June 9, 2008

Dear Brothers of the Blessed Lord and Sisters of the Savior Jesus Christ:

In this our last letter we will write, the Lord willing, from Brazil, we will first write about the immediate future. Our plans are for Marie and I, with Asa Mark traveling with us, to leave Manaus at 5:30 p.m. this coming Thursday, the 12th of this month. We should arrive at the Lexington, Kentucky airport at 8:30 p.m. on Friday the 13th. We plan to spend two nights in Lexington and then on Sunday afternoon drive to the Rough River Dam Park in Western Kentucky where we plan to attend the Bratcher-Porter Family Reunion. After the 19th we will be living at the address listed on the left. This house belongs to the Trinity Baptist Church and is close to the church. We thank you, Matthew Hyder and Helen Brown and the church, for this blessing. We thank you, Lord Jesus, first of all. We will be happy to have you visit us. As the Lord permits, we will accept invitations to preach in the churches, etc.

Now we return to the past. This Mission Sheets month began May 10th and ends today, June 9th. During this month I preached eleven sermons, seven at the 24th of March Baptist Church, one at the Celestial Baptist Church, and one at the 14th of December Baptist Church. The church presented us with luggage for our trip. Then I preached at the Comunhão Baptist Church where the ladies Missionary Society was celebrating their anniversary. On the 11th of May, Mother’s Day, Marie was honored by our two sons, Asa Mark here in Manaus and Stephen telephoning from Ocala, Florida. Yesterday after the services of the 24th of March Baptist Church, we went to the Comunhão Baptist Church, where we ate dinner with over 150 others. Dr. Asa Mark Bratcher and the church were celebrating Pastors Day, which we had just celebrated at our church.

After almost a month of coughing, and a bad case of the flu, my beloved wife Marie is almost completely healed. We praise the Lord. We have visited the sick, including a dear sister who is very weak and may be in her last days upon the earth, Aurea Belem Fragroso, 81.

Thus, dear readers of the Mission Sheets we have shared with you what has happened to Harold and Marie here in Manaus. The Lord willing, we hope to see many of you soon there in Kentucky and other states. Continue to abide in the Lord and continue to pray for us and continue to contribute as the Lord leads. We love you in the Lord. We pray for Mrs. Helen Palmer who recently lost by death, her beloved husband of many years, Ernest Palmer. They have been our friends for these many years. Thanks also to Brother Dave Parks who has been a blessing to all of us missionaries of Baptist Faith Missions. God be with you till we meet again.

Yours in the Service of the Savior,

Harold and Marie Bratcher