A Time of Renewal
May 5, 2022
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
…..“but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
One year ago this week, John and I returned to our home in France, after spending almost 2 years in the states with my sister, Peggy. We were thankful that we could be there to walk with her through the difficult days of illness. It was heartbreaking to watch as her body faded, yet found rest and peace in the knowledge that, as she faded here, she would rise perfected and whole in the presence of our Savior!
We returned to our home that was made spic and span by our church family here. How blessed can we be?! France was still in partial lock down from Covid, so our movements were somewhat restricted. However, our friends and family made our re-entry here warm.
Our year has been filled with “renewals”. Church meetings…after attending via Skype (for which we were grateful). What a blessing to sing together, pray together, share blessings, share heart needs, study together, in the skin! Our recent study has been on how to be the light in a dark world.
Youth meetings…how invigorating to meet, play, eat, and discuss God’s word with teens! Most are ones that have come over the years, so we are blessed to see their growth and commitment.
Bible study group in Mazères…we are encouraged and blessed as we see the quiet growth and expansion of the gospel in this little town, mainly through the dedication of a single Christian lady who lets her light shine. Several have been saved as fruit of the group that meets at her house. Last meeting our hearts soared as an 80…something year old friend just started sharing verse after verse that God had used to “carry her through”.
Old friends…after three times of being cancelled by Covid, we were able to share a meal and afternoon with a couple who are former neighbors. We count each other as dear friends. We continue to pray that they will commit to Christ.
New encounters…just out for a daily walk brought about a weekly English conversation meeting where we have been able to discern their spiritual needs and share Jesus.
The more I write, the more I’m reminded of God’s goodness to us over the past year, however, I’ll stop as I’m sure your eyes are tired!
The verse thought at the beginning of this letter is actually the conclusion of a declaration that begins in the preceding verse, “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall… but…”. Today, if you’re tired, weary, I want to assure you, renewal will come!
Thank you for being a part of God’s work here in France.
Judy Hatcher
Contact Info:
John & Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher@aol.com
Present USA phone 1-812-416-1033
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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What’s a Missionary Wife’s Life Like?
April 22, 2022
Dear readers,
When I’m asked what a missionary wife’s life is like, I guess I have to say that it is as varied as there are missionary wives. This is true because every missionary wife has her own personality and her own set of skills and struggles that shape her. I’m certain that there are many circumstances and experiences that we missionary wives have in common just by the nature of our calling to leave our families, our home culture and language. But how we adjust to all of these is different in many ways because we are different in many ways.
Before anything else, though, I want you to know that I do not consider my life on the foreign mission field a sacrifice or a burden. I am thankful to the Lord for the life He has given me. Yes, I have my struggles and hardships, but I know that each and every one of you do too. Some of mine are completely different because of my calling, but many are very similar to yours. I am both happy and fulfilled in what the Lord is using me to do here in Brazil. I thank Him for the privilege to serve Him where I am.
Charlene 
Charlene & Bobby 
Charlene with some of their church ladies for Children’s Day 
Charlene
It is hard for me to put a title on my role, so I will just share some of the things that I do and not worry about titles. I help our couples’ ministry team leaders prepare for our outreach events. We usually hold 4 to 5 of these events per year. They are basically two-hour banquets, each with a different décor theme and different marital issues in focus. My husband, Bobby, usually brings a message addressing the marital principle in focus and always shares the gospel with the lost guests. My part is to help plan the décor and set up the auditorium for those who attend.
I also work with our children’s teaching ministry. We have put together a great team of volunteers who are gifted teachers and I assist them now. Through the course of our ministry and with each new church plant, I am usually the first and main children’s teacher as we begin to discover and develop new teachers from among our new converts.
Maybe one of my most important roles, though, is to assist Bobby in whatever he needs me to do. When he has to counsel women, he always has me with him, both for my female input and for ministerial integrity.
Our home life is one of the strongest illustrations of what we teach and of what he preaches, so I realize that I must give great attention to making it both pleasant and solid. We have raised our children and we now have an “empty nest,” but I want it to still be full of joy and love.
The hardest part for me as a woman is the absence of our children and our grandson. But I would rather be 5,000 miles away from them doing what the Lord wants me to do than to be in the same city with them when that’s not His will for me.
My prayer request is that Bobby and I will always be attentive to the Lord’s leading. We want to be in fellowship with Him so intimately that we will know when and where He is leading us to new opportunities to share the gospel and plant new churches.
I am really grateful to all of you who pray for us and for the faithful support to maintain our ministries.
Yours in the love of Jesus,
Charlene Wacaser
Contact Info:
Bobby & Charlene Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279
Sobrado 1, Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR. Brasil
Phone: 55-41-99899-2333
bobbymichael_1@hotmail.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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Ladies from Church Taking the Gospel to Villages
April 21, 2022
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Pray and hope that all are doing well. We are doing great. This year has been unusually rainy. The virus problem has stopped, and we have been able to reach out to more communities. The work in the village of Ubim is growing more and more. I still have the work with the children during the afternoon and then at night, Odali is doing a service for adults. This has really been a blessing.
We are working more and more with the church members to get involved in the different ministries. I try more and more to involve the ladies in different ministries and try to help them find the area they can help in. More and more are starting to get involved.
Our plan is that as more members get involved, we can go to more places to have services in the villages. Thank God, more ladies in the church are getting involved. The greatest difficulty here is that most of the women do not drive and lots of the families do not have cars. So, this makes it harder for some. We want to make teams that can work together. Since I work with kids and teens, from time to time, I take some of the ladies and girls of the church to help me.
My request for prayer is that God open the eyes and hearts of the members of the church to see the need to take the gospel to these villages. Pray that the women see the need to get more involved and minister to the kids and young people. Most of them have never done things like this. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support!
God bless each of you ladies and your families.
Love in our Savior,
Kathy Barros
Contact Info:
Odali & Kathy Barros
Iranduba, Amazonas
Brasil, SA
odali_kathy@hotmail.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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Following God’s Will
The Hensleys have served the Lord in Brazil, South America since 1996. They have worked with orphanages, started mission points, established churches, and are presently conducting a seminary to train Brazilian pastors.
April 16, 2021
Friends and family,
It is getting close to the time to recognize the mothers and the women who have followed God’s will in following their husbands to the mission field. For those of you who know me, you know that I was a reluctant follower. And for those of you who are getting to know me, it was not that I did not want to follow God’s will, I just wanted to rearrange His will. You see, we were traveling to the mission field every year carrying things that the missionaries needed and also taking people to introduce them to mission works. This is what I was trying to tell God and my husband that this was His will for our lives. But as you know, after four years I came to the realization that there was much more to do for Him.
So, we spent 21 years in Brasil and I loved every minute of it. Then AJ got cancer and we had to come back to the States for his treatments, and the decision was made that the treatment would be a long and arduous one, and we needed to stay here, so we helped the church call a new pastor and we moved home to Kentucky.
Now as I told you, the moving to Brasil was a difficult decision—the moving back to the States was a million times harder. You see, we had made Brasil our home and were planning to live there until God called us home to our heavenly home. This time we had decided God’s will for our lives without consulting Him. He had other plans for our future and we are following them now.
God had prepared a job we could do for Him and stay in the States. AJ, with the help of others, had started a Seminary in our town of Caragua and God expanded the reach of this Seminary farther than we could have ever imagined. We are now in five states and seven cities and almost four hundred students enrolled. We travel to Brasil four times per year and teach for two weeks the intensified version. Then we leave the students with lots of homework. When we come back to Brasil, we repeat this again in another city. You see, we are a traveling Seminary because the students do not have the resources to travel to us.
Now you ask what do I do during this time in Brasil? Glad you asked—I get to visit the church we left in the hands of our son-in-law and daughter. And, OH YES, my granddaughters.
So now let me tell you about the last year and a half—I have packed our suitcases four times and unpacked them once. You see, we have not been able to travel because of the virus. I began to get smarter each time, so I just left them packed and in the middle of the floor waiting for the GO signal. We have had four tickets to travel to Brasil and lost the first tickets, but I also got smarter with each passing time and began paying for the insurance. My grandbabies have outgrown over half of the clothes that were in the first suitcases. The chocolate has gotten that white color on it and—oh well—you can imagine the rest.
We were all set for the April trip, but we had not told the grands because they have been disappointed enough. It was good that we did not tell them because you see Brasil got its second wave and we had to cancel again.
The seclusion, the fear and all that has gone with this COVID-19 cannot stop our God! He is on the throne and He is in charge so we will wait on Him and His infinite wisdom.
For He knows the plans He has for us, plans to prosper and not for evil to give us a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
In His service,
Barbara Hensley
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
592 Emery Court
Lexington, KY 40505
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
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Walking the Path God Has Set for Us
Judy Hatcher has been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France with her husband John since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
Dear Friends,
How thankful I am to be given the opportunity to share a bit of my heart today. April is a special month for me…my birthday month! I feel blessed to have a Spring birthday because the whole creation emerges after a cold, hard winter to be reborn with color, new life, beauty!
I’m also reminded of my new birth in Christ. As an innocent ten year-old, I had no idea of the wonderful life that was beginning. I also had no idea of the rocks or curves that would be in my road. I did know, however, that the One who gave His life for me would hold my hand, guide me in the dark, share my joys, never leave me and that His ways were above my ways and better than my ways.
Would I have predicted that the year 2020 would hold pandemic (as I child I didn’t even know the word!), unexpected blessings, death, new opportunities, frustration? Not a clue! But I knew the Savior and He has been more than enough! Being locked down physically did not cut me off from my Lord…rather gave me opportunity to focus more on Him. I have had the privilege of standing in awe of my Father as He has rained down unexpected blessing after blessing. He has placed people in our path to help us each step of our way. I have felt His comfort and peace as I watched my sister pass from this old earth to glory. In rather mundane ways, God has given us opportunities to share Him with people that we would have never met if it weren’t for coronavirus. But oh, the frustration! We desire to go home and yet it seems as we pass each step the next sign reads, “two more weeks!” So, once again, I must rest on His chest and realize that, just as in the past, He knows what He is doing! It’s my place to wait, to love, to walk with Him and share His love with those He puts in our path.
So, together, let’s walk the path He has set for us with joy, sharing His love with those who we encounter each step of the way.
Judy
Contact Info:
John & Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher@aol.com
Present USA phone 1-812-416-1033
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.
Read more
News & Reports – May 2020 [Online Edition]
The Online Edition of May 2020 BFM News & Reports is available at the link below. Read how God is working through the lives of our faithful missionaries and continue to pray for them.
Note: You can also click on any headline to view the story on our blog.
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May 2013 Mission Sheet [PDF & Flip-Through]
Your May 2013 Mission Sheet is now available in PDF format. Follow the link below to view it! This month’s edition features letters from our Missionary Wives.
You can also flip through the mission sheet at the link below. When flipping through, you can enlarge the pages by clicking the magnifying glass with the arrow in it. ( <–> ) Flip by clicking on the curled up page corner.
(Once you get there, click at the bottom of the page to flip through.)
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