Adjusting to Various Challenges in São Paulo
Jud and Raquel Hatcher serve the Lord in São Paulo, 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.
February 1, 2017
Dear friends,
Thank you for praying and supporting us. Your love for us is always an encouragement. In this newsletter, I will share about our family’s health, kids’ education and ministry. Come visit us in São Paulo to see firsthand what the Lord is doing.
Family
The end of year has been an interesting one for all of us. Raquel, Sarah and Melissa are in good health. Laura has an ear infection that just doesn’t want to leave her alone. The antibiotics don’t seem to be having much effect. She is on a third round of medication and we are praying that she will recuperate. Benjamin has complained of stomach aches for a while. We took him to the ER a few weeks ago, but the exams were inconclusive. There are still more tests to run as we search for the root problem. I’ve had a lot of muscle issues. My hands and arms will typically swell up, go numb and my joints ache after carrying heavy luggage or after driving long stretches or holding heavy items for long periods of time.
This year we opted to homeschool our children using the A Beka curriculum. We have never done this before and it has proven to be a challenge for us. We are in the process of reconsidering our decision and enrolling them in a local school.
We ask that you pray for our health and our children’s education.
Ministry
We have connected with Igreja Batista Memorial de Alphaville (IBMA) here in São Paulo. Sidney Costa is the senior pastor and is a friend since 2004. He is a great leader and has coached us along this transition process (i.e. housing, local culture, friendship, banking advice, etc.).
I have an office at the church and lead the English and Spanish Communities, which are extensions of IBMA. The average attendance on Sundays is 90-100 people between the two communities. We are excited by this connection as it is an intensely missional church and extremely focused on Jesus as it plans to branch out into all regions of Greater São Paulo. In March, a new location is queued to begin in a section of the city called Berrine. We are enthusiastic with what the Lord is doing.
I am scheduled to be in the States for 9 days as of February 22. I will attend the Liberty University Pastoral Leadership Advisory Board, led by Dr. Dave Adams. I shall also meet with several pastors and churches in VA, TN & KY. Pray as the Lord opens doors.
Adjusting
We have made several new friends since we arrived in São Paulo, including the English-speaking expatriate community. We are still adjusting to pace in this massive metropolis. While the region has a lot to offer and has its advantages, traffic is always a killer. Getting to different areas where we must go can often take up to 2 hours. This, whilst dealing with crazy motorcycles that weave between cars and often bump into cars. Getting around town without Google maps or Waze is almost impossible.
Finding a good car mechanic that is close to home has been a tough one. The Lord provided us with a great car though, (a KIA Rondo, 7 seat, compact mini-van), but we’ve already taken it in for repairs. Finding parts for it is a challenge. Just the other day I needed to change the engine belt and it took me two days to find the crazy thing. It is an inconspicuous vehicle, great on gas and runs well. Adjusting has been tougher than expected, particularly because the cost of living is higher than we anticipated.
Our Prayer Requests are:
1. Family’s health. (Laura’s infection, Benjamin’s stomach, and my hands and arms.)
2. Children’s education.
3. Finances.
Grateful always,
Jud Hatcher
Judson & Raquel Hatcher
(859) 608-4742
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
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Feeling Like a True Missionary
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
June 29, 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Some days I feel like a true missionary. I felt that way a few days ago when Julie and I went to visit Amy and Josiah at RVA, their boarding school located in the Great Rift Valley. To get to the school we need to go down a steep, winding road to half-way down the escarpment where the school is located. Usually we are able to take this “main” road down the escarpment. But the government is currently paving parts of the road and with the recent rains in that area the road had been closed. So, the only way Julie and I could get down the escarpment to see our kids was to take the alternative route. This alternative route was a narrow, mud-filled path that led down the escarpment. It is primitive enough that nobody bothered to close it even though it was in much worse shape that the “main” road that actually had been officially closed. I put the vehicle in 4-wheel drive, low gear and started down the mountain. I guess some men would think this an adventure. I, on the other hand, get nervous in those situations, knowing that at any time I could be slipping off the crown of the path and hopelessly stuck. Julie and I were able to slip and slide our way down the path to the school, white knuckling the steering wheel the whole way. But we had to make it down because it was Amy’s 16th birthday. And make it down we did. That day I felt like a true missionary.
But I guess true missionaries do other things too, that are a bit more mundane, if not more important. This past month I taught a week long class to 11 students on Biblical Financial Management. It is an important class because the whole idea of managing finances is somewhat foreign to many Kenyans. There is very little concept of the future in their culture. And their cultural ideas of money is quite often very contrary to the Scriptures. For example, if money comes into their church via offerings and the Pastor has a need (say, to pay school fees for his kids), then he oftentimes feels quite justified in taking the church’s money and using it for his own personal needs. This practice is widespread and nobody thinks anything of it. The younger generation of Kenyan church workers see the practice as immoral but usually don’t have the clout to confront the older generation of pastors. The goal of my teaching in this class was to try and reach this younger generation and to get them to follow Biblical principles in the way they use money in their families and churches. We have to think “generationally” as we try to grow the Kingdom of Christ in Kenya.
I will be heading to the States for the month of August for Emily’s wedding. Please pray for our ministries and those here who will be overseeing things while we are in the States.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Emily, Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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Missionary Update: Bobby & Charlene Wacaser in Brazil [March 2015]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
March 6, 2015
Dear Friends,
I got one of those horrible painful calls this week. My youngest sister called to tell me that my 80 year old mother has been diagnosed with Leukemia. She also said that it is in a very advanced stage and that she doesn’t have much time on earth. My mother knows Jesus and she is ready to go home to him, but I ask that you would pray for her to have the strength and grace to honor him in her final days in her pain and suffering. My dad has failing health also and the news about his bride of 64 years having a terminal illness has left him nearly without a will to live, himself. My wife, Charlene, and I will be taking a furlough to the US for some months to help my brothers and sisters out during this trying time for us all. All of our ministries here in Brazil are in the good hands of leaders and helpers we’ve prepared for just such a time as this.
Despite these weighty circumstances, we will continue our ministry partnerships with our Brazilian church, Projeto Vida and our young missionary to a Muslim country to the degree that it is possible. In fact, we have a group of 48 teenagers arriving in just a few hours to spend a week evangelizing in the local schools and public parks.
We will have the thrill of baptizing on this coming Sunday one of our first translator volunteers who recently surrendered his life to Christ. His name is Milton and he is 65 years old. When we met Milton 14 years ago he claimed to be an atheist. He loved to help us translate the gospel message every year when this group of youth comes, but just this winter, Milton sensed the Spirit of God speaking to him to repent and accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He did that and now he wants to be baptized and let everyone know that he is now a follower of Christ. We are so thrilled and thankful to God for His mercy and persistence to extend salvation, even when we first reject His love. Milton is my new brother!
Before we leave Brazil next week, I am planning to seek out 3 of my close friends who have come to church on many occasions and, with whom I have shared the gospel several times, to seriously consider surrendering their lives to Christ. We never know how long we have in this world or what events may take place affecting future opportunities to share Christ’s message of salvation, so I don’t want to leave these friends without making an extra effort to persuade them to trust Christ. I pray that their hearts will be receptive to His grace.
Charlene and I are so thankful to all of you who pray for us faithfully and give so that we may serve the Lord through Baptist Faith Missions. We trust that He will bless you both now and eternally for your faithfulness.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Sobrado 1, Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)481-7007
bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
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Missionary Update: Mike & Beverly Creiglow in Brazil [February 2015]
Mike and Beverly Creiglow have served the Lord in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil together since 1971. 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.
February 10, 2015
Dear Brethren,
The year is 41 days old and we have had 38 days of rain. Fortunately it hasn’t hurt our crowds too much. Many people have been put out of their homes and there have been a few deaths because of the flooding across the state. We are concerned about having supplies cut off again this year. Even though there has been so much rain our attendance was actually up for January. We added three new families by letter and have had a few professions of faith.
February 1st was homecoming. There were 637 for the morning service and meal. We had our “almost like” faith promise pledge, too. This should bring in an extra $4,000.00 per month for our extra outreach programs.
I know you would rather hear just uplifting news, but…..This month I had to fire the guy who has worked with me in all the construction projects over the last 5 years. He was slacking and also playing loose with the truth. Then a week later I had to fire the man who has been my traveling buddy for the past 7 or 8 years. There were a bunch of little things that he has not corrected in his life. I had been warning him for years, literally. Then recently there were problems with the occasional beer and sex. These have not been easy things to handle.
There have been a bunch of other situations, just as tense, that I have been dealing with for weeks on end. Also, with the expansions of the programs at church, the workload has increased a ton. Yesterday I got up at 6:00AM and started my Bible reading. Before I finished even a chapter I fell asleep in my chair. Bev has a lady from church that helps her a couple of days a week with the cleaning. When she arrived at 8 o’clock and saw me asleep in my chair she was alarmed and sure something really bad had happened. The only times she has ever seen me that way was when I broke 4 ribs and the last time I had malaria. Well I’m not sick, but I slept until 10:00AM then fell asleep again after lunch and slept another 3 hours. During my morning nap I even had a dream. I was standing in a room surrounded by people who needed my attention and instructions, but I was just standing there, sound asleep! So I guess that counts as double the rest. I was asleep in my sleep. This will all pass soon, I hope. I think we have turned the corner on the wave of unusual problems that we have had to deal with. Just keep praying. Good news is coming soon.
In his 49 years of ministry, Bro. Mike Creiglow has been through at least 3 accordions!
To put the smile back on your face I am sending a picture of me making noise with the accordion during the homecoming service. By the way, on January 29th I celebrated my 49th year in the ministry and an accordion has been right there with me all the way. The accordions have had to be replaced at least 3 times. One of these days I will have to be replaced, too!
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
Mike Creiglow
Mike and Beverly Creiglow
Caixa Postal 24
Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil 69980
mdcreig [at] hotmail.com
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