Celebrating 8 Years of Caragua Baptist Church
March 16, 2022
Dear friends and family,
Time seems to be so short and seems that I am always running behind (this is maybe because of my maturity—age).
We have just finished two seminary classes in São Paulo taught by Pastor Raymond Edge of First Baptist Church of Bastrop, Texas. The classes were Old Testament Survey and an elective from the Old Testament, the book of Jonah. Our plans were to have these classes in person and to do zoom classes also; however, circumstances (COVID and finances) only allowed us to do the zoom classes.
Barbara and I are planning to be in Brazil for March and April. We will be visiting family in Caraguatatuba, São Paulo. While there, I will be preaching in a meeting at Caragua Baptist Church for the 8-year anniversary of the church. This will be the 26th and the 27th of March. It is AWESOME to participate in celebrating these 8 years of this church spreading God’s Word in Brazil.
While preaching and visiting in Caragua, I will also be visiting São Paulo and meeting with several pastors and two churches. São Paulo has just lowered its COVID 19 level, and this will allow me to travel more freely.
Please be praying for these pastors as their churches have lots of fear about COVID-19 and their financial ability to properly fight the pandemic. Not so different as from here, but there somewhat more severe.
The Bibles for the Guarani Indians have not arrived as of yet. I am hoping to be able to deliver them while there. How AWESOME will it be to be able to read God’s word in their own language. Pastor Valdival, the missionary working with these Indians, is now out of the hospital and doing well. We have been friends and have worked with him for 10 years. We were happy for him to get out of the hospital and hope to be able to see him when we are there.
Dr. Derek and I along with our wives will be going to a Pastors Conference in Recife representing Bluegrass Baptist Seminary and the work being done, talking to the pastors and those in attendance on July 18–22. Pray for this upcoming trip as we work to continue to teach God’s Word in Brazil. Thanks to all of you for the continuing prayers and contributions for the work God has called us to do here in Brazil. Without both of those we would have a greater problem doing our work. Thanks to Baptist Faith Missions and all the churches who support our missionaries. Keep up the good work.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@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.
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Special Prayer Request: Pastor Valdival
February 18, 2022
Friends and family,
As I write this letter, I am extremely happy to say we are in the process of buying the Bibles for the Guarani Indians. Thanks to all who have helped with this purchase with money and prayers. If you wanted to help in this purchase and have not yet, there is still time. Send your check and designate it to Bibles. Continuing in the thought of Bibles—we sometimes forget the past where many people did not have a Bible and not in their own language. How AWESOME is the God we serve. We now can have a full copy of the Bible and it is in our language. So now we can make that possible for the Guarani Indians.
You have heard this before, but I need to tell you all what we are doing or are not doing. The COVID again disrupted our schedule, but we are going back to Zoom. So, we have two classes scheduled in later February and March. The level of COVID raised to a level 4 so it was better for the professors to go Zoom. These classes are The Old Testament Survey and another elective from the Old Testament. Pray for our professors and the students from these classes.
Barb and I were planning to go to Brazil for these classes but since the level was so high we changed those plans. We are scheduled to go on the 22nd of March, so pray that we do not have to change our plans again. You know that those grandkids are anxious to see us and we, too, are wanting to see them.
I have a special prayer request for my Brazilian missionary brother, Pastor Valdival. He is now in a hospital in a very compromised health situation, and they have diagnosed him with Guillain Barre Syndrome. This is a hospital, very large, with socialized medicine. His daughter has contacted us to keep us updated. He is being held in the hall because of the situation in the hospital and the space needed for the treatment he needs. He is taking his second treatment of plasma to clean the infection out of the blood.
As we continue the Lord’s work that we are do, please pray for us as we are having to make adaptions in the way we are ministering. But thank the Lord the mission and the Word never changes.
Please pray for BFM as they continue to support missionaries and ministry all over the world. We are missionaries who, without the help of BFM, would not be able to carry out the Great Commission. Also continue to pray for the seminary and the students as they study God’s word.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
P.S. – We have moved. Our new address is below.
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@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
A Move Further South & Seminary Plans
January 17, 2022
Dear friends and family,
Well January is turning into a really busy month. Starting with health issues, our son’s wife Jill was in the hospital for a health issue and contracted COVID-19 and was there for 3 or 4 days. She is home now, better with COVID, but still under the doctor’s care. Continuing with family health problems, Mary Katherine and her family in Brazil are also ill with COVID-19. Mary and her husband Walmir and their youngest Ashley are ill with COVID-19, but their oldest Chelsea is not. Keep both families in your prayers please. Mary’s family had the milder symptoms and are doing well.
Barbara and I are down with the flu, running eyes and nose, and have gone through 3 boxes of tissues. We are now in Florida, and we may have some allergies thrown in the mix.
Barb and I have decided to make Florida our permanent residence. Seems quite a challenge with the move and these health issues. This move will help us with our mission of reaching Brazil with the Seminary. This will make all our back and forth to Brazil less costly. Please pray for us in this transition.
Our plans for the Seminary these next few months are to begin in the last of February and the first of March with in-person classes. Dr. Edge pastor of First Baptist Church of Bastrop, Texas, will be the professor for these two classes (Survey of the Old Testament and Old Testament Elective). How AWESOME is the God we serve.
With the health issues here and in Brazil, please pray for these classes. We together with all of you praying, these classes will be under the blanket of prayer. And with this, everything will be protected by God.
About the Guarani Bible project, there are two Churches in Brazil, and those of you who have sent money, so we are in contact with the publisher to help get the Bibles in the Guarani language. Thanks for your giving and praying for this project.
Please continue praying for us and the ministry as it becomes somewhat more challenging to “keep on keeping on”. Through it all, God is AWESOME!!! Also remember to pray for BFM and all the Churches and Pastors supporting our ministry and others throughout the world.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
P.S. – A special prayer for Barbara as we fall in and over boxes and things in this transition.
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
592 Emery Court
Lexington, KY 40505
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@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
Mission-Minded Churches & the Guarani Indians
December 22, 2021
Friends and family,
It is Barb and my wish is for all of you to have had a wonderful Christmas and to have an AWESOME 2022.
Continuing with our trip to Brazil in October, we were able to visit the missionaries to the Guarani Indians, Pastor Valdival and his wife Rose. On this visit we saw some needs in their ministry and for their personal lives. They have bought some property for them to get out from under the expenditure of rent so they could have more money to put into their ministry. Now this purchase is not a recent one, but they have had it for some years. As a matter of fact, some of you here in the States have been a part of the renovation of this property. When we showed our friends the house, some said they thought it should be torn down and started all over. But they started and little by little they renovated the house and are now living in it and are very thankful for their home. One of the reasons for the location of the home is to be closer to the tribe that they work with. As with many of the Pastors in Brazil, they can use some help. The home is needing some work on the front of the house because the lean to over their outdoor cooking area and laundry room is just about like it has no cover over it, even though it does have a covering. I got to examining it closer and it had been covered with clay roof tiles, but they were of various sizes, so when it rained, it rained inside as well as outside. When we got back to Caragua, I was able to talk to the Pastors of two of the Churches that we worked with, and they agreed to help with this project. The labor and workers to do the work were ready, now the money for the material was needed. In our estimate we would need around 2,000.00 and so Barbara and I gave some seed money and in the last month, these two Churches have raised the rest. I am elated to say that this month the work has been completed because these two Churches are mission-minded and saw a need and sacrificed to help a missionary. It is AWESOME when you can look back and see the Churches you have worked with living the truths you taught them.
Guarani Indians 
The two churches working on the missionary’s home 
Guarani Indians
Pastor Valdival’s ministry with the Indians is in need of Bibles in the native language of the Guarani. The cost for these Bibles will be around $1,500.00 for 40 because they have to be ordered and shipped. But when we went to visit them (the Indians), the wife of one of the leaders told of having three Bibles, but she now only has one because everyone who visits her asks for her Bible to keep. So, if we can get more printed, we can get more of God’s Word out to more people. Please be praying for this need and if God puts it on your mind to help, send donations to BFM designated for Bibles.
We want to take this time to express our deepest gratitude to each and every one who so faithfully supports Baptist Faith Missions and to Baptist Faith Missions for supporting us. Continue praying for our health and opportunities to serve the Lord in Brazil.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
592 Emery Court
Lexington, KY 40505
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@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
