Fellowship with Disciples, Meals & Studies with Seekers
November 14, 2022
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
It’s Thanksgiving Season and we are very thankful to our Heavenly Father that He has given us many years of fellowship with you. Thank you for your faithful support.
Thanksgiving is not a holiday in France but we always celebrate it as close to the US National holiday as we can. This coming Saturday we will be having Thanksgiving dinner together with Philip, Amanda and their two younger daughters. Camille is in her first year at a University here and Emily is a Senior in High School. We have also invited two couples who have been friends for a long time. Neither of these are believers. The primary way we share the Good News is in encounters and meals together. One couple are parents of Pascaline who trusted the Lord and followed Him in baptism several years ago. She is now doing University studies in the city of Lyon.
Friday night we were surprised by the visit of Marie Theophile. She was a part of our assembly for about ten years along with her parents and siblings before going to University. She is now completing Law School in Northern France. Many young people from our congregation are now in Universities in other regions and countries. Thomas just moved to Italy this past Friday to attend Medical School. We hope and pray that each of these disciples will follow the Lord faithfully where they are.
If you have prayed for our newest Bible study in L’Union, we have encouraging news. God is definitely at work in these meetings. Attention and participation has been great. Please continue to pray for the salvation of the seekers who need Christ and are attending these Bible studies. Since the good majority are lost and have practically no familiarity with the Scriptures, we are reading and discussing the first few chapters of Genesis and then moving to the Gospel of John.
These are some of the highlights of what God is doing here. We thought you would like to know!
Serving Christ along with you,
John and Judy
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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46 Years of Marriage; Visitors from L’Union
March 11, 2019
Dear Brother and Sisters,
Last week Judy and I celebrated 46 years of marriage. As many of you would agree, the time passes quickly. Judy has certainly been a wonderful partner. We have had the opportunity to serve the Lord on three continents in very different settings. She not only is a model of encouragement, she has been a tireless worker.
Besides her continual zest in serving the Lord through in ministry beyond our family, Judy has truly been a great mother and grandmother.
This past week we also celebrated the 18th birthday of our oldest grandchild, Abigail. This summer Philip and Amanda will be taking her to Evansville, Indiana to begin her studies in Physical Therapy. We will certainly miss her in many ways. She is a good teacher, excellent musician and has touched the lives of many of her friends as a missionary. Among many other activities she is now leading a student Bible study with high school friends and acquaintances. She and another believer decided to do this and are now each leading studies on the High School grounds about the life of Christ through the Gospel according to Luke.
God has greatly used Philip, Amanda, Abigail, Nathalie, Camille and Emily in what He is doing here. We are so grateful for the partnership we have.
Yesterday, we had a great Sunday meeting with several visitors from L’Union, another city in the Toulouse metropolitan area. They are members of a family who are longtime friends of ours. Years ago, Wendy, a single missionary who works with us, and Judy taught English classes in Blandine’s home using Bible stories as the subject matter. Later, Blandine’s children were regular participants in our Youth meetings and brought their friends. This Sunday, the son, Kerwan, was here with his mother. He is now a 2nd year University student preparing to be a History teacher and shows a good interest in spiritual things. Blandine also brought a neighbor who was here for the first time. This lady expressed how much she enjoyed the Bible reading. I gave her a Bible and she was thrilled. When I suggested to Blandine that we would be glad to start a church meeting in their home, she seemed quite interested. This is something for which you can pray.
You might like to practice your French so here is part of an email I received this morning from Douceline (Blandine’s sister). She lives in Mazeres, about an hour to the south and in whose home we held Bible studies weekly for many years. She was also here yesterday.
Coucou John & Judy,
Un grand Merci pour ce repas, votre gentillesse et votre disponibilité ! Claude a été super contente ! C’était une super idée de lui donner la Bible… Merci aussi pour votre proposition concernant les études sur L’Union. Que notre Seigneur vous bénisse pour tout ce que vous faites pour vos frères et sœurs ! Que notre Seigneur œuvre dans le cœur de chacun et que ces études puissent voir le jour si c’est dans sa volonté !
We are here to let the light of Jesus shine through us so that others may know Him, trust Him and follow Him. There is no better life.
Your partners in France for Christ,
John and Judy
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.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