Pastor from Angola Blessed with Seminary Textbooks
Posted on 6Aug CATEGORIES: AJ & Barbara Hensley [Brazil], General, Letters Tags:Tags: AJ Hensley, Barbara Hensley, BBS, Bluegrass Baptist Seminary, ETEBABI, seminary0
August 6, 2024
Dear friends and family,
What a fast month this has been! We have now completed our first graduation of the Masters of Arts in Pastoral Ministries. What an AWESOME accomplishment, congratulations to our 9 graduates! I can only imagine their accomplishments to come and the lives they will influence. To God be the glory!
This trip was a multi-functional trip, the graduation and a Pastoral Conference in Manaus Amazonas. Dr. Derek, one of our principal professors, gave the first speech at the conference and spoke on the importance of Bluegrass Baptist Seminary and the impact it can have on the Pastors and Church leaders of Brazil.
In this conference I got to meet the Brazilian Pastor/Missionary we have previously mentioned who is serving in Angola, Africa. He was a very quiet, humble person and he will be returning to Africa in November this year. The four of us with BBS decided to bless him with textbooks for the classes he will be taking for the next seven classes. He was overwhelmed with this gift and could hardly speak of his gratitude without crying. You know, sometimes it is the smallest things that bless your heart. It is just AWESOME when you can be a blessing in another’s life. This was a present from all of you who support BFM who give for missionaries’ lives. AWESOME is the God we serve!!! We will never know the influence of this gift until we get to Heaven.
Now back to the graduation in São Paulo, Brazil. The families and Pastors were excited about their accomplishment. We were glad to hear how they have overcome the many moments that Satan had thrown at them. Please pray for these Pastors as they continue in God’s service.
Some of these Pastors who just graduated are beginning a new Seminary there under the auspices of BBS. This will be called ETEBABI. An acronym for Escolar Theolagical Bablical Batista Theological. English it is Biblical Baptist Theological School. This is an offspring of our Seminary which is AWESOME!!! Continue to pray for our Seminary and this new Seminary as we both endeavor to teach the Bible to the Brazilians.
There is a photo included of the Pastor from Angola. There was also a special presentation of an Honorary Doctorate Degree to me. I was taken by surprise and so thankful for this honor.
Pray for us as we continue this ministry and for all those who make this ministry possible. Also keep praying for us as we plan our next trip in October with our church here in Florida.
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.
Read more
Preparing for Seminary Graduation
Posted on 3Jun CATEGORIES: AJ & Barbara Hensley [Brazil], General, Letters Tags:Tags: AJ Hensley, Barbara Hensley, Bluegrass Baptist Seminary, growing, learning, Pastoral Ministries, pastors conference, seminary, seminary degree0
June 3, 2024
Dear friends and family,
Many Brazilian pastors and church leaders have limited theological instruction. Pastoral education has been identified as one of the most critical needs in spreading the gospel in Brazil. Bluegrass Baptist Seminary is diligently working to ensure an efficient, effective and economical resource in support of evangelical training for the evangelical churches of Brazil. Here is the testimony of one of our Brazilian students’ best friends: “These courses will provide me with knowledge of incomparable quality that l would never have access to under normal conditions.” What an opportunity! Praise God!!!
With that being said, these pastors encourage me to keep on keeping on! It is just amazing how our Lord and Savior can help equip His saints! That I can be a small part of this training—AWESOME!!!!
Our spring semester has just concluded, and I am already thinking about the next semester, classes, schedules, professors, translators and so forth. Then there is the upcoming graduation!
Our second graduation will be on July the 20th and there are nine pastors in this group. They chose to delay the graduation so some pastors could complete some courses that they had missed in the year. The degree to be completed is a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministries, which is a degree for Pastors “Only”. The previous graduation was for a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies. Eleven received this degree which included church workers and pastors. Below is a picture of one of our classes before Covid 19. We had great success until we could not join together, but God provided a path for us to continue teaching via Zoom and we are gradually getting back to the numbers. When the devil closes the door God opens a window. What an AWESOME God we serve!!!!
One of the Pastors in this group, a lawyer, was in the make-up class and someone asked him why he was making up this class. His response was “I don’t only want a degree, but I also want all the information they are offering so I can use it for my betterment”.
Just before this graduation in São Paulo, we will be traveling to Manaus to attend a Pastors Conference. There we will encounter many new Pastors and tell them about Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. We will be there for five days getting to know many pastors and church workers. It is our prayer that God will present the opportunities for Bluegrass Baptist Seminary to be included into those seeking more knowledge of the Word and the way to make it clearer to their people. We will be available to those who want to talk to us about Bluegrass Baptist Seminary and we will have a table full of information for them to take home and also read about us. We are invited to speak in the conference also. So, there will be many opportunities to spread the word about the opportunity to study more about God. Pray that we can be a blessing to the pastors in that area as this will be the first time for us to reach that area, and pray that we can be a blessing for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in our conduct and our presentation.
We need your prayers as this trip will be a very tight travel agenda dealing with plane connections as we travel to Manaus then to São Paulo. Each location has its own agenda and each is important to various people.
Barbara will not go to Manaus because of finances but she will spend some time with Mary, Walmir, and the family. It is so necessary to stay connected with the girls as you just turn around and they are grown. The oldest will be 16 in October and the youngest turned 13 in March.
All this is made possible by your generosity and your prayers, and also by the support of all the people who donate to Baptist Faith Missions. We are we mindful of those who love God and want more people to know Him also. We are a part of those who take Him and His word to the foreign fields and you are a part of that by your prayers and generosity.
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.
Read more
Nothing “Just Happens”
Posted on 30Dec CATEGORIES: AJ & Barbara Hensley [Brazil], General, Letters Tags:Tags: AJ Hensley, Barbara Hensley, Bluegrass Baptist Seminary, Caragua Baptist Seminary, Caraguatatuba, seminary0
December 30, 2023
Dear friends and family,
With God nothing “just happens”—and so it is with our seminary. I thought I could give you some insight on how the seminary began.
I was with some Brazilian pastors at a morning meeting (breakfast). The topic of sermon preparation was being discussed and I asked them about their preparation time. I was not expecting the answer I got. The three pastors that I was talking to replied like this, “When we get to church on Sunday morning, we sit, and each of us open the Bible and read the passage where we open. Then we decide which of us has the best reading and that one is the one who will give the sermon.” Well, after I picked up my jaw from the floor and tried not to show my shock, I started to seek God and the Holy Spirit’s guidance on how to help in this situation. The pastor who I was working with and I began to hold classes in our church. We invited pastors and others who were interested in studying the Bible to better present the gospel.
Then we got a visit from a church in the States and their new pastor asked me, “What do you need here in Caraguatatuba?” My immediate response, “A seminary.”
This was the beginning of Caragua Seminary. We got pastors to come down and teach the classes, and there were four planned classes per year: Old and New Testament, Theology and Pastoral Ministries. We gave certificates of completion for each class.
After many growing pains, trial and errors, searching for pastors who could pay for their own way to Brazil, and doubts of how we could accomplish this mission, the Caragua Baptist Seminary came into existence. This provided excellent training to pastors and church leaders empowering them to boldly and effectively spread the truth of the gospel.
Then, in trying to get the Seminary certified in Brazil, we had to change the name to an American name, and thus Caragua Baptist Seminary became Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. The certificate evolved into diplomas with accreditation and all professors have Doctorates and PhD’s from the States. AWESOME!!!! Just another in the many miracles. With God all things are possible!!!
This is and has been an evolving ministry and continues to be due to the Lord. This year our plans are to go into the next phase—our PhD program! God is AWESOME!!! None of this is possible without you and your continued prayers for each of the Pastors and their continued work in the seminaries and our continued health as we go to Brazil to carry on the work for the seminary there. And we want to thank BFM for their continued faith in our work there in Brazil.
If you would like to contribute to Bluegrass Baptist Seminary just designate your offering to Bluegrass Baptist Seminary through Alex and Barbara Hensley to Baptist Faith Missions.
In His service,
AJ and Barbara Hensley
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.
Read more
The Awesome God of Miracles
Posted on 15Aug CATEGORIES: AJ & Barbara Hensley [Brazil], General, Letters Tags:Tags: AJ Hensley, Ashley, Barbara Hensley, Bluegrass Baptist Seminary, healing, miracles, seminary, seminary classes, seminary classes in Brazil, seminary in Brazil0
August 15, 2023
Dear friends and families,
This semester of the Seminary is going great. We are having smaller numbers, but God is in control. There have been 15 in the classes and the interest in the advanced degree is growing. One of Dr. Derek’s classes had a Pastor whose wife was pregnant; the baby came but there were complications, and the baby did not make it, but the Pastor came to class anyway. The Pastor said, “I just need this class”. But I can tell you the class was not only good for him, but the students were blessed with encouragement from each other.
Our time in Brazil was well spent visiting different churches and seeing people from our past. But there was a miracle that happened while were there. Our youngest granddaughter Ashley has been suffering from food intolerances. There were two or three pages of food that she could not eat because she would vomit. So just before we got to Brazil, there was a birthday celebration at church and Ashley begged to eat one of the foods that she had not eaten for two and a half years, so her mom permitted it. We were just waiting for the normal reaction from eating non-permitted food, but the normal reaction did not come. So, she began eating everything she had been missing for so long. You know, we had been asking God for a miracle and He sent us one. So next, we started waiting for her to get sick again. You know…why do we ask for something then doubt when He gives it to us?
God is the AWESOME God of miracles, and we were able to witness one this trip.
Continue to pray for the Seminary and for our traveling to Brazil.
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.
Read more
Reorganizing Seminary Classes
Posted on 17Mar CATEGORIES: AJ & Barbara Hensley [Brazil], General, Letters Tags:Tags: AJ Hensley, Barbara Hensley, Bluegrass Baptist Seminary, Masters Degree, Masters Program, seminary0
March 17, 2023
Dear friends and family,
It is great to report that the Seminary is going great. We are in the middle of doing two classes now and when those are completed, we will do two more. This will be our spring semester. For the fall semester we will have four more classes for a total of eight classes for the year.
The difference with these classes is that they are being done via zoom. In years past that would not even have been thought of, let alone been possible. Also, we are planning to have not only the zoom classes but along with the zoom classes, we will have one of our professors on site at a local church for one of these four classes each semester. That puts a more personal touch on these classes.
We are reorganizing our classes so a student in Bluegrass Baptist Seminary can complete their master’s degree in two years. Some ripples will be encountered, so pray for the students, the professors, and us as we implement these changes. The same degrees will be offered: Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministries, Master of Arts in Biblical Studies. These degrees are with accreditation. Continue to pray for the Seminary and the students. As we look at all that is happening with Bluegrass Baptist Seminary all I can say is, “Our God is an AWESOME God”!
We are planning to be in Brazil either in July or August for a major Pastoral Conference where we can introduce more Pastors to Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. We are just waiting for the time and place to be announced so we can buy our tickets. There we will be able to talk to some of the Pastors who are presently taking the courses and continue encouraging them. And of course we could not go to Brazil without visiting the grandbabies. God gave us the best for last when he gave us our three grands!!!
When we started Bluegrass Baptist Seminary, I had a dream. We have been able to complete a part of that dream so now on to the next part. My dream, wish, prayer was to train the Pastors of Brazil and then because of that training, use some of those graduates to start a four-year Seminary of their own. God is faithful to answer prayers. He is AWESOME!!! I am pleased to tell you that God has put that dream to work. Some of the previous graduates have opened that seminary. The name of it is ETEBABI. They will be using some of the material that Pastor Derek Coleman wrote for Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. They will be able to piggyback on some of our zoom classes to help enhance their curriculum. We serve a God of AWESOME capabilities.
Continue to pray for us as we carry God’s Word to Brazil and for those who help in our support through Baptist Faith Missions.
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.
Read more
Plans for 2023
Posted on 12Dec CATEGORIES: AJ & Barbara Hensley [Brazil], General, Letters Tags:Tags: AJ Hensley, Barbara Hensley, Bluegrass Baptist Seminary, seminary, seminary classes in Brazil0
December 12, 2022
Dear friends and family,
Hope this letter finds all in good health and looking forward to the holidays. This time of year is a good time for reflections on what has been accomplished for God. Nevertheless, none of this could have been accomplished this year nor in the past years without everyone’s help, prayers, contributions, and encouragement! What an AWESOME privilege it is to be a missionary representative of Baptist Faith Missions on the field in Brazil. Seeing lives changed, churches started, ministers encouraged, and seminary classes completed (first graduation for the Masters of Arts in Biblical studies), all we can say is how AWESOME is the Lord and Savior we serve—Jesus Christ. It is just a privilege to be a part of this work.
We will be traveling in January to start the planning for expanding the outreach of Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. Our goal for the coming year is to reach other regions outside of the state of São Paulo. We have been talking to Pastors in two churches and reacquainting ourselves with another Pastor who was going to join with us before COVID. Also, we will be starting an online class with full accreditation. So please continue to pray for us and the Seminary and pray for us as we continue to equip the saints in Brazil to build God’s kingdom through a deeper understanding of His truth in the Scriptures.
Once more, THANK you and God bless you for your faithfulness serving alongside us here in Brazil.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara Hensley
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.
Read more
A Special Visit to Garça
Posted on 21Nov CATEGORIES: AJ & Barbara Hensley [Brazil], General, Letters Tags:Tags: AJ Hensley, Alpha & Omega Home, Barbara Hensley, Edson, fruit of children's home ministry, Igreja Batista da Fé, Luiz, Pastor Epitosio, Pastor Serjio, seminary0
November 21, 2022
Dear friends and family,
While in Brazil for the Seminary graduation we took a few days off just to go back to Garça to visit old friends, pastors, and churches there. This was where our ministry in Brazil started with Pastor Odali and Kathy Barros in the Alpha and Omega Children’s Home.
We spent time with Pastor Serjio and he took us to visit Pastor Epitacio in the old Orphanage property where he pastors the church Igreja Batista da Fe. During this visit we found out that Pr. Epitosio and Fatima will be going back to the northern region in January to start another mission. Then Pr. Serjio will assume the pulpit there. Pr. Serjio was the pastor in the Church where we held the Seminary in Garça and we discussed having our next seminary class for them there.
While in Garça, we met with some of the children who were in the orphanage from the time we were there. Luiz, one of the young men, now lives in the orphanage building and he is now a lawyer. He helps in the buildings and takes care of their legal business. Another young man, Edson, will be graduating in January as a veterinarian. He still lives in Garça where he goes to Veterinary school. How AWESOME is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They call Barb and I mom and dad and we are very proud for them to have been afforded the opportunity to study and advance themselves. Some of you have helped in their educations as you have given to BFM and that was passed on to them.
The Seminary classes are now being planned for the year 2023. We are planning trips in January, March, July, and September. Some of those trips will be classes and others will be meeting new Pastors and churches where interest has been expressed for new classes.
We are planning our holidays a little different this year. We are living in Florida between trips to Brazil so we are bringing our two families to spend Christmas with us here. Our Brazil family is excited but sad because there is no SNOW. But the Kentucky Family is looking forward to coming to the warm weather in Florida. What is the saying? “You cannot please all the people all the time”? But Barbara and I will be pleased because this will be the first time in many years that we can spend the Christmas holiday together.
Speaking of the Holidays it would be remiss of me to not thank all our donors at Baptist Faith Missions for your support all year long. Your prayers and donations are what keep us going in Brazil.
There are no words big enough to show our gratitude so I will just use my favorite one – you are AWESOME!!!!
Continue praying for us and God’s ministry that He called us to do.
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.
Read more
First Graduation in the Master’s Program at Bluegrass Baptist Seminary
Posted on 18Oct CATEGORIES: AJ & Barbara Hensley [Brazil], General, Letters Tags:Tags: AJ Hensley, Barbara Hensley, Bluegrass Baptist Seminary, Masters Degree, Masters Program, seminary, seminary classes in Brazil0
October 18, 2022
Dear friends and family,
It is a great blessing when you can see God’s work coming together with your focus on missions! We have just completed our first graduation in the Master’s program. We had 21 people who completed all the required courses. However, 11 of the Pastors still had to write their thesis papers and chose to not participate until those were completed.
The first 10 graduated with a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies. I was awarded the same degree by the students and the Professors. The 11 Pastors will receive a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministries. They have also completed three additional courses: Greek, Hebrew, and Thesis writing for their Master’s degree.
One of the blessings for me was that one of the students in their graduating class was a member of our last church started in Caraguatatuba. She was a great help in that church – Sunday School teacher, visitation helper, and she perfected her English while there. She also helped Barbara with translation when we had groups from the States. She has now moved to São Paulo to complete her education and was able to come to the Seminary while studying in the University there. Isn’t it AWESOME how GOD works in lives who are serving Him?
In class, there is usually one person who tries to question the Professors in their Biblical knowledge. Well, Bluegrass Baptist Seminary was not exempt to that type of person. But to show you how mighty our God is, not only did this person question the Professors, but he did it constantly. But our Professors were able to answer every questions and this gentleman came on graduation day and asked for forgiveness from the Professors and all the students. Everyone forgave him without question.
Our upcoming classes are being planned, and Barb and I will be going back to Brazil in January. We will be setting up new locations and talking to the Pastors of the new churches. Continue to pray for us as we travel and for our health.
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.
Read more