God at Work in Friday Night Home Services

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Odali and Kathy Barros served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil together from 1987-2013. In late 2013, they transitioned to Manaus in Northern Brazil to start sharing the Gospel and planting churches in villages along the river.

November 21, 2021

Greetings to all dear brothers and sisters!

What a wonderful month we have had. God has been working in so many wonderful ways. Can you imagine what goes through someone’s mind when they call you to please pick them up because they want to go to church to be saved, and before it was time to pick her up, she felt bad and was taken to the hospital. The enemy thought he could get in the way. This lady lives about one hour away. It was her daughter who got saved when we had a service in their home. As she reflected on what was preached, the Holy Spirit touched her heart and she wanted to be saved. Pray for this family!

Every Friday night we are having service in different homes and different communities. God has opened so many doors. We are working with the members of the church to get them more involved. Many have shown an interest and are being a blessing. We have had two meetings in the home of a Japanese family. They have a son with serious problem as lightning hit him through his computer. His name is Nelson.

Every Sunday when we are starting our service in the morning, there are many motorcycles that drive by in front of the church really speeding and loud. So, we decided that we were going to have contact with them by giving them free water. Along with the water we are giving a pamphlet with a verse about God being living water and the church information.

Another special situation is an American Jew that has come to visit us. He loves fishing. He has fished here with us 2 times. He said to me once, that he wants to understand about Jesus. This time he has been really moved by the people we are working with, especially one that is 14 that calls us his parents. He asked if he could call us dad and mom. Well, this man said today, “Next time I come I’m going to go to church with you boys even though I’m not a church person.” Pray for him. His name is Mike.

God bless each of you. Thanks for your prayers and support!

In Christ,
Odali and Kathy Barros

Contact Info:
Odali & Kathy Barros
Iranduba, Amazonas
Brasil, SA
odali_kathy@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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God is Still Changing Lives!

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Odali and Kathy Barros served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil together from 1987-2013. In late 2013, they transitioned to Manaus in Northern Brazil to start sharing the Gospel and planting churches in villages along the river.

July 21, 2021

Greetings to all of our supporters and prayer partners! We hope and pray that each of you are doing great and are blessed! Thank God we are doing great. Things here are doing well and are more and more getting back to normal.

The church activities are getting back, too. More and more people are coming. There is a project near the church I pastor that works with men with addictions. Since the church isn’t using the bus, we have we have let the project use the bus. They bring around 40 men on Sunday night. Several have made professions of faith. Also, we have had other visitors and several of them have accepted Christ as Savior also. What a blessing!

We have 4 men working with us who finished the treatment and the project. Pray that they will continue to be encouraged to stay firm and have strength. One of them has two daughters. He got so deep into the drugs that he lived on the streets and lost his family. He is now working on his father-daughter relationship. We let him bring his daughters here to spend some time with him. It was a great time.

Also the services we had in homes on Friday night are back. We want to expand the areas where we have the services to reach more people. There are so many little communities in the area. Also so many of the people do not have transportation, so having these services is a great way to reach more people.

The water in the area where it was flooded is going down—almost down to where getting around is easier.

If you are looking for a specific project, we have small and large projects—from buying a lot to build a church in a new subdivision with no church, to a well for portable water in these communities!

We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support. May God bless each of you!

In Christ,

Odali and Kathy

Contact Info:
Odali & Kathy Barros
Iranduba, Amazonas
Brasil, SA
odali_kathy@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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A Look at Philippians 1 through the Eyes of 6 Brazilian Leaders in Training

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.

July 12, 2018

Dear friends,

FAMILY
We are in the middle of the Winter Season in Brazil and students receive a month break between school semesters. So, our children are enjoying it as best as possible, despite the cold. We praise the Lord for their first semester grades as it reflects their dedication and hard work at school. Everyone is in good health, except for Benjamin (10 yrs). He has a dry cough that is lasting several months and doctors have not found the cause or solution. Melissa (6 yrs) lost two of her baby teeth last week. Everyone will go to the dentist this month for routine dental check-up.

The Hatcher Family celebrating the 4th of July at Ibirapuera Park.

MINISTRY
The three homes where we meet weekly with folks are doing well. The home church concept is sinking in well with the new believers. The “need” for a temple is still something most struggle with, especially those with a strong Catholic background. There is always some rotation of people, but as a rule those who are maturing in their faith are increasingly engaged and reaching out to friends and family. I am currently counseling four couples and am encouraged that they have reached out for help. I have one-on-one discipleship with six men that are in preparation to assist in leading their home church. We are currently going through the book of Philippians. Look at what we developed:

30 Action Principles to Live an Extraordinary Life in the Eyes of God. (Extracted from Philippians 1)

  1. Greet and treat people gracefully.
  2. When you think of a person, break out in exclamations of thanksgiving to God.
  3. Make each exclamation a trigger to pray for them.
  4. Pray with a glad heart.
  5. Bless and encourage people to flourish.
  6. Express and demonstrate gratitude to those who assist you through tough times.
  7. Love people like Christ does – love much, love well, love sincerely & love intelligently.
  8. Live a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul. Live a circumspect and exemplary life.
  9. Make Jesus Christ attractive to all – be contagious!
  10. Allow hardship to have the opposite of its intended effect.
  11. Glow & shine, Jesus’ message does prosper.
  12. Pique people’s curiosity by living joyfully, especially when in hardship.
  13. Speak fearlessly about God, about the Messiah.
  14. Don’t be jealous of those who seek the spotlight, even if they think they are taking advantage of you.
  15. Cheer people on, even if they have ulterior motives for speaking of Jesus.
  16. Rejoice, keep celebrating; for we know how this life on earth finishes.
  17. Pray faithfully and respond generously.
  18. Trust that everything the Lord wants to do in and through you will be done.
  19. Don’t expect to be embarrassed in the least.
  20. Continue the course, live for Jesus.
  21. Hardship shouldn’t shut you up, it should be your pulpit.
  22. Make Philippians 1.21 your life verse: “for to me to live is Christ, and to die is truly gain”.
  23. Consistently benefit others, more than benefiting yourself.
  24. Be a great companion. Look forward to being with people, to praise Christ and enjoy each other.
  25. Influence people in such a way that it becomes a credit to the Message of Christ.
  26. Maintain a righteous conduct, whether someone important is looking, or not.
  27. Stand united with your brothers and sisters, contending for people’s trust in the Message.
  28. Don’t be frightened in the slightest by the opposition.
  29. Be courageous and focused, the power of God is with you. There is victory in Jesus!
  30. Trust in Christ and suffer for Him. Suffering is as much a gift as the trusting.

TRUCKERS’ CHAOTIC PROTEST
On Wednesday (May 23rd) at 6pm, the kids and I drove onto the São Paulo beltway to attend my birthday party at another part of town. This 15-minute drive on the expressway turned into lengthy nightmare. We found ourselves stuck in traffic for over 3 hours in a stretch only 4 miles long. Truck drivers were protesting at the exit we needed. There was no access to make a U-turn and try a different route. It was “stop and go” on the four lanes headed south. Truckers were upset at the diesel fuel price increase and were blocking the roads. I was able to make a U-turn 4 miles past the protest, but due to blockades on other roads my only option was to drive back into the main protest. It was faster on the way back as the Military Police were had arrived at the scene. Well, we missed the party and returned home. I sang “Happy Birthday” with the kids and ate cake upon arriving at the house. Raquel was already at the location we were trying to get to. She returned home the next morning.

On Thursday, school bus drivers and motorcycle delivery drivers announced they would also join the protests. Chaos was everywhere in São Paulo. The truckers’ strike lasted over a week. Distribution of all products came to a halt. Ten days into the protests oil refinery workers nationwide announced they would go on strike for 72 hrs. Gas stations went almost a week without fuel. Before running out, some stations were charging up to US$12.00/gallon. When the gas station in our neighborhood received fuel after midnight, little did they know that by 7am a line would form that was over 2 miles long. Each person limited to 5 liters. By 4pm, they sold out. The grocer next door to the station said there were multiple fights throughout the day.

Most schools were closed for at least 4 days. There were several riots and tire burning blockades by protesters on main roads and highways during this time. Grocery stores had no produce and hardly any meat. We were stuck at home for 6 days.

Despite the chaos, the population in general were in favor of the strike against the diesel fuel tax increase.

Prayer Requests

  1. For Benjamin to recover from his dry cough.
  2. For our children to have a fun and safe winter break.
  3. For our family’s safety.
  4. For Evangelism, discipleship and leadership development.
  5. For new host homes.

Thank you for your love and support.

Grateful always,
Judson Hatcher

Judson & Raquel Hatcher
(859) 544-9040
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
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