March 4, 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

You may have wondered if we disappeared off of the face of the earth. We haven’t. However, we have traveled a lot and by various means since our last letter. We traveled to the Amazon via Chicago to celebrate Dad and Mom’s 60 wedding anniversary. The days we spent there were wonderful. It had been about 15 years since Judy and I had been in this part of Brazil. What a blessing to visit Chapada Baptist Church where I was a charter member not long after being saved and following the Lord in baptism. It was also wonderful to visit with the Tabernacle Baptist Church where I was baptized and later served for the first time as pastor.

David and Pennie, my brother and sister-in-law, made sure that we experienced all of the foods of the area which we had not eaten in years. All of our immediate family was able to visit together daily for a couple of weeks. During this time Dad, Paul, David and I returned to town where we had lived for a short time 50 years ago. What an experience! The primary purpose of the trip was the dedication of a new large building for a mission church sponsored by the Chapada Baptist Church. The spread of the Gospel has been amazing.

We then returned to the States. Through Judy’s annual check-up, we received the good news that she is still cancer-free. She had now been cancer-free for seven years. Her last treatment for cancer was at the time that our first grandchild was born. While we were in the states our fifth grandchild was born; the first child of David and Dulce Hatcher. What a joy to be in Evansville, Indiana at the time of this event and to be able to help David and Dulce.

In addition, I was able to visit supporting churches in the states of Indiana, West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. The hospitality and encouragement that we received from each church and the individuals who hosted us made these visits a great joy. We are grateful for the support that each of you gives faithfully.

But, that is not all. These ten weeks were the longest amount of time that we had been away from France in seven years. The congregation that the Lord has put together got along very well in our absence. One lady shared with the congregation that she had been saved in a Bible study we had last year. She now comes faithfully to worship services and brought a mother and daughter as visitors during the time that we were away. This was a great encouragement to us.

We arrived back in France on March 1 and moving ahead in what God has called us to do. Thanks for your prayers, hospitality and gifts during our time in the USA. Thanks for regular giving which enables us to be here spreading the Good News and helping those who are saved to grow. May God receive the Glory for what He enables us to do together.

Serving in France,

John and Judy Hatcher