Thanking the Lord for His Awesome Blessings
The Hensleys have spent nearly 20 years serving in Brazil. They have established a church in Caraguatatuba and mission points throughout the city. They have also recently started a seminary to train pastors.
August 6, 2018
Dear friends and family,
To say that we have an AWESOME God is an understatement. I went to the cancer doctor Friday and the first to come in the room was the nurse. She took blood and my blood pressure and left me with a big ice bag. This was for me to put on my stomach where they give me the shot for the cancer treatment. This injection by far is the is the most painful injection I have ever taken. I am thinking, “Shucks looks like I am going to have to take the meds after all.” It is not that I am against the cancer treatment, but I was looking forward to a vacation from these treatments. The doctor comes in the room at this time and says that the results of the blood test have come back and, after some discussion, he tells me that if I would like, I can take that vacation from the meds because the PSA numbers are undetectable.
Well, for me and others who are in cancer treatment, this is (after almost 2 years enduring surgery, 38 radiation treatments, and follow-up meds) an indication that things are improving. God is AWESOME!!!! And that night I had the best night of sleep that I have had in about 2 years. I even overslept. (ha ha)
Now to talk a little about the ministry: this past week Gardenside Baptist Church sponsored a Singspiration to help with the finances of the Caragua Baptist Seminary. There were lots of great local talent in singers and musicians and God was glorified in song.
We are in the planning phase for our classes in October this year and for the classes in 2019 with several of our new professors. I am still in amazement at the success the seminary is having, reaching many national pastors who would otherwise be unable to participate in an accredited seminary, for them to improve their biblical understanding and reinforce their skills to better reach their people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. With this Seminary to date we have had approximately 250 students from 83 different churches. These represented churches have a total of around 9,180 people in their congregations, so Caragua Baptist Seminary has impacted that total of people in Brasil. How AWESOME is the God we serve!!!
Barbara is going to Brasil August 6th and then in September, I will have to go for some personal business and to do some planning with the national pastors for the upcoming classes in October in the city of São Paulo. Lots of back and forth traveling right now. I will be meeting with 3 pastors in São Paulo, so I covet your prayers for these meetings and these pastors as they are an integral part of the seminary. Without their help along with many others this ministry would be impossible. So again, AWESOME, the message gets out and our God is glorified.
So, in all this I can only say, “Thank you Lord for your AWESOME blessings both physically and spiritually.” And I ask of everyone—Don’t stop praying because It is working.
In His service,
Aj and Barb
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
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Missionary Update: AJ & Barbara Hensley in Brazil [February 2016]
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, 2016
Friends and family,
Well, I am at a point that I don’t know where to start: so here goes. We were in the States for Christmas and we were traveling on a buddy pass and because of the weather in another location, we were bumped two days straight. But in the end we were able to get back to Brasil in time to pass the New Year with the Church.
Now I will digress to December 2015. One of the reasons we were in the States was because I had to have a biopsy on my prostate. My number was high and when I did the test it proved to be aggressive cancer. The doctor said that my body needed one month to recoup before he could do the surgery to remove the prostate. With this in mind we decided to return to Brasil to get the Church moved to the new building. What an AWESOME blessing!!! We were able to do 1000 little chores and with 1000 more, we moved. We are now in the new building and I preached Sunday before we returned to the States for my surgery. We were back in the States for the surgery on the 25th. The surgery was a success, but the cancer had bled through the prostate into the bladder and the urethra tube. So now I am recuperating for 6 months to be able to come back to begin 30 days of radiation treatment. So we will go back to Brasil for the 6 months and see what we can get into. The only thing is that the doctor says that I cannot do any work. So it looks like I am demoted to the supervisor role.
While we have been here doing all these doctor things, Barbara’s mom, Reba Baker, went home to see the Lord on February 5th. Barbara and I would like to THANK each and every one of you for your prayers and your love that has been shown to us during this time. The AWESOME part of this is that we are certain of where she is. She had such an AWESOME testimony of Christian faith and service. She will be greatly missed.
Because of the time we will have to spend in the States, I led the Church to call a Brasilian Pastor. This will allow me to do my treatment knowing that the Church will have good leadership. This also lets me be able to concentrate on the other ministries of the Church, such as visitation, small groups, discipleship, seminary and the others.
So as you can see, the next few months before I start the treatment, we will be very busy. God is so AWESOME—we know that He will take care of every aspect of our lives and the life of His Church.
So our request is that you keep in your prayers our Church in the transition of pastors, my treatment, the work that needs to be finished on the Church building, and our travels to the States and back to Brasil.
Our doors are still open for you to come see what God is doing here in Brasil. Give Barb a call and set up your visit.
In His service,
Aj and Barb
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
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