Missionary Update: The Hensleys in Brazil [July 2014]
The Hensleys have spent nearly 15 years serving in Brazil. They run a vocational school and orphanage in Caraguatatuba and have also established a church and mission points throughout the city.
Dear friends and family,
Here we are again at the end of the month and I feel like we have just begun the month.
Praise God we have had an AWESOME month: We have had a group here that dedicated themselves to evangelism. They came from various Churches in various states and met here in Caraguatatuba. We spent 2 days training and then headed out into the neighborhoods around the Church. We shared the Gospel with many people and in 10 days 64 people came to know the Lord as their Savior. We began the following week to have small group meetings in the homes of those who accepted Christ. At the first meeting, we had over 17 people in attendance. These small groups are to disciple those who are new in the faith and to train them how to do daily Bible studies and have quiet time with the Lord. The next step is to train our Church members to be disciplers so that they can teach these new Christians.
From all of this we have seen an increase in attendance at Church. We are having from 2 to 6 visitors each service. God is at work here in Caraguatatuba. To Him be the glory!
During this time, two of our youth accepted Christ as their Savior. It is so exciting to see them on fire for the Lord. We took a group of young people to an orphanage on the other side of Sao Paulo to spend a week taking care of the children and the home while the regular caregiver takes a vacation. These young people got up at 6:45 every morning and had their quiet time from 7 to 7:30. Then their day began…… They made breakfast, helped the children with their personal hygiene, cleaned bathrooms, cleaned bedrooms. While some went to the wash room to do clothes, others went to the kitchen to start lunch. After lunch they had another time of Bible study. Then there was time to play with the children and then help them with their home work. During that time, the adults were building a playground for the children. Don’t forget the evening meal that had to be prepared and dishes and pots and pans that had to be washed. After all that was done, they gathered together again for a time of devotional lead each night by one of the young people. There were 6 adults that were there to help also, but it warmed my heart to see those young people taking the lead in these activities. Two of the children at the orphanage accepted Christ as their Savior during that week. Even more impressive was today I returned to finish some work with some of the men from our church and four more of the children had accepted Christ and they were having their time of Bible study and Quiet time. God is AWESOME!!!!!!
I think we have conquered the mechanical work on our vehicles. Only Barb’s car now needs the overhaul job finished. Then we will be ready to start it all over again. But that is the way it is with old cars–there is always something to be done. God has been good through all this expense, and He is providing through you, our faithful givers, so that we are able to pay monthly on the bills. THANK YOU ALL.
We are expecting visitors the middle of the month and one of the things that we are planning to do is go back to the prison and resume the work that we have been doing there. Please pray for the inmates there and that God would greatly use us there.
Summer is about half over so that means you still have time to come down and enjoy our winter weather. We are having temperatures of about 69 to 72. So if you want to get out of the heat, come on down! Your room is ready and we will put more water in the beans. Come see what your mission dollars sent through Baptist Faith Missions are doing here in Caraguatatuba, Brasil.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Hensleys in Brazil [June 2014]
The Hensleys have spent nearly 15 years serving in Brazil. They run a vocational school and orphanage in Caraguatatuba and have also established a church and mission points throughout the city.
Friends and family,
This month has turned into a wonderful time of ministry in our area. We have, with the help of our friends from 1st Baptist Centerville Georgia, completed another drywall project in our Church building (this area we will be using as a storage room). What a blessing. We were also able to do a Bible School at our Church and there were 53 kids more or less. We also painted the lower half of the Church building dark blue, and it completely changed its appearance.
We put many months of planning into the projects that were accomplished and when the group arrived we hit the ground running. Everything turned out wonderful. After the work here at the Church building, we went to the Indian reservation in Parati to build a playground for the children. Now this playground area as it turned out was a monster of a project. It took three days of intense, muddy, hard work.
As we were working the children started to work with us. Helping carry logs, set up our tools and building their own things with our scraps. Needless to say the work slows down when children appear on the work site. But it was just AWESOME!!! Now you might ask, ‘Why did we build this playground for these children?’ The answer is simple, we want to reach that village for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The Chief of this tribe is 95 years old, and on our other visits, he shows up to greet us and receive the presents that we bring him (usually I take a knife or a baseball cap or something personal for him) and he goes back to his home. This time as the construction began to take shape, he climbed up on a rise and began to watch (either the work or the children playing and us interacting with them). I think for the first time he began to see us differently. This tribe has a missionary working with them and we just work with him in these endeavors. We and he are allowed to witness to these Indians only in their homes, but this time that was different also. As we gave them their food baskets (there were 25), we were allowed to pray with them where we were working. As we were taking the group picture, the Chief disappeared and then returned with the most beautiful bow and arrow. He then presented it to me as the group leader from him and his tribe.
Now that might not seem like much to you. However we were told later that this is the first time the chief or the tribe has given a present to an outsider. We are working toward the goal to open this tribe so that the Gospel can be preached there freely. In the 3-5 years that we have been going there, we only know of 5 people that have accepted the Lord as their Savior. That does not seem like much, but that is 5 that will not go to hell.
It is our prayer that you pray for them and the work that goes on there. There are around 250-300 people that are in this tribe. They ALL need to know our Lord and Savior as their personal Savior.
It has been just an AWESOME month of work here in Brasil.
On the other side, our truck has just gotten out of the garage getting the motor overhauled and back on the road. Thanks to Pastor Todd and Church for the financial help. Our bus got out of the garage last Saturday but went back in on Monday. As they were removing some parts to do some minor work, the brake drums fell our in their hands. So we will be without a bus until these repairs can be done. We have had the shocks replaced, broken springs replaced, and the drive shaft support was hanging on by one screw, and now the brakes. But God has protected us through all this. We could have had a big accident if any one of these things had finished breaking on the road. But God protected us. Is He not AWESOME!!! And through all these expenses, He is supplying our daily needs.
Keep praying for the Church as it is growing each week. Sunday night we had 82 in attendance. There seems to be 5 or more visitors each week. To God be the glory!
Keep in your prayers the seminary in September, the Indian village, the prison ministry, the rehabilitation center and the orphanage and our health. Thank you in advance for your prayers. And if you want to help with the expenses for the bus you can contribute through Baptist Faith Missions.
This month has also been one of celebration: Barbara and I have had our 48th anniversary and I am having another birthday. Thanks for all the well wishes.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Hensleys in Brazil [May 2014]
The Hensleys have spent nearly 15 years serving in Brazil. They run a vocational school and orphanage in Caraguatatuba and have also established a church and mission points throughout the city.
Dear Friends and Family,
Sometimes we don’t realize how fast our lives are going. I came to realize this in this past month. Barb and I went to the States for 3 weeks this month. I had my plans made to visit several Churches and get some needed check-ups done at the doctor’s office while Barbara visited her mom. We had purchased tickets for me to do this traveling so it would be easier for me to get to various Churches.
Well, we all know that our plans sometimes are not God’s plans. This time my plans did not combine with what God had in store for me. We got to the States on Wednesday and on Thursday I got word that my older brother, Big John, had been taken to the hospital. He did not make it to the hospital–the heart attack took him in route. I did not get to say hello nor goodbye to him. All our plans changed; however, one of the beautiful things that I can say is, that as brothers, we had an excellent relationship. Even more AWESOME I can say that he was saved and serving the our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Even though I miss him terribly, I know from his life and testimony he is in a much better place.
We are making plans to visit the States in January and February of 2015 and maybe the ticket that I could not use to visit some Churches will still be usable. God is in control and we ask for your prayers.
So allow me to put some more prayer requests in front of you all. As you know streets and roads here are not in the best of conditions so we have lots of suspension and tire problems. Add the fact that our vehicles are getting old (the newest is 2001) and well used. We are now having to overhaul the motor in my truck. I just did this last year and it cost around $5000.00 and now it looks like we will have to do it again. So please pray for our vehicles as they are ESSENTIAL in our ministries. If you are financially able to help us with this expense, THANKS in advance. Since we are on the topic of vehicles, our bus is now ending minor repairs and this preventive maintenance hopefully will prevent major problems.
Easter came and went while we were in the States. The Church held the service on the beach and had a baptism in the ocean. I missed the opportunity to do the first baptism in the ocean. Now that we are back and have done visitation, we are ready to have another baptism and who knows–maybe they will want to have it in the ocean. Isn’t God AWESOME???!!! We are getting ready to have our Mother’s Day service. We are planning for the mothers of the children that come to Sunday School to bring their moms who normally don’t come. The Bible says that ‘a little child shall lead them’, so we are getting ready to present Christ and Him risen to these mothers.
Also while in the States, I had a very thorough check-up. It seems that the only problem that I have now is sugar. (No I am not that sweet.) Hopefully I can avoid taking medication by exercise and adjusting my diet. Sometimes we don’t think about healthy lifestyles util we are too late. To be treated here in Brasil in our area, it would be a problem because our hospitals are not really up to date–and this is an understatement. So pray with me for me to eat right and exercise to get ahead of this problem.
The end of May we will receive a group from Centerville Baptist Church in Georgia. They are coming to work and evangelize. How AWESOME is that when God sense extra hands for the labor! Their project is to help at the Indian village constructing a playground for the children. We will have backyard Bible School for the children while the playground is being constructed. It is really hard sometimes to realize how AWESOME of an impact this has on an area. It is not important where you go–it could be at the Church, an orphanage, or to the Indians, but just the fact that a group comes here is wonderful for our ministry. Our people can hardly believe that someone cares enough for them to pay for their tickets to come here and help them. This shows that God’s love is abundant everywhere.
They took a group of faithful Sunday School kids to the zoo one Saturday on the church bus.
We got back to Brasil on Thursday and on Saturday we took a group of Sunday School kids that had been faithful in coming to Church on an outing to the zoo. There were 17 kids and some adult chaperones. A wonderful time was had by all. Some of these kids had never been to the zoo and had not been on a long trip. We traveled 3 hours on our Church bus and Barbara did not let anyone sleep. She kept watch and who tried to sleep got their face painted with lip stick. The kids were helping her to catch those who went to sleep.
We have, as always, hit the road running when we got back. There were many visits to be made and many lives to be helped by Gods Word. Pray for us–for our health, for our finances, for the ministry, for the plans that we are trying to complete at the Church and for the attacks that Satan is hurling at us.
We would love to have you come and see what God is doing here in Caraguatatuba and for you to be a part of this work. Come on down we will put some more water in the beans and throw some more grains of rice in the pan.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Hensleys in Brazil [March 2014]
The Hensleys have spent nearly 15 years serving in Brazil. They run a vocational school and orphanage in Caraguatatuba and have also established a church and mission points throughout the city.
March 10, 2014
Dear Friends and Family,
Well, with our church only a little over one year old, we have had our 1st revival. It was lead by Pastor Mike Dorough from 2nd Baptist Church in Warner Robbins, Georgia. Even being a young mission, we had many re-dedications and commitments. While he was here, we had a baptism, the second of the year, and now we are planning another on the 16th of March. How AWESOME is the Lord we serve.
While Pr. Mike was here, his church sponsored many food baskets. First, we were able to minister to the people in our church and then to the Indians in Parati. Many of our church family have physical needs, needs for food and clothing, and also spiritual needs. We are located in a very populated area. The city government has constructed many houses and are planning more. These are for the families that couldn’t afford to buy a home for themselves. They, the government, are planning more, and this is good for the residents as this is one of their greatest needs. This reminds me of the 70’s and 80’s there in the States when the government built the 235 homes. We are hoping that many of our members will be selected to receive one of these homes. But we are also looking forward to being able to evangelize in these new neighborhoods.
Now for an update on the Indians in Parati – we don’t realize what poverty really is until we make a visit to these Indians. There we see profound poverty. After a visit to these people, we, as a Church, realize that we can and are making a difference in the lives of these people. We always take something when we visit. Sometimes it is food, clothing, and other times we take Bibles and Bible studies. But as you have heard me say many times, we can’t help with their spiritual need until we help with their physical need. This month we took some of our youth and they came home with a different outlook. They realized that they are truly blessed. And they were encouraged to do more for the Lord.
Now for the rest of the story about this particular visit. On the way to visit these Indians, Barbara was sitting with one of the youth and was witnessing to her about our Lord and Savior, and this young lady accepted Christ as her personal savior. AWESOME!!! How great is our Lord!!! And just to think that this happened when we were going to visit with a people group that serve many gods. Our God is alive!! So, as you pray for our work here in Caraguatatuba, don’t forget to pray for these people. And pray for the missionaries that work with them. Their labor is hard as they have seen maybe only 6 come to know the Lord.
These Indians are not the only group here who need our prayers. We work and minister with a group that are in recuperation from drugs and alcohol. They are really special for me as they are wanting to change their lives. And in this group, the only medicine they receive is Jesus Christ. We pick some of them up on Wednesday night and take them to Church. This is the ones that want to go, and there are about 15 to 23. When they go, they are our responsibility. There in the recuperation center, they live under a very strict routine. While at Church, we have to monitor them so that they don’t leave the building. But all that is worth it when you hear them praising the Lord in song.
This week we had a going home party for one of men. We served cake and ice cream, and we presented him with a study Bible. This was a gift from our Church as he has been one of the faithful ones. He broke down and cried. He also gave his testimony and it was AWESOME.
We have been doing lots of work on the Vocational School this month also. The dorm house and the shop where lots of training will happen. The group in rehab are anxious to start classes here. This week they volunteered to clean and maintain this property.
We have been working on the papers to make our school and our church legal in the eyes of the government. We are jumping through many hoops. Pray as we are submitting our paperwork this week. We know that God is in control, but He loves to hear from His servants, so PRAY.
It would take lots of paper to tell you everything that God is doing here in Caragua. So it would be a good idea to come on down and experience the many blessings and miracles we get to experience on a daily basis. We are not saying we do not cry sometimes or that we do not experience problems–that is just a part of life–but seeing lives changed–that is what it is all about.
Find out where God is working and get involved.
Keep us and our work in your prayers.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Hensleys in Brazil [February 2014]
The Hensleys have spent nearly 15 years serving in Brazil. They run a vocational school and orphanage in Caraguatatuba and have also established a church and mission points throughout the city.
February 11, 2014
Dear Friends and Family,
Sometimes it is hard to imagine how busy we can get.
The new Year began with our New Year Eve service and here being a good Baptist, we had an AWESOME meal. Lots of good fellowship and good food. We started praying at 7 minutes til midnight and prayed in the new year. There was something that made the New Year special, and that was that we had our good friends from the States with us, PJ and Jenny Thompson, from Cornerstone Baptist Church. They are here for 3 months to get better acquainted with the work and to help with the ministeries. AWESOME! It is great when I think about it, PJ retired in 2013, and now he is experiencing missions to help him decide where he can be used by the Lord in his retirement. He is very active in Prison ministries in the States and various other ministries.
Just a little plug more+++++++ What are you doing in your retirement? I think sometimes we forget just how useful we can be. Just an extra hand here or there can make all the difference in the world, not to mention how much the encouragement can be. Discover where God is working in your retirement and get involved!!
Right after the New Year, our mission Church celebrated it’s first year of ministry. How AWESOME is that!! We have some great children. Now I am not saying that we have a Sunday School full of angels, but it is great to see them in Church on Sunday mornings, eager to hear about God. We have around 40 in regular attendance, but with the holidays we are playing catch up right now. The kids are getting back to their normal routine.
Our Church membership is now 30 and growing. This past week we had a baptism with 4 more new members added and this week we will be having another baptism. Pray for this new work and the new members. Our attendance on Sunday nights, which is our major service, is running from 50 to 80 people. God is truly in this new work.
As it is with many Churches, we have been having much sickness in our membership. We are asking that you join with us in prayer for these in their treatment and recovery: Mrs. Gloria, one of our widows, is receiving treatment for cancer, both radiation and chemotherapy. Barb has been taking her to the Dr.’s appointments and treatments from 3 times per week until even more. Mrs. Jandira has circulation problems in her legs and has been bedfast for about 3 months. Leo had a motorcycle accident and broke his leg in several places and busted his knee cap. Damion has had surgery on his ear and is having problems with the healing. Cesar had a piece of equipment fall on him at work and has not been able to work for some time. Rosevaldo, our Brasillian Pastor, is having all of his teeth pulled and some of you know what he is going through with that. Maria Ivete has problems with her knees and is having physical therapy. Kiser has had by-pass surgery and is recovering at home. In all of these sicknesses, we can only give thanks. Sometimes we think, how awful is this, but we as a Church have taken it as a blessing. It has put us in our place, on our knees and looking up! Please join us in prayer for all these that are in need.
Along with Pj and Jenny, our Brasilllian son Edson has been with us here in Caragua for the holidays. Always great to have him here with us. When the holidays are over he will return to college he will start his 4th year of vet training. How AWESOME is that !!! God is so good.
Our daughter Mary and her family also got to spend some time with us. We got to spoil the grandchildren for almost 2 weeks. It is always great when they visit. For many of you, I don’t have to tell you how grandparents feel about grandchildren, they are AWESOME!!!
Well, it would not be another month without car problems. Barb’s car needs shocks and the air conditioner is broken. My truck has starter problems and is in the garage with suspension problems. We had to wait two weeks for the parts and when we got them, we took it to the garage to be fixed. Last night the mechanic came by the house to tell me that the parts were not the right parts. So now we will be another week without the truck. These cars are 15 years old and need lots of prayers! Just another month on the field.
This week we went to Sao Paulo to do some work in an orphanage. There were many needs there getting their buildings back up to code. We were able to help with the ceilings. We had to rip out the old ceiling because they were not fire code and the replacement will be fire rated material. Seven men of our Church made the trip. Yes, it was hot, messy and tiring, but playing with the children made it all worth while. We were able to let them see what 7 men can do when they set their minds to it and we had fun doing it.
For the first year in our new work, we have laid a great foundation. We have been preaching and teaching on prayer. Now that the foundation has been laid, we are moving on to the walls, and that is evangelism. We will be preaching on evangelism and putting this knowledge into practice on Wednesday nights. We are preparing ourselves to witness without fear. The theme for this year is “Each one reach one.”
So with all of our problems and blessings I ask that you pray with us and for us, and watch us grow!!!
You too can be a part of this work that God is doing in Caraguatatuba. Come on down and get your feet wet in the river of God’s blessings. Your bed is made and the beans are on the stove.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
Click here to give. | Like them on Facebook. (Their Facebook page has some videos of stuff they have written about!)
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Missionary Update: The Hensleys in Brazil [January 2014]
The Hensleys have spent nearly 15 years serving in Brazil. They run a vocational school and orphanage in Caraguatatuba and have also established a church and mission points throughout the city.
Dear Friends and Family,
December was an excellent (AWESOME) month to be working for the Lord here in Brasil. We had the pleasure of shopping for the children in our Church to be able to give a present to each one of them for Christmas. These children are from homes with low income. So when they received their gifts it was AWESOME to see their expressions and to just see the anticipation while they were waiting to hear their name called to receive a gift. We had one child who wanted to wait till Christmas to open his gift because he had never had a gift on Christmas Day, and he wanted to experience the Christmas Day experience. This plus the message of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ just made Christmas for me.
We had the privilege of taking our Sunday School to Mt. Zion Recovery center (on a small farm near our city) and presenting our children’s Christmas Cantata and the Christmas Story. This is the center for persons with alcohol and drug abuse, ages ranging from 18 to 55. Several of them were and are suffering from lack of visits (not any from family or from friends). And for the first 6 weeks they are not allowed any visits at all. We have been working with the men there and trying to help in any way we can. We will be teaching this group some vocational skills such as masonry, electrical, and carpentry. God is opening many doors. We preach once a week there and they are allowed to frequent our church on Wednesday nights. On Wednesday nights, they sing for our people. The men at our Church had a pizza supper for them and they could not believe that Church leaders would cook and wash dishes for them. There were about 30 plus people for this supper. We all had an AWESOME time, and the pizza that Pastor Rosevaldo made was very good also.
Along with about 60 other Pastors here in the region, we have been attending classes for Chaplains. This has been sponsored by several Churches in Sao Paulo city and was approved by the State. This will allow us (our Church Pastors) to visit inside prisons and hospitals that are State regulated. Also this makes it so that we do not have to do all those months of paperwork to visit in these areas. The graduation of the Chaplains will be held at our Church, IBC. AWESOME!!!
As a mission Church we will be celebrating our first year in January. God is so good to us. For our New Years Eve service at Church, we had a delicious meal and at 12 minutes before midnight we began to pray, and prayed the old year out and the new year in. It seems like the time is going by faster and faster.
We pastors (I, Jason, and our Brasilian pastor Rosevaldo) are working on our seminary that is planned to start on March 17, 2014. This will be led by Dr. Derick Coleman of Gardenside Baptist Church in Lexington, Ky. This will be to help our Brasilian Brother Pastors. The courses will be taught on a Master’s level. Pray as we are trying to increase training and education to further the kingdom of God.
Our Church are experiencing several medical problems; Mrs. Gloria is receiving chemo, and soon will add radiation to her treatment for her cancer, Kiser is suffering with heart problems, and we will take him to a heart hospital in Sao Paulo this month, Leo has stomach problems and has undergone surgery, Jandira is still on total bed rest with circulation and infection problems, Dameon is going for hearing surgery this month, Ma Evete has problems with her knees and is doing physical therapy, and Rosevaldo with joint problems and Cesar with back problems. Barbara is on the road about 2 to 3 days per week with Gloria running after blood tests and treatments and Dr. appointments. These problems are keeping us busy and on our knees. Pray for us as we minister to these in our Church. As in many Churches, there are always needs physical and spiritual.
We are planning another baptism in January. AWESOME! It is just great to see the Church growth and watch people begin to get involved in the ministry..
It looks like January will be a very busy month! Our grandchildren will be here after the 1st and they will bring their parents with them for a visit. Edson is here on break from college, and we have a couple from Cornerstone Baptist Church that are going to spend 3 months experiencing the mission field. PJ and Jenny Thompson will be ministering alongside of us here in Caragua.
Pray for the ministry of Igreja Batista Caragua, our church, as we begin a new year of reaching Brasil for Christ. In Feb we are planning a revival and evangelism outreach with Pastor Mike Dorough from 2nd Baptist Church in Warner Robbins, Ga. And the Seminary will start in March. So as you can see there is no lack of prayer requests for us here in Brasil.
Thanks to all who have helped and are helping and will begin to help in this ministry. It is all happening because you care enough to give of your finances and your prayer support. Again, THANKS SO MUCH!!!!
The year is just starting, and if you have not scheduled your visit to a mission field, the red carpet is out for you and your Church. Come on down and see your mission dollars at work. We will turn the bed down and put a mint on the pillow in expectation of your visit.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
Click here to give. | Like them on Facebook. (Their Facebook page has some videos of stuff they have written about!)
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Missionary Update: AJ & Barbara Hensley in Brazil [December 2013]
The Hensleys have spent nearly 15 years serving in Brazil. They run a vocational school and orphanage in Caraguatatuba and have also established a church and mission points throughout the city.
Dear Friends and Family,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all from the beautiful country of Brasil. As you know there is some difference between the temperature here and there. Here we are in the 90% humidity and it is on the increase. How AWESOME is the God that we serve! There are many differences in our countries, cities, customs —-but only one Savior.
This month we are doing a lot of physical labor on the home where our Brazilian pastor is living, building closets, painting and whatever else needs to be done. I am being the handi-man for a while. If you have thought there is no physical labor on the mission field think again. Now for an advertisement, I think, and that is dangerous, that every missionary on the field needs a handi-man. So what I am saying is: “We need groups for construction projects.” Sometimes our need to do construction takes us away from the main thing, which is spreading the Gospel here in Caraguatatuba. So could you plan a mission trip with construction in mind? When planning this kind of trip you need to take into consideration that we not only need help with the construction but we need help with the financial part too.
We are working very hard on the things for the month of December. We have 40 or more children that we would like to give Christmas presents to and with your help we will be able to do this. We are asking our members to participate in this effort and we have had great response. If you would like to be a part of this just mark a contribution for children’s Christmas. Any and all help will be appreciated.
Our children are participating in the Christmas story for the Church. They are practicing the songs to sing and we will have a manger with Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus. Pray that the parents will come to see their children and hear the true Christmas story. Hearing their practice each week is putting the feel of Christmas in the air.
We have started two small groups on Friday nights. This is a time for studying the Bible for prayer and discussions about things from your daily life. Both are serving dual purposes as we have two women that are home bound and this also brings Church to their homes. One is in Gloria’s home. Her condition , for those of you who are praying for her, is progressing and I wish I could say the same about her treatment. We have been running from one Doctor to another and from one hospital to another for some months now. We finally got answers this past week. She does have cancer in the uterus and will have to have treatments. She will have to have chemo and radiation therapy starting on the 19th of the month. This will be for 30 days. Then they will do tests to see if she will still need surgery. Continue to pray for her to be strong and continue to rely on the Lord as she has done for so many months. Please pray for Gloria as she still has 3 children under age and one other living in her home. Pray for us as we are bending over backwards to do all we can for her and the family.
Throughout all this we have seen first hand again how the National Health program works. It is not a good thing!!! So, not trying to be political, but there in the States you are in for many issues and major problems with the health care that is being put into place there.
The second place that we are having the group is in the home of Jandira, another widow lady of our Church. She has had an infection in her leg for well over a year. This is the second time in this year that she has been put on total bed rest. The doctors are trying to take care of this problem with meds and rest but I am not seeing any progress. She does not have any children living with her so she is alone in this struggle except for her Church family and one adult son. Please pray for her and her financial needs. Her meds are very expensive and her income is very little.
I know that this sounds like lots of problems. But for our small Church it is a blessing. We are able to help financially, physically, and spiritually. God is AWESOME!!! Continue to pray for our Church and the many works that are being realized through her.
Thank you all for the many gifts and for the prayers that you say every day for us here. Without the help of many we would not be able to reach as many for the Lord. Again THANKS!!
As always, think about coming down and being a part of the work that is going on here in Caragua. We love to have groups come and help. You can see that your mission dollars are being utilized in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord.
Just say that you are coming and give us the date and we will put some more water in the beans and turn your bed down.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
Click here to give. | Like them on Facebook. (Their Facebook page has some videos of stuff they have written about!)
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Missionary Update: AJ & Barbara Hensley in Brazil [September 2013]
The Hensleys have spent nearly 15 years serving in Brazil. They run a vocational school and orphanage in Caraguatatuba and have also established a church and mission points throughout the city.
Friends and family,
What an exciting time we are having here in Caragua with the new Church start. This past Sunday we had 72 for our morning Sunday School program and 52 for our Sunday night services. God is really working in our Church. How AWESOME it is to serve our Lord and Savior.
Along with being an AWESOME month it has also been a lonesome month. Barbara visited her mother in the States and I had to serve alone for three weeks. Barb had a real good visit with family and was greatly missed here.
Our Church work continues to expand. We have started one small group meeting on Friday nights with 2 more being planned. This first group has already produced fruits in that 2 young people have confirmed their faith in Christ and have requested baptism. How AWESOME!!!
Sunday School!
Now for some more AWESOME news: We now have a Brazilian coming alongside to help in our ministry. His name is Rosevaldo Cavalcante and he is from Manaus. He is a product of Bro. Paul Hatcher’s work there in Manaus, Brasil. He his wife and two daughters will be a great asset for our Church. He will be serving in a 2nd Pastor position and his ordination will be Oct 27th . This date will be the Sunday before our Pastors Conference. This will be significant because two years ago at our first Pastors Conference Rosevaldo surrendered to be a pastor. God has been planning this for quite some time. His plans are AWESOME.
Speaking of the Pastors Conference our Church is sponsoring here in Caragua, we are expecting around 200 pastors from all over Brasil. This conference is to encourage Pastors!! The last conference we had almost 100 in attendance and was a very exciting conference. We had lots of positive comments and many questions about when we would do another. We are having this conference in conjunction with Second Baptist Church in Warner Robbins, Georgia and their pastor Jim Perdue and Pastor Mike Dorough. Also First Baptist Centerville, Georgia with Pastor Allen and Pastor David Grantham. And lest we forget the ladies, the ex-first-lady of the State of Georgia, Mary Purdue, will be speaking to our ladies in attendance. We are really excited about our Conference—pray with us for an AWESOME turnout and all of us to be refreshed our ministries. The conference will be held in one of our local Hotels here and the owner is a great Christian and has helped with this conference. Our theme is “TIMOTHY AND BARNABAS: Instructions and Encouragement.”
When Barb got home here in Brasil we began preparations for the group that was coming from Bastrop, Texas. They have been a tremendous help in the preparations of the house that the new pastor and his family will be living in. We are fixing the dormitory house on the lot for them to live. There has been painting, cabinet building, scrubbing of walls and floors and every other dirty and grungy job you can think of. But these servants of God did not cull any one of these jobs but did them with a joyful heart. I am commending them because when we invite some of you to come down and help us you say that you are too old to be of any help. So let me tell you that you are never too old. The youngest member of this group is 54 and the oldest is 82. So suck it up and come serve the Lord here in Brasil. You will love it!!!
As our Church continues its growth Igreja Batista Caragua [Caragua Baptist Church ] keep us in your prayers. The work continues because of AWESOME prayer warriors and supporters like you.!!
Thanks to all for your help financially and prayerfully. Sometimes just saying “THANKS” does not seem like enough— however, for now THANKS.
Come on down and see your mission dollars at work. The temperature is getting warmer and the water is getting just the right temperature so come see us and we will treat you so many ways you will have to like one of them.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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