Missionary Update: The Wacasers in Brazil [March 2013]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
Dear Friends,
In just 2 days (March 9th) I will have one of the greatest pleasures that I can imagine – to have my wife and 2 kids working together with me side-by-side sharing the gospel with the community of people the Lord has placed me in. My daughter, Jessie, will be arriving with a group of 55 youth and their leaders from Brandon, Florida to minister in our community for one week. Jessie serves as the coordinator of my group of translators. My son, Brennen, is only 15, but has been helping as a translator for over 9 years. He has been getting more excited by the day as we await this group of dedicated youth. I can’t even begin to describe how much of a joy it is to work together with my wife, Charlene. For you who have met her personally, it is easy to understand my feelings. Her sweet disposition and tireless work ethic keep me motivated even when I feel like I can hardly keep going. I never cease to be amazed at how the Lord takes the humble and meek to display His greatness and power, and not our own. We will have three of the Project Life teams working in and around our community for a week trying to reach every house and individual with the love of Christ. Our New Church will seek to follow up on the results of this week of outreach ministry by the visiting group from Bell Shoals Baptist Church.
I am still praying and hoping to be able place a competent leader at the head of a new mission point at Corbélia, a newly established community on the outskirts of our city. The man and his wife, whom I had hoped would accept this challenge, have declined stating that they didn’t think they were quite ready for this level of responsibility. I have another young man and his wife in mind for a more distant future leadership role, but they are key parts of my team at the new church and I wouldn’t like to see that workforce depleted at this stage. Please pray that the Lord would give me wisdom about who and when I need to really invest into planting a church in that community.
The progress of the plans to evangelize and disciple through American football is moving forward steadily. Once again I would like to encourage anyone with experience in football and would like to use that experience for sharing the love of Christ to contact me as soon as possible. Also, the team who will be coming to donate their time, expertise and spend the funds for travel and lodging need football equipment to bring with them. If you have good used equipment, or know where we can get some donated for this purpose, I would also appreciate your contacting me. With the date of this ministry coming up soon, I must ask you to act soon.
Today the material needed to put the ceiling in our new church will arrive. Also, the painter of the sign on the front of our building is working as I write and that job should be finished in two days. The Lord has greatly blessed. We are completing the finishing touches on this building and we’ve been blessed to reach this point without incurring debt, except the debt of love to God and to those who gave sacrificially to make Christ’s name known and praised by many.
We are grateful.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers in Brazil [February 2013]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
Dear Friends,
I hope you got to see the picture of our new church building after we finished painting it. We are sure happy that part is finished. We had been having services in it all during the construction process, but several people have asked us when we are going to begin holding services.
There seems to always be “one more thing” to do when building, but there are basically only two that we are focusing on: 1) buying and installing our sound system, and 2) putting in a ceiling in the auditorium. We are almost there!
The new church building–now painted!
My foot and leg have nearly completely healed. I will have the opportunity to really test them out next Saturday when we take a group mountain hiking. I have run a few times and did a short mountain hike a couple of weeks ago and didn’t feel too much pain or swelling afterward. It has been 3 months since I broke them, but I’m very grateful for how well and quickly they are healing.
Our outreach ministry through American Football is developing very well. One of the 5 teams in our city has recently hired a former NFL player to be their head coach and his brother, a former Arena football player, to be the defensive coach. I have met and spoke with both of them and they have shown interest in working with me to evangelize and minister to the players, leaders and fans. Once again, I want to encourage any football coaches or players to contact me if you are interested in participating in an evangelistic mini-camp in June of this year. Also, we are in great need of football equipment: pads, helmets, cleats, pants and practice jerseys. This equipment can be used, of course, if it is in good condition.
I am praying for guidance about the leader to put over our new work in Corbelia, a neighborhood nearby. There are several thousand residents in this area, but not one single church. We are visiting the folks who live there, but we strongly believe that the most effective way to reach them and impact their lives is to plant a church in their community. I have trained a man for several years who, I believe, would be the right person for the job, but he is also the right-hand man of my former church’s pastor and his leaving would be a great loss to him. Pray with me to act wisely and to truly discern God’s will concerning this decision.
The Lord has blessed us so much with great health, a growing ministry and met needs. We are truly thankful. We also thank Him for you who have felt led to give toward our ministries so that we can continue to share the gospel and minister to those whom the Lord has put in our sphere of impact. We trust that you will be greatly rewarded, both now and forever.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers in Brazil [January 2013]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
Dear Friends,
We may not be able to explain or understand why God allowed it to happen, but one thing is certain, He was taking care of four of our missionaries in their recent accident. When our Projeto Vida bus engine was repaired near the Argentine border, four leaders drove 1,000 miles to pick it up and planned to return in doubles with the two vehicles. Just about 100 miles before they reached the city where the bus had been repaired, the car they were riding in hit a puddle of water and began to hydroplane. The driver lost control of the car as it spun twice on the pavement then hit the grass shoulder causing the car to roll 6 times and then fell 20 feet into a trench. The Lord amazingly protected all four occupants and no one suffered any serious injury, only minor scratches and sore muscles. We are very thankful for His protection. The mechanic who had repaired the bus drove the 100 miles to pick them up and they have since returned with the bus. The car was insured and it was a total loss. We’ll use the insurance funds to replace it as best we can.
Charlene, Brennen and I have moved to a new address after selling our house. We are applying part of the residual funds to complete the construction and supply the sound system to our new church plant. We were very excited to have several new families attending our services in December and we are planning to start new member classes this month. As we get to know these new families we realize just how much we need the Lord for guidance and strength. The issues that many of them suffer from are so severe that only with God’s help can they be resolved or overcome. We know that God specializes in such cases and that His name will be glorified as He uses us to counsel these folks and meet their needs. Our new house is only a block and a half from the church building and that puts us right in the community with those we are seeking to minister to.
In a recent letter I shared that we were beginning outreach to a new neighborhood called Corbélia. We took a group from our new church to visit this community around the Christmas holidays and we had a very good reception. There are thousands of residents in this neighborhood and not a single church of any kind. Please pray with us that the Lord would enable us to plant a church there that would be used in sharing the gospel and teaching the Word of God in the most efficient way possible.
We are really looking forward to the challenges and opportunities for making Christ known and praised in 2013. Thank you for your love and support through prayers and resources as we seek to serve Christ faithfully.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers [December 2012]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
Dear Friends,
Our outreach trip to Argentina was a tremendous success in terms of evangelism. Our Projeto Vida (Project Life) team called “Doulos”, had a full week of opportunities sharing the gospel in the public schools and parks just across the Brazil/Argentina border. When their activities had come to a conclusion and the bus began to return home the motor blew up and over 35 workers were stranded on a deserted stretch of highway. The broken down bus is our newest, so it was the least likely expected to have major mechanical problems.
The newest Projeto Vida bus broke down on their Argentina trip.
But, now it is nearly a thousand miles away in a shop waiting on expensive repairs to be done. We had to find alternative travel arrangements for the team and volunteers to get back to our base and that too brought on an unexpected expense. We realize that trials like these are a part of serving the Lord in this fallen world and that this kind of difficulty (and much worse) faces every generation of God’s children. We are not discouraged. We are thankful that we had the opportunity to take the love of Christ beyond our borders and for the privilege of seeing many turn to Christ. We also realize that this breakdown in equipment didn’t catch the Lord by surprise, so we’ll look to Him to meet our needs to keep this effective ministry going.
American Football is becoming popular in Brazil, which has presented unique evangelistic opportunities.
As I’m writing this, there are a couple of football coaches in the US meeting to discuss the details of a plan to come down to Brazil next June to hold an evangelistic football camp/workshop. One of these men came last year to work in a different town in Brazil and he and his group had great results, both in evangelism and sports. The football team they ministered to just won the Brazilian national championship last week. I am in a unique situation in Brazil because of the rapidly growing interest in American football here and some of the head coaches are my friends and are asking me to introduce the gospel to their teams. We still have openings for other volunteers who either play or coach football and who would like to use this opportunity to share their faith with many who do not know Christ. We are also in great need of inexpensive or donated football equipment, so you can also be greatly helpful through that means. Please contact me at the attached addresses and/or phone number.
My leg and foot are nearly mended after breaking them a few weeks ago. The injury did slow me down more than I wanted to admit. I discovered that I am not as patient as I need to be with things that are beyond my control, but I also learned that I just have to be.
Bro. Bobby has had to learn to be patient after breaking his leg and foot.
There are things “beyond my control”, and making broken bones heal faster is one of them. I was grateful to learn that there were no ligaments or tendons torn and thus, no need for surgery. I probably won’t be able to take a group to hike in the nearby mountains until next year, though.
Each week we go out to a new community called “Corbellia” to share the gospel and seek an open door among the people there. We are very well received by the people, but we have yet to locate a strategic meeting place to hold Bible studies for groups. The Lord has placed a desire in our hearts to plant a church in this community, so we will continue to minister to them as we keep our eyes open for the opportunities to expand the ministry there.
We are very grateful to you who have prayed faithfully for us throughout the year of 2012. We are also thankful to God for you who have contributed financially so that we might be able to carry on the various ministries here in southern Brazil. We trust that the Lord will bless you and that you will rejoice to know that you have been a true blessing to us in this partnership. We hope you have a wonderful 2013!
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers in Brazil [November 2012]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
Dear Friends,
In the beginning of October I had the opportunity to meet with several men who are involved with football in different capacities. Each of them uses the sport to find an opportunity to share the gospel with the lost and also to mentor young men in their walk with the Lord. I mentioned last month that I was in a unique situation in Brazil because of the rapidly growing interest in American football here. The men I met are working with me to put together the details for holding football camps/workshops for both Brazilian coaches and players. I am still looking to fill some slots with other volunteers who either play or coach football and who would like to use this opportunity to share their faith with many who do not know Christ. If you can’t come, but know how I might obtain good condition donated football equipment, you can also be greatly helpful through that means. Please contact me at the addresses and/or phone number below.
Two of the Projeto Vida motor homes had some costly expenses this month. We are keeping up our commitments to reach the areas we had already laid out as goals, but these expenses have stretched our already tight budget. This is especially crucial this month since we have a trip scheduled to cross the Brazilian/Argentine border about an 18 hour trip from our base. We have been invited to take the gospel into some public schools in Argentina. We are very excited about this opportunity, but the funds will be very short. We will travel by faith and trust that God has opened this door for us and will expect to be carried by Him each kilometer of the way. We would appreciate your prayers and offerings toward the accomplishment of this outreach effort.
I learned a lesson a little over a week ago. Do not try to do a back flip in shallow water. A person can get hurt doing that. I know. I did. My intended 360º back flip ended up at about 355º and I with my first broken bone at 54 years old. From now on I will only do back flips in deep water…if at all. The old saying that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” ought to be changed to, “Old dogs shouldn’t try new tricks”. Now I will have six more weeks in an air cast to learn better to delegate the physical work of construction at our new churches. I will also have a great opportunity to learn personally the struggles of the disabled. I am grateful that the damage wasn’t worse.
Charlene, Brennen and I are very grateful to you who pray for us faithfully. We know that God hears and answers your prayers. We are also thankful for the offerings of love to God so that we may continue to spread His word.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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Missionary Update: The Wacasers [October 2012]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
October 2, 2012
Dear Friends,
About 6 years ago a 16 year old boy came to visit our former church. His visit was based on the interest he had in a tall blonde 16 year old girl who was a member there. His name is Guilherme. He and and his friend had met the girl on the city bus and she invited them to church. Guilherme began to attend church and our youth meetings regularly and was eventually saved and baptized. He was raised in a broken home, his parents having divorced and remarried. He was living at the time with his father because his mother had married a man from Portugal, but was working and living in Spain. After 2 years of growth and discipleship at our church, Guilherme went to live with his mom and his stepfather in Spain. As many of you know, most of Europe is steeped in agnosticism and atheism. While Guilherme was there for three years he found it very difficult to locate other Christians with whom he could fellowship and grow spiritually. When he returned to Brazil about a year ago, he had become distant and somewhat cold toward the things of the Lord. But God had not grown cold toward Guilherme. I heard that he had returned to Brazil and I found his new telephone number and began to call him from time to time and would drop by to visit him at his job. The Lord used this to stir in him a sense of homesickness for the fellowship he had experienced earlier around the time of his conversion. In recent months, Guilherme has been coming very regularly to church and has been showing great signs of spiritual growth. On many occasions he brings visitors with him. He has already brought his dad and stepmother, his mother and stepfather (who now live in Brazil) and last week he brought his younger sister and her baby daughter. He has also brought several of his friends to the youth meetings. In the place of that coldness that had slipped into his life we now see a rising passion for the Lord in Guilherme and we are praying that God will continue to use him to reach others with the good news of Jesus Christ.
Charlene and I sold our house. We had it on the real estate market for 3 years and last month we closed the deal. Since we bought the house in 1987 it had gone up quite a bit in value. Of course, so had the rest of the real estate market in Brazil, much like what was happening in the US market back before 2008. But, we bought a house at a lower price and we plan to use part of the difference to complete our construction and finish the work at our new church. The Lord blessed us and we want to honor Him because of His grace toward us.
Our Projeto Vida motorhomes and teams have been very busy. Three teams are in the interior of the country sharing the gospel in public schools and parks as I write this. We had the opportunity to be in six cities this month and present Christ’s love to over 5,000 people. We know that God’s word is powerful and that many lives have and will be changed eternally because of their having heard it preached and through their surrender to Christ as Lord and Savior. Our missionary volunteers are a constant source of joy, excitement, and encouragement to us as they return from each trip bubbling over with the joy of serving the Lord and being used by Him to touch people’s lives with His love and salvation.
My son, Brennen, has grown quite a bit. He is now 15 years old. As most of you know, soccer (or “futebol” as it is called in Brazil) is a major pastime here. Brennen plays soccer quite well since he has been playing it nearly all of his life. But a few years ago regular “football” (American style) caught hold here and interest in it is growing rapidly. New teams are sprouting up quickly and Brennen has become a player on one of these teams. The most important aspect about this to us as servants of the Lord is how we might use this phenomenon to gain a platform to share the gospel. Since the sport is so connected to American culture, our nationality provides an open door of opportunity to the enthusiasts of the sport. A good friend of mine is the coach of one of the most successful teams in the league. He has told me that any US coaches and players interested in teaching or demonstrating the skills would be more than welcome to come and share both their expertise and their testimonies of Christ’s work in their lives with the players. There is also a great need for football equipment; pads, clothing, helmets, balls, cleats, etc. If any of you have football skills (either to teach or play) or football equipment and would like to use them to share the gospel, we have a prime opportunity for you. Contact me at the numbers/addresses provided.
Thank you for your prayers and faithful support.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Important Notice: New Address!
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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Missionary Update: Bobby & Charlene Wacaser [September 2012]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
September 10, 2012
Dear Friends,
“Rejoice always,” are the words that the Apostle Paul wrote to the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. It is very evident from reading all of Paul’s letters and the book of Acts that this joy he spoke of could not be dependent upon comfortable circumstances. In fact, it would be extremely difficult to find someone whose circumstances could be worse. The rejoicing that he commands is based on facts, not circumstances.
I cannot say that I have suffered anything like the trials that Paul experienced, but I know that the principle is true no matter how severe the trial. I as write this my body is aching from some type of “bug” that I got on a mission conference trip. I do rejoice, though, because I am a child of God, an ambassador of Jesus Christ and he has promised to never leave me nor forsake me.
I also had the privilege to rejoice a few days ago when a thief broke in to our new church building. I rejoiced first of all because he didn’t take much. Secondly, I rejoice because I know that all of our true needs will be met by the power and riches of Christ.
But, I did get the privilege of rejoicing in gain too, and not only loss and ill health. We had a group of youth and their leaders come down from Tampa, Florida to work together with us in the public schools and parks. We rejoiced to see several dozens of youth surrendering their lives to the Lord. This group also spent a day of hard work digging ditches and putting in a much needed drain field. They provided all the tools, labor and material to get the job done. We rejoiced to see these young people working a lot of gusto and determination.
I believe that this trial of illness that I am experiencing right now will pass. But I also know that other trials will come. I hope to honor the Lord with my joy in all circumstances and despite them.
Rejoice with me for God’s glory!
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Manoel Valdomiro de Macedo, 2281
81170-150 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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Missionary Update: Bobby & Charlene Wacaser in Brazil [August 2012]
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
August 8, 2012
Dear Friends,
The inaugural service in our new auditorium went extremely well. We had been meeting in our largest classroom until we could get the auditorium floor poured and also get the lighting installed. With those done, we made the move into the larger space and the Lord blessed to give us a great turnout in attendance. At our first service there were about 170 present. About half of those were some of our brothers and sisters from other churches wanted to celebrate the moment with us, but the other half were mostly un-evangelized family and friends of our present members. This was especially encouraging to us all since we began this new church with only 8 members a little over a year ago. God has blessed us at every step along the way providing us with opportunities and resources. We know that He will continue to bless because we know that He completes what He begins and this work is certainly possible only through Him.
We had 27 missions volunteers in our intensive training this month. After a two weeks of classroom teaching and workshops we took them out into the field to apply what they had learned. We had the amazing opportunity to share the gospel with over 15,200 people during the course of the month. Most of this outreach was done in the parks and squares of outlying towns and cities. There were over 300 professions of faith in Jesus Christ as a result and we helped to get those folks connected to a local Baptist church and started in daily Bible study.
My son, Brennen, who is 15 years old, got the privilege to be the translator for a group of visiting Baptist Seminary faculty and students. He did a very good job (if I say so myself) and he really enjoyed the opportunity. He is a little bit shy, normally, but doesn’t shrink from the challenge of speaking publicly for the Lord. I am grateful to God for giving me the privilege of having two kids who love the Lord and who are engaged in making Him known to others.
With the blessing of some special offerings we have continued the process of completing the building of our new church plant. We thank you who have contributed generously to this project. We are certain the Lord will bless you.
Tomorrow a group of youth from Tampa, FL will arrive to partner with us in evangelism in the public schools and parks. We will be taking two of the Project Life teams and their motorhomes into to the neighborhoods where there is a dense population and very little gospel witness. My daughter, Jessie, is coming with the team and will be the coordinator of the team of 15 translators. She has done this with another group earlier this year and did an excellent job and we are looking forward to having her back with us and helping us. Few things are as pleasing as working together with our children in the service of the Lord. We are very thankful that He allows us this privilege.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and support of our ministries here in southern Brazil.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby, Charlene and Brennen Wacaser
Rua Manoel Valdomiro de Macedo, 2281
81170-150 Curitiba, PR Brasil
(813)436-9980
robertmw[at]brturbo.com.br
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