New Facility, Discipleship, Family Camp, Mentorship, & More

Posted on 2Apr CATEGORIES: General, Jud & Raquel Hatcher [Brazil], Letters Tags:Tags: Benjamin, church planting, discipleship, evangelism, family camp, foster care, foster care in Brazil, Heritage Baptist Church, Jud Hatcher, Laura, Melissa, mentoring, mentorship, Raquel Hatcher, soccer ministry, Togetherness Network, zeal0

Jud and Raquel Hatcher are third generation missionaries serving the Lord in São Paulo, Brazil. They are part of the “SeedFactory” church planting initiative, which is a movement to plant churches in all 26 Brazilian capitals. Since 2006, 43 churches have been started in 5 states.

April 2, 2025

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Greetings from Brazil! We are excited to share how God has moved in our ministry over the past few months. Your prayers and support have been instrumental in these blessings, and we are grateful for your partnership in the Gospel.

Christmas Evangelistic Production

December was an incredible month. We hosted a Christmas evangelistic production that was attended by 406 people in two presentations. We rejoiced to see 16 individuals make decisions for Christ! Praise God for the work He is doing, and please continue praying for these new believers as they take their first steps of faith.

New Church Facility and First Wedding

In January, we had the joy of moving into our newly leased church facility! This was a milestone moment for our people and has already been a tremendous blessing. We celebrated our very first wedding in the new location—what a wonderful way to maximize the usage of this space!—we received extended family members and friends of the couple with the opportunity to share the Gospel message during the ceremony.

Discipleship Class for New Believers

After the big Christmas production, we continue to focus on spiritual growth and launched a discipleship class for those who have recently come to Christ. This has been a great time of grounding them in biblical truths and preparing them to walk faithfully with the Lord. Please pray for these new believers as they grow in their faith.

“Zeal” Family Camp

We had an amazing two-day youth camp called “Zeal,” which was filled with fun, fellowship, and most importantly, a deep dive into God’s Word. The energy and enthusiasm of these families was contagious, and we are encouraged by their desire to live boldly for Christ.

Soccer Evangelism and Discipleship

Our evangelism and discipleship efforts through soccer continue to thrive. The outreach is growing, and we are seeing lives transformed through the relationships built on and off the field. Please pray for endurance, wisdom, and continued fruit in this ministry.

The Togetherness Network

Pastors and churches part of the Togetherness Network continue to grow and collaborate with each other on building projects and other evangelist and discipleship efforts. Pastoral mentorship and fostering relationships are a significant component of my ministry to these pastors. The church plant in Marilia is growing steadily and has partnered with Heritage Baptist Church in Lexington, KY for prayer, support and mission trips.

Family Update

On the home front, we have much to celebrate! Our daughter Laura is preparing to graduate high school in June and will be heading to Liberty University in August. We are incredibly proud of her and excited to see what God has in store for her next chapter. We also had two birthdays recently, Sarah turned 20 and Benjamin 17. We thank the Lord for the blessings of family and the joy they bring to our lives. Melissa is in 7^th grade and has grown tremendously in her academics and has become a key player in the sports competitions against other schools in São Paulo.

Raquel is actively training foster care parents, social workers, and childcare givers through online and in-person training modules and seminars. She also leads the fantastic children’s team leaders as we work with kids through our current church plant.

Thank you for praying for and supporting us. We are grateful for your faithfulness and encouragement as we continue the work God has called us to do here in Brazil. May the Lord bless you abundantly!

Prayer requests

1) Judson is recovering from left knee surgery and may have to operate on the right knee.

2) Laura twisted her ankle during volleyball practice at school, the MRI shows two torn ligaments.

3) Church growth, evangelism and discipleship.

4) Meetings with the Rawlings Foundation regarding camps in Brazil, networking and local church discipleship of kids who accept Christ during a camp.

5) Assisting with the translation of materials for the first Masters in Youth Ministry in Brazil that begins in August 2025.

Always grateful,

Judson & Raquel
Missionaries to Brazil