Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [August 2012]
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
August 3, 2012
Dear praying friends,
It is now the month of August, and we are past halfway through the year 2012. What a blessing it is, the time that the Lord gives us to serve Him. May we be faithful to serve Him, whenever or wherever that is. One of my favorite Scripture verses is Isaiah 6:8, where the Word of God says “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” I hope and pray this is our desire before the Lord.
In ministry news, the church in Shangalamwe is continuing along well. Over the past few weeks, I have really seen how the people here need Biblical teaching from the Word of God. My good friend Roger Tate and I have been working with the people for months now, and it has been exciting to watch them grow spiritually, take in the Word of God, and follow it. Our challenge to them is not only to know the Word, but follow it, practice it, obey it, and reach others. Several have been visiting, so we are thankful for this. We ask you to pray for us, that we would have His help in all areas and progress of this ministry. Please pray for us as we teach, that the teaching would be understandable and that they would not only hear the Word, but be doers of the Word. Please also pray that the people would trust the Lord, wholly and completely. Isaiah 26:4 states “Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.” We will keep you updated on the progress of this ministry, and we appreciate your prayers.
The hospital ministry is going well. My wife enjoys this and has been doing this work with the mothers and babies for a few years now. It is a blessing for her to be able to be involved with this. Many of the mothers and children there have been reached with what God has provided, and what a joy it is to serve them. Proverbs 19:17 says “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.” What a challenge from Scripture this is. Thanks to each one who has sent supplies or given sacrificially to this ministry. Some of the babies there are abandoned, and have many struggles, so we would appreciate your prayers for them also. May God bless you for your heart for missions.
The Annex prison is continuing well, for which I thank the Lord. The Lord has provided good students of the Word, those who seem to be genuinely interested in knowing and obeying the Bible and what it teaches. We are now in the New Testament of the teachings, and will soon be looking at the ministry Jesus had while on earth, as well as other teachings. Just recently, I taught some from Luke 1:37, which states “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” What is impossible with man is possible with God. We serve an all-powerful God!
Please keep our family in your prayers, for safety, health, faithfulness to the Lord and the work here in Kitale, and that we would be the examples before our children that we need to be. Camille is now nearly walking, which does not seem possible. What a blessing she is to our family. McKenna is the typical little girl, lots of energy and into many things. They keep us on our toes, to say the least. Pray for us as we seek to lead them in the ways of the Lord. God bless you all so much, and we will keep you updated.
In Kenya,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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July 2012 Mission Sheet [PDF & Flip-through]
Your July 2012 Mission Sheet is now available in PDF format. Follow the link below to view it!
You can also flip through the mission sheet at the following link:
Read BFM Mission Sheet [July 2012] (click on thumbnail to view once you get there)
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Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher in Brazil [August 2012]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
July 31, 2012
Dear Brethren and Fellow Workers,
Greetings from Brazil in the Name of our Great Savior. Alta and I have had a good month and have gone to our mission in Assai each Sunday morning. Our attendance has not grown but we have the promise that where two or three are gathered together in His Name He is present with us. His promise is His Word will not return void. We are trying to be faithful and one day the Isaac will be born.
God has blessed us in the old age of our life. It is a great joy to look back over the years and see how God has been faithful in all His promises. Our children are serving the Lord, all of our grandchildren are faithfully serving the Lord and our great-grandchildren are being saved as they come to the age of accountability.
Another great thrill is to see how God has blessed and is blessing the works that He gave us the privilege of beginning. Those works have also begun and are beginning other new works. We want to encourage you young persons to surrender your lives to serve the Lord. Make the surrender while young; you will never regret doing the best for your Lord and Savior.
(Just had a wonderful interruption of fifteen minutes–a phone call from John and Judy in France. The Lord knows how we love them and miss them.)
Last week we had a wonderful two-day visit with David. He came down to our State for the dedication of two new buildings: One in the center of Parana and the other in Curitiba where Bobby and Charlene Wacaser work. We praise and thank the Lord for how He is using our children in His vineyard. They are all so far away and sometimes the heart aches to see them. Kathy is the closest and we get to see her every two or three months.
All of the work is going well in this part of Brazil. In Urai the work is going well. The pastor, Marcio, is doing a good job. There are about ten young people and two young married couples who are faithful and working in the church and congregations. There are six or seven who study in the Seminary. Pray for us. At age 87, things are not so easy.
God bless you, we love you,
John and Alta Hatcher
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [August 2012]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making,”
July 31, 2012
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am writing a little earlier than usual. We have more than enough news for our allotted space in the the Missions Sheets, so we will share it with you and save what comes later for next month.
The young man who trusted Christ last month was baptized a couple of weeks ago. We do not have a baptistry so we just use a place that has “much water.” Theo asked to be baptized near his “fishing hole,” a location on a river not far from his house where he had fished with his dad and friend. We had a special afternoon meeting in this beautiful setting and a good number of believers and interest folks were there to witness the baptism, This included a couple of people (not in the pictures) that were just in the area. One of our men remarked that it may have been God’s way to give them the gospel. Theo was in his mother’s womb when she and his father first began coming. His father was the first person to trust the Lord and follow the Lord in baptism here.
John Mark Hatcher baptizes young Theo, who trusted Christ last month. He was baptized in a “fishing hole” not far from his house.
Though our attendance is usually down in the summer, we have recently had a good number on Sundays with a number of visitors. If my memory serves me well, we have had visitors every Sunday during the past month. One of these, this past Sunday, was a man we met at the neighborhood picnic last month. He seems to be quite interested and said he would return with his three boys when they get back from visiting their grandparents.
The Lord has opened doors for us to have increasing interaction with several families in our neighborhood. As a matter of fact we are watching houses for several people while they are on vacation. When they give us their keys and ask us to take in their mail, it is evidence that they trust us. When people trust you, they are more likely to listen to what you say. It is an indication that one has an effective life witness to them.
One of the families, whose house we are watching, moved in across the street from us last year. As they were preparing to leave, Judy got the idea of giving a CD to them that is Bible verses set to music sung by children. They were very appreciative and said that they would listen to it during their trip. This family has three primary school aged children.
A crowd gathers for Theo’s baptism
Another blessing during the last couple of months is that some who have trusted the Lord in the past have returned to participate more faithfully.
Philip and Amanda, our son and beautiful daughter (French way of saying daughter-in-law) return along with their children this coming Friday, the Lord willing. They have been in the states for six weeks to visit family and friends there. What a blessing it is to have them here working with us. As we have mentioned in the past, Philip works as an engineer to support himself and their family as missionaries here. It has been really encouraging to have participants from the congregation stepping up to the plate while they are away. Our job is to make disciples to Christ.
I will close, since my letter is long enough, with the news that Judy’s annual exam showed that she is still cancer free and now has been for over 11 years. God has truly blessed us with the opportunity to serve Him together. Thanks for your faithful participation with us.
Joyfully in Christ,
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Missionary Update: Odali & Kathy Barros in Brazil [August 2012]
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.
Wow! August is here. For those of you that live in the US you are in the middle of summer. Well, for those of us who live in Garça, we are enjoying a wonderful winter, with the average temperature of 70 degrees. The sun rises and sunsets this time of the year are absolutely gorgeous!
One of the new things around here is milking cows. About a month or two ago Odali bought some cows. The boys have enjoyed going each morning to milk them. One of the cows loves cookies, well she love just about anything that is eatable. This has been a great time for the boys and their dad. They usually have other kids that go with them.
We have several new people living here with us now. They are adults or mother with children. There is a lady that is living here that is waiting for her house that is being built by the city. The city subsidies homes for those with low income and with no conditions of having a job that would guarantee them a good salary. These people lived in an area of danger. Marcia is here name. She has been coming to church along with her 13 year old son. His name is Alex. Alex has made friends with our boys and is like one of the family. Actually he has started calling Odali and I mom and dad. He has not seen or heard of his dad for many years. The last time he saw him, his dad was trying to kill his mom. Nice memories, right?! Pray for them, especially that they will accept Christ as Savior. Marcia does not read or write.
We are trying to work out a time to help her. We don´t know for sure if she has a difficulty or if she just quit her studies early. Also we have another lady here who has some learning disabilities. Since this area used to be coffee farms many people did not finish the studies. But she also does not read or write and does not know money.
Our church is doing well. We work on Sunday morning especially to reach out to the children and teens. Our city, like so many others have been taken over by drugs and prostitution. A junior age girl told her Sunday school teacher a few days ago that she didn’t know what would happened to them if our church ever closed. On Sunday they spend about 3 hours here with us. We have Sunday school and service them they play and eat then we take them home. Last Sunday we had several mothers. Most all the kids come from single mom homes. Our Sunday night services are especially for adults. Last Sunday we had several visitors.
We are planning on taking a furlough late November of this year. Our youngest daughter is having her baby then. It’s been 7 years since Amelia saw her dad. Also we have 2 granddaughters that we haven’t seen. So we thought that that would be a good time for us to take a break. We started on our boys documents and we hope that all goes well. We are not sure where we will be living yet. We are looking into finding a house to rent. Pray for us as we get things ready for us to take our furlough.
Thanks for your financial support and your prayers. Please continue to pray for us. May God bless each of you.
Love in Christ,
Odali & Kathy Barros
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
Caixa Postal 182
17400-000 Garca, SP
Brasil, S.A.
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers in Brazil [July 2012]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
July 11, 2012
I enjoy life. Not every single detail of it, you understand, but life itself is good. There is a wonderful reason that this is true. My purpose in life is what makes it grand. I have the privilege to serve, fight for, honor, make famous, and love the Creator of everything, who is my God and Savior.
Some details in life are honestly a pain, some literally, others metaphorically. For example, a couple of mornings ago I woke up with a terrible headache. I didn’t like it, you know? It hurt. It didn’t want to go away. I was happy, though, that I had the ability to FEEL. I was thankful that it was only a headache and not something more serious. A few days before that I was working on the electrical installation of our new church plant and I pinched my finger in my own pliers (not on purpose, of course). It hurt. I did not immediately say, “I thank Thee Lord for that sharp reminder that I am frail and prone to errors.” No, I gasped and groaned and murmured for a few seconds. I am grateful, though, that I have the mobility and strength to be able to work with my fingers in the Lord’s service, because I know that many do not have that gift. The work on the new building is progressing very well and, in fact, we will be holding our official inaugural service on the 22nd of July. Life is great because after a year of very hard work (with some minor injuries) and much prayer and sharing God’s Word with neighbors and friends, God has tripled our attendance and those who attend are helping us to invite more friends and family to the special inaugural service.
Life is great because the absence of it is just awful. I do not fear death, neither do I seek it. I am ready for it, because the One who makes and gives it, Jesus Christ, has already done everything needed for me to obtain and keep it. Some of the details of everyday life are disheartening, like poor health, betrayal by friends, being ridiculed by unbelievers and the letdowns that come from my own errors. But, God’s word sheds light on even these shortcomings so that I might see that He uses them for my good and His ultimate glory. The knowledge of that fact makes life very good indeed. Even the bad – results in good! Who could ask for better, or more?
My hope and my efforts are not based on improving or lengthening this earthly life. What I see in this life is the opportunity to invest in the real one that awaits me. This one is a shadow of the real thing up ahead. What make this one good is that even it is lived in fellowship with my Savior and King who has promised that He’ll return to take me to LIVE with Him eternally. And He assures me that that LIFE has no undesired details, not even little ones.
The God that provides a life that grand deserves to be worshipped, honored and loved. It is my joy to use this life that He has given me to do just that. I don’t have plan B! I rejoice that God also gives me the privilege of partnering with you in making Him known and praised. That way, both you and I are blessed when I speak God’s message of love and salvation here; you are a co-laborer in that ministry. Without you, I couldn’t be here. I thank God for you.
We are training over 20 new missionary candidates at our Projeto Vida Mission School this month. There will be two weeks of intensive study and rehearsals of skits, then our four teams will head out into the interior on their buses together with these missionary candidates to work in the public squares for another three weeks. Pray with us that many lives will be reached and that God’s name will be glorified.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Manoel Valdomiro de Macedo, 2281
81170-150 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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FaithWORKS Report [July 2012]
2012 THANKSGIVING OFFERING
Please be making your plans right now to give as generous and liberal Thanksgiving Offering as the Lord enables you. The needs are great and on-going…and God is faithful! Remember, when you support the General Fund of BFM, you are supplying the essential needs of 12 faithful missionary families to obey Jesus’ Great Commission to go into all the world, preach the Gospel, baptize those believers, establish New Testament Baptist churches, and teach those churches to believe and practice everything Jesus Christ has commanded us. You will not find anywhere on this planet more Scriptural, committed, and fruitful missionaries than those who serve in partnership with BFM.
Here are just some of God’s inspired instructions on giving:
1. Purpose in your heart what you believe God wants you to give [2 Corinthians 9.7]
2. Plan your giving and your gift well in advance of the occasion [2 Corinthians 8.10- 11; 9.2]
3. Trust God to give you something to give back to Him [2 Corinthians 9.8-11]
4. Lay something aside every week or month in prospect of the offering [2 Corinthians 9.3-4]
5. Give generously and hilariously…with thanksgivings to God [2 Corinthians 9.6-7]6. Give in obedience to God and His Gospel…and to express your love to Him [2 Corinthians 8.7-8; 9.13]
7. Give to God and His Glory [2 Corinthians 8.5, 9; 9.11-15]
8. Give for the telling of His Gospel in all the regions beyond you [2 Corinthians 10.16]
9. Give to Christ’s Gospel servants to be like God [3 John 5-7]
10. Give to participate and share in the fruits of the harvest [3 John 8; Philippians 4.17- 20]
JUNE’S GENERAL FUND OFFERINGS
We have received your extraordinarily generous June offerings with many thanksgivings to God! We thank each one of you. Every offering – of whatever amount – goes together to make the whole what it is. We can thank God for many of you by name because you are willing to be identified by name. We respect others of you who request anonymity, but you can be sure that God knows who you are, and we bless God for each one. We are not the only ones who love a cheerful giver – God Himself tells us that HE LOVES THE CHEERFUL GIVER! [2 Corinthians 9.7] I am never hesitant to express God’s own evaluations and sentiments.
Your faithful giving supplies the needs of Christ’s servants and ministers of the Gospel; multiplies exponentially glory, praises, and thanksgivings back to God; and encourages others to give also.
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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
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