Missionary Update: The Wacasers in Brazil [June 2013]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
Dear Friends,
I’m not writing to make you envious, but I can’t help but mention just how wonderful everything is these days. Everyone in the family is doing very well physically. The weather here is as close to ideal as I could want it and all of our ministry efforts are producing encouraging results. I trust that you can rejoice together with us for these blessings.
We celebrated another baptismal service recently and we have another young lady who will be baptized this coming Sunday. We are so happy to see how the Lord is using His word to transform the lives of several of our new brothers and sisters in Christ. Just two weeks ago a teenage girl had nearly fallen into the world of sexual promiscuity, but the Lord used a series of events and our team leaders to rescue her from that and get her onto the path of obedience and joy in living for Christ. It is nothing short of amazing to see how different her level of happiness is since surrendering to Christ and fleeing immorality.
A young father of four, named Germano, almost lost his life recently when he was shot twice in a bar room fight. This fight occurred just one day after he had brought his kids to our neighborhood outreach “shin-dig”. While Germano was in the hospital his kids asked their grandfather to take them back to the church where they had been so warmly received on the following Sunday, so he did. The kids haven’t stopped coming since and, once Germano recuperated sufficiently to walk, he began to come with the kids to services. He told me last week how thrilled he is to see God at work in his life and how thankful he is for the grace of the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness. I expect that I’ll be performing another baptism in the very near future.
We had a Brazilian holiday just recently and we took advantage of it to have a “family day” at our church building. One new member specializes in Brazilian “churrasco” and insisted on preparing the 70 lbs of slow-grilled beef ribs. He and two other volunteers came out at 4:00 a.m. to roast the meat for 9 hours. We encouraged our members and visitors to invite their un-churched friends and family at no cost to enjoy the day of fun, games and fellowship. We had a great turnout and several of those have since returned to our regularly scheduled services.
Charlene, Brennen and I thank you so much for your prayers and faithful support so that we may continue to be used of the Lord to make His love and glory known in southern Brazil.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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Missionary Update: Odali & Kathy Barros in Brazil [June 2013]
Odali and Kathy Barros have served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil for many years. In addition to leading their newest church, they also run “Alpha Omega Family Development,” which provides a home and stability for needy people, many of whom are recovering drug addicts, etc.
June 2, 2013
Greetings to all of you who faithfully support us and pray for us. We hope that all of you are doing great and enjoying God’s blessing in your life. We are doing great and seeing God at work around us each day.
We have had unusual weather these days. This is not our rainy season, but we have had lots of rain. Today we woke up with it pouring down rain. When the bus left to pick up the kids for church, I honestly thought we were going to be coming back with an empty bus. Wow! Were we surprised, there were kids waiting in the rain for the bus. We ended up with 30 kids on the bus. They were soaking wet. So we took them to the clothes room and gave them clothes to change into. Wonder how many of us would wait in the rain to get the bus to go to church. Well, needless to say, it was an inspiration for us to keep on working with them. These kids come from very difficult and complicated homes. God bless and keep these kids in His care.
The kids love to sing. We started singing “King of Kings & Lord of Lords” and immediately these 3 boys sat on the floor to sing the song with the gestures we do. Special moments.
We had a wonderful service tonight. During invitations, 4 people asked for baptism: 3 men and 1 teenager. Praise God.
Our friendship suppers have been a blessing. We encourage our people to bring new people to be with us. Last night we had a family that brought 15 visitors. When you hear what we had to eat you will probably say, “What in the world does that taste like?!” We had cooked calf’s foot soup or stew. Well, it’s different, but it sure is good.
A few months ago I mentioned that my father, Alcides had made a profession of faith while my brother was preaching. That was such a blessing. In the beginning of last month I got a phone call that he was very ill. So I decided to go see him. But as I was on my way, waiting at the airport in Sao Paulo, my brother called and said he had passed away. We praise God that he had gotten saved. We will be together again. I ask you to pray for my oldest brother who is very sick and is not saved, and has a very hard heart.
We know that God can break the hardest heart. He has 3 sons which I have spent lots of time with. One of them has shown an interest in knowing more about God. Please pray for them. Here are their names: Edson is the father. The sons’ names are Edson Jr., Jefferson and Anderson.
Thanks for all your prayers and support. Our ministry is nothing without the help of our co-laborers. May God bless each of you.
In Christ,
Odali & Kathy Barros
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
Blog
Av. Victor Hugo Boaretto S/N
Garca, Sao Paulo 17.400,000
Brasil, SA
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Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher in Brazil [April 2013]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
Dear Brethren and Friends,
It is a joy to greet you once more from Brazil. In spite of the changes that take place in old age, Alta and I have had a good month. We praise the Lord for all of His goodness and benefits.
ASSAI—Sunday was our last Sunday for the work in Assai. Praise the Lord for providing a wonderful family from the city of Manaus who was sent to Assai by the Chapada Baptist Church. Daniel, his wife, Leticia, and their nine year-old daughter, Milena, arrived in Assai on March 18. They have worked successfully in other congregations and came with a desire to see the work develop. Please make their ministry in Assai a constant matter of prayer, and that God will have mercy on that city of twenty thousand.
PHYSICAL NEEDS—There are two prayer requests for two of God’s servants. The first is Sonia dos Santos, the wife of Valdir, the pastor in Cornelio Procopio. She had her left breast removed because of cancer and she is having a difficult experience with the chemical treatments. Secondly, we ask you to pray for Silvio Pfhal, pastor of two churches and father of four children. He was painting and the ladder he was on slipped and one vertebra was cracked in his lower back. He is recovering well, but will be practically stopped for about three months. Pray for Kelly, his wife, as she cares for him and the children.
Maria, our daughter by adoption, is needing cataract surgery on both eyes. Please pray for this marvelous servant of God. Her sister, Helena, had this surgery on both eyes a month ago and is perfectly recovered.
URAI—The work of Urai church is doing well. The mission congregations at Rancho Alegre, Sussumo, and other mission activities are doing well under the leadership of Marco Moraes.
We feel a certain emotion in leaving Assai, but we praise the Lord for His provision. Our work in visitation and evangelizing will continue, as well as our financial help to pastors, seminary teachers and students. Our job is not finished, just adjusting to our abilities. We are grateful to all who have been our constant partners through our many years in Brazil. God bless you. We love you.
In the Name of our Lord Jesus,
John A. and Alta Hatcher
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher in Brazil [March 2013]
Jud and Raquel Hatcher serve the Lord in Manaus, 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.
Dear Friends,
The Lord has opened several new opportunities for sharing the Gospel. Within this last week, I have shared the Gospel with four couples. Each one of these couples expressed their personal resistance of stepping inside any kind of church. All four of them confirmed they’d be present this coming Sunday. I am grateful for the work of the Holy Spirit in softening people’s hearts and opening their spiritual eyes. It is great to see their interest and willingness to participate and ask if they can invite others to come with them.
This month two new home small groups were started. We have a goal of 15 small groups by the end of the year. Our small groups work with a four week cycle. On the first week we meet for spiritual accountability, prayer and planning. Men and women meet separately for the accountability. On the second week we have a Bible study and share testimonies of faith at work. On the third week we share blessings, prayer requests, have Scripture reading and pray. On the fourth week, we have an Evangelistic dinner or outing with invited guests. This format has proven to be very effective in encouraging spiritual growth, accountability, connecting with new friends, Gospel witnessing and prayer.
Last week the women had their monthly get together. The men met two weeks ago as well. The relationship bonds are deepening and the new converts enjoy being a part of something they have never had before.
In March we celebrated one year since we held our first service. Albeit the first few services were not open to public and were mostly a time of prayer, Scripture study, and sharing among our small church planting team. God has truly blessed. On Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Christ with a special supper and will include all of our new friends. We expect well over 100 people to join us for Easter.
I plan to visit Goiania regarding the new church plant. I have not scheduled the flight, but plan to be there sometime in April. We have been talking by phone over the last several weeks. Two families are currently meeting weekly for a home Bible study. Pray that all goes well as we survey the city, plan and pray. Please, invest time praying for this new work.
Raquel is about to finish her doctorate. She will defend her dissertation by the end of this month. This is truly a highlight with many years of study invested and now she is finally reaching completion. We are excited and I am especially proud of her. The children are all doing well. Sarah, Laura and Benjamin all enjoying going to school. Melissa is like wildfire whenever she is not asleep. She manages to get into everything. I am sure thankful to the Lord for having a healthy family.
Thank you for your consistent support in prayer and through financial giving. Your investment in missions is greatly appreciated. We are grateful. Please, continue to give and encourage others to invest too. Please, be our state-side missions promoters.
Grateful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
Website | Twitter | Ativa
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Missionary Update: The Creiglows in Brazil [March 2013]
Mike and Beverly Creiglow have served the Lord in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil together for 40 years. In addition to pastoring First Baptist of Cruzeiro do Sul, Mike builds his own boats and frequently travels up and down rivers to share the Gospel with those who have never heard.
March 7, 2013
Dear Brethren,
We were not able to have our monthly baptism services in December and January. We even had to postpone our homecoming service until February. We scheduled the baptism to coincide with the homecoming service. There were 862 present. We baptized 75 new members. This time we decided to let all the ladies go first. I baptized the 37 women and my son-in-law, Dauro, baptized the 38 men. A couple of the women I baptized used to be Presbyterians. One of these is a judge.
Most of the people this time are adults. The Lord’s Supper followed the baptism. At the close we fed the whole crowd up on the third story terrace of the annex. I managed to get the tile down and the bathrooms far enough along to use. There is still a lot of work to do, but at each of these events we have the building in better shape.
The newest members of First Baptist Church, Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil. 75 were baptized on Sunday morning.
A few days ago we had a get-together for all of our couple’s small groups. This meeting was also held up on the third floor. We had 110 couples present. This was a lively meeting with plenty of fellowship and food (of course). Our couples groups have tripled over the past year. The number of groups has increased and the size of the each group is really growing. Since I returned from our visit to the States in 2011 we have gotten these age/interest groups better organized and done much more training. Anyone can attend our small groups as long as the whole group approves.
We have several lost people attending. Many of these would be averse to going to church…at first. One such couple that started coming to our group a few months ago are doctors. Their marriage was on the brink. The group has nursed them along. They invited us to have our last meeting at their house. We had 18 of our 21 couples present. By the way, these groups are supposed to have only 7 couples maximum, then multiply (start a new group). Anyway, at this last meeting the husband came to me and said that they are going to go to church for the first time on Sunday. They invited themselves!
This week I met the new commander of the Military Police and his wife (similar to a local police force, but run by the state). Our small group approved my inviting them to attend our next meeting.
The elders of our church held a weekend retreat at our camp. There were 55 men present. I didn’t get to go as I was holding service at the penitentiary that weekend.
Already this year I have taught our membership class to 5 big groups of new members and some older ones, too. The course is 8 hours. So far over 200 people have completed the course. The last round was a day-long marathon to get the last bunch through by the end of the month. We started classes at 3:00PM. It was raining one of those Amazon Valley rains. I got soaked just getting from the house to the jeep; even with an umbrella! Even so, I had 50 students! Years ago we couldn’t even get out a single soul for Sunday services if it was raining. Now they come out by the dozens under torrential rain on a workday to study. We finished up in the early hours of the next day. It took us about 10 hours straight through. The students were pretty much spent, but still had enough energy to break into applause at the close of the marathon. The teacher was just plain dead, so the Holy Spirit had to drive the jeep back to the house.
Our seminary classes started last Sunday. We have about 350 students enrolled for Bible Survey, Life Principles and Study Methods. People really do want to study. More about this later.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
Mike and Beverly Creiglow
Caixa Postal 24
Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil 69980
mdcreig [at] hotmail.com
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Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher [March 2013]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
February 25, 2013
Dear Brethren and Fellow-Workers:
Here in Urai the sun is shining brightly and it is a beautiful summer day. You may remember that when it is winter in the States it is summer for us here. It has been a hot summer with sufficient rain for the crops. The fields are very beautiful and harvest of the soy bean crop has begun.
PERSONAL–Alta and I are doing well for two oldies. Her eyes continue in perfect condition after the two cataract surgeries. My physical condition is going down slowly. We have been able to go to the city of Assai each Sunday.
ASSAI–Praise the Lord for His blessing for the work in Assai. This month a family from the Chapada Church is being sent to take care of the work here. The family is a young couple with two children. Please pray for them.
URAI–The church in Urai, under the leadership of Marcio Moraes, is doing well in the home church and in the three congregations. There is a wonderful group of young people, both men and women, who are dedicated to serving the Lord. The Seminary Classes begin again this month. Please pray for the teachers and eight to ten students.
PHYSICAL NEED–Sonha dos Santos, wife of Valdir dos Santos, pastor of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cornelio Procopio, had her left breast removed because of cancer. She is going through much suffering with the chemical treatment. Please remember to pray for this wonderful saint of the Lord.
WORK IN BRAZIL–Remember, the country of Brazil is larger in territory than the 48 continental United States. The works that have been started by missionaries of BFM or that are being started are going very well and some have grown to thousands in attendance. You who have given for this mission work can be proud of the families you have supported and the result that God has given. Alta and I count it a great privilege to have served the Lord in this country for over 58 years.
Your servants in Christ,
John A. and Alta Hatcher
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher in Brazil [February 2013]
Jud and Raquel Hatcher serve the Lord in Manaus, 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.
Dear friends,
The Lord is blessing us everyday and we are thankful. The church is growing and as a result, we are encountering several growing pains. When people are reached by the Gospel of Christ, the enemy will do everything within his reach to create havoc. Nonetheless, the Lord gives us wisdom to help people and find ways to share the Gospel.
Here are three special prayer requests:
Please, pray for a couple in their late twenties (I am not able to mention names) that they may surrender to Christ and for the Lord to save their marriage. This is a couple we’ve been working with for a few months now. A couple of weeks ago they had a physical altercation. They have a son who is 5 years old and witnessed everything. Unfortunately, this is not the first time the child had seen this behavior from his parents. Pray for the Lord to transform their lives.
Also, pray for a 17 year old man (again, no names). He impregnated his 19 year old girlfriend. The girl’s mother is a widow and they boy’s parents have a rocky marriage. This young couple does not know the Savior and have been living together for the last 3 months (with their parents’ endorsement). Now that she is pregnant, both parents are furious. A few weeks ago the young couple had a severe fight and the neighbors called the police. She had him gasping for air in a headlock when he bit her arm, amongst other aggressions. I was informed that the young lady was dedicated to the “spirits” as a baby by her mother in a “Candomble” ritual. She struggles with frequent demon possession and is fearful of what the demons may do if she surrenders to Christ. Pray that the young couple and their parents may heed to the Gospel.
Pray for an opportunity to open a new church in another state. Rogério, Dani, and their son Matteus moved last week to Goiania (capital city of Goiás) due to his work. We believe the Lord is opening doors to start a church in this city. We are exchanging ideas and praying for the Lord’s will in this matter. We plan to start a home prayer group once they are settled in at their new house. I’d like to visit them soon for a city survey and planning. Please, pray for inroads within the community and for the family to develop new lasting relationships.
Goiania, the capital city of the state the Hatchers are praying about starting their newest church plant.
Thank you for your prayers and support. Continue to pray and give to the BFM General Fund. It is crucial for the work of our ministry and all of our other beloved missionaries supported through Baptist Faith Missions. Do you know of other churches or individuals in other states who currently do not support missions thru BFM? Do think they may to consider partnering with us too? Could you speak to them on our behalf? I pray that you will.
Grateful,
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
Website | Twitter
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers in Brazil [November 2012]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
Dear Friends,
In the beginning of October I had the opportunity to meet with several men who are involved with football in different capacities. Each of them uses the sport to find an opportunity to share the gospel with the lost and also to mentor young men in their walk with the Lord. I mentioned last month that I was in a unique situation in Brazil because of the rapidly growing interest in American football here. The men I met are working with me to put together the details for holding football camps/workshops for both Brazilian coaches and players. I am still looking to fill some slots with other volunteers who either play or coach football and who would like to use this opportunity to share their faith with many who do not know Christ. If you can’t come, but know how I might obtain good condition donated football equipment, you can also be greatly helpful through that means. Please contact me at the addresses and/or phone number below.
Two of the Projeto Vida motor homes had some costly expenses this month. We are keeping up our commitments to reach the areas we had already laid out as goals, but these expenses have stretched our already tight budget. This is especially crucial this month since we have a trip scheduled to cross the Brazilian/Argentine border about an 18 hour trip from our base. We have been invited to take the gospel into some public schools in Argentina. We are very excited about this opportunity, but the funds will be very short. We will travel by faith and trust that God has opened this door for us and will expect to be carried by Him each kilometer of the way. We would appreciate your prayers and offerings toward the accomplishment of this outreach effort.
I learned a lesson a little over a week ago. Do not try to do a back flip in shallow water. A person can get hurt doing that. I know. I did. My intended 360º back flip ended up at about 355º and I with my first broken bone at 54 years old. From now on I will only do back flips in deep water…if at all. The old saying that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” ought to be changed to, “Old dogs shouldn’t try new tricks”. Now I will have six more weeks in an air cast to learn better to delegate the physical work of construction at our new churches. I will also have a great opportunity to learn personally the struggles of the disabled. I am grateful that the damage wasn’t worse.
Charlene, Brennen and I are very grateful to you who pray for us faithfully. We know that God hears and answers your prayers. We are also thankful for the offerings of love to God so that we may continue to spread His word.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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