August 17, 2004

Dear Friends,

Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.  God is faithful and His mercies are new every morning.  What life would be without Him I cannot imagine.  Jesus is so kind, loving, forgiving, merciful, tender-hearted toward His children and His hand is outreached with compassion to the needy sinner.  How I want to be like Him!

HEAVEN AND PREPARATION TO GO THERE

Our dear brother Sebastian, age 73, beat us to it.  He got there before us, but our bodies will rise together.  He is the first member of our congregation in Urai to die.  He lived on our street and for several years I have shaved him two times a week.  Victim of a life of strong drink, he had several strokes.  When he trusted Christ as his Savior here in Urai, his life was transformed even though his body wasted away.  I took him to church since he was not able to walk much.  It was his joy and pleasure to go and sing praises to the Lord.  Every service he sang with joy though his words were very difficult to understand.  I would ask him to sing a little of it.  He would hum a little of the tune and I would know.  As long as he could speak at all, I loved to hear him pray.  He and God understood what he was saying and I rejoiced greatly in spirit.  I thanked God for the joy of preaching his funeral.  I told the story of his life - one of hardship, sin and suffering - and told how different his life would have been and the life of his children had he trusted the Lord as a boy of 12 when he first heard.  His mother did trust Christ and was baptized by a Letonian Baptist preacher who had come to Brazil to escape Communism after the First World War.  She died when he was about 12.

For almost three months our bus route has been in action.  Two Sundays ago four children and one young lady trusted Christ.  On that same morning I baptized Wesley, a young man 19 years old.  These are saved and waiting to go to Heaven.

VISITS FROM GRANDCHILDREN

They certainly are not children any more, but they are grand.  John Victor McGary was with us for several days, with Kathy and Odali, and then went to Manaus to visit with his uncles and aunts.  The first week in August Kris and Eryn McGary were with us for a week.  Lots to eat (thanks to Dona Alta), lots to talk about and opportunity to rejoice in the Lord.

BIG WEDDING IN GARCA

On the 31st of July, Amelia and Ivo were married in Garça.  At the time they were saying their vows (out on the soccer field), the red sun was setting in the West and the full moon was appearing in the East.  It was a beautiful couple who married, a beautiful wedding and in a beautiful setting.  May God continue to bless these two dedicated persons.  Congratulations, Odali and Kathy!

LAND PURCHASED IN THE CITY OF CONGOINHAS

On August 9, we were able to buy a beautiful corner lot for building in another city.  Marcos and his wife, Silvia, are having services in people's homes and in the street.  Hopefully, it will not be long until they have a new building or at least a part of a new building for their work.  Pray for Marcos and Silvia, their children, Junior and Ester.  Give towards a new building if God so leads you.

MARRIAGE WORKSHOP

On July 27 and 28, David Hatcher was with the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cornelio for a two-day workshop on MARRIAGE.  It was up-to-date, scriptural, alive and a blessing to all who came.  There were 50 couples who attended.  David and Pennie are always a blessing to us and to all where they minister.  Alta and I were sitting (that is a rarity for Alta) for a few minutes and our hearts overflowed with joy and thanksgiving to God as we talked about how He has blessed us so much in our wonderful children.  Sometimes when I plead to God for them I ask:  Father, how is our wonderful daughter doing?  Or, Isn't our son a wonderful one?

Of one thing we are sure:  when God gave us our children He gave us the treasures from Heaven.  I always wanted eight children.  Guess God knew that with eight I would have been too proud.  But then He piled up the most wonderful grandchildren in the world and gave us great-grandchildren who are being reared in a foreign mission field.  Thank you, Heavenly Father.

Thank you, dear friends, pray for us as the vapor of our lives are passing rapidly.

Love in Him,

John and Alta Hatcher

John Hatcher standing in front of the First Baptist Church building in Alexandria, Kentucky. John began attending this church when he was about four weeks old. He was saved at the age of nine and baptized by Pastor Arley Jones. Brother Ron Duty is the present pastor.