Partners in Missions
October 28, 2023
Dear friends,
I am sending several pictures and writing less this month. Please, view each picture prayerfully and receive our full expression of gratitude for your partnership with us in missions.
What an incredible time with David and Kym Pitman while they were in Brazil. During their 14 days with us, we traveled to 21 different cities, covering 2055 miles. Visited 24 churches, ministered to 20 pastors and their families in their homes, David Pitman preached 9 times, participated in two debate panels with Brazilian pastors, ministered at 5 Sunday services with 320 people in all, preached at the Saturday Churches’ Gathering in Paraná with 130 present. Spoke at the pastors & leaders’ breakfast meeting with 43 participants in Garça, Sao Paulo. Kym Pitman had 4 speaking engagements with women. We visited the foster care center Raquel coordinates in São Paulo and were joined by 250 people at the September Conference in Lupercicio, São Paulo. There were 48 decisions made (salvation, baptism, reconciliation, and call to ministry).
My parents (veteran missionaries, Paul and Wanda Hatcher) came to Brazil in October. During their trip, we had two leadership conferences where he spoke to the men and she spoke to the women, one in Cornélio, Paraná state, and the other in Alvara de Carvalho, São Paulo State. We visited several pastors and their families in their homes. We also had the opportunity to visit the foster care center Raquel coordinates. It was a significant time with them for us as a family and had incredible moments together at the lake, at the park, at home at the kids’ school, and at church gatherings.
We humbly reach out to you, our faithful supporters, with two pressing fundraising needs:
a) Sound System, Stage, and Tent:
To enhance our church planting and network gatherings, we need a sound system, stage, and tent. The estimated cost for this essential equipment is 10,000 US dollars, considering the higher expenses for such equipment in Brazil.
b) Second Car Purchase:
Due to the increasing demand and rising expenditure on transportation, we urgently need to acquire a second vehicle. The estimated cost for this much-needed resource is also 10,000 US dollars.
As we step into the new month, we ask for your continued prayers and support. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Let’s continue partnering in this Kingdom work.
Grateful always,
Judson Hatcher
Contact Info:
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
São Paulo, Brazil
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
(872) 400-6522
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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Transitions and Plans for the Future
October 26, 2023
Dear Brethren,
The temperature has dropped! Could it be because we left Cruzeiro do Sul, where we were seeing 100’s on the thermometer, and landed in chilly Lexington, Kentucky? Bev and I left home on the fourteenth of this month. We will be here for around 6 weeks. Between return doctor visits and eye surgeries, I will be in and out of clinics at least 10 times. So far, I have gotten through 4 of these. Help us in prayer as you remember.
Attendance continues to improve at First Baptist Church of Cruzeiro do Sul. We just had 2 weeks in a row with over 600 in every Sunday service. We continue to see folks saved and baptized. We also have added several more by letter. Also, there is a steady stream of people who come from other denominations and get their first teaching and preparation for baptism.
Our church purpose statement is this little 3 letter word: AME. First it is the imperative of the verb “to love”. Also, it is an acronym for “Adorar” (worship), Ministrar (serve) and Evangelizar (evangelize). Many of the ministries in our church have incorporated this into their titles. The youth call themselves “AME Jovens”. The pre-teens adopted, “AME Teens”. Just last Saturday this latter group had a special night to preach the gospel to their friends. There were 31 saved! Miller, the leader of this ministry, is a full-time policeman at the state prison. Maybe he just doesn’t want these kids to end up there.
We have had a few changes of pastors in some of our churches. Earlier this year Pastor Eliel, who had been at First Baptist of Japiim (city of Mâncio Lima) took over the pastorate at Ipixuna, state of Amazonas. This is on our river, downstream from us about a days trip. They had been without a pastor for some time. Frist Baptist of Japiim then just recently called Carlos August after being without a pastor for 8 months. Carlos turned over his pulpit at Gethsemane Baptist, to his father and father-in-law. He had been pastor there from the time of the organization until last month. That church is in Iracema, just a few miles down the road. We had a good long talk about all this just before my trip to the States. It looks to be a good situation for all 3 churches. The 2 churches that had been without pastors were in poor shape even before the pastors left. It is good to see how well He takes care of His churches.
Speaking of that…Three Sundays ago I communicated our 5-year plan to First Baptist Church on a Sunday morning. After teaching a lesson on what the Bible teaches about how God plans and human planning, I let the church know that she needs to get ready for the time when I will need to step aside, or down or something like that. My goal was to let the church know that all of our programs and the mission work is already in good hands and flowing. My part in the coming days is to make sure that we finish all the building we need to do at the downtown campus and get a pilot program in place for the move to the new, bigger and better property that we purchased a few years ago. By God’s grace we hope to see that all happen by the church’s 100th birthday on May 12, 2029. If Christ returns before that, great. If He takes me home before that, no problem. Get ready and be ready. He who knows all things knows exactly what He has planned and will do. Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
Mike Creiglow
CONTACT INFO
Mike & Beverly Creiglow
Caixa Postal 24
69980 Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre
Brasil, SA
mdcreig@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.
Read more
3 Students Saved at School!
October 25, 2023
Dear Friends,
One of the subjects that I teach to high school students is Personal Finances. Many of you are familiar with the radio show host and author, Dave Ramsey, who seeks to inform his listeners with biblical principles on how to handle money. His organization did a wonderful job of developing a high school
curriculum on personal finances. As I am teaching this course, I realize just how unprepared teens are to face real-world jobs, paychecks, bank accounts, credit cards, loans, and living on a budget. I’m reminded of how little I knew when I was their age, so I know there’s hope that they can be even better equipped through this course than I was. Using the Bible and the curriculum, I have had several opportunities to share God’s financial principles for His children and His plan of salvation for the lost. This past month, three of our enrolled students professed Christ as their Lord and Savior and two have already been baptized into church fellowship. We are only ten weeks into the school year, so I am very excited about how much more the Lord will do through us.
Yago and Manoela continue ministering faithfully in Portugal. They are encouraged to remain steady in their witnessing and teaching the new converts. They are coming up on their first anniversary of beginning their ministry in Portugal on November 22, 2023. They knew that it was not going to be
easy to evangelize in a country where less than 1% of the population claims to be a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, but the contrast of such dire spiritual conditions compared to the spiritual harvest time in Brazil is stark. We believe that the Lord uses your and our prayers to supply them with motivation and ideas for effective evangelism and biblical teaching. We ask that you continue to pray for them and that the Lord would bless them with fruit for their labors.
The loud-speakers were replaced for our traveling evangelistic team, Projeto Vida. We had already replaced two tires on their van, then our speakers quit. But because of the generosity of a faithful brother (he prefers to remain anonymous), they were replaced immediately, and the team didn’t miss a single scheduled evangelistic event. The team still has a month and a half of the school year remaining and several public schools and parks in which to minister. The Lord willing, our team will share the gospel with over three to four thousand students and adults by Christmas. May He see fit to bring many to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through them.
Our church in Curitiba, Brazil has just concluded a weekend evangelistic event. The Lord blessed by bringing 14 persons to a saving knowledge of Jesus. A “Next Steps” class is scheduled to begin this Sunday for these new believers to begin to study the Bible as God’s handbook for Christian living. There were over 100 members of the church involved in preparing for and putting on the gospel presentation during a three-month period of practice and rehearsals. We thank God for providing the resources and dedication of these faithful servants.
Charlene and I were privileged to visit with Bro. Mark Pyles and his dear church, Grace Baptist, in Fairfield, Ohio and with Pastor Jared Via and the good folk at Hope Valley Baptist Church in Christiansburg, Virginia in October. We are very grateful for the hospitality and generosity shown to Charlene and me while we were with them.
In a few days we will be traveling to Detroit, Michigan to participate in the Thanksgiving Conference on behalf of Baptist Faith Missions sponsored by the New Hope Baptist Church and pastor Terry Adkins. We’d love to see you there.
Charlene and I want to express our gratitude and appreciation to you who pray and give so that we may serve the Lord where He has called us.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Contact Info:
Bobby & Charlene Wacaser
Currently Stateside on Furlough from Brazil
Phone: (813) 501-9328
E-mail: 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
Read more
3 Students Saved at School!
October 25, 2023
Dear Friends,
One of the subjects that I teach to high school students is Personal Finances. Many of you are familiar with the radio show host and author, Dave Ramsey, who seeks to inform his listeners with biblical principles on how to handle money. His organization did a wonderful job of developing a high school curriculum on personal finances. As I am teaching this course, I realize just how unprepared teens are to face real-world jobs, paychecks, bank accounts, credit cards, loans, and living on a budget. I’m reminded of how little I knew when I was their age, so I know there’s hope that they can be even better equipped through this course than I was. Using the Bible and the curriculum, I have had several opportunities to share God’s financial principles for His children and His plan of salvation for the lost. This past month, three of our enrolled students professed Christ as their Lord and Savior and two have already been baptized into church fellowship. We are only ten weeks into the school year, so I am very excited about how much more the Lord will do through us.
Yago and Manoela continue ministering faithfully in Portugal. They are encouraged to remain steady in their witnessing and teaching the new converts. They are coming up on their first anniversary of beginning their ministry in Portugal on November 22, 2023. They knew that it was not going to be
easy to evangelize in a country where less than 1% of the population claims to be a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, but the contrast of such dire spiritual conditions compared to the spiritual harvest time in Brazil is stark. We believe that the Lord uses your and our prayers to supply them with motivation and ideas for effective evangelism and biblical teaching. We ask that you continue to pray for them and that
the Lord would bless them with fruit for their labors.
The loud-speakers were replaced for our traveling evangelistic team, Projeto Vida. We had already replaced two tires on their van, then our speakers quit. But because of the generosity of a faithful brother (he prefers to remain anonymous), they were replaced immediately, and the team didn’t miss a single scheduled evangelistic event. The team still has a month and a half of the school year remaining and several public schools and parks in which to minister. The Lord willing, our team will share the gospel with over three to four thousand students and adults by Christmas. May He see fit to bring many to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through them.
Our church in Curitiba, Brazil has just concluded a weekend evangelistic event. The Lord blessed by bringing 14 persons to a saving knowledge of Jesus. A “Next Steps” class is scheduled to begin this Sunday for these new believers to begin to study the Bible as God’s handbook for Christian living. There were over 100 members of the church involved in preparing for and putting on the gospel presentation during a three-month period of practice and rehearsals. We thank God for providing the resources and dedication of these faithful servants.
Charlene and I were privileged to visit with Bro. Mark Pyles and his dear church, Grace Baptist, in Fairfield, Ohio and with Pastor Jared Via and the good folk at Hope Valley Baptist Church in Christiansburg, Virginia in October. We are very grateful for the hospitality and generosity shown to Charlene and me while we were with them.
In a few days we will be traveling to Detroit, Michigan to participate in the Thanksgiving Conference on behalf of Baptist Faith Missions sponsored by the New Hope Baptist Church and pastor Terry Adkins. We’d love to see you there.
Charlene and I want to express our gratitude and appreciation to you who pray and give so that we may serve the Lord where He has called us.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Contact Info:
Bobby & Charlene Wacaser
Currently Stateside on Furlough from Brazil
Phone: (813) 501-9328
E-mail: 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
Read more
Kids & Teens Learning to Sing and Play Instruments
October 24, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We thank our Lord for the blessed month we have had. We pray and hope that each of you have had a wonderful, blessed month. We thank each of you for your faithfulness in your support and prayers. May God continue blessing each of you. This month has been really great. We are working with the youth and kids and helping them learn to sing and what instruments they want to learn. Pray that God will help those who are learning to work with these kids and teens. Kathy is working with them at the mother church and at Ubim. Pray that this will encourage them to grow and use their talents for the Lord.
We are looking at some other places we may possibly start having services in the homes. Please pray that God will lead us and open these homes.
The work of the remodeling of the Cacau church is coming along and the construction of the camp also. The Lord willing, soon we will be able to use both places.
Once again thanks so much for your prayers and support.
In Christ,
Odali and 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.
Read more
Enhancements to Seminary Classes
October 16, 2023
Dear friends and family,
Sometimes I sound like a repetitive bell ringing. However, with the addition of the PhD program, we are encountering some changes that are needed in the curriculum. So, what is going on now? We are working on changes that are better suited for the enhancement of our NEW program addition (PhD).
Mainly our Greek and Hebrew classes are to be changed to be a more basic structure and we will also be adding an additional class to our Master of Divinity program. The class will be the Dead Sea Scrolls.
An exciting sidenote and a prayer request we are going to attempt to include Africa in our program. This will be done completely by Zoom. We will probably be doing just a certificate in the beginning then grow into being accredited. The problem we are facing is that we require an official bachelor’s degree for entrance into the Master’s program if accreditation for the class is wanted. Otherwise, we can only give a certificate of completion for the course.
All things great and small have a small beginning. Pray for the seminary to be able to assist many more Pastors in their quest for better information (Biblical training and education) to better reach their respective areas with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. AWESOME is the Lord we serve.
As Barbara and I are traveling at the end of this month and through November to Brazil, please pray for us and for the Pastor’s Conference and the meetings for the Seminary.
Also pray for Israel the Hebrew Nation.
We are anticipating the year 2024 to be an AWESOME year!!!! Prayer makes all things possible.
In His Service,
AJ and Barb
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
Two Baptized and a New Bible Study in English
October 16, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We hope this finds you enjoying the Lord’s blessings. Since I last wrote to you, things have exploded in Israel and Gaza. It isn’t the first time it has happened in our lifetimes or during the last several thousand years. It is good for us to remember that God is on the throne. It is important to put our trust in Him; not in human strength or wisdom. Our present Sunday study is the Book of Isaiah. The present events underscore God’s message to Israel through Isaiah.
Yesterday, the son of the couple that hosts our Bible study in the city to L’Union was baptized. It is delightful to witness his enthusiasm for Christ. It is wonderful to see how God works through His children to bring others to himself.
If you have been praying for our newest Bible study with the couple who left the Watchtower Society, God is answering your prayers. Please continue to pray. The lady is quite interested and seems to have truly placed her faith in Jesus Christ. The husband seems to be more reticent; perhaps fearing that he will fall prey to another religious slavery machine. Upon reading this letter, would you pray for their witness to the wife’s family. They will be visiting them during the next couple of weeks and this family is also controlled by the Watchtower Society.
We have been very encouraged by the participation in our Sunday meetings. One lady who had not come for a long time is now attending. She shows an interest and the desire to continue. Another young lady (in first year of University) who trusted the Lord a few months ago through the influence of a Christian young man she was attracted to in High School attends regularly with great interest. She followed the Lord in baptism a couple of weeks ago. You may remember reading in our letter in late Spring about the many young people who came to Youth meeting through contact with Timo, who trusted the Lord and was baptized last summer. This young lady is one of these young people.
This week we will be beginning a second Bible Study in the city of Mazere. It will be in English to attract individuals who want to improve their English. Some folks that we did not previously know have committed to participate. These are contacts of the hostess who works in the Library and Museum in this City. We will be studying through the Gospel of Mark.
Thanks for participating with us in these endeavors.
Yours fellow servants in Christ,
John and Judy
Contact Info:
John & Judy Hatcher
2 T Impasse de la Picardie
31830 Plaisance du Touch
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
Blessed by Students Ministering to Kenyans
October 8, 2023
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
I continue to be impressed with our students at Moffat and their willingness to study and learn and minister in the name of Jesus and for the Kingdom. In the “summer” break before their final year at school, all students go out on what is called their “practicum ministry.” They do practicum ministry every weekend while at school, but this one in the summer before their final year is a three-week missionary trip that they take somewhere within the country of Kenya. They do not all go to the same place but are scattered around Kenya mostly in pairs but sometimes they go by themselves. Their main job is to help or work with a church in Kenya to minister the gospel and propagate the Kingdom. At the beginning of the first term in their final year, the students return and report on their activities, blessings, and challenges they encountered while out on their respective practicum ministry.
What impresses me about these Kenyan (and South Sudanese, Ugandan, Congolese, and Indian) students is their willingness and desire to propagate the Kingdom even in hardship and trials and then to return excited about how God used them in their various ministries. The students are given an assignment at a specific church in a specific location and are basically given enough money to travel to that location and eat for one day…and that’s about it. It really takes a lot of faith for them to go out and minister in this way, that God will take care of them and provide for their needs. This is not my decision to send them out like this, and I don’t know that I would suggest it as a good idea, but it is nevertheless the way that they are sent out.
When asked about the challenges of their practicum ministry, here are some common responses: 1) I didn’t have a bed to sleep in and I had to sleep on a dirt or concrete floor and covered myself with my jacket; 2) I daily had to walk 10 to 20 kilometers (6-12 miles) every day to get to my actual place of ministry and then back again to my lodgings each evening; 3) Besides some bread and chai in the morning and a little rice in the evening, I didn’t have anything to eat. I think I would hate this experience and come back complaining about it. But instead of that, these students return excited about what they were able to do and how God used them in the Kingdom. Here are some common comments: 1) I was able to lead three people to the Lord; 2) I taught children and youth every day about Jesus and how to be saved and follow Jesus; 3) I played soccer with the kids and then afterward taught them the Bible; 4) I went to about 100 homes every day and shared the gospel in each home; 5) My favorite part was the all night prayer meeting we held in the village. Are these not most excellent testimonies? Kenyan men and women reaching other Kenyan men and women with the gospel message of the love of Jesus. One lady student returned who had been assigned to a mortuary (a ghastly place in Kenya. Definitely NOT a sanitized, American, funeral home). Her assignment was to be there each day of her three-week trip and to meet with the families coming to collect the remains of their loved ones (sometimes 50-100 families per day) and pray with them, comfort them, and attempt to minister to them in whatever way she could. Oh, God, please bless this lady student and her work at the mortuary. Bless those who she prayed with and ministered to who had lost loved ones. May her work and the work of many others of our students be used by your Holy Spirit to bring many Kenyan people to saving faith in Jesus and to your Kingdom. Lord, I pray also that you would bless the rest of us, myself and my readers, as we minister in your name and for your Kingdom. Bless our work and our ministries for the good of your people and the glory of your name.
Blessings to all,
Roger, Julie & Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
Moffat Bible College
P.O. Box 70
Kijabe, Kenya 00220
rojuta@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
