The God of Changing Circumstances
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.
March 9, 2017
Dear Friends,
The Lord never ceases to amaze us as He demonstrates His sovereign control over all things. Circumstances come and go, and the result always gives glory to God. If it is not glorifying Him, it is not over yet. Always trust Him. So, during the last few months, the verse that has been ringing in my ears is “…the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10b. We endure all things joyfully, so that He may receive the glory. He does strengthen us, everyday. How comforting it is to know there is nothing our Father cannot resolve. (Can I get an amen?)
Family
As mentioned in last month’s letter, we stopped homeschooling and enrolled our kids in a Brazilian public school for this school year. The educational calendar begins in February and goes through December, with a month break in July. Homeschooling just didn’t work out as we anticipated. We rejoice and are counting our blessings for these reasons: 1) the school is seven minutes away from home; 2) it is one of the best public schools in the country; 3) this change in plans did not incur extra monthly expenses (private schools in São Paulo are generally more expensive than in the States); 4) the kids like their teachers and friends – the are loving it; and, 5) We can interact with our neighborhood families more effectively. One thing is certain, we are so glad the Lord placed us in our current home, as we are within an exceptional school district.
Health wise, Raquel and I are doing well. The children had it rough this last month, everyone was sick with different issues. Laura and Melissa still have an infection and Benjamin continues to have mild stomach pains. All four of them are doing blood work and doctor’s follow-up visits.
Ministry
I was in the States for 9 days during February. I meet with Bros. Randy Jones, Dave Parks and Steve Wainright and was highly encouraged by changes being implemented within Baptist Faith Missions. While in Lexington I also met with several pastor friends – Russel Zik, Donovan Stewart, Tim Parsons and Todd Thomas. Then, drove down to Tennessee and onto Virginia where I participated in the Pastoral Leadership Advisory Board at Liberty University, led by Dr. Dave Adams. There were 41 pastors from across the country, with lectures from Pastors Jonathan Falwell, Ed Hindson, Dave Adams, Troy Temple and Elmer Towns. We also had small group discussions coordinated by Jason Suitt. I connected with pastor friends Russ Dean, Matt Willmington, Tim Grandstaff Sr., Daniel Broyles, Danny Campbell, and Joey Bray. A special thank you to Scott and Cindy Phillips for hosting me in their home. I enjoyed visiting Scott Phillips’ SS class and the folks at Thomas Road B.C. and Living Word B.C.
The Lord has opened incredible doors for sharing the Gospel and mentoring here in São Paulo. We are praying as the Lord is confirming in our hearts where to start the next new works, including something within our own neighborhood. In preparation for this, we need to purchase 100 chairs – each at roughly 40 dollars. As you read this (and, if the Lord lays on your heart), would you consider a financial contribution for chairs? I am thankful for your consideration on this matter.
Adjusting
We are grateful as the Lord has taught us so much over the last 6 months and has guided us over hurdles. As mentioned earlier, our children’s education has been a major adjustment to our original plans. We are also grateful for the local community of English-speaking Expatriates – an informal association of English speakers who meet each month and organize family activities. We all share similar experiences in adjusting to life in this massive metropolis. Raquel and I were glad to be the host home for February’s monthly brunch. We have met so many wonderful people and our kids love interacting with other children who also speak English. Friends are always an encouragement.
Prayer Requests
- Children’s health and education
- Opening new doors for church planting
- 100 chairs
- Personal finances
- Missions Conference at Thompson Road B.C. in Lexington, KY in April
Please, continue to pray for us. We are grateful for every prayer invested on our behalf.
Thankful always,
Jud Hatcher
Judson & Raquel Hatcher
(859) 608-4742
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [May 2015]
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.
May 5, 2015
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and there is much to report about. The ministries are continuing along, and I will be sure to give you regular updates through the year, but I thought this month I would focus on things that have been happening in Kenya recently, as well as share family requests.
As many of you know, a few weeks ago, in a town called Garissa, a terrorist attack took place at the university. I am not familiar with this area of the country,
as it is on the other side of Kenya, but it was shocking to watch the events unfold and the news reports. Terrorists stormed into the university in the early hours, executing around 147 people total. The siege lasted for several hours before the attackers were subdued. I read stories of students who hid in closets, or wherever they could, until the attack was over. This attack follows the attack at Westgate Mall in Nairobi a few years ago. Please pray that these terrorists would be caught, brought to justice, and for the peace of Kenya. We know the Lord is in control, sovereign, and we trust Him through all situations. A verse that comes to mind is John 14:1, which says “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” Please pray for all the families affected by this act.
Also, in Kitale town, as I mentioned recently, it has become much more difficult to drive. The main bus/van stage has moved from another part of town to an area close to downtown, right where all the traffic must pass. Of course, when this happened, there was a lot of frustration, as traffic is much more congested and it is more challenging to drive and pass. At one point, when this first happened, we stayed home for a day as they were sorting out the problems in town. There were trees cut down and laid in the road, some riots broke out and other things were going on. The situation was brought under control the next day or so and things seem to back to normal. My understanding is that the new stage will only be in this location for a year or so until a new stage is built. Please pray for the safety of the missionaries as they have to pass through this area, and also that there would be no more problems among the council people and van drivers. We trust the Lord for all these things.
In closing, it has been quite a last few weeks for our daughter Camille. What a blessing she
is to our family and she has been through it recently. She kept complaining of stomach aches and so we took her to two different medical offices about it here in Kitale. She was given medicine each time and the problem temporarily went away. However, the stomach pains would return after a few days, so it was very puzzling and frustrating as the doctors in Kitale were unable to find the root of the problem. Yesterday we felt it best to go to Mediheal Hospital in Eldoret, about an hour and a half from Kitale. The pediatrician there seemed very qualified and did a thorough examination. He explained that although some of the amoeba was gone from her previous infection, there were still cysts from the host that had not been removed. They had a very good lab and were able to discover this. We have started her on a different medicine and she seems to be improving. Praise the Lord! Medical care here is such a challenge and we would really appreciate your prayers for our health as a family, as it is so easy to get sick, and as in Cami’s case, it takes a while to get solid answers. Health here is a daily battle and we do our best to stay healthy, but sometimes these things happen and when they do, it can be difficult to find the root problem. A comforting verse through times like this is Psalm 46:1, which says
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” What a great God
we serve.
We appreciate you each so much and will keep you updated.
Serving in Kitale,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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