February 28, 2002
Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Savior:
I have just finished reading Hymn No. 318, "Leave It There", written by C. Albert Turdley of
the Modern Hymnal. I share with you dear readers, male and female of the Mission Sheets the 2nd and 4th
stanzas with the chorus:
2. If your body suffers pain, and your health you can't regain,
and your soul is almost sinking in despair,
Jesus knows the pain you feel, He can save and He can heal;
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
4. When your youthful days are gone, and old age is stealing on,
and your body bends beneath the weight of care,
He will never leave you then, He'll go with you to the end;
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
Chorus: Leave it there, Leave it there, Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there;
If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out;
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
We are commended to "Bear ye one another's burdens and to fulfill the law of Christ, (Galatians 6:2). We are aware of the fact that many of you are praying for Marie and me as the words of the Hymn "Leave it There" apply to both of us. We appreciate the invitation of the directors of BFM and others of you for us to come to the USA for treatment. Continue to pray for us as we seek to do His will. Permit me to quote the words of another Hymn of the Modern Hymnal, #361, "Have Thine Own Way, Lord."
1. Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine Own Way! Thou art the Potter; I am the clay.
Mould me and make me, after Thy will, While I am waiting yielded and still.
4. Have Thine Own way, Lord! Have Thine Own Way! Hold o'er my being Absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit, till all shall see, Christ only, always, Living in me!
We are commanded: Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice, (Philippians 4:4). And again: "Rejoice
evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus,
concerning you. (I Thess. 5:16-18).
We rejoice that I am still able to serve as pastor of the 24th of March Baptist Church. We rejoice that Marie is attending every service with me. We rejoice that on December 16th I was able to baptize 5 new believers who were received as members of the church, increasing the numbers of members from 37 to 42. Praise the Lord!
We trust that the hymns quoted by us in this letter will be a blessing to you as they are a blessing
to us. Also we wish to thank all of you who are praying for us and all of you who have designated offerings
for us, and all who have contributed to the regular fund. May the Lord bless you dear saints of the
Savior. Please continue to pray for us and for many of you we are praying for you. Yours in the Service
of the Savior:
Harold F. Bratcher.
Written by Faithful Missionary Wife, Marie Bratcher:
Dear Ones:
There are many churches close by to our 24th of March BC. Some are Baptist, some are Pentecostal, and there is a new one just recently started, real close to us. It is the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. We have heard that they are making a appeal to get the children to attend by offering refreshments and other things to attract the children's attention. Sound familiar? In fact, some of the children that used to attend our services are now attending his church to partake of the "free loaves and fishes"
The pastor's breakfast of the Mibrafe, we wrote about last month turned out well in spite of the rain. There were ten pastors present and one brother who is waiting to be ordained. When we arrived at the church that morning, we were told of the stabbing of a man that lives in front of the church. It happened the night before. The man is not a believer, has never attended our services, but his sister is one of the five that was baptized in December. She was quite upset and crying, because her husband was drinking, along with here brother when he was stabbed. Some of us visited her on Saturday morning and others visited after services on Sunday night.
There were many unsaved who heard the word preached as there are many of the same family who live in the same house. After we left on Sunday night, early on Monday morning he started screaming with pain. The had to take him to the hospital again. This time he was operated on and had to spend several days in the hospital. He is at home once again. We are praying that he will attend our services and receive Christ as his savior, and not return to his sinful way of living, drinking, fights, etc. Pray with us that this will come to pass. His name is William Nascimento Vieira, only 23 years old.
Continue to pray for us as we try to continue to faithfully serve our Savior here.
Marie Bratcher
Harold Bratcher baptizing Brother Delmo Colaress, 47 years old
Harold and Marie Bratcher, your faithful missionaries to Brazil for over forty years