst for more. I am preaching a series entitled “Synopsis: A Bible Survey”. We have a lot of fun, I wish you were here to join in.
PASTORAL TRAINING
The Lord is working in the hearts of our men and already two of them have expressed a desire into pastoral leadership. The Lord is also working in the hearts of others within the church. I am passionate about pastoral mentoring and love every opportunity to develop new leadership.
PREGNANCY & MISCARRIAGE
A couple of months ago we discovered Raquel was pregnant with our fifth child. It was a complete surprise to us, as we had a surgical procedure done a year ago. We felt blessed the Lord had given us special gift according to His will. At 9 weeks, she flew to São Paulo to be with her father prior to his open-heart surgery. The kids and I remained in Manaus. On the day of her father’s surgery, she felt pain, went to emergency room, checked in, only to find out the equipment was broken. She rushed to the next nearest hospital and they too, had broken equipment. It was only at the fourth location and a few hours later, she received medical help. While her father was nearing the end of his 8-hour surgery, she received word of the miscarriage. Our hearts were heavy laden as we cried, but God’s grace comforted us.
Pray for church planting, evangelism opportunities, discipleship of new believers, pastoral mentoring and the search for a new location. We are grateful to you for the time and resources invested in our favor.
Thankful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
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