Baptist Mid-Missions of Brazil
75th Anniversary: 1935 - 2010
Missionaries with last names starting with the letter
"H"
Last updated on November 9, 2009
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David and Dottie Hall
David and Dottie Hall joined Baptist Mid-Missions in July 1989. They arrived in Fortaleza, Ceará, August 13, 1991, and studied Portuguese in the BMM Fortaleza language school. Dottie is the daughter of BMM missionaries John and Betty Finlay who served in the Amazon Region. In 1992, upon completion of their language studies, the Halls moved to João Pessoa, Paraíba.
According to their July 1992 Regional work report, they planned to help two congregations in João Pessoa – the Regular Baptist Church in Geisel (Igreja Batista Regular no Geisel) in the Geisel subdivision and the Regular Baptist Church in Cristo Redentor (Igreja Batista Regular no Cristo Redentor) in the Cristo Redentor subdivision. They ministered in João Pessoa for less than a year, and returned to Fortaleza to put their children in BMM’s school for missionaries’ children, Fortaleza Academy.
In Fortaleza, David and Dottie joined Dan and Kathy Stowell who were starting a new church plant near the soccer stadium, the Castelão Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Castelão). In December 1994 the Halls assumed the leadership of the Grace Baptist Church (Igreja Batista da Graça) in the Distrito Industrial subdivision of Fortaleza.
David and Dottie returned from their furlough in October 1996 and were invited to work in the Philemon Regular Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular Filemon) in the Messejana subdivision of Fortaleza, Ceará. During their ministry, land was purchased, and a shell of a building erected.
While the Halls were in Fortaleza, Dave taught Bible and speech at the Fortaleza Academy and coached in the sports program. In 1998, they returned to the United States and resigned from Baptist Mid-Missions.
Darrel and Inajean Haworth
Darrel and Jean Haworth joined Baptist Mid-Missions in the summer of 1968. In August of 1971, they arrived in Belém, Pará. They studied Portuguese in the Language School for missionaries in São Paulo, São Paulo. Darrel is known as “Pastor Dário” and Jean is known as “Dona Geni.” They finished their language studies in September of 1972.
Upon completion of language school, Darrel and Jean moved to Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, where they began working with a Brazilian pastor at the Peace Baptist Church (Igreja Batista da Paz ) in the Pirajá subdivision of Juazeiro do Norte. The first few months they were at this church they spent their time helping and encouraging the young pastor. When he resigned and went into teaching, Darrel became pastor. It was a small struggling church. Darrel´s ministry there was preaching and pastoring and building the people through the Word. They worked at this church from April 1973 to May 1975. While they were there, they purchased two lots for the church.
For the next five years, Darrel and Jean worked at the First Baptist Church of Juazeiro do Norte (Primeira Igreja Batista de Juazeiro do Norte), downtown Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará. They were at this church from the fall of 1977 to 1982. They began helping with music and later started a Sunday school class for young married couples which they taught until they left. During this time they were also in charge of the extension ministries (Trabalho Prático) for the students of the Cariri Baptist Bible College (Seminário Batista do Cariri), Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará.
In 1981 and 1982, Darrel and Jean helped with Bill Kettlewell’s work in the nearby towns of Campos Sales and Aiuaba, Ceará. They used a team of students and Bill’s airplane. The Haworths continued teaching the Sunday school class at First Baptist Church and flew out after Sunday school.
For the next 15 years, they worked at the Zion Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Sião) in the Franciscanos subdivision of Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará. While at this church, missionary Jerry Leonard donated property and the Haworths were able to purchase an adjacent lot. They began building classrooms, one classroom at a time. The property across the street was purchased in 1989, and the church auditorium was built there with money donated by the William Bolthouse Foundation.
Darrel wrote that his ministry at this church was long and difficult. He said: “I can remember praying, ‘Lord, I do not want to go over there alone. Please give me some sign that You are with me…each time I go.’ ” No other missionaries worked with them at this work, but they did receive help from students and recent graduates of the Cariri Baptist Bible College (Seminário Batista do Cariri).
Darrel and Jean began working with the deaf in July 1985 helping ABWE missionary John Peterson with a deaf camp. After nine (9) deaf people accepted Christ at this camp, the Haworths started holding monthly Sunday afternoon encounters. These later became weekly Sunday morning events. The Deaf Baptist Church (Igreja Batista dos Surdos) began as a church within a church at the Zion Baptist Church. There were camps for the deaf every year and one camp was held at the Deaf Center.
The Deaf Baptist Church is now located in a building on property originally purchased for Zion Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Sião). This church is under the leadership of John and Jean Peterson who moved to Crato, Ceará, in 1999. Other missionaries that have assisted in this work include Leon Small (ABWE), and BMM missionaries Luis and Janet Meneses. Some Brazilians that ministered there were Marli Gavioli and Dona Terezinha Bezerra. Dona Terezinha Bezerra was the camp cook for many years and was a huge blessing as the food was good and economical. She did it as a ministry to the Lord.
In 1987, the Haworths began the Hope Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Esperança) with a neighborhood Bible study and a Sunday morning English Club in their garage. The group grew and moved to the library of the old seminary campus (Seminário Batista do Cariri), Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará. When the seminary property was sold, the church held its meetings in the former boys’ dorm of the seminary. In August 1999, the church moved to its present location. Darrel and Jean started a primary school at this location which is under the direction of Sra. Fátima Mesquita.
While the Haworths were ministering at the Hope Baptist Church, they purchased eight (8) acres with a gift from the William Bolthouse Foundation. This new location is in the Sítio São José subdivision of Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, on the boundary of Juazeiro do Norte and Crato. The first two buildings on the property were built with gifts from Bolthouse Farms. Although Darrel is no longer pastor of the church, he continues to do building projects there and recently built classroom buildings for the primary school.
BMM missionaries Mark and Becki Lounsbrough, Mark and Linda Willson, and Ostal and Marce Layton (short termers) have helped in this church. Brazilian workers include the following couples: Prof. Wilson and Ivaldirene, Col. José Liberato and Aldenora, and Sr. Josué Mesquita and Fátima. The following seminary students pastored with Darrel: Paulo Roberto Tavares, who left to take a church in Rio de Janeiro, and George Wellck. When George graduated from seminary, he became the pastor of Hope Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Esperança). The Haworths ministered at this church until 2001.
Since March 17th, 2003, Darrel and Jean have been ministering at the Union Baptist Church (Igreja Batista União) in the João Cabral subdivision of Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará. The meeting place for this church began with the Haworths purchasing a little house and remodeled it for meetings. As the congregation grew, they purchased another little house with a vacant lot between the two houses. They then raised the walls, put in a floor, roofed the vacant space, and started using it as their church auditorium. Currently, they are meeting in that building. Altogether the Haworths purchased 4 houses and two vacant lots on Rua Farias Brito and 3 houses on Rua Nossa Senhora de Santana, creating a nice corner property for the church. Brazilians that ministered at this work include Pastor Adil (da Primeira Igreja Batista Juazeiro do Norte) and the following seminary students: Samuel Siqueira, Francisco Euzemarques Paiva Santos, and José Francilino da Silva Filho. These seminary students held a Children’s Club on Saturday afternoon and taught three religion classes in the neighborhood public school.
Since November of 2005, Darrel and Jean have been working at two churches 225 km apart. They travel to Aquiráz once a month and spend “a week on the beach” while ministering at the First Baptist Church (Primeira Igreja Batista de Iguape) in the small beach town of Iguape, in the city of Aquiraz, Ceará.
This church began when several members were saved through the ministry of Pastor José Nogueira de Lima Filho at a Couple’s Encounter at a nearby hotel in this beach community. Darrel and Jean held their first meetings in a beach house that the Haworth children had purchased. Darrel and Jean then purchased and remodeled a two-story house which had been a dance hall. The auditorium is upstairs, and there is a complete apartment downstairs including a kitchen, two bedrooms, living room, and two bathrooms. This apartment serves for the co-pastor from Aquiraz who comes with his family for services on the week-ends. It also is used for the church’s activities. Recently, Darrel and Jean purchased a small house next door, which they plan to tear down and use as a patio area. Deacon Magno Castro, from the First Baptist Church of Aquiraz, is the co-pastor, and Pastor Flávio Santiago Maciel lives nearby and also helps. When Darrell and Jean make their monthly visit to the church, Jean has a ladies’ meeting on Friday night and Darrell preaches on Saturday and Sunday nights.
Darrel also enjoys the audio visual ministry. He produced Super 8 films and videos for fellow missionaries to use on furlough. He had a major role in the production of the N.E. Region's 16mm film The Desert Shall Rejoice (O Deserto Florescerá). For the All-Brazil Field Council, Darrel later produced an award-winning film Broken Chain (Corrente Quebrada) about Brazilian spiritism. Although Corrente Qeubrada was filmed in Portuguese, it has been produced with English, Spanish and Portuguese sub-titles. Both of these films have been widely used throughout Brazil and the United States. He then produced Somewhere Forever (Eternidade), a DVD tool for home evangelism. Currently he is working on a DVD to teach religion in the public schools of Brazil.
Charles and Martha Hocking
This article was written by Charles and Martha Hocking´s three children: Faith, John, and Simone.
Charles and Martha met while students at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, and became engaged to be married in October 1938. After graduating from Moody in August 1939, they were married on September 5th in Pearisburg, Virginia, in an early morning garden ceremony at Martha’s parents’ home nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. They chose as their life’s verse Psalm 48:14, “For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even unto death.” They were accepted by Baptist Mid-Missions for service in Brazil in October of the same year. Their home church and sending church was the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Hazel Park, Michigan. After a short deputation ministry from January to March 1940, they left for the field on May 18, 1940, aboard a ship from New York, and arrived in Belem on May 30.
In Belem they boarded a river boat for a two-week journey up the Amazon to Manaus. The crude river boat had three separate decks. On the bottom deck were all kinds of animals - chickens, cows, pigs, turkeys and so on. Passengers hung their hammocks and spent their days and nights on the middle deck, and the Captain had his quarters on the highest deck. The Captain, noticing that Martha was pregnant, invited her every morning to have breakfast with him because he felt it was important for her to have eggs and fruit in addition to the standard breakfast of café com leite e pão.
They arrived in Manaus, and because the “Big House” was already full of Missionary families, they lived in a small mud hut on the property. It was there that Martha gave birth to their first baby, Faith Rebecca, in July. She was the first BMM child to be born in Brazil.
They served two terms in Manaus in the heart of the Amazon valley. They helped to organize the Cachoeirinha Baptist Church, the first Regular Baptist church on the Amazon. Charles served as co-pastor of the new church along with a colleague. They also, along with colleagues, founded the first Regular Baptist Seminary on the Amazon, the Baptist Seminary of Amazonas.
Martha had a unique ministry with the women in Manaus. An accomplished seamstress, she invited women into their home for sewing lessons and Bible study. She taught them to make clothes for themselves and their families. Most importantly, she presented the Gospel to these women and led many to the Lord.
In March 1942 Charles and Martha welcomed their second child, John Charles Hocking Jr, known to many as “Jack,” into their family. At the end of their first term, as they were boarding the boat docked in Manaus, Jack, a toddler, fell into the Rio Negro. Charles jumped into the river and saved his beloved son. After that Martha fashioned special harnesses to keep their little children safe during this boat trip.
Martha and the children travelled to the States ahead of Charles. For several months Charles visited areas by launch along the Amazon and into the Acre area to research the possibility of expanding their ministry beyond Manaus when they returned for their third term. During these launch trips he contracted amoebic dysentery and became very ill. When he returned to the States, he became a patient at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor for many months before he was well enough to join his family.
Because of health problems in their family, Charles and Martha, with their two children, moved to Crato, Ceara, in northeast Brazil. In this interior region they engaged in pioneer evangelism, marked by opposition and persecution, and also taught in Baptist Mid-Missions’ Baptist seminary, the Seminario Batista do Cariri.
After one term of service in the interior, at the request of the field council, they moved to Fortaleza, Ceara, on the sea-coast to found and direct a language school for Baptist Mid-Missions. Charles spent almost a year in Sao Paulo, studying and researching the language school there and used this knowledge as a model for the Fortaleza Language School. While he was involved with the Language School, Martha worked with the new missionaries, helping them to find housing, shopping for furniture, appliances and food and helping them find a daily routine for their new lives in Brazil.
In addition, they engaged in construction, church planting and administration (Charles as president of the field council). They established the Igreja Batista Central in downtown Fortaleza. In its beginnings they held meetings on the second floor of a merchant’s shop. Two teachers at the Language School, Joel and Darci, added their vivacity and energy to the beginning of this new church. They were dynamic believers who led to many animated competitions to see who could bring the most to the services! Soon the group became a congregation and then organized as a church. Charles was involved in the construction of their first building located near the downtown area.
In January 1955 their third child, Simone, was born in the hospital in Fortaleza. Charles managed to drive Martha to the downtown hospital during rush hour in Helen (Rowe) Jones’ Volkswagon. (Helen was on furlough at this time) They arrived at the hopital barely minutes before Simone arrived!
From Fortaleza, after approximately 25 years of service there, they transferred to Sao Paulo to minister to the Regular Baptist Press of Brazil, and were involved in evangelism and administration (Charles as field president).
After one term in Sao Paulo, they moved to Sao Jose dos Campos on the federal highway to Rio to engage in church planting, construction and administration as field president. There they started and organized the Faith Baptist Church. Before they could turn the church over to a Brazilian pastor, however, Charles had a series of heart attacks and they had to return to the States where he had quadruple bypass surgery in Grand Rapids. Subsequently, they returned to Brazil but soon realized that they no longer were physically able to continue as active missionaries. They retired on July 31, 1985, after 45 years of missionary service in Brazil.
Charles and Martha made their home in Hudsonville, Michigan, for the next several years and continued to minister by presenting their missionary work to many churches, camps and schools. Charles filled in for pastors at various churches as needed. He continued to faithfully write prayer letters until his children were able to convince him he no longer needed to fulfill this obligation. Charles had another quadruple bypass surgery exactly ten years after the first one.
It is interesting to note that in his autobiography he stated that they “retired,” but, in fact, he never accepted that fact! He was in “missionary mode” up to the time of his death.
Their final years were full of many wonderful, happy and memorable times together. As their children, we were privileged and honored to be with them and to be very involved in their lives. We were blessed to be with them as their health began to deteriorate and to help them during this period of their lives.
Martha passed away unexpectedly of a severe heart attack on November 3, 2003. Her death was a complete shock to all of us and that day a big part of Charlie died also. He never seemed whole again. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at the Holland Hospice House, on April 27, 2008. They are buried side by side, “on their property,” at Georgetown Cemetery in Hudsonville. Engraved on their tombstone, along with their names and year of birth and death is part of their life’s verse, “For this God is our God forever and ever.”
In the months before his death, Charlie planned his funeral service and his “Going Away Party,” (the reception following the funeral service) down to the smallest details. He left a three-point message to be delivered at his funeral. One of the hymns we sang at both of their funeral services was “Great is Thy faithfulness!” One of the truly great legacies they left to us, that we witnessed over and over and over again was God’s faithfulness to us throughout our entire lives, when we were separated and when we were together.
At long last Charles and Martha have graduated into Heaven and received their W.D. degrees—“Well Done, thou good and faithful servant!”
Charles and Martha were blessed with three children, Faith, John and Simone; nine grandchildren and at last count, seven great-grandchildren.
During their retirement Charles began writing three books. His first book project was about the “Roots,” or the genealogies of our families. Another book is an account of the persecutions during our years in the interior of Ceara and is entitled, “Fire in the Backlands.” And he also wrote a devotional book about palm trees and how they apply to our Christian lives. These books are currently being organized and edited.
Ross and Cathy Hodsdon
Arriving in Brazil in 1972, Ross and Cathy Hodsdon served one term with another mission in Brazil prior to joining Baptist Mid-Missions in July 1976. Ross was known in Brazil as “Pastor Rossi,” and his wife Cathy as “Catarina.” Ross and Cathy studied Portuguese in Paju, Roraima, and the Macushi Indian language in Roraima. They finished language school and started their ministry in December 1972.
From 1973 to 1980, the Hodsdons worked in the Indian village of Pakú, Roraima. When Ross and Cathy went to Pakú, the work grew from a small group of believers to a strong rural indigenous work with its own native pastor. While ministering there, the Hodsdons constructed a church building for the Indian believers. Ross and Cathy were also responsible for the churches in Contão and Araca, Roraima, where they trained leaders.
Harold Burns had always wanted to translate the New Testament into the Macushi language, but never got beyond basic language study because the director of FUNAI did not permit him to actually live in a village. Therefore, he set up in a nearby "civilized" village called Surumu. When Ross and Cathy arrived as trained linguists, they took up the project and translated the New Testament into the Macushi language.
After establishing a training school, the Hodsdons trained three Macushi pastors. They also set up literacy, health, and agricultural programs in village.
In 1982, the Hodsdons resigned from BMM and assumed a pastorate in the United States. Since 1989, both Ross and Cathy have worked as consultants with Bibles International and continue doing so even today (March 2009).
Brendan and Melissa Holmquist
Brendan and Melissa Holmquist joined Baptist Mid-Missions in July 2004. Melissa is the granddaughter of BMM missionaries, Neal and Alice Smith. The Holmquists arrived in the city of São Paulo in May 2007 where they studied Portuguese at the missionary language school in downtown São Paulo. Finishing their language studies in September 2008, Brendan and Melissa moved to Rio de Janeiro, RJ.
The Holmquists plan to continue their language study and assist Nathan and Dawn Patefield and Joy Hunt at First Regular Baptist Church of Ilha do Governador (Primeira Igreja Batista Regular da Ilha do Governador, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. As a team, the Holmquists and Patefields plan to start a church halfway between the Ilha do Governador church and the church in Campo Grande, RJ. Both of those established churches will assist in this new church plant, which will be a strategic link between the two churches for fellowship and ministry.
Brendan and Melissa Holmquist “thank the Lord for His calling and the new mercy He gives every day.”
Jackie Hopkins
Jacqueline (Jackie) Hopkins joined Baptist Mid-Missions in July 1989. After arriving in Manaus, Amazonas, on Valentine’s Day 1993, she studied Portuguese in Manuas with Darcy Pessoa. Jackie finished her formal language studies on September 30, 1994.
From April 1994 through January 1995, Jackie worked at the Ebenezer Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular Ebenezer) in the União subdivision of Manaus, Amazonas. While in language school, she attended this work by working with Joy Speith and by helping with the children’s ministry (Bible clubs on Saturday, VBS, and the Awana program).
From March 1995 to April 2005, Jackie worked at the New Land Baptist Congregation (Congregação Batista Regular Terra Nova) in the Terra Nova I subdivision of Manaus, Amazonas. While Jackie was ministering there, the church changed its location and name. Their new name is the Bethesda Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular Betesda) in the Terra Nova III subdivision of Manaus, Amazonas.
The mother church purchased new property for the church, and Jackie bought the lot next to the church. This lot was used for a parsonage as well as for a couple of Sunday school rooms. After Jackie’s first construction project of helping to build bathrooms, she oversaw the building of a new auditorium (9x14 meters). Financially, she helped with the foundation, first floor and the laje (concrete ceiling). During her furlough, the church finished the building, plastering the walls inside and out, and putting in the windows and doors. Working with Pastor Edilson and his wife Trícia Cordozo Brito, Jackie played the keyboard for the services, started the ladies’ meetings, began the youth minitstry, and directed the children’s ministry, a Bible Seekers Club (Pesquisadores da Bíblia) and VBS.
Since April 2006, Jackie has been working at the Gerizim Regular Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular Gerizim) in the Parque de Riachuelo II subdivision of Manaus, Amazonas. She worked at this church until the beginning of her furlough in April 2009. At this church, Jackie has helped build bathrooms and expanded the capacity of the building. Working alongside Pastor Sérgio and Agar Dias, Jackie directed the children’s ministries, started a Bible Seekers Club, organized bi-annual VBS programs, and started a youth ministry.
In addition to Jackie’s ministry as a church planting assistant, she has worked in the following areas: (1) Camp Maranata (Acampamento Maranata, Itacoticara, Amazona) - March 1993 - February 1999 (2) Regular Baptist Bible College (Seminário Batista Regular da Amazônia) teaching Christian Education and visual aid classes - March 1995 - December 2002 (3) Council member of the Seminary board (4) Treasurer of the Manaus Station (5) Teacher Training courses in several Manaus churches (6) Bible Seeker Clubs – helping the five Manaus clubs and with Grace Kintner, corrected and translated some of the Bible Seekers material. (7). Instituto Batista Regular Jerusalem and a Bible Institute in Santarém, Pará - taught visual aid courses. (8) Rio Preto Da Eva, Amazonas (1994) - helped Jan and Ray Reiner with a Saturday children’s club.
Donna Hughes
Donna Hughes joined Baptist Mid-Missions in July 1986 and arrived in Brazil on August 8, 1989. Coming as a career missionary to teach missionary children (MKs) at the Curitiba Baptist Academy started by the BMM missionaries in Curitiba, Brazil, Donna taught for fourteen years. She taught the children of V.W. and Susan Peters, Phil and Mary Ruth Taylor, Wesley and Tina Oliveira, George and Maxine Wells, Paul and Susan Van Loh, Steve and Georgianna Pittman, Bob and Deborah Thompson and many others.
Donna lived in the teacher´s apartment of the Curitiba Baptist Academy which is located near the Calvary Baptist Church (Igreja Batista do Calvário), in Pinhais, Paraná. Since 1989, the year the church was started by Phil Taylor, she attended there. In addition to teaching Sunday school, Donna helped in other areas of ministry in the church.
Because there were no more children to teach at the Curitiba Academy, Donna returned to the United States in 2003 and resigned from BMM in 2003. Presently, she is teaching at a Christian school in Memphis, Tennessee.
Joy Hunt
In 1999, Joy Hunt came to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a short-term missionary school teacher. For four years, she taught the children of Robert and Jane Kilko and Nathan and Dawn Patefield. During this time, Joy participated in the ministries of the São Gonçalo and Jacarepaguá churches by helping with the music and the Sunday school. The Lord used her first-hand ministry experience to call her to serve Him as a career missionary in Rio de Janeiro.
Returning to the United States, Joy officially joined Baptist Mid-Missions in July 2003. In 2006, she arrived in Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, and proceeded to Fortaleza, where she studied in the BMM language school for three months. After that, she moved to Rio de Janeiro, RJ, and studied Portuguese at IBEU (Instituto Brasil Estados Unidos) for an additional two months. Since she had already lived and worked in Brazil for four years, she picked up the language quickly and started her ministry in Rio de Janeiro in July 2006.
Joy is ministering at the First Regular Baptist Church of the Governor’s Island (Primeira Igreja Batista Regular da Ilha do Governador) in Rio de Janeiro with Nathan and Dawn Patefield. She has been involved in the following ministries: music, teacher training, children’s ministry (organizing a Vacation Bible School), ladies’ Bible study, and one-on-one Bible studies. In addition to this, Joy disciples teen girls and teaches a Bible class at the public school in a local favela (shanty town).
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