Life On Mission
July 16, 2022
Dear friends,
We are grateful for your prayers and financial support.
Sarah is halfway thru her two-month mission trip in the Amazon with Jonatas and Charis. She is actively engaged in the daily ministry activities in four different locations on the outskirts of Manaus. There are Evangelism and discipleship opportunities during the home visits and church gatherings throughout the week. It has been a fantastic experience for her. We are delighted by her heart’s willingness to serve and learn under the leadership of godly friends and the ministry team. Jonatas and Charis are part of the leadership team in Brazil. I invited them to come to the States this last January for a month of mentorship and exposure—a customized training trip to 3 destinations, 3 universities, and 3 churches.
Laura is on a 7-day mission trip to Cleveland, OH, with a group of 54 high school students and 18 adult leaders from Wheaton Bible Church. The team will:
- Run a children’s day camp at a local Baptist church.
- Package medical supplies for overseas shipping.
- Separate donated clothing for distribution in the inner city.
- Assist at a homeless shelter.
- Paint an elderly couple’s home.
- Engage in sharing their personal salvation testimony at every opportunity.
Benjamin recently returned from a 5-day mission trip to Harvey, IL, with a group of middle school students. They served at a non-profit organization that provides hope and life-changing opportunities to recovering addicts, at-risk youth, families, and seniors struggling in poverty. They assisted in running programs for elementary-age children, helped in the thrift store and food pantry, met some of the men and women in their recovery programs, and worked in the neighborhood garden. It was an intense week of ministry with spiritual growth for Benjamin. He made new friends and made some critical decisions. We are excited to see how the Lord will continue to use Him for His glory.
In August, Nova Baptist Church (where David Hatcher is pastor) is hosting the largest church ministry conference within our Brazilian fellowship of churches/ church plants. Through your financial contributions, we are sponsoring 8 pastors, 3 pastor’s wives, and 4 church leaders from 5 different states to fly from their cities into Manaus. (Most will be in the airplane for 8 hours or more just to get there!) This conference happens every two years, but COVID caused it to be postponed twice. I prayed the Lord would allow as many pastors and leaders from our churches & church plants to attend this unique gathering. If you desire to sponsor a Brazilian pastor or church planter in any amount (costs $350 per person), please make a financial contribution thru Baptist Faith Missions and designate “Jud Hatcher – Conference training.” Please visit https://portals.icheckgateway.com/BFMNow/ to give online.
In August, Raquel is attending the CAFO Summit at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, GA. This conference is on adoption, foster care, and global orphan care. She recently completed training and was certified in Trust Based Relation Intervention (TBRI) and EMDR (for traumatic memories processing). With these tools, Raquel can assist children and adults in working through traumatic experiences. I (Jud) am currently undergoing my first year of doctoral studies at Columbia International University. I will graduate in May 2024 with a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership. My dissertation is a qualitative study on Steward Leadership influences on succession planning amongst Baptist pastors in Brazil.
We aim to recruit, train, place, and network pastors, church planters, and leaders to serve in Brazil. This additional education for us and our team brings practical knowledge for application in Brazil. We are grateful for personal growth.
Our prayer requests:
1. Sarah (17yo) has one more month on her mission trip in the Amazon. Pray for her learning, spiritual growth, and impact as she serves.
2. Laura (15yo) is part of WBC’s mission trip to Cleveland, OH. Pray for her learning, spiritual growth, and impact as she serves.
3. Jud & Ben (14yo) are attending a 2-day leadership conference in Aug. Pray for a great learning experience.
4. Jud & Raquel’s studies.
5. Upcoming trips to Ottawa, IL, Teays Valley, WV, and Findley, OH.
Thank you for your love, the care you demonstrate to us, your financial investment, and your regular prayers. We are thankful and are deeply encouraged by you.
Grateful always, Jud Hatcher
Sending Laura on mission trip 
4th of July in Chicago 
Nova Conference 
Sarah with ministry leaders 
Sarah in Manaus
Contact Info:
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
São Paulo, Brazil
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
(872) 400-6522
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
Depending Entirely on God’s Grace
April 18, 2021
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am glad I can write you in this special month, when we all take a special time to recognize and thank our mothers for who they are in our lives, for everything they taught us, and everything they did for us. My mother is someone I treasure very much; she has been an example of a faithful servant, a woman of prayer who depends totally on her Savior. I am so thankful for her life.
I am also thankful because in the last two months we celebrated four birthdays: my dad turned 80 years old, I turned 46, Sarah turned 16, and Benjamin turned 13. Now we have officially 3 teenagers at home, a little bit crazy at times; but in general, they are wonderful kids 😊.
The bad news is that Jud tested positive for COVID-19 on April 12, and I tested positive five days later. Our kids did the CPR test today, and we should receive the results in 48 hours. We are doing relatively well; we do have symptoms but nothing we cannot treat at home. The interesting thing is that for us not to develop severe symptoms, we must medicate ourselves, since here in Brazil most doctors only prescribe fever and pain meds. We suspect that is the reason so many people are losing their lives. In my appointment yesterday, when the doctor asked me if I was taking medication, and I answered, she got mad, told me to throw it all in the trash can because it would not do any good for me. But, my oxygen saturation was 100% and my lungs were totally clear, and I had no fever. We know, even among doctors/infectologists there are distinct opinions about prevention and treatment. Honestly, I believe we depend entirely on God’s grace and mercy and plan for our lives; we have no control about our outcomes, it is in His hand, and we must trust Him that no matter what happens He is going to be with us and provide for us and for our family.
One good news is that in the past year, God has opened doors for me to be part of an organization which works with Foster Care in families. Foster Care in families here in Brazil is something relatively new. It was only in 2004 – 2006 that it became a national public policy, and it was made a priority over institutional care. However, only 4% of children and adolescents are living with families, 96% are institutionalized. In 2018 there were 33,146 children and 8,686 were between 0 -6 years old (26%). In countries like US, Canada, and England, the statistics are the opposite, 96% of the children are placed in families, and only 4% are placed in institutions. Our desire is to change this sad reality, and open new services to offer kids the chance to have a family and to participate in community, since it is one of their most basic civil rights. Having said that, my prayer requests are a) that God give us human and financial resources to start new services in our city, b) Our family health c) and our children’s online education and all it involves.
I am so thankful for BFM, for all the churches involved, and for you who are reading this letter. Thank you for your support, for your prayers, your love, and your financial contributions. It means a lot to us, and it means a lot more for Jesus Christ.
Love,
Raquel Hatcher
Contact Info:
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
São Paulo, Brazil
judsonhatcher@gmail.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
Bringing Hope to the Hopeless
Jud and Raquel Hatcher are third generation missionaries serving 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.
CODE RED
The COVID scenario appeared to be looking better because of the vaccines currently being distributed in Sao Paulo. Then, reports came out at the beginning of March stating that deaths by COVID are higher than ever and that more severe lockdowns are scheduled. As of this letter, we are in code RED for all of the city and state of São Paulo. Critical care bed capacity in our city hospitals are beyond 150%. Please, pray for the health workers in São Paulo, infected people, people we minister to, and our family´s health.
PRESSING FORWARD
We continue with online meetings for worship, prayer, discipleship and team planning. We assist several families with monthly groceries, housing rent, and emotional support. So many people have lost their source of income and several have lost loved ones. My heart breaks every time I hear of someone´s dire Coronavirus infection and in several cases death. It feels overwhelming because it is. Thankfully, we trust in the one who holds our future. The one person who holds us and everything together is the Lord. He is our steadfast hope. But not everyone we minister to believes this way. It is very hard for those who fear death to face the “end”. Our role is to keep pressing forward and pointing people to Jesus, for He alone is the only hope for this pandemic and for the greatest pandemic of them all that rests in people´s hearts.
IMMERSED
When not in lockdown, we actively pursue community engagement. While our kids play, we connect with parents and this has led to many new friendships and opportunities to share Christ and invite people into our home (please see pictures). “Jesus and a table” – this is such a rewarding ministry opportunity. As it is an incredible evangelism strategy is to invite people to our home to play games, eat dinner, and point people to Jesus (see picture). Pointing people to Jesus is our desire through occasions such as these.
HOPE FOR ORPHANS
In the last 18 months, Raquel (my wife) has taken on a new project. Raquel assists in placing orphaned children with loving foster parents. Foster parenting is still “new” in São Paulo and most children are sent to an orphanage and get lost in the system. She is serving as an advocate for orphaned children, raising awareness with judges; recruiting, training, and certifying parents to become legal foster parents through “Aslan Brazilian Beneficent Association” for local courts to assign children into loving families with homes.
Raquel is a licensed psychologist, holds a doctorate in psychology, is a member of “World Without Orphans”, and “Orphans Rights Movement”. She is earning the trust of local judges and city authorities as she works with them. The legal process in the court system is often challenging, as most judges find it easier to send the child to an overcrowded orphanage instead of a foster family. The benefits of a child placed with a foster family instead of a government orphanage are obvious – foster parents embrace, know them by name, and love the child as their own.
Raquel has received (court-assigned) newborn babies at local hospitals to place them into the arms of loving foster parents equipped to nurture them. We need your help. I ask you to consider a monthly contribution for this project. Please, designate “Judson Hatcher – HOPE Kids”.
Please, continue to pray with us.
Grateful,
Judson and Raquel Hatcher
Contact Info:
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
São Paulo, Brazil
judsonhatcher@gmail.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
