Making New Friends, Introducing them to the Very Best Friend
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.
August 21, 2019
Dear friends,
Here are a few key phrases to encourage you to keep reading and find out more: “Did she break her ankle?”, Darkness falls in the metropolis, Ministry explanation
I have been fighting a throat infection for the last few days. The strong antibiotic is taking a toll on my stomach. Sarah (8th grade) was invited to play in the Sr. Varsity basketball team this school year. She was surprised by the coach’s invitation. Even more surprised when he put her in to play twice during the first game of the season. Her coach is impressed by her development and drive. Unfortunately, she sprained her ankle this week. One of the coach’s first questions once we returned from the hospital was “Did she break her ankle?”. Thankfully, it was just the ligament. So, she may not get to play in the next game at the end of this week. We are thankful for no broken bones. Sarah & Laura adapted well with using braces. Melissa will be using special braces as some of her baby teeth fell out too early and the spaces for the teeth need to remain open until the new teeth drop. Benjamin is loving school and soccer – he is one happy dude. Raquel is doing well, whilst staying busy.
The last couple of weeks we’ve had very hot days followed by very cold days. The weather gets extremely melancholic during this time of the year. The day before yesterday was an even more bizarre day. Due to all the fires in another part of the country, the wind brought in a dark smog and by 4 pm it was dark as night.
Over the last month there was a lot of discipleship with new believers and planning with leadership. We had an evangelistic event this last Sunday. We had a “Friends Barbeque” at the church in Jardim Maria Virginia. We had an icebreaker before lunch began where people used a whole two minutes to talk about themselves to another person (some found it easier than others). Then, the person who listened had 30 seconds to introduce their new friend to another. It is interesting to see you people interact with having to talk about themselves and then listen to their introduction, yet they loved it. Making new friends is important, but meeting Jesus – hey, He is the best friend anyone can have. Almost 100 people turned out to the event. There were 6 decisions in all – 4 salvations, 1 reconciliation and 1 for baptism. I love interacting with the unchurched. They often don’t know what to expect and don’t know how to do the “church thing”. After we finished the altar call, one lady raised her hand and blurted out “Hey, I surrendered to Jesus several years ago but was never baptized. What do I need to do to get baptized?” I gave a brief explanation so that all could hear, and we scheduled a follow-up meeting to talk about baptism and what we believe.
This next Sunday we begin a new children’s ministry campaign to reach young children and their families. Raquel did the curriculum training and planning for the kick-off day (this coming Sunday). We are inviting families with children left and right, through social media and face-to-face. The team is excited, and the parents are encouraged that people want to invest in their children.
Grateful always,
Judson Hatcher
Judson & Raquel Hatcher
(859) 544-9040
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
Website | Twitter | Facebook
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Teaching in the Annex Prison
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
August 3, 2019
Dear praying friends,
We hope this finds each of you doing well and staying busy in the service of our Lord. Hard to believe that it is already August. Time goes so fast. This update will share current prayer requests, as well as ministry updates.
I (Nathan) am continuing to disciple a younger Kenyan man in Milimani, near where we live. Emmanuel has been a very good student and seems to really have a hunger for the Word of God. We recently studied a lesson entitled “Other Christians.” This lesson gave us a good understanding of how we are to relate to fellow believers. What are some things we are to do? We are to pray for each other. We are to serve each other. We are to love each other. We are to forgive each other. Colossians 3:13 says “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Also, John 13:35, which says “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” Please continue to pray for Emmanuel and his spiritual growth. I have seen much progress in his life since beginning the teachings, and I pray that he goes out to teach others.
I also am continuing to teach at the Annex prison. I am very thankful for the prison officials for being welcoming and allowing this ministry to continue. We recently studied about the Tower of Babel, and how God humbled the people there. Ultimately, their plan of building a big Tower was defeated by God, as He caused them to speak different languages and they could no longer understand each other. God is sovereign, rules over all things, and He alone is the mighty God. I think of Isaiah 42:8, which says “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”
What a lesson from the Tower of Babel. May we live humbly, walking with God, and giving Him the praise the belongs only to Him. Please pray for the prisoners that come, that they would continue to grow spiritually.
Please continue to pray for the new Christian school here in Milimani, where my wife serves and volunteers. Please pray for God’s leading in all that is done, that there would be many students who have a desire to follow Him, and for possibly even more international students to come. We leave this all in His hands, and trust Him for the results.
We appreciate each of you so much. Thanks so much for your encouragement to us. You are all such a blessing to us.
Until next month,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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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Studying about Daily Devotions with Emmanuel
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
July 4, 2019
Dear praying friends,
We wish you each a great day of celebrating independence in America. This is such a special time to be with friends and family. May we be a nation that honors God and desires to please Him. I am reminded of Proverbs 14:34, which says “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” May we be a people with the desire to please God and serve Him.
It’s hard to believe we are already into the month of July. Time passes so fast. This update will share current prayer requests, as well as ministry updates.
I (Nathan) am continuing to disciple a younger Kenyan man named Emmanuel here in Kitale. I am pleased with the progress he is making and the spiritual growth that I have seen in him. He has much potential, so please pray for him, that he would take these teachings out to reach his own people. We recently considered about “Daily Devotions,” or taking time out of each day to be alone with God and hear from Him. There were so many important teachings in the lesson, such as finding a good time of day (preferably morning before the activities of the day), a good place (a place where you will not be disturbed), and taking a pen and notebook to record what God is saying to you. There are also questions to be asked of each passage, questions that dig deeper in the Scriptures and help one to understand it better. Please continue to pray for Emmanuel and his spiritual growth and development.
I am also continuing to teach at the Annex prison. I recently taught on Noah and the Ark. There were many things to consider from this lesson, but I wanted to point out that the people of Noah’s day were given a very long time to repent and agree with God. Because of their hard heart, they refused to heed God’s warnings and were punished in the end. I am reminded of 2 Peter 3:9, which says “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” May we be aware of the dangers of having a hard heart, and hear the warnings that God gives us. This is a wise way to live. Please pray for this ministry and the prisoners who come to hear and be taught the Word of God.
We are thankful that the hospital ministry is continuing along well. My wife has a servant spirit and has reached many mothers and babies with much needed clothing and supplies, as well as Gospel tracts. Please pray that many would be reached and much glory would go to God. He deserves all glory and praise.
We appreciate each of you so much. Thanks for your notes, cards of encouragement, sacrificial giving, and prayer support. You are such a blessing to us. We will keep you updated.
In Kitale,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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
Studying Genesis in the Annex Prison
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
June 4, 2019
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and passed, and we are now halfway through 2019. Where has the time gone? Time passes so quickly, and may we be mindful of the opportunities that the Lord gives us to serve each day. This update will share current ministries as well as prayer requests.
One of our current prayer requests is for the health of our daughters, the teachers, and the other students at the new school in Kitale. This past week was a rough one, with our daughter McKenna missing several days and Camille also missing a few days. Several teachers were also struggling with sickness, so please pray that everyone will get back to good health soon. We are so thankful for the school and the many activities it provides for children in the Kitale area. Today they had their field trip, to the Saiwa Swamp. The girls were so excited, wanting to find the Sitatungas (small antelope like creatures), as well as looking at the monkeys and variety of birds. There are a few field trips during the year, and both our daughters were so excited for this one. Please pray that the school would get new students as well, and that God would provide the teachers and staff that are needed.
I (Nathan) am continuing to disciple a younger Kenyan man named Emmanuel. Emmanuel has been such a good student and has a good attitude. He is currently taking the teachings I have been teaching him and going out to teach others. We recently considered the lesson “The will of God.” There were many good teachings in this lesson, and multiple verse references. One of my favorite verses in the lesson is Psalm 37:4, which says “Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Also, the Lord Jesus Christ laid down a principle that should govern all our life. In Matthew 6:33, we read “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Please pray for these teachings to seek deep into Emmanuel’s heart and life, and for him to go out and reach others. What a blessing he has been.
I also am continuing at the Annex prison. I am thankful for the chaplains and the head officer for allowing this ministry to continue. We are currently in Genesis, and we recently studied about creation, as well as God creating Eve from the rib of Adam. Lord willing, next week we will consider the fall of man in the Garden of Eden and the terrible consequences. From there we will proceed to Cain and Abel, the Tower of Babel, Abraham and Isaac, etc. Please pray for the prisoners and for me as I teach them weekly. Thanks to each one who sacrificially gives or prays for this ministry.
My wife is staying busy volunteering at the school and also enjoys the hospital ministry. She has been much busier and much happier this term, and we are so thankful for the opportunities that God has given her to serve here in Kitale.
The road near us has finally been tarmacked, so we are thankful for this. There are big speed bumps along it to discourage any speeding. This is a huge blessing and help, and now my wife can finally drive again.
God bless you and thanks to each of you for your interest in what God is doing in this corner of the world.
May God bless you for your heart for missions.
In Kitale,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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
Teaching in the Annex Prison, Praying for Rain
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
April 2, 2019
Dear praying friends,
It is now the month of April, and we have many things to update you on. Thanks again so much for your prayers, encouragement, and sacrificial giving. We appreciate each of you so much.
April is a big month for birthdays in our family, as my wife (Carrie) has hers in the middle of the month, and our daughter McKenna has hers towards the end of the month. What a blessing they both are to our family and I thank the Lord for them.
This month is a break from school. Last week was the final week of school until the end of April. The students put on a very nice end of term program. Both of our daughters are enrolled in the school and doing very well. It was amazing to watch our daughter McKenna speaking French for five minutes with her friend. Both our daughters are learning basic greetings, etc. and doing very well. Their teacher is fluent in French, so we hope they can continue to develop, grow, and learn in the language. They are also studying Swahili, the language of Kenya, so two languages at once is challenging. My wife has stayed very busy with teaching 3 days a week at the school and helping with administrative duties. We are so thankful for this new Christian school and ask that you would pray for the directors, teachers, and students alike.
I (Nathan) am continuing to teach Emmanuel through our discipleship course. He is doing very well as a student and is taking it seriously and growing spiritually. He has a good attitude and wants to take these teachings to go teach others. We recently studied “God is our Heavenly Father.” In this lesson, we saw that God loves us with an everlasting love, (Jeremiah 31:3), He protects us, and we are not to worry, but to trust Him to provide and care for us. We are to seek His kingdom first, and trust Him to lead and guide us through life. One of the key verses in the lesson is Matthew 6:33, which says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” What a great verse to claim throughout our lives. Please continue to pray for Emmanuel, his spiritual growth, and those that he plans to teach in the future.
I (Nathan) thank the Lord that the Annex prison ministry is continuing along well. I have been doing ministry in this prison for the past several years, and am thankful that the opportunity is still there to teach the men who desire the teachings. I recently taught them on “God Alone.” This lesson had many teachings, with the idea that God is eternal, needs nothing, knows everything, is everywhere all the time, and greater than all. One of my favorite verses from the lesson is Psalm 147:5, which says “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” Please pray for me and the students, as we continue along in our study of the Word of God.
One final prayer request we currently have is for rain. It has been so hot and dry lately, and many of the crops, etc. are suffering. We are usually in rainy season at this time, but this year has been unusually hot and dry and the rain would be a much needed welcome. We hope and pray that the rains will start soon, and we know God is in control.
May God bless each of you. We will keep you updated.
In Kitale,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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
Great Things He Has Done; Great Expectations for 2019
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
January 4, 2019
I want to start this letter and this year off with a hearty “Praise the Lord!” for all that He did in and through us this past year! We were blessed way beyond our expectations. The great things that God did emboldened us to have greater expectations for this new year.
During our special Christmas services, we had a huge turnout in attendance and a great response to the gospel presentation. Fifteen individuals surrendered their lives to Christ, six people professed that they wanted to rededicate their lives to the Lord and several visitors told us that they want to know more about the Christian life from what they saw in the way they were treated by our church members. I was thrilled with how hard our members worked in preparation for this event and how well they received our guests. I spoke with all of them after the special service and, although they were exhausted, they were very happy with how the Lord used them to touch the lives of so many people. The next day after our services I contacted all those who had made decisions to encourage them and we will begin discipleship training this month.
Our traveling evangelistic teams are in their summer recess because Brazilian schools are on summer break and that is our main venue for outreach. We will be hosting a missionary training seminar in the middle of this month and we are expecting volunteers from several different states. We give them biblical missions teaching in the classroom for two weeks and then we take them out on short term mission trips into the interior for another two weeks. After these four weeks of training several of these young people usually volunteer to stay on to work with our team for an additional six months or more. We hope that will be the case again this year. God has used this method and these young people tremendously repeatedly.
Charlene and I finished our first semester of giving free classes of English as a second language. We found out that this ministry is truly God-given avenue for sharing the love of Christ to the lost in our community. People who wouldn’t normally come to a church service came to learn English and that gave us the opportunity to share how God has changed our lives as we taught them English. In fact, several of those who accepted Christ as their Savior at our Christmas services were either our students or family members of our students and none of them were attending church before we started teaching them English. We thank the Lord that He gave us the insight to launch this ministry and we hope to use it even more efficiently this year.
We thank you for your faithful prayers and support of our ministry here in southern Brazil. We are hoping to see the Lord do great things in 2019.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279
Sobrado 1, Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR. Brasil
Phone: 55-41-99899-2333
bobbymichael_1[at]hotmail.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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Back to School & Continuing to Train Young Kenyan Men
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
January 3, 2019
Dear praying friends,
Happy 2019! We wish each of you a happy 2019 as you serve the Lord this upcoming year. May we truly be busy serving God, as we don’t know how much time we have to serve. Time passes so fast, and how we need to prioritize and put His kingdom first. I am reminded of Matthew 6:33, which says “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Please pray for my wife and daughters, as they will be going back to school this next week. My wife will be teaching on Thursdays and Fridays, and assisting where she can. I am thankful for her servant spirit and making herself available to serve. Our daughters have been getting bored as the break has been long, so we are thankful that they will be going back to school soon to be with their friends again. This school has been such a huge answer to prayer in regards to the much needed socialization for our children, and having activities to do. They will be studying the languages of Kiswahili and French, as well as staying busy with their studies. Please also pray for Julie Tate, my wife’s friend, as they both will be assisting with the new curriculum during the week.
I (Nathan) am continuing to disciple the younger Kenyan man in his home village of Rafiki. We have gone through many Biblical teachings together, and recently we studied about the need for daily devotions. We looked at how we need to spend time with God, praying, studying the Word of God, and entrusting to Him all the activities of the day. He seemed to appreciate the teachings and it challenged him in regards to his quiet time with God. I hope and pray that the teachings will be a blessing to him. He has told me that he has been growing spiritually, for which I am thankful. I feel that the men need to be grounded and pass through the discipleship course before they are sent out to start churches. This is the way I feel led at this time and I pray that you would pray that God would bless and provide the right men to train. I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 3:6, where Paul says, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” Without His blessing, nothing will work, but I am trusting Him to give the increase. Praise God.
I am also continuing to train another younger Kenyan man in the area of Milimani, right outside of Kitale town. This young man also seems hungry to learn and be discipled, for which I am thankful. He has given positive feedback to the training, and I thank God for that. Please pray for both of these men, as they have jobs and are busy, but are desiring to be taught and trained in the Word of God. I will continue to wait, pray, and trust the Lord to provide the right men in His timing and plan. I appreciate your prayers for me as I continue to train and leave the results to God.
We appreciate each of you so much. May God bless you for your prayers, sacrificial giving, and notes of encouragement. You are each a blessing and we thank God for you. We will keep you updated.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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
Teaching and Training in Kitale
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
December 3, 2018
Dear praying friends,
We are now at the end of 2018, with 2019 right around the corner. As I (Nathan) look back on this year, I am amazed at how quickly the time passed. I am reminded of Psalm 39:4, which says, “LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.” May we make the best use of the days that the Lord gives us, as each day is truly a gift. This letter will share ministry progress as well as prayer requests.
Please pray for us and other missionaries during this holiday season. It is not easy to be separated from family and friends at this time, but God gives grace. Christmas is such a special time of the year, and during the busyness, may we not forget the true reason for our celebration, the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We wish each of you a very merry Christmas and a happy upcoming 2019. We are thankful for the missionaries who are here in Kitale now, who we will be getting together with during this holiday season, however, our hearts and thoughts are with our families as well. We have many exciting things to look forward to in 2019, one of which is the new school that God has provided for our daughters in Kitale.
We wish to thank anyone who donated to the shipping and set up costs for the new school. My wife and Julie Tate have been working hard to ensure that the right materials have been shipped into the country. Praise the Lord, some of the curriculum has already arrived and they plan to start training teachers this week. This curriculum is very new to the teachers and they are not familiar with it, so please pray for my wife and Julie as they invest their time and energy into training them. My wife has been praying about how to be more involved in the school, and she has decided to volunteer to co-teach the language arts block and history with Julie. Please pray for her in this endeavor as well, that God would help her and she would be a blessing. This has been a long break for our daughters, and they sometimes get bored, but they are looking forward to starting school with an international curriculum the beginning of January, Lord willing. We will keep you updated on these things and we appreciate your prayers.
I (Nathan) am continuing in the discipleship course in the village of Rafiki with a younger Kenyan man that I have been meeting with for the past several months. I have been encouraged in his spiritual growth, and I hope and pray the teachings have been a blessing to him. I want to give him a solid foundation before training him in church planting, as I feel there are many teachings the men need before being sent out to start churches. Recently we looked at a lesson titled “The Faithful God.” In this lesson, we saw many things about His faithfulness. We considered things such as God’s faithfulness has no limits, His faithfulness does not fail, and His faithfulness is great. Psalm 36:5 says “Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.” In Psalm 37:25, David wrote “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” God will take care of us as we serve Him. He is a faithful God, and we can trust Him.
Please pray for me as I continue to disciple another younger Kenyan man in the area of Milimani, near where we stay. He has been busy with his job, but desires to continue studying and learning the Word of God. I am trusting God to provide the right men to train in His plan and timing. God is faithful and I will trust Him.
We will be sure to keep you updated and we appreciate so much your prayers, letters of encouragement, and sacrificial giving. You are each a blessing to us and we wish each of you a very merry Christmas and happy upcoming 2019.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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
