June 26, 2003

Dear Friends

There is too much to write in one letter but I will try to give you an overview and write more details later. Alta and I arrived home in Urai on June 12 after being away for almost three months. We visited my sister and her husband, Jessie and Joe Sills, and their children, Jolene and Joel, in Florida. Marcella, Alta's sister, and Kay, her niece, came to visit us at the Sill's home. In Nashville we visited with our daughter, Lynn, and Ross McGary and our grandchildren for a week. In Alexandria, KY we visited with my brother, Charles, and his wife, Beulah. Here we had a partial family reunion. It was a joy to visit and preach at my home church, First Baptist of Alexandria, where I was saved and baptized. We enjoyed the fellowship with the Pastor, Ron Duty, and our friends of many years. Then we drove to Columbia, South Carolina to see my sister, Neree Wood. We also visited with Paul and Jeanette Guinn and their lovely daughters, Mia and Ariel.

Returning from Columbia we went to Evansville where we stayed with Peggy Foster, our marvelous Bread and Breakfast hostess of many years. Thank you, Falwells, for the great dinner on Saturday evening. On Sunday we worshipped with the Emmanuel Baptist Church. Since our sons, Paul and John Mark, were pastors here for three and twenty-four years, respectively, this church is like home and the members have meant so much to our sons and to us.

About the middle of April we settled in at the Mission House on Balsam Drive and enjoyed being home again. While in Lexington we visited the Palomar Baptist Church with Grant and Mary Fox, the Emmanuel Baptist Church with Delbert and Margaret Carpenter, friends from college days, the Heritage Baptist Church with Ed and Jackie Overbey, the Thompson Road Baptist Church with Dave Parks and his lovely people, the Bethel Baptist Church where we enjoyed the fellowship with Pastor Larry Wilson and his dear people.

Spring Missionary Conference

Our thanks to the Thompson Road Baptist Church and to others who helped in sponsoring the Conference. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and was encouraged with the attendance, the presence of pastors, many young ones, the great messages, and especially the gift of hospitality shown by the dear members of Thompson Road Church.

Thanks

Alta and I want to say "Thank You" to all the brethren who serve as directors of Baptist Faith Mission. For forty-eight years you have been the support God has used to help us at all times. We appreciate you.

In my next letter I will tell you about our cruise across the Atlantic, the blond taxi driver we witnessed to in New Orleans, our Bible Studies on the cruise, how God helped us in London, and our wonderful visit in France.

Pray for us that God will give us strength and wisdom to keep going until the end.

John and Alta Hatcher