Patrick & Jennifer Hatcher Connecting YOU to tribal missions 
Dear friends & family,
Jennifer here. We have had a busy spring and a full start to our summer. We have much to tell you, but we’ll start with the question that is probably at the top of your list.
Patrick’s Health
Patrick is doing very well. He has recently seen both of his cardiologists (the plumbing guy and the electrical guy), and he received good reports from both of them.
The ICD has not activated since he was discharged from the hospital, so that means his daily medicine is doing its job. He has gradually regained energy and strength. The medication has a few unpleasant side effects, but he is adjusting to those. Overall, he has been a gold-star patient for his cardiologists — the kind of happy ending they don’t see all that often in this particular health situation.
Because this condition is caused by a mutated gene, we understand that any or all of our children could also grow to have this same heart malfunction. We took them all (at the same time — the pediatric cardiologist’s office blocked off most of a Friday morning for the Hatcher six) to have their hearts checked out; and as of right now, they all look healthy. Either every year or every other year, they will have an EKG, an echocardiogram, and a 24-hour heart monitor just to watch for any arrhythmias and any fattening of the lower right side of their hearts. And though initially the thought of this absolutely overwhelmed me, God has given me grace and peace to take it year-by-year and trust in Him.
The Family
The four older children had a busy spring with school projects and testing and an end-of-year play and musical program while Jackson, Griffin, and I finished up studying the life of Moses in Bible Study Fellowship. Throw in a couple cases of the flu, a tummy virus, and the usual day-to-day activities, and you have our spring.
As you may remember, we also made a spur-of-the-moment trip to West Virginia for the funeral of my sister-in-law’s mother and ended up already being in West Virginia when Patrick’s aunt and uncle were suddenly killed in a car accident. We were so thankful God directed our decisions at that time so that we were where we needed to be when we needed to be there.
Lauren completed fifth grade and was happy to have a sixth grade girl join their combined class for the last few weeks of school. Until that time, Lauren was the only girl in a roomful of boys. Rachel finished up her fourth grade year and is looking forward to being in a shared classroom with Lauren next year. Silas completed first grade and has settled in nicely to school.
Caleb worked very hard to complete second grade. In the winter, we had Caleb privately evaluated by an educational psychologist. She recognized some processing difficulties with Caleb, which explains his struggles with reading and spelling and following directions. After a great deal of discussion with the principal and teachers and after much prayer, we have decided to homeschool Caleb next year for third grade. Caleb and I are already choosing topics to study in science and I am learning some fun ways to help him with spelling. He is continuing to work hard at becoming a good reader, and I am seeing much progress. He has even been reading a children’s version of Treasure Island. It is a joy to hear him read aloud and understand what he is reading!
Jackson turned 5 in April, and he is very excited to start kindergarten in the fall. And little Griffin is 3 1/2 and wanting to do everything his big brothers do. Well, almost everything — he still can’t get the knack of being potty-trained.
The Ministry
Patrick has had a busy spring in the Communications Department. He has done less writing and editing and more project management, which God has especially equipped him to do. He has worked on several brochures and packets of information for Kodiak mission airplane events. http://www.ntm.org/kodiak
Patrick has continued to work on NTM@work and the special online edition and supplements of the print magazine. http://www.ntm.org/magazine
He’s worked with a team of people on a short film about the Moi people of Indonesia. http://ntmfilms.wordpress.com
And he is working with a committee of people on some big changes to the NTM website.
Both of us have continued to be involved with the one-minute radio stories that are playing on Christian radio stations around the country. These radio spots may be the very first introduction some people have to tribal missions and unreached people groups. If you haven’t heard them, you can listen at http://www.ntm.org/listen
Of course, the Communications Department has many more projects, but these are just a few of the things that have been keeping Patrick busy this year.
Travels
In May, Patrick and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. To belatedly celebrate that anniversary last week, we were able to get away on a little vacation without the children. The last time we spent the night away from the children was in the hospital ER, so this was MUCH more enjoyable. The Lord knew we needed this time away together to be refreshed and renewed, and we are so thankful He provided for it.
On Saturday, very early in the morning, we are strapping everyone into the van and heading north. We hope to arrive in Radford, Virginia in time to eat dinner and unpack before bedtime. We’ll spend the next week helping out at our home church’s Vacation Bible School and visiting with friends. Then we’ll spend the next four weeks in WV or VA visiting friends and family and speaking in some churches. I am excited that I even get to spend a week as a counselor at a state 4-H camp for teenagers in West Virginia and teach a daily class on helping others and making an impact on the world. I’m hoping for many opportunities to talk about the work of NTM in casual conversations with the kids that week.
If you want us to speak in your church or to a group in your home, let us know and we will fit you in our schedule!
Praises
- That Patrick has regained strength to work at full capacity here at NTM
- That God blessed Patrick and me with last week to recharge and be refreshed
- That for two of our largest hospital bills (totaling around $192,000) our responsibility ended up being only $82! (This is a miracle in and of itself!)
Prayer Requests
- That God would provide the money we need to pay the remaining hospital bills ($3,000)
- That God would provide the money we need to replace our dying desktop computer ($1,600)
- That we would have safe travels on Saturday
- That God would bless our time with friends, family, and churches and use that time for His glory
- That many teens would sign up for my class at the state 4-H camp about missions, helping others, & impacting the world
- That I would have wisdom in planning Caleb’s schooling for next year
We appreciate you and the vital part of our team that you are.
I have recently heard from two sources this idea that when it comes to missions, we really only have two options — sending or going.
Because every believer is called to reach the world with the Good News, we all must be a part of reaching every tribe, tongue, and nation.
Thank you for doing your part!
In Christ,
Jennifer, for the Hatcher Tribe 
Tags: Hatcher, Kodiak, New Tribes Mission, NTM, NTM@work, Tribal Missions
Like that photo of the man holding the pig.