Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [May 2013]
May 11, 2013
Hi there, folks,
This is a rare opportunity for us ladies to write this month. I’d like to share with you about two great recent events and a little about family.
“Loving as Christ Loved Us” was the theme of our ladies retreat from Tabernacle Baptist Church last month. This was just for women ages 20 and above at our church camp in the Amazon tropical rain forest, twenty-two kilometers after crossing the beautiful Negro River from Manaus. We spent two sunny days with lots of fun and play, good food, wonderful spiritual enrichment and sleeping in hammocks at night. Our daughter, Leigh, and I spoke for the four sessions on “As We Better Know Our God we Trust Him More” and as we trust Him more “We Love Others as Jesus Has Loved Us”. Wish you ladies could have been with us!
Then on May 4, we had the very special opportunity of seeing our daughter-in-law, Raquel, receive her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Regent University in Virginia Beach and then vacation with her and Judson for a week. Raquel has been a licensed psychologist in Brazil for several years already. She is a very good counselor. She is also a very good mother of four beautiful children. Congratulations Raquel!
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 36 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
Paul and I both were raised in missions and rarely saw our grandparents. Our own children also grew up a very long distance from their grandparents. So, I wasn’t really sure I would know how to be a grandmother; but, I’m enjoying it very much. 🙂
Luke, an affectionate, pre-adolescent eleven-year old, has already won a few friends to the Lord; Sarah, an energetic leader, is eight years old; wide-eyed, bubbly Laura will soon be seven; six-year-old Larissa loves to read and be read to – she has already been through The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe; five-year old Benjamin is excited when he communicates and loves to make you laugh; smiley Melissa is seventeen months old and thinks she is as much of the party as her three older siblings; Noah will have his first birthday next month and already knows his way around on a computer or iphone. Luke, Sarah, Laura and Larissa have already trusted the Lord and been baptized. Great grandkids, yeh?
Come and see us or call me at home. You can call me on your regular long-distance plan at (229)529-8497. That’s a Georgia number but rings in our home in Brazil – will not cost you any more than any other long distance call. I call my mom in Kentucky every day and it only costs us US$25 a year. How about that for a missionary?
From my heart,
Wanda Hatcher
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
Avenida J. Carlos Antony, 172
65063-150 Manaus
Amazonas, Brasil SA
hatcher[at]argo.com.br
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher [March 2013]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 36 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
March 4, 2013
Dear Friends,
Greetings, the new year is well on its way. It has been great with many exciting things happening.
During the month of January, it was great to see the new believers who were saved during the Christmas program and end-of-year activities beginning discipleship classes. I am always thrilled to see their joy as they come to realize all that Christ has provided for them – forgiveness of sin, the indwelling of the Spirit to help them in their daily walk of faith in Christ, loving like Christ loved them and the hope of resurrection. Their joy is contagious even to those who have been saved for many years.
I have heard from the pastors of the churches organized last year; and the Lord continues to give them increase in the number of Christians and their growth in Christ. Pray that the Lord will continue opening doors and raise and send laborers to the fields white unto harvest. We would encourage you to pray for this always.
Even in very difficult situations, it has been good to see how God’s people have responded in a joyful way. One of the young families in the Manaus church had gone through a difficult bout with breast cancer; their peacefulness was notorious as she went through surgery and subsequent therapy. Just as she was finishing her treatment, their oldest child, Juliana – 15 years old now, who was studying in our Christian school, had a seizure and was hospitalized. Through exams and brain scans, doctors discovered she had a very deeply-located brain tumor. There are many small details that showed God’s goodness and constant care. She was eventually flown to Sao Paulo, about 1500 miles from here. There were many delays; but eventually, God brought together a fantastic group of six neurosurgeons to perform the surgery. She came through the surgery with no side effects. Testing revealed the tumor to be malignant. She has begun chemotherapy and other treatments which should last about six months. Juliana and her entire family have had such great peace and very evident joy through all their trials and suffering, which they recognize and attribute to God. Juliana, on the phone said, “I understand and know God is answering prayer. Thank the church for praying for me.”
All of our family, children and grandchildren are well and serving the Lord. We thank you for your prayers. Pray for us when you think of us, and think of us often.
Your missionaries from north and northeast Brazil,
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
Avenida J. Carlos Antony, 172
65063-150 Manaus
Amazonas, Brasil SA
hatcher[at]argo.com.br
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [December 2012]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 36 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
Dear friends,
We send you greetings from the north and northeast of Brazil. Brazilian school begins mid-January and ends the first of December. Seminary and Bible classes had finals and end-of-year parties the last week of November. The Christian school also finished the year. Preparation for the upcoming year and enrollment is at full throttle. This is most important for the success of the coming year. Teacher and staff recruiting and training are also underway.
Leigh Samples, our daughter, is principal of the Christian day school and Pastor Michael Samples, our son-in-law, is Dean of the Bible Institute and Leadership Training. We had a good year and are very thankful for the impact the Word of God is having on all the student body. Pray that many laborers be prepared and sent out to harvest ready fields.
The new churches are doing very well, and the Lord is adding the saved to the churches. The paper work necessary to incorporate with the government and the transfer of facilities is taking about one year to complete. The everyday business and running time seems to fly; often it’s so easy to get caught up in the details and problem solving that we forget the great things God is doing. It was refreshing to be reminded by one of the pastors that twenty-three churches were organized, incorporated to meet government requirements, and properties transferred over the last twelve months.
This caused a swelling emotion of joy and gratitude to Our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father in heaven. The Lord has done great things. It’s precious to know Him, to trust Him, and to be filled with His love for Jesus Christ and His children.
We ask that you pray for us that God will encourage and embolden us in the coming year. All the family, Wanda, the children and grandchildren are doing well.
Thanks for your prayers and faithful support,
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
Avenida J. Carlos Antony, 172
65063-150 Manaus
Amazonas, Brasil SA
hatcher[at]argo.com.br
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [October 2012]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 36 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
Dear friends,
We send you greetings from the north and northeast of Brazil. The past three months have been very busy. We are thankful for all that God is doing. We rejoice that many are coming to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and receive believer’s baptism. Our prayers are for the millions who have not heard or have not believed in Jesus.
Wanda and I have travelled across most of the states in the north and northeast of Brazil in the last six weeks, organizing eleven missions into churches and ordaining eight pastors for the newly organized churches. It is great to see the growth of the gospel and the spiritual maturing of God’s children in each mission. Our desire and prayers for each new church is that they will continue growing and take the gospel to other places.
Churches were organized in the following locations: three in Manaus, in our home state of Amazonas, one in Belem, state of Pará, three in Boa Vista, state of Roraima, one in Fortaleza, state of Ceará, one in Parnamirim, state of Rio Grande do Norte, one in João Pessoa, state of Paraiba, and one in São Luis, State of Maranhão.
I taught a sixteen-hour training seminar in most of these locations prior to the organization. We have also been helping them with all the red tape to get their legal paper work, and the transfer of the property deeds to the new churches, usually a three to six month process.
The Lord’s mandate is still before us. We have visited a great number of small cities and towns with no Baptist churches; pray that the lord will grant us sensitive hearts and wisdom to make best usage of our time and energy.
In the last ten months the Lord has added two wonderful grandchildren to our family, Melissa to Judson and Raquel, and Noah to Leigh and Michael. We now have a total of seven grandchildren. Pray they will all grow in the nurture and grace of our Lord Jesus. The three oldest ones have already trusted the Lord and been baptized. Praise the Lord.
Thanks for your prayers and faithful support,
Paul and Wanda
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
Avenida J. Carlos Antony, 172
65063-150 Manaus
Amazonas, Brasil SA
hatcher[at]argo.com.br
Click here to give.
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [July 2012]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 36 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
July 9, 2012
Dear Friends,
We just came through a record high-water season – the highest in over a hundred years. The rainy season in the Amazon Basin begins in December and lasts until the end of June. During this season, the Amazon River and tributaries are at flood stage for three to four months. Most of the houses are built above flood stage, especially housing built on stilts in the swamp area. Many of the poor families build in these swamp areas because land is cheap, or they just “squat” on it. However, provisions were not made for such high waters as we had this year. As a result, about a hundred thousand people had to move from their houses and seek refuge in shelters or homes of relatives. One of the churches organized last November by Tabernacle Baptist Church was affected by the high waters and was totally flooded for about six weeks. Many of the members lived in lower areas where their homes were flooded for an even longer period. The church here in Manaus had a food drive and furnished food for members of that church and other families in the community whose homes were flooded. It is good to see the outpouring of love by God’s people and His church. The church there has continued to grow even through all this difficulty.
Since last writing you, we had four great joys from the Lord. Our first two are the births of two wonderful grandchildren. Melissa Nicole was born November 30 to Judson and Raquel Hatcher; and Noah Christian was born June 18 to Michael and Leigh Anne Samples. It is certainly a great privilege to have our three children and families (a total of seven grandchildren) near us for the time being, as the Lord wills. Neither Wanda nor I or our own children had the privilege of being near our grandparents as we grew up. So you see, it’s a big deal for us! We are grateful to the Lord and pray for them that they will at an early age come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, trust Him in every area of their life, and love others as Christ has loved them.
The next two joys are also very dear to our hearts. Two new churches were born here in Manaus in the last six weeks. The first is Impact Baptist Church in the community of Ouro Verde. They have made a great impact in their community through their Christian love for one another. The second one is the Victory Baptist Church in the community of Cachoeirinha, also a very loving church, comprised mainly of young couples who are very excited about the Lord. Both churches are very committed to knowing God through the study of the Scriptures , to encouraging each other to trust God in the big and little things each day, and to modeling the love that Christ has shown us.
The sowing and reaping continues. Our prayer is that Christ’s will be fulfilled in us – “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
Thank you for your support. Pray for us always. May God bless you.
Love,
Paul and Wanda
Your missionaries to North and North East Brazil
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
Avenida J. Carlos Antony, 172
65063-150 Manaus
Amazonas, Brasil SA
hatcher[at]argo.com.br
Click here to give.
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [May 2012]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 36 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
Dear Friends,
We started the month enjoying the services and fellowship at the spring conference.
It was a great time to hear and share what God is doing in the life and ministries of our friends and co-laborers in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
While in the US, Wanda and I always enjoy time with Mrs. McGary, my mother-in-law. She travelled with us during our stay; as our time was short, this was the best way to spend the most time possible with her. She really likes to attend the conference and keep up with the mission news.
We were privileged to visit several churches and talk about the work God is doing. We appreciate all the churches and individuals praying for us and contributing to our ministry. Thanks to those who hosted us – New Life Baptist Church, pastor Steve Wainright, in Lexington; Thompson Road Baptist Church, pastor Dave Parks, in Lexington; Calvary Baptist Church, pastor Bobby Green, in Richmond, Ky.; Grace Baptist Church, pastor Mark Pyles, in Fairborn, Ohio; and Emmanuel Baptist Church, pastor Darrell Messer, in Bellbrook, Ohio .
We visited John and Judy in France. This was a long-time dream, and we are thankful for the opportunity God made possible. We also enjoyed the visit with our nephew, Phillip, his wife, Amanda, and their children. This was a great family reunion. We had a chance to catch up on our experiences in the gospel, and see the challenges of sharing the gospel where most are atheist. We rejoiced as we attended the Bible teaching and worshipped with our Christian brothers and sisters of the church in France.
Back in Brazil, we’re back to full throttle. Yesterday evening, I was with the mission in Ouro Verde and was pleased to see their progress during the weeks we were away. I expect they will soon be ready to organize a church.
Thank you for your prayers on our behalf. Pray that the Gospel will continue to spread, and that the Lord will give us wisdom to best optimize the time He gives us.
Yours in Christ,
Paul & Wanda
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
Avenida J. Carlos Antony, 172
65063-150 Manaus
Amazonas, Brasil SA
hatcher[at]argo.com.br
Click here to give.
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [March 2012]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 36 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
Dear friends,
Another year is ended. This one went by so rapidly. We are grateful to God and rejoice in his blessings and mercies.
The Lord blessed; the missions (church starts) had a great year. In October, six of the missions were ready to organize and incorporate as Baptist churches. At the same time six new Baptist ministers were ordained to the gospel ministry. The legal paperwork was a little complicated, however, all was completed. The following month of November, an additional eight churches were organized and properly registered with the government. Six additional pastors were ordained to the Gospel Ministry. Certainly this is reason for us all to rejoice in the Lord. You share in these blessings through your prayers and contributions to missions here in Brazil. Together, we are making friends for eternity. It is certainly a priceless hope to have eternal life. Imagine the joy of being received by friends in eternity – Brazilian friends you never knew in this life time – friends you made by sending the Gospel of Jesus Christ; they believed and now are children of God even as you and me.
Wanda and I thank you, too. Thanks for being prayer partners and giving friends. Jesus Christ has promised “Great is your reward in heaven.”
Now, a news update regarding our family. Wanda and I are doing well. We have great joy seeing our children walking with God and serving our Lord. We are enjoying our wonderful grandchildren – two boys and four girls. All the children, spouses and grandchildren are doing well.
We ask that you remember us in prayer, here are some special requests for the year: that the gospel will continue to grow and those who believe will grow in the Lord. Pray that the door of opportunity for the gospel will stay open. Pray that we will be wise stewards of our time and resources to achieve maximum amount sowing and reaping of the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that God will strengthen us in faith, love and persistence.
We love you in Christ Jesus. May God richly bless you with peace and grace in Jesus Christ.
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
Avenida J. Carlos Antony, 172
65063-150 Manaus
Amazonas, Brasil SA
hatcher[at]argo.com.br
Click here to give.
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [February 2012]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 36 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
January 2012
Dear Friends,
Praise the Lord for a great month. It has been a busy and enjoyable time. We began the new year in south Brazil at my parents’, John and Alta Hatcher. On the weekends, we visited the mission at Assai, where Dad is starting a church. It was a blessing to be with them.
We also visited the church at Uraí, where I preached twice. It’s always good to see the believers we know and rejoice that new believers are being added to the church.
The first full week of January, several of the churches from the state of Parana and São Paulo have family camp. I spoke in the morning services. We always have a great time when we see our friends and Pastors in South Brazil. The distance from Manaus to Uraí is nearly 2,600 miles (distance between Detroit, MI and San Francisco, CA); and, we don’t see them very often. I always love to see how God is blessing each of the churches.
Near the end of last year, the Lord opened the doors to start two new missions in homes here in Manaus. Let me tell about one of the churches. We are in a poor subdivision and the houses are small and built wall to wall. That is, each house shares two walls; the wall on each side is the neighbor’s wall also. The width of the house is twelve feet and we meet in front in an area twelve by sixteen which reaches right out to the street curb. The street is narrow and the gate to the house across the street is about thirty feet away. The main drug trafficker in the subdivision lives there. As we have our Bible Study and services, druggies come and go. We started a few months ago with a handful of people. The Lord has blessed. Two Sundays ago six were baptized and six more are waiting to be baptized next time. At our last service we had forty-two adults crowded in the space. They are growing in knowledge and trust in Jesus our Lord and Saviour. What is very noticeable in the community is how they love and help each other. This has been the greatest influence in bringing the neighbors and the new converts’ own families.
Praise the Lord! May the Lord bless each of us as we invest in spreading the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
Avenida J. Carlos Antony, 172
65063-150 Manaus
Amazonas, Brasil SA
hatcher[at]argo.com.br
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