Fruitful Opportunities in New Friendships
January 15, 2023
Dear Fellow Disciples of Christ,
We hope your new calendar year is starting well. This is the first week of my 71st year and it doesn’t seem much different from last week. (LOL) It is good to remind myself that with the Lord “one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
We are thankful and encouraged by the blessings from our Father this past year. He has given us fruitful opportunities in new friendships. Last week Judy was out walking and saw a lady who had stopped and was swinging her leg. Judy asked her if she was OK and this lady responded that she was fine but had recently had a hip replacement. This encounter led to a long walk together. The lady began sharing details of her life. She just turned 70 on December 25 and was impressed that she was the same age as Judy and I. She was widowed a couple years ago, is quite lonely, and strongly encouraged Judy to come and visit her! They have been texting each other. God has given us a number of similar encounters this year and the process of pursuing these friendships and sharing what He has done for us continues.
Our church meeting today was wonderful. We are studying through the letter to the Hebrews. The congregation is avidly attentive. Our Bible studies during the week are also going well. During the last three days we learned that two of the participants placed their faith in Christ. One is Kerwan, a young man who is now a High School Science teacher. We have had the joy of presenting the Gospel to him since he was in Elementary School. He regularly came to Youth meetings when he was in Middle School and High School. He will be getting baptized soon. He is one of the two believers besides Judy and me in the Bible study in L’Union. The participants in this Bible study show a great interest.
The other confession of faith is by Elliot, the oldest son of the couple who host the Bible study in their home in Campagne sur Arize. He trusted Christ on Christmas Day. The Parents led him to Christ when he expressed a desire to trust Jesus.
The youth meetings are also very encouraging. Most of the teenagers who come are believers. This year we are discussing how to express your faith and share the good news.
Thank you for your prayers and support. Please continue to pray for the believers and those who are seeking as the Light of God draws them. Give thanks with us for the new believers and the growth of the disciples.
May our Father’s love be evident to you today,
Judy and John Hatcher
Contact Info:
John & Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher@aol.com
Present USA phone 1-812-416-1033
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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Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [September 2015]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
August 24, 2015
Dear Fellow Servants,
We are enjoying the Lord’s blessings and hope you are too. As with most of you, we are nearing the end of school vacation. Summers in France are quite different from those in the USA. Most people leave town for about a month which means that at any given time during the summer about half of the houses in our neighborhood are empty. However, this can be useful in building relationships with people. Since most scheduled activities are on hold, people have more time to visit.
During the past few weeks we have had people to our home for meals and gone to the homes of others to eat with them. Some of our most effective moments for communicating the Gospel is in these settings. During the past month we have had people in our home for the first time and spent hours talking to them. We have also been able to reconnect with people that we have not seen for some time.
Another important activity this month has been planning for the coming school year. This includes deciding what God wants us to teach in Sunday School and Bible studies during the coming year, where we need to start new projects and what we need to stop doing. Judy and I have decided to work on optimizing the relationships God has given us. We have a large number of friends as a result of the activities in which we are or have been involved, but have a difficult time finding time to have these folks over for meals where important conversations take place. Since evening time is always at a premium and is when we can see people, I have decided to stop singing in the community choir in order to dedicate more time to cultivating friendships.
A number of young folks who have attended services, Sunday School and meetings with us as they were growing up are now in College. We are concerned because a number of these have never professed faith in Christ. Amanda, our daughter-in-law, is starting a fellowship/Bible study time with the girls who attend local colleges. If we can get some boys interested, we will have a boys meeting and from time to time have all the students meet together.
Two days ago Judy and I were blessed with the birth of our 12th grandchild. We are going to be in the Chicago area during the month of September so that we can visit with our children there and help with the newborn. This will also give me the opportunity to spend a few days with Mom and Dad and Paul and Wanda. The Lord willing, I plan to be with them to celebrate Mom’s 90th birthday.
Thank you for your faithful support and prayers. God is blessing your investment and we are delighted to be on the team with you.
Sharing the Good News in France,
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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