We were so blessed to have Babji and Rebecca Vejendla with us on Sunday morning. We so much enjoyed getting to know them and hearing about the burden the Lord has given them for the people of India. (And Sis. Rebecca, we thoroughly enjoyed your lovely song as well.)
The Vejendlas will be leaving for a two-week trip to India on February 9 and then will return to the States for a little over a year to raise support and make preparations to move there in April 2013. Once they move to India, they hope to plant a church and establish a Christian school in Andhra Pradesh, a village where Babji’s grandmother lives. Please be in prayer for them as they travel and as they minister to all they come into contact with.
One refreshing trait I recognized in the Vejendlas is that they realize that everyone who comes into their path is placed there by God. They make the most of every opportunity and seek to build relationships with people to gain their trust to share the Gospel with them.
Bro. Babji challenged us by reading Matthew 28:18-20…
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
He encouraged us to be ready to reach, preach, and teach. “Build friendships and let others see Christ in you,” he said. “Keep on planting seeds and the Holy Spirit will take care of it.”
In short, be burdened with the Gospel and share!
Babji and Rebecca after sharing the Gospel with our friends from Nepal
Thank you for visiting us, Vejendlas! You encouraged and challenged us in the faith. You are in our prayers and we hope to see you again very soon!
Anita and I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving and we wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! We spent Thanksgiving day driving over the Andes Mountains returning home to Huánuco from the capital city of Lima. We are always thankful to get home safely. While in Lima, I preached four nights during the 21st anniversary celebration for the Jordan Baptist Church in Piñonate, Lima. All services were well attended and many decisions made to follow the Lord. It does not seem like twenty-one years has gone by since we started this work with our dear brother, pastor Jorge Dianderas. God has certainly been good to us and this work over the years.
It is considered a great honor here in Peru when someone names his or her newborn baby after you. The picture is of me
with the first child named after me here in Peru many years ago. The young man on the right is named Sheridan Danilo Vasquez, and his father on the left is Epifanio, a policeman. Danilo finished his schooling and now works as a restaurant chef. He and his family have been faithful members at Jordan Baptist since its inception. I have about four “namesakes” in this country; Danilo was the first. Anita has one little girl named after her and Danilo’s little sister is named after our daughter, Leah.
While in Lima, we also had our medical check-ups (lab work, doctor visits, etc.) and everything looks good for the both of us. Besides the fact that we are getting older, that Anita has had cancer, and I have had mini strokes – we are in good health! We thank all of you for your love and prayers for us and the Lord’s work here in Peru. To have you as our friends and supporters is truly a blessing.
Those all night bus trips over the Andes Mountains seem to get harder and longer the older I get. Even so, last week I returned to Lima for two days in order to participate in the ordination service of Pastor Severino Bruno. This servant of God has been working in Lima with our good friends, Missionaries Rodney and Rebecca Spears. They started the New Testament Baptist Mission several years ago and have now organized the mission into an Independent Baptist church, with Brother Severino as the pastor. I was asked to preach the charge to Severino at his ordination. It was a good time and great blessing to have been a part.
This past Sunday a young woman here in Huánuco wanted to talk with Anita and me after church service. A few years ago, she made a profession of faith in Christ Jesus as her Lord and Savior but is now convinced that she did not know what she was doing before and is now genuinely trusting in Christ. In the course of counseling with her about this decision, we discovered a cousin had raped her when she was only seven years old. Shocking I know, but this is very common in this part of the world. Probably half or more of the women in our churches have similar stories. In the Bible, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans these words: “…But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”- Romans 5:20. This young woman has learned to forgive and love her Savior deeply by God’s grace. So many of the dear Saints of God we work with here in Peru, are truly trophies of God’s amazing grace! Anita and I thank you all for listening to God’s guidance in your lives concerning your support for the work here. By your prayers and support, we are able to continue on the work that HE has called us to do here in Peru. It is God’s work in which we are all privileged to be able to participate.
Thanks again and may God continue to bless you all as you remain faithful to HIM.
We had two young women place their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior over the past two months at the Calvary Baptist Mission-Church here in the Andes Mountains of Huánuco, Peru. Looking over my records it appears the median age for someone trusting Christ at this work has been between eighteen and twenty-five years of age. This mission work has an excellent group of young folks that are hungry to learn more of God’s Word.
Recently I began a Discipleship class on Saturday afternoon at their request. Four young men and four young women attend and eagerly participate as I teach them how to disciple others in the truths of God’s Word. When I told them they would receive a Certificate in Discipleship from the Baptist Institute of Biblical Studies they got excited; until I told them their final test would be – they had to disciple me! A few of the girls looked petrified but they all rose to the challenge and are working hard. Please pray for this enthusiastic group of young Christians that they will continue to devote themselves to their studies. They are the future of this work.
Anita and I have always been involved in planting new churches during our twenty-nine years here in Peru. Over the years, we have seen numerous churches in the States as well as some here in Peru flourish for a time, only to split, die or cripple themselves in legalism. I attribute this to pastors assuming that their congregations are sound in doctrine because they have taught sound doctrine from the pulpit. A fatal assumption for sure! I read somewhere years ago that only fifteen percent of the people are actually tuned in and listening at any one moment during the preaching service. Folks can be looking right at you and be thinking about lunch, football, the naughty child behind them, their aching feet or any number of other distractions. There is a tendency for the human mind to drift in and out while being taught, whether at school or at church. Nothing can properly replace the true learning experience of personal instruction where dialogue and questioning are part of the process. Testing, whether formal or informal, is necessary to insure that knowledge of Biblical truth has been retained. Interactive Sunday School classes, small study groups, or other special teaching venues are crucial for a church to insure its preservation and future growth. In Acts 20:20 the Apostle Paul said he not only taught publicly but also from house to house; he kept back nothing that would have been profitable for their spiritual growth. Teaching and working with small groups of believers week after week may not be as flashy or as fun as big Bible conferences or weekend retreats, but it will insure the lasting and solid spiritual growth of a church.
Enough sermonizing! Anita has begun a cooking class after church service on Sunday afternoons. She uses this venue to teach them about personal hygiene and the importance of washing the fruits and vegetables and using only treated or boiled water. Most of these poor saints always seem to be sick and no very little about these matters. The bonus is they also have learned how to make cornbread! You southerners will be glad to know that now, in this part of Peru; cornbread is becoming commonplace on the table! Next week she is going to teach them how to make homemade strawberry jam to go with the cornbread. She is a marvel and loved by all, especially me!
Today, April 10, is Presidential Election Day in Peru and there are no church services anywhere in Peru during the morning hours. Elections are always on Sundays and one of their election laws prohibits any type of public meetings during voting hours, so we have church services in the evening after the polls are closed. The voting process requires that they dip the tip of their index finger into a bottle of permanent purple dye; this avoids allowing people to vote more than once (very practical) and for a week or so after the election everyone walks around with a purple finger! Another election law is that all Peruvians of voting age must vote or pay a heavy fine. As a result of this law the Peruvian people take their politics seriously. Peru has numerous political parties ranging from the far left to the far right and all sorts of ideologies in between. This also creates a lot of travel for these dear folks because they have to vote wherever they were last registered. Since registering to vote in a new town is a bureaucratic process and takes money, the majority of the people just travel back to wherever they came from in order to vote. The bus lines always take advantage of this and raise the price of bus tickets; so is life during election time, heavy traffic on the roads and purple fingers! Anita and I have lived in this country for twenty-eight years and it has always been this way; life is interesting on the mission field!
Each month I ask you to continue to pray for our son, Capt. Joshua Stanton USAF. He proudly serves our country as an Air Force pilot overseas. He has a wife and two small, precious, little girls waiting for him back home. We also ask you to continue to remember my father, Ralph Stanton, in your prayers; he is battling with prostate cancer, and is back in the hospital again in Dickson, Tennessee with a kidney infection. He is also having test done for Alzheimer and dementia while being treated for the kidney infection. This ordeal has been understandably hard on my mother, she needs our prayers also. Mom and Dad have been married for sixty-three years now, truly an example and inspiration to all of us. Anita and I will be traveling back to the States for four weeks from the middle of May to the middle of June. We plan to see our grand-kids (one we’ve never seen and she will soon be a year old!) but we plan to spend most of the time with my mom and dad. Thank you so much for your prayers.
Do you all remember the young lady, twenty-three years old, Dany Luz Presentacion? Many of you helped her financially back in the fall of last year when she was going through Chemo Therapy for ovarian cancer. She also had open heart surgery when she was sixteen years old. Well, she is doing great now; finished her college degree in elementary education and recently got a job teaching in a private school here in Huánuco. Danitza is one of many young folks that are like sons and daughters to Anita and me. She came by the house the other day to visit and show us how much her hair has grown back; so I had to take a picture and show you this radiant trophy of God’s mercy and grace! We thank all of you again that had a part in helping us to help this fine and faithful young Christian woman.
Sufficient funds have come in to help the Cayumba Grande Baptist Mission with the purchase of their property in Tingo Maria. Thanks to those of you that had a part in this project.
We still need more funds to help with construction for the Calvary Baptist Mission I pastor here in Huánuco. Anita and I hope to have something built and secure by the time we leave for the States the middle of May. This work has grown numerically and matured spiritually during this past year and it is time for us to move to a larger location. The property has some old, adobe mud structures that will be torn down so we can build to suite or needs. We know our heavenly Father will provide the funds; maybe He will use you to help with this project.
Another matter of prayer is the need to increase giving to the General Fund of Baptist Faith Mission. BFM has financially aided Anita and me since 1983. We work under the authority of our home church, Jordan Missionary Baptist Church, of Sanford, Florida, but Jordan Baptist is not large enough to support us full time, and thus, BFM helps our home church with the funds to keep us on the field in Peru. The Mission provides excellent medical insurance, monthly stipends for housing, transportation cost and other expenditures necessary to live in a foreign country. The directors of BFM have calculated that if each household and church that supports the General Fund of BFM could increase their giving by $10.00 more per month, the financial needs would be met. Pray about it and give as the Lord leads you. If you would like more details of the financial workings and situation of BFM you can go the webpage: www.baptistfaithmissions.org or the BFM blog at: www.faith-works.blogspot.com
Thanks again for all the prayers and support. We look forward to seeing everyone next year (2012) when we come to the States for furlough. Until next month.
We’ve had a lot of rain in the mountains recently, but today, the sun is shining in Huánuco! Anita has been fighting a case of the flu that has given her a terrible cough, but she seems to be on the mend, for which we are thankful. We love and appreciate all of you and thank you for your continual prayers and support of our part in the Lord’s work here in Peru.
Please continue to pray for our son, Capt. Joshua Stanton USAF, as he proudly serves our country as an Air Force pilot in Afghanistan. He has a wife and two small, precious, little girls waiting for him back home. We also ask you to remember my father, Ralph Stanton, in your prayers; he is battling with prostate cancer and not doing very well.
I baptized five young people into the fellowship of the Calvary Baptist Mission-Church a few weeks ago. They ranged from twelve to twenty. Two of them were a young couple just recently married. Our attendance at this mission continues to grow and we literally filled our rented place to capacity twice during February. The folks are getting anxious about moving to the new property we hope to buy in the next few weeks. We have been trying to buy this piece of ground for months, but the owner has had to comply with numerous legal requirements in order to get the property legally up to date. It looks like we will be able to make the purchase around the last week of March. After we obtain the property we have an urgent need to build. The folks here are poor, but I have seen them give sacrificially many times. We could really use some help toward this project; it’s the Lord’s work and HE will provide, but maybe HE will lead some of you to be HIS means of provision. We are also hoping that we could have a few churches send some mission teams down late this summer or early fall and help us with some of the construction.
My Monday night pastor’s class continues to be a blessing. These men study the Word during the week and bring me some very challenging questions each Monday night. Their questions keep me on my knees in prayer and compel me to dig ever deeper into God’s Word for the answers. It is a privilege and honor to work with them.
Roosevelt Hermitaño, one of our national missionaries needs help with funds to buy the property for the Cayumba Grande Baptist Mission near Tingo Maria. The owner wants to sell the place so they either have to buy or vacate by the end of April. They have already raised over half of the cost but still need $1500.00 in order to have enough. Please pray and give as the Lord leads.
In HIM by HIS grace,
Sheridan and Anita Stanton
sestantonperu [at] hotmail.com
Another month has come and passed, and we thank the Lord for His blessings and care for us. What a great God we serve, and what a blessing it is to be involved in His work. Although we can face various trials and tests through our lives, what a blessing to know that our Lord is there with us each step of the way, wherever He has called us to serve Him. Joshua 1:9 states “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” This update will share current prayer requests, as well as a very important time in the life of our family.
Lord willing, my wife will give birth to our second child later this month. She is due February 12th, and the time is quickly approaching, so we would appreciate your prayers so much for her, the baby, and the upcoming delivery, that all would go well. We got it confirmed recently that we will be having a daughter, and we are so thrilled with this. We plan to name her Camille Sophia Radford, and we are so looking forward to having her as a part of our family soon, Lord willing. What a blessing children are, and we thank the Lord for the great medical care that Carrie has received thus far and for the health of our baby. Psalm 127:3 states “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” We plan to send pictures of Camille soon, so you can see her. Please continue to pray that all would go well in the upcoming days.
Please also continue to pray for the ministries in our absence. Please pray for the ministry in Rafiki, the prison ministry, and also the hospital ministry, as we are away from the ministries at this time. Although it is hard to be away from Kenya and the ministries there, it is also a good time for us to be able to report on the ministries, as well as spend time with friends and family. Please pray for us as we travel, that we would be safe, and also for the vehicle to be dependable as we travel. We appreciate your prayers so much, as prayer is such a vital part of the ministry. Adrian Rogers said “Prayer is the greatest Christian privilege.” What a privilege indeed it is to be able to talk to the Lord, and to trust Him as we pray.
May God bless each of you for your prayers, support, love, and encouragement. It means more to us than you will ever know. We will keep you updated.
In Him,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
naterad [at] yahoo.com
“…’Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'” -Matthew 25:23
Marie Bratcher, one of our beloved missionaries to Brazil, peacefully entered into the joy of her Master at 10:39 p.m. on Friday, February 4, 2011. Hattie Marie Moore Bratcher, was born in Richmond, Kentucky, and married Harold Foley Bratcher on December 27, 1954. The Lord blessed them with three sons: Dr. Asa Mark Bratcher, Pastor Stephen M. Bratcher, and Joel Bratcher, who drowned in the Amazon River at the age of 6.
Harold and Marie Bratcher (front) with John and Alta Hatcher, missionaries to Brazil, who combined have nearly 218 years of service to the Lord in Brazil!
The Back-Story
On February 5, 1919 Dr. Lewis Malen Bratcher arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This event began a 90 year love ministry of the Bratchers in Brazil that continues to this day. For the next 35 years, Dr. L.M. Bratcher would labor faithfully in the cities and on mule trails preaching the “good news” (as boas novas) of the saving Gospel of his Lord Jesus Christ. In June of 1939, he traveled to the Amazon Valley to begin a long awaited and planned Amazon River missions trip with the pioneer Baptist missionary Erik Alfred Nelson. Soon after the trip began, on June 15, 1939, E.A. Nelson, 76 years of age, went home to be with his Lord. He served in Brazil for 48 years. After assisting at the funeral at the First Baptist Church of Manaus that Nelson founded in 1900, Dr. L.M. Bratcher decided to continue the river trip, this time having to inform the Brazilian people of E.A. Nelson’s death and “home going.” He stated in his memoirs, “Just Longing,” (Saudades) that he would never forget the reaction of the villagers at each stop. Tears would come to their eyes, and the sorrowful question would be asked “Now who will come and tell us about Jesus?”
The Answer to the Call
Exactly 20 years later, almost to the day, Harold and Marie Bratcher answered that question. They arrived in the Amazon Valley on July 15, 1959, to begin a 52-year love ministry with the people of Brazil. In their nearly 52 years of service together, the Bratchers organized over 20 Baptist churches and many other missions in the Amazon Valley.
Marie once stated that she “never received a specific call to be a missionary,” but always strongly affirmed her call of being a faithful loving wife to Harold, therefore following him as he followed the Lord.
Muito Obrigado, Sister Bratcher, for faithfully giving 52 years of your life to Brazil for the sake of the Gospel.
[“Muito Obrigado” is Portuguese for “thank you.” Adapted from their son’s write-up in celebration of their 50 years of service. Read the full version at Bratchers’ Ministry.]
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Arrangements: Marie’s funeral will be Sunday, February 6 at 3:00 p.m. Her son Asa Mark will be conducting the service. She will be buried next to her son Joel in the St. John the Baptist Cemetery of Manaus, Brazil. Missionary E.A. Nelson, “The Apostle of the Amazon” is buried close by as well.
Please pray for her husband Harold and their family.
Any designated love offerings for Brother Bratcher will be deeply appreciated. You may send them through Baptist Faith Missions at Baptist Faith Missions
c/o George Sledd
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe FL 32771
[Be sure to designate your personal gifts for HAROLD BRATCHER LOVE OFFERING]
“Disse-lhe o seu senhor: Muito bem, servo bom e fiel; sobre o pouco foste fiel, sobre muito te colocarei; entra no gozo do teu senhor.” –Mateus 25:23
“O my Strength, I will watch for You, for You, O God, are my fortress. My God in His steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. –Psalm 59:9-10
Instead of the normal “Scripture at Sunrise” post today, we wanted you to be aware of a serious situation in Iran. Please take time to pray today for 70+ Christians who have been arrested because of their faith. Josh Harris has more details on his blog.
Another month has come and passed so quickly, and we are now near the end of the year 2010. It seems that time goes so quickly, and Lord willing, soon we will be in the year 2011. May we ever be mindful of the opportunities that the Lord gives us to serve Him and to be mindful of the time we have to give our lives in service to Him. This prayer letter will give a current ministry update, a family update, as well as share prayer requests.
It is great to be back in our home country of the United States of America. Although we miss the people of Kenya and the ministries there, we are also happy to be home and get to spend valuable time with friends and family, as well as those who pray for us and sacrificially give to support us. Each of you are such an important part of the ministry in Kenya and we thank the Lord for you. We could not do it without your help. The Lord has provided a place for us to stay in West Virginia beginning in January, as well as a vehicle and the majority of the furnishings. We wish to thank each of you for your assistance, as it has really helped us in the transition back to our home country and getting settled in for our furlough. May God bless each of you who have assisted us in any way with our furlough needs. Thank you for being so mindful of the needs of missionaries. Philippians 4:19 says “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” What a precious promise from the Word of God this is, that we can trust Him to provide for our needs.
Please continue to pray for the ministries in Kenya in our absence. The ministry in Rafiki is continuing presently through a Kenyan that was trained in the Bible Institute and who had gone repeatedly to Rafiki to minister there, so we ask you to pray for him and the people there. They are continuing independently of me in any way, and I am sure this is a test of faith for them, so we ask you to pray for them, that they would be indigenous and stand on their own in my absence. This is a challenge, as the country is dependent, but prayer would be much appreciated for this ministry as I am now in the States for an extended period of time.
Also, please continue to pray for the other ministries, both the annex prison and the hospital ministry, in our absence. We wish to thank anyone who has come personally to see these ministries firsthand, sent supplies to be given to the ministries, prayed for or financially supported the works. May God bless each of you so much. We will keep you updated.
Please also continue to pray for Carrie and the pregnancy, as she is due the second week of February 2011. So far,
all is progressing well, for which we thank the Lord. What a blessing children are and we ask you to pray that this new one would also continue to develop well in the womb. 1 Samuel 1:27 states “For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:” We thank each of you for continuing to remember the new little one in prayer as well as for Carrie and her health during the pregnancy.
Please also pray for us and our health as we have both individuals and churches to visit while are home. Please also pray for the vehicle, that it would do well traveling and not have any major maintenance issues. Please also pray for me as I begin to contact churches and pastors, that the Lord would lead and guide us in these endeavors. I plan to send a dvd of our ministry out soon, so please also pray that these will all arrive well without any problems where they are designated to go.
In closing, during this Thanksgiving season, may we ever be mindful to be thankful of the many blessings that God has given us.
There are so many things to be thankful for, such as family, health, the Lord’s provisions, and opportunities that He gives us to serve Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” We wish each of you a great Thanksgiving holiday as well as Christmas holiday next month. May God bless each of you.
New Life Baptist Church 