Nothing “Just Happens”
December 30, 2023
Dear friends and family,
With God nothing “just happens”—and so it is with our seminary. I thought I could give you some insight on how the seminary began.
I was with some Brazilian pastors at a morning meeting (breakfast). The topic of sermon preparation was being discussed and I asked them about their preparation time. I was not expecting the answer I got. The three pastors that I was talking to replied like this, “When we get to church on Sunday morning, we sit, and each of us open the Bible and read the passage where we open. Then we decide which of us has the best reading and that one is the one who will give the sermon.” Well, after I picked up my jaw from the floor and tried not to show my shock, I started to seek God and the Holy Spirit’s guidance on how to help in this situation. The pastor who I was working with and I began to hold classes in our church. We invited pastors and others who were interested in studying the Bible to better present the gospel.
Then we got a visit from a church in the States and their new pastor asked me, “What do you need here in Caraguatatuba?” My immediate response, “A seminary.”
This was the beginning of Caragua Seminary. We got pastors to come down and teach the classes, and there were four planned classes per year: Old and New Testament, Theology and Pastoral Ministries. We gave certificates of completion for each class.
After many growing pains, trial and errors, searching for pastors who could pay for their own way to Brazil, and doubts of how we could accomplish this mission, the Caragua Baptist Seminary came into existence. This provided excellent training to pastors and church leaders empowering them to boldly and effectively spread the truth of the gospel.
Then, in trying to get the Seminary certified in Brazil, we had to change the name to an American name, and thus Caragua Baptist Seminary became Bluegrass Baptist Seminary. The certificate evolved into diplomas with accreditation and all professors have Doctorates and PhD’s from the States. AWESOME!!!! Just another in the many miracles. With God all things are possible!!!
This is and has been an evolving ministry and continues to be due to the Lord. This year our plans are to go into the next phase—our PhD program! God is AWESOME!!! None of this is possible without you and your continued prayers for each of the Pastors and their continued work in the seminaries and our continued health as we go to Brazil to carry on the work for the seminary there. And we want to thank BFM for their continued faith in our work there in Brazil.
If you would like to contribute to Bluegrass Baptist Seminary just designate your offering to Bluegrass Baptist Seminary through Alex and Barbara Hensley to Baptist Faith Missions.
In His service,
AJ and Barbara Hensley
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
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Upcoming Seminary Graduation
September 4, 2022
Dear friends and family,
AWESOME is the Lord we serve. I am starting this letter a little different, because He is the One who is in charge, and He will carry us through. We will have the first graduation on schedule, and it will be on September 17th. How AWESOME is the God we serve. After so many attempts, it is really happening; however, not without some difficulty, but God is in charge. Some of the students are not able to attend this graduation because of conflicting schedules. Please pray for them as we go forward.
As for now, those who will attend stands as follows: nine (9) for the Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministries and eleven (11) for the Master of Arts in Biblical Studies. The difference between these two is that the Pastors who choose the Pastoral Ministries have an additional three (3) classes: Greek, Hebrew, and Thesis Writing. This course is only offered to Pastors. In addition, there are seventy others who will receive certificates for the classes completed until now. We are hopeful that these students will be able to complete the studies they have started. Many of them are very close to completion. Everyone seems to be excited, especially the Professors and I.
Barbara and I will be traveling on September 6th and will arrive in Brazil on September 7th. Pray for our trip. After the graduation, Pastor Derek, Pastor Marcos, and I will be visiting with the Pastors and students and future students to get them enthusiastic about the upcoming classes in 2022 and 2023. This will be lots of traveling and we will need prayers for safety.
COVID has set us back and rearranged our focus. So now we will begin to see how we can help the students with different aids. We are hopeful for the new semester and the new students. We are planning new ways the students can participate by rearranging the classes and offering more classes on Zoom. So, prayers for the students are greatly appreciated.
As we are waiting to make this next trip, we have been participating in the congregation at the First Baptist Church here in Florida. We help with their feeding the hungry program. Barbara took her haircutting equipment and cut one head of hair, and that started a line for haircuts. So, we see that no matter where we are, we serve the Lord.
Thank you for your continued prayers for our family and our seminary work.
In His Service,
Aj and Barbara
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Back from Brazil
June 18, 2022
Dear friends and family,
Since returning home from Brazil in April we have made plans for the next trip back to Brazil multiple times, only to have them cancelled multiple times. So here we are with the plans for a trip in September and October for classes and possibly our first graduation for our Masters class. The location is still being sought for availability. The Seminary is still being sought after and classes are still being prepared even though the in-person classes have been on hold for some time now. Continue praying for the Pastors there in Brazil as students, and the Pastors here in the States as Professors, that the desire to study and teach God’s Word never fades.
The Conference we were to attend in July has been cancelled for the third time and so we will wait for the class in September and October. Along with the classes, we will be in contact with some Pastors and prospective students preparing for the semester to start next year.
Sometimes it is easy to get ahead of our Lord and Savior. What we need to do first is pray and plan, then wait on the Lord. We MUST wait on the Lord’s will always. When we do that, we will accomplish what His plans are for His ministry.
In our March/April, visit we were able to participate in the celebration of the 8-year Anniversary of Caragua Baptist Church. It was such an honor to preach for them and to celebrate with old friends. It was AWESOME to see how God is growing His kingdom in that church. They are growing back as COVID is slowed down. It is a continuing work in process. How AWESOME is the God we serve.
While in Caragua, we were able to connect with the missionaries to two groups in Rio. The Guarani Indians and the Qulambo tribe of descendants of the slaves of Brazil. The missionaries are supported by the Caragua Baptist Church, so we also help them in their ministry.
Our church here in Florida has a sewing group that sews dresses for missions and we were able to take 100 dresses to these girls in Rio. These ladies are doing an AWESOME project and now several churches have joined with them, and they are also making shorts for the boys. They decided that the girls should not reap all the goodies so now the boys will receive some of the handiwork also. The pictures are of the dresses, and you can see the joy on their faces and see that it is not just the children who are happy to receive the dresses, but the adult women were also wearing the dresses too.
Thank each and every one of you for your prayers and your financial support. It would be difficult to do all that we do without you. We are always thankful for you that God has put in our lives.
In His service,
AJ and Barbara
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Four Seminary Classes in Three Weeks
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.
May 14, 2019
Dear friends and family,
In March and April, I was in Brazil taking Caragua Baptist Seminary to the Brazilian pastors and church workers. This is our concept of how to reach more Brazilian pastors and, through that, spread the gospel throughout Brazil.
In these three weeks four classes were taught: Systematic Theology, Survey of the Old Testament, Greek and Hebrew. Then the students have two months of work to be done for each class over the internet. This constitutes two semesters for those who complete all four classes. For these four classes, two pastors from the United States, Pastor Derek Coleman and Pastor Raymond Edge, gave two weeks of their time to go to Brazil and teach. Each pastor taught one course in Campinas, São Paulo and one in São Paulo, São Paulo.
Class in São Paulo
The class in Campinas was our first one in this location and we never know how many students we will have. We were told to expect 20-21 students, but we ended up with 17 students. These pastors have problems that we don’t even think about here in the States. There were some pastors that could not afford the gasoline to come to class, others could not get off in time to get to class, but the 17 that were able to come were very pleased with what they learned. I made many new pastor friends in this class and I expect to make many more.
Each time we go we have many students interested in the courses and this time was no different in that respect, but there was some hesitance or fear with the two language classes. One of the students said that he had taken two semesters of Hebrew and had not learned anything. After some assurance from me that these courses would be taught in a different manner and with a different approach, we had 33 students sign up for the classes. After the classes were taught, that same student told me that he was grateful to have had the opportunity to sit under our professors and that he had learned his Hebrew alphabet and how to do basic translations. AWESOME!!
Pastor Thomas, Pastor Edge, and AJ with the Bibles
The retired pastor, Pastor Thomas, of our host church in São Paulo is the President of the Trinitarian Bible Society of Brazil. He called the Trinitarian Bible Society of England and told them about our classes in Hebrew and Trinitarian Bible Society of England wanted to be a part of the classes. So, they decided to send us Hebrew Bibles without cost. However, Satan saw an opportunity to interfere. When the Bibles arrived in Brazil, the customs charged 2,700.00 Reals to get them out of customs. So, Pastor Thomas and I talked it over and decided that we would pay the cost to liberate the Bibles, but God in His great wisdom had another plan. Pastor Thomas called his friends in England to thank them for the gift and in the conversation, he told them about the cost to liberate the Bibles. And wouldn’t you know that they would not let us pay anything. They also paid the customs charge. They wanted to bless the Brazilian students with a free Bible. Isn’t our God AWESOME!!!!!
Class in Campinas
As I look at these students in each of the four classes, I thank God—for through my cancer, He gave me another way to plant churches in Brazil, and I see in each of these pastors the opportunity for God to use them in a special way to further His kingdom.
I have a special prayer request for all of my prayer warriors out there. One of the students in our classes in São Paulo and a close friend of mine has a 19-year-old son, David, that has been in the hospital for over 120 days and there does not seem to be any improvement. So, when God brings David to mind pray for him and his parents please.
Also please pray for the students, the pastors in the seminary, and especially for the professors as they dedicate their time and money to teach these classes.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
Like them on Facebook.
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online
Read more
Preparing for Seminary Classes in Campinas & SPC
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.
March 12, 2019
Friends and family,
What a blessed day. Sometimes we don’t realize just how blessed we are here in America. While I’m thinking of our pastors—and especially in Brazil—I appreciate just how blessed we are.
The seminary is going great. I have been talking with our Brazilian pastors and planning our next seminary classes. We will be having four classes this year in two cities. We will have two classes in Campinas, São Paulo, and two in São Paulo City. These will be our first classes in Campinas and we are very excited to meet these new pastors and church workers. These pastors seem excited about the opportunity of having these classes in their respective areas. You see, they do not have the resources to travel far to go to Seminary, so Caragua Baptist Seminary takes the classes to them.
I also have been talking to the translator for the Campinas and he is excited about translating for the classes. You see, he has the desire to become a Missionary, and translating for this class will give him the opportunity to study along with the pastors for whom he is translating. This, in my opinion, is AWESOME!!! Pray for him as this is his first time translating. His name is Michael and he has spent several years in the States, but he is anxious about this opportunity. He says that he wants to pick our brains and to know our hearts in the time we spend with him. I’m really looking forward to meeting him.
Lots of preparation has been taking place over the last few months for these classes.
I made a trip to Texas to meet with one of our professors, Dr. Raymond Edge of First Baptist Church of Bastrop, Texas. Dr. Edge and I have become personal friends over the past couple years. We have formed a close bond as pastor and missionary. He is an AWESOME teacher and makes the Old Testament come to life. He speaks 5 languages and received his education at the Jerusalem University.
Last year he and I were in São Paulo City for a class and we had the opportunity to visit the Jewish Temple. Upon introducing ourselves, he discovered that he and the Rabbi had sat under the same professor at the University in Jerusalem. Sometimes it is just amazing how small this world really is. And what an AWESOME God we serve.
All my tickets are purchased and I will be in Brazil for March and April. Please pray for this year’s professors: Dr. Terry Leap, Dr. Greg Waltermire, Dr. Raymond Edge, Dr. Derek Coleman and Pastor Russell Zik as they minister with us Brazil for the Kingdom of God.
What I think is AWESOME also is the Churches that support their pastors as they minister with us in this endeavor to better equip Brazilians to reach their people for Christ.
Thanks for all your prayers for my health. We meet with the doctor this month to hear about what God has done in my fight against cancer. Also, thanks in advance for your prayers for this mission project as we equip Pastors to better educate their people, and for those who attend preparing to open new works in Brazil.
In His service,
Aj and Barb
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
Like them on Facebook.
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online
Read more
Goal of Caraguatatuba Baptist Seminary
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.
December 15, 2018
Dear friends and family,
In this letter I want to talk you about Caraguatatuba Baptist Seminary. I have told you some of the results and some of our plans but never about the seminary itself. Our purpose is to take basic evangelical seminary to underserved pastors and Church elders in Brasil.
Our goal is to provide these saints with solid understanding of God’s truth in scripture and equip them to effectively evangelize, disciple, and build God’s kingdom in Brasil.
Our object is through the generosity and love of many Churches here in the States who allow their Pastors time off and help them financially to come and teach these pastors here in Brasil.
And because of all this the seminary has had an AWESOME year. I would like to take time right here to thank all our professors who graciously give of their time and energy to teach these classes. These professors are: Pr. Derek Coleman, Pr. Steven Scherer, Pr. Chris Dortch, Pr. Greg Waltermire, Pr. Raymond Edge and Pr. Russell Zik. Along with the professors, we have helpers in the regions where we teach and the translators and the interpreters.
The seminary offers a four-course certificate in Pastoral Ministries and a twelve-course Masters of Arts in Pastoral Ministries.
HISTORY: We have conducted courses in five cities—in those, we have had 257 students total. There have been 82 Churches represented with a total of 9,149 members in those Churches. They have been from 5 states from the Amazon to São Paulo. There have been a total of 23 classes conducted encompassing 8 courses. The classes were Systematic Theology, Survey of the New Testament, Survey of the Old Testament, Pastoral ministries, Theology of Discipleship, Old Testament Elective (Dead Sea Scrolls), New Testament Elective (Fundamentals of New Testament Soteriology).
Two cities have graduated students with a four-course Pastoral Ministries. Another city will finalize a four-course series in the summer of 2019! Two more cities have ongoing courses leading to a Masters of Arts in Pastoral Ministries. We currently have 57 students enrolled in the Masters program.
A big THANKS to all who help in the United States and in Brasil. Thanks to prayer partners and BFM—without your AWESOME help and assistance, this would not be possible. Our plans for the coming year will be presented in the upcoming letter. We have a big prayer request: we need more Professors with Ph.D./doctoral degrees. Pray with us about this, and if you qualify, and are willing to donate your time and talent, let us know.
Barbara and I would like to take this time to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a God-filled New Year.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
Like them on Facebook.
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online
Read more
God Opens Doors for the Seminary All Over Brazil
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.
November 16, 2018
Dear friends and family,
I got back from Brasil on the 1st of November and went to the doctor right away. He did the needed tests and I just want to tell you what an AWESOME God we serve. My PSA was undetectable. What that means is there is no cancer cells detected in my body. I will have to go back to the doctor in three months, but as of now I am free of taking any medicine for three months. Just to reiterate, “God is AWESOME!!!”
While I was in Brasil, we had a lot of accomplishments and much traveling for me.
In São Paulo City, we taught two more classes. There was New Testament Survey taught by Dr. Chris Dortch from First Baptist Church in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. The second week was Pastoral Ministries taught by Dr. Steven Scherer of Central Baptist Church in Paris, Kentucky. Both classes and professors were AWESOME. Pictures included.
The first week there were 31 students and in the second class there were 34 students. In these numbers there were 16 pastors. Can you imagine how many Brazilians will be reached when these pastors and Sunday school teachers go back to their church and teach what they are learning?
While these classes were going on, Dr. Derek and I made a trip to a town called Campins. We had been invited by some pastors to come talk to them about having a seminary in their town. There were 9 pastors present and after two or more hours of telling them about our seminary, our credentials, our professors, our mode of teaching, and the work required after the classes, they were satisfied that our seminary was what they were looking for. So, we have scheduled 4 classes to be taught there from March to October 2019.
We made this contact from the recommendation of Dr. Thomas Gilmar from the Baptist Temple of Indianapolis in São Paulo. Also we will be going to Manaus, Brasil, to meet with Pastor John Salava in June to have the same kind of meeting about the seminary, hopefully to have the same outcome. So, you can see how AWESOME God is and how He is opening doors all over Brazil for Caragua Baptist Seminary.
You can see that praying really works because God has put all these opportunities in our path. Now I need you to begin praying for God to supply us with qualified professors. We know that our God is capable, so we are just waiting to see where He works.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
Aj and Barbara Hensley
ajcaragua[at]gmail.com
Like them on Facebook.
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online
Read more
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
Like them on Facebook.
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online
Read more
