News from a Disciple in France
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
July 1, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Sometimes it is good for you to get news “straight from the horse’s mouth”. So, I thought that you might like to read a portion of this personal note I received from “Sam”. I have his permission to share it with you. Sam made a public profession of faith and was baptized about 3 years ago. We became acquainted with Sam, who is a software engineer, through his sister who was a member of the church in Tournefeuille. He came to me asking me to have Bible studies in English. He had two goals: Improve his English and understand what God wants from us.
Each week for a year Sam would spend about 3 hours with me in Bible study. Since he was single, we invited him to come straight from work and have dinner with us. In addition to the Bible studies we also had great discussions each week while eating wonderful meals prepared by Judy. Sam always brought desserts from a French pastry shop. When we had been having Bible studies weekly for a year, the light went on, Sam trusted Christ and followed the Lord in baptism. We continued having Bible studies.
Over a year ago Sam took a job in Paris (8 hours by car north of us). He was able to find a church, but it takes an hour each way to get there from his house. We continue to have regular contact and when he is in the Toulouse area he comes to the Tournefeuille church. I will let you read a few words I received from him this past month.
Hi my dear brother John,
I never replied to your email about forgiveness, but I’ve read it with great attention, and today, I read it again.
Today, at work, I parked on a parking place reserved for another company in the same building. The neighbor wanted to make his point by parking right behind my car so I couldn’t leave. He left a note under his windshield so I can call him, which is what I did. He came with another coworker and they both criticized me for taking a parking place that wasn’t mine. I accepted my bad, said that I was sorry and that I won’t take his parking place anymore, and asked him to move his car so I can go back home.
He said: “No, I will work until 9 PM”. Somehow, he wanted to make me pay, he wanted me to feel miserable. I told him that he could left a note on my windshield, I would have stopped parking on his place, there’s no need to block me now the evening, but he didn’t want to listen anything, so I walked back home.
No need to say that this attitude made me very angry. I said to myself how stupid he was: I apologized, I said that I won’t do it anymore, what did he want more? I felt sometimes people really seek for destruction. If I just listened to my human feelings, I would seek for revenge, after he would revenge on me and going to work will become a hell for both of us…
I took some time to cool off tonight, and I read again your email about unconditional forgiveness, and it helped me 😊 I feel that I need to let it pass, forgive this man, though what he did was illegal. If I had to pick up my children at school for example, or something more urgent…
Otherwise, I don’t know if you remember, I have a friend Denis that has been condemned to 10 years in jail. I kept writing letters to him, trying to understand his state of mind, comfort him as much as I can and encourage him. He didn’t really believe in a God that would be worried about his existence, as to start with, he goes to jail for an attempted homicide while he was not in control of his body as he lost his mind because of a melancholic depression. He told me that when it happened, he was like a spectator of his own body… I suggested him to read the Bible with a book that you may know “Dig Deeper into the Gospels” which explains the Gospel of Mark, and he accepted it.
He wrote me a letter after that, that I share with you: … (I [John] did not include this interesting note as I had no permission from Denis to do so, but it was very encouraging.)
I feel very encouraged and I try to keep on corresponding with him and help him dig deeper into God’s Word. Thanks God, I got a very good teacher for myself 😋
I’ve been in Toulouse last weekend, I talked a little bit with Philip, got some news from you. It’s been a while I haven’t been at your church, and though I like it, I realized that it’s hard to develop some roots in God’s word just by going to the church on Sunday. I realized that what I liked the most with your church in Tournefeuille was the Bible study with you in fact. They were most of my spiritual bread, and I am really grateful for that. I think that the gospel of John, Acts or Romans, I naturally associate it with you, and there were great memories.
I keep Peggy, Judy and you in my prayers. I’m not very good for those kind of situations, and I don’t really know what to say. I love the three of you, that’s what I feel.
Getting apart is sad, but we all have this hope to see each other again in God’s presence and I’m looking forward to rejoicing all together.
With love,
Sam
So, this is just one of many examples of what you are participating in as disciples of Jesus are made in France. Just think of all these people you will meet in the presence of the Lord.
Yours in Christ,
John and Judy
Stateside Address
John and Judy Hatcher
1901 Shepherd Dr.
Evansville, IN 47715
jmhatcher@aol.com
Field Address
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Encouraging Services, Ministry to Shut-Ins
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
January 2, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today is a typical gray winter day in Tournefeuille, but beyond the clouds I know the sun is shining. That is often the way it is in our daily lives. We may be surrounded by circumstances that may be dark, but “the Sun of righteousness” has arisen “with healing in His wings” and He is above all.
I have been particularly encouraged by the services of our church the past two Sundays. Since these Sundays were on holidays we decided to have the service at 4pm followed by a time of snacking and fellowship. In our informal time of sharing, the spiritual growth of some was evident. Two of the Sunday services during the month of December were led by men in the church besides Philip and me. Our goal is to make disciples and to commit God’s word to “faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
On Christmas Day part of the worship time was a musical presentation by our children and young people. It was thrilling to watch and to have unsaved visitors here to hear the gospel because their grandchildren were singing. The young people were repeating for us a special program they had done earlier in the month for senior citizens at a meeting sponsored by the city of L’Union.
How this came about is in itself a blessing. Paulette, the oldest member of our congregation lives in the city of L’Union. About a year ago she decided to become a volunteer for the city government and a non-profit organization whose goals are to contact older people who are shut in. Though Paulette’s health itself is not the best, she has been faithful in this new endeavor and as a result has had the opportunity to talk about her faith to the shut ins. She has also had many opportunities to talk about Christ with other volunteers with whom she makes the visits. She organized this special Christmas party where testimony for Christ could be given.
Thank you for your prayers and support. May God bless each of you as you begin this New Calendar year and let us all remember to use our time on earth to invest into eternity.
In France,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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