Praying God would Touch the Hearts of Friends
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
May 2, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Less than two months ago I wrote, “Paulette, the oldest member of our congregation who is faithful in seeking to reach others has had many physical problems in the last 2 or 3 years. Tomorrow she will be having a needle biopsy to determine if a tumor in her pancreas is malign. About two weeks ago she called me to ask me to meet her husband at his only brother’s home. They had just entered the house and found a suicide note on the table. There has been no sight of this brother now for over two weeks.” On April 5, the day after I wrote you last month, Paulette left this earth for the presence of the Lord.
There were about 150 friends of Paulette at her funeral service. Only about a third of these were believers as far as we know. My message was a presentation of the gospel for which Paulette’s life was a good illustration. We drove 600 miles round trip the next day to have a burial service at her tomb in the east of France. The drive was an opportunity to spend some valuable time with Gilbert, Paulette’s widower. Judy, Wendy and I from the church had lunch with about 20 members of her family before the graveside service. As far as we know none of these are believers. Pray with us that God will save these friends and family members to whom Paulette was a great witness.
Paulette and one of her many church art projects.
Paulette and VBS team members.
Judy celebrated her 65th birthday organizing the events surrounding the funeral. I am so thankful for Judy who is a wonderful wife and co-worker in the ministry to which God has called us. She is also a great mother and grandmother to her natural offspring and many others.
Last week one of our neighbors stopped by to say that since we had missed the annual neighborhood dinner last summer they were planning a special dinner among neighbors with us as the special guest. Please pray that God would touch the heart of these friends and draw them to Himself. We thank God for the opportunities to have meaningful conversations about spiritual matters with our neighbors and others.
The Lord continues to bless our fellowship of believers and we are very encouraged by the interest of the thirty or so young people who come to the youth meetings.
Thank you for your prayers and faithful support,
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
Longtime Friends Trust Christ!
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
March 8, 2018
Dear Friends,
In the time period that Charlene and I were absent from the church here the attendance had dropped considerably. Our co-pastor who had become the lead pastor had been very faithful, but several factors contributed to the decline, some of which had nothing to do with him. Even so, the Lord has greatly encouraged us since our return by an immediate increase of 85% in attendance. We have also had the extreme privilege of seeing two of our longtime friends whom we have been witnessing to for several years come to Christ as their Lord and Savior. They are both very excited about their new walk with the Lord and show outward evidence of His presence in their lives as well.
One of the ministries that we offer that helps us establish relationships with un-churched people is couples’ meetings. We plan and put on fun and informative meetings for couples four times a year where we provide biblical marriage counseling and a friendly group of couples willing to help them do life together. The solid Christian couples from our church serve as witnesses and role models for unsaved or struggling couples. Our first meeting this year went very well and we saw a 350% increase in attendance from our last meeting.
Just before we left Brazil a few years ago, not knowing if we would be returning to live, I felt led of the Lord to be very open and share with two families who were very close friends of ours that it was my hope and prayer that they would come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior so that, if we never saw each other again on earth, at least we would be together eternally in heaven. Since returning, I have had the pleasure of speaking with Paulo, one of those friends, and it is clearly evident that the Lord has been working in his heart. His job is being a representative for several printing presses and book publishing houses. In each of our conversations since we’ve returned he nearly bubbles over talking about books that he’s reading about atheists turning to Christ. What is especially thrilling to me is that, when he mentions Christianity, he includes himself. I don’t know where his wife stands, yet, but I am praying for her and Charlene and I plan on spending more time with them in hopes of confirming her faith also.
Thank you so much for your prayers and concern for us. The Lord is truly blessing us and our ministries and we are excited about what He has in store for us in the upcoming days and weeks.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279
Sobrado 1, Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR. Brasil
Phone: 55-41-99899-2333
bobbymichael_1[at]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
Read more
