News & Reports – February 2024
The Online Edition of the February 2024 BFM News & Reports is available at the link below.
*Remember you can click on any headline to view the post/letter on our website.
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Blessed Christmas Musical & Plans for 2024
January 18, 2024
Dear Brethren,
Sure hope you all had as blessed Christmas as we had. The Christmas Musical lasted 6 nights this time. We had over 1000 people every night. On Christmas night we had over 1500. Over 350 of our members were part of the effort. My daughter Crissy writes the script and produces the whole thing. She has a close crew who works with her, of course. One of the TV networks did a long in-studio interview with her. That kind of thing used to end up in my lap, but not anymore. The transition to others is happening. We had heavy rains right up to the first night. Then the Lord said, “Stop!” The rains resumed the very next day after Christmas. The very best part though was that 20 souls were saved.
We had just under a thousand people at our New Year’s Eve service. Two more people were saved that night.
January is usually a slower month. We let folks rest a little before the flurry of activities of the new year kick in. All this month I am preaching from texts about the second coming of Christ. The messages have stirred Christians and there have been more folks saved, too. Two of our pastors are taking their vacations during January, so I have been more active than usual in and out of the pulpit.
We are also restarting our construction cycle and even starting some new building projects. There is still much to be done on our buildings, inside and out. We are also putting in a deep well at church. There are times that city water can’t keep us supplied. Water and electricity have always been a problem here in Cruzeiro do Sul. We are also doing some building at camp Salém.
Bev and I went to visit our congregation in Guajará, Amazonas last Sunday morning. We had a great time with the small group there. A few weeks ago we had to pull our missionary out. He and his wife were about to kill off what had been built up over the years. He is a 50-year old teenager who can’t handle his finances and his wife walked all over him running the show at the congregation. Not a good formula for success. Pastor Pedro and I (plus wives) sat them down to give them the news. We have brought them back in to try to help them find their way for future ministry. We shall see. Not an easy thing to do, but it is part of working with so many different people. Anyway, the few that are left are ready to dig in and get back to work. Bev and I thoroughly enjoyed our time talking with them and making plans for the coming days. They have a big brand-new building that will seat 300 people. There are only about 30 members left, but it will come back, by God’s grace.
Tomorrow I’m off to the upper Moa River. We leave at 6:00AM and hope to make it all the way to the mountains before dark. Two of our missionaries are going with me as well as one of our pastors. Exciting stuff.
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.
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Numerous New Opportunities & Many Answered Prayers
January 17, 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We hope this finds you enjoying the beginning of the new calendar year. Thank you for your faithful support. Things are going well here and God has blessed us with good health.
The Lord has encouraged us during the last few months with numerous new opportunities and many answers to prayers. Here is one example: On the eve of the 29th day of December we received a lengthy text from someone we thought had brushed us off two months earlier. We had been having Bible studies with this individual and then it seemed like they were avoiding us by making excuses about not being able to schedule the next Bible study. My opinion of what had/was happening was totally wrong. We are now back to regular meetings with this lady. She has been through some trying times.
Our weeks are filled with meetings with individuals and groups. Some of these are with people who are seeking but not yet believers. Some are with people who have recently put their faith in God. Making disciples takes time. There are 9 different meetings in 7 different locations with people from 6 different cultures. Most are in person, but some are over internet. Each of these is a different study. Most of these meetings are with Judy and me. Some involve other believers. There are also other encounters that are one-time events that open new doors.
The enabling and wisdom we need come from God. Only God can give eternal life to people. However, just as our Father used many people to prepare us for the work that He has given us, He uses us to give the Good News and prepare other disciples to serve Him in the work He is doing. It is not mass production and simply ticking steps off the chart. Every individual is different and it is not a cookie cutter production. Our example is Jesus. No two encounters between Jesus and those who needed Him described in the Scriptures are the same. He sought the Father’s will and we want to do the same.
Thank you for your prayers and contribution to what God is doing here.
Serving the Savior with you,
Judy and John
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.
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Ministering to Street People in Manaus
January 16, 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We pray and hope that all of you have had a blessed beginning to a new year. Things are going well here. Thanks for your prayers and support.
We had a great New Year’s Day dinner at church. After the dinner, I told the church that we were going to take all the food that was leftover to the street people in a plaza in Manaus. They all agreed. I went the next day with a group and we gave out several plates of food. We plan on doing this more times.
We have several new families coming to our church. The population is growing on this side of the river. What is great is that they are getting involved in the church ministries. Our fellowship meals have been wonderful. More couples are getting involved. It makes a great time for fellowship and also to talk about ministry.
We have started the next building at the camp. With this being rainy season, things are a little slower. Also, we plan on getting back to the church of Cacau. There we need to raise the floor. We have to take quite a few truckloads of dirt, then spread it out so we can concrete it. With the rain, that slows the work down. Since the church is right on the edge of the street, we can’t put too much dirt on the sidewalk. As the dirt is being dumped, we have to have workers put it inside the church. The Lord willing, we can get that done soon.
We have had several saved. The Lord willing, we will have baptism in the new baptistry. We used to baptize at the lake. Now the church has built a baptistry.
May God bless each of you. Thanks for your prayers and support. You are an important part of the ministry God has called us to do.
Love 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.
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A Year of Harvest + Traveling to Portugal
January 12, 2024
Dear Friends,
We are happy to report that, during the final quarter of 2023, every one of our ministries experienced growth through conversions and baptisms. The Lord has truly done great things!
Southern Brazil:
Our traveling evangelistic team, Projeto Vida, had the opportunity to minister in 3 different states in southern Brazil. The team of 12 missionaries presented gospel skits, shared their personal testimonies, and preached in 11 public schools. In each of these schools, many lives were changed eternally. It usually isn’t possible in these venues to get a precise number of decisions for Christ because it’s not permitted to give an “altar call” at the conclusion, but in the one-on-one conversations immediately following the presentations many people share how they sensed the Lord convicting them of sin and their need for Christ’s salvation.
The year 2023 was definitely a harvest year for Projeto Vida. All total, there were over 2,000 public professions of faith in Christ. There were also over 40,000 people who heard the gospel proclaimed clearly through our mission efforts. We are looking forward to even greater opportunities and results in 2024.
Portugal:
Our missionary couple to Portugal, Yago and Manoela Guedes, also experienced God’s blessings on their mission endeavors. They have now finished their first full year in Portugal. They have three Bible study groups who meet regularly. Although it is difficult to find a convenient location to hold services, the Lord blessed them with a conference center that allows them to rent by the hour on scheduled meeting days. The cost is reasonable, especially when compared to what it would cost to lease or buy a permanent location. Yago and Manoela are a highly motivated and dedicated couple. Portugal speaks the same language as their native Brazil, but the cultural and spiritual climate in Portugal is much different. In Brazil, a large majority of the population is openly receptive to gospel conversations or presentations, whereas in Portugal, the people are predominantly agnostic or apathetic toward biblical truth. Although the results are slower to come in, Yago and Manoela know that it is their calling to be faithful in sharing the love of Christ, both in word and in actions and leave the results to the Lord.
Charlene and I will be traveling to visit them at the end of January. I will be assisting by teaching at some of their meetings and Charlene will assist Manoela from her wealth of cross-cultural experience.
We are presently working on the itinerary for outreach among some native Indian tribes in Argentina and Paraguay that we plan to minister to in early March. If any of you are interested in accompanying our group, feel free to contact me as early as possible. We are excited about this unique experience and the privilege of making Christ known to these tribes.
Charlene and I are very grateful for your faithful prayers and support so that we may minister as the Lord guides 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
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News & Reports – January 2024
The Online Edition of the January 2024 BFM News & Reports is available at the link below.
*Remember you can click on any headline to view the post/letter on our website.
Read more
First Meeting at New Mission Point
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
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Nothing “Just Happens”
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.
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