Serving God Faithfully, One Conversation at a Time
April 30, 2026
Hello dear friends,
Last month I had the wonderful privilege of spending a couple of weeks in the home of our ministry partners, Paulo and Luiza Novaes. Paulo and Luiza started Projeto Vida, (translated, Project Life) in 1997 with a team of 4 other volunteers. We have partnered together since 2001, taking the gospel to almost every state of Brazil and to three other countries. Paulo and Luiza were very gracious hosts and also helped me resolve several medical and administrative issues while I was with them.
When Bobby and I were trying to think of a way to best provide gospel-sharing opportunities for visiting groups from the USA, Projeto Vida’s framework seemed to be just what we needed. The skits that are performed in public schools and parks are done through pantomime, acting without words. Even if the visitor doesn’t speak Portuguese, the scenes of the skits portray what Jesus came to do for us. And then, when the performance is done, there are a lot of opportunities to talk to the students and staff one-on-one about what they understood from the skits they watched. That is one of my favorite activities in the 40 years since we went to Brazil. I get the chance to translate for the American visitors and to share the gospel from my own experience. I am usually a pretty shy person. I do not like to speak in public, but in these one-on-one situations, I can see the Holy Spirit using me and strengthening me to bring the message of salvation to people.
While I was visiting with Paulo and Luiza in Curitiba in southern Brazil, Bobby was up on the Amazon River taking a team to share the gospel to the villages and homes along the banks of the river. He didn’t have internet or telephone access most of the time, but we prayed that the Lord would guide and bless their evangelistic efforts. When he got the chance, he shared the wonderful news that 12 people had trusted in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Bobby and I are so thankful to be called to missionary service and for God’s faithfulness to provide everything that we need. We are also grateful to you who pray for us and give faithfully so that we can continue to dedicate ourselves to sharing the gospel.
In Christian love,
Charlene Wacaser
Contact Info:
Bobby & Charlene Wacaser
Currently Stateside ministering to Brazil
Phone: (813) 501-9328
E-mail: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online
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Judy – My Teammate
April 27, 2026
Yesterday, Sunday afternoon, just a bit before our evening church meeting, I saw an email reminder about Mother’s Day month and the yearly moment for missionary wives to write a newsletter to celebrate and share their ministry. Judy was finishing up her preparation for her children’s Sunday class. As I now write, on Monday morning, she is hosting our church ladies’ prayer group. By the time I got out of bed she was preparing apple muffins for her sisters-in-Christ. So, this year, I am going to write about the girl who has been my teammate for 53 years, the mother of 4 wonderful children, grandmother of 12, and an adopted mother, grandmother, sister and encourager for many others.
When I was 10 years old, my mother told me about a historic moment in her life when she was 10 years old. She heard a Christian lady telling her parents (my maternal grandparents) that they should pray for God to give their children the spouse He wanted them to have. Upon hearing this my mother began praying the God would give her the right spouse. That was the beginning of the path for her union with my father and their service together for over 70 years. Since I was the same age when I heard my mother’s testimony as she had been when it happened, I began asking God to give me the wife He wanted me to have. Our Father in Heaven answered my prayers beyond my imagination.
Six weeks into our marriage, Judy and I moved to Manaus in the middle of the Amazonian jungle. I immediately began pastoring two churches, directing two schools, teaching a double load of science classes; a program set up by my father, who assumed any of his children trusting God could walk on water (my way of expressing it). Judy was learning Portuguese, teaching organ (for free to girls in the church so they could be church organist on a pump organ), and teaching English to several classes. Our marriage, miraculously sustained by God, survived that first year and a half. Dad wanted us to stay and work with Him in Brazil, but in answer to prayer, our Heavenly Father led us to a wonderful ministry in Evansville, Indiana, where we enjoyed 25 years serving together and learning with our Saviour. He also gave Judy the patience, fortitude and tenacity to be my co-worker, mother of four children, shepherd to the church ladies, minister to children, and…I will try not to fall into my usual process of “telling the whole story.”
After 25 years in Evansville, God moved us to France where we have now served for nearly 26 years. Judy’s workload has always been greater than mine. Most of what we do is teamwork. She is actively involved in everything. She is a great encourager to me and many others. She is patient and loving. She is a wonderful soulmate; patient, persistent, loving, humble, and a gentle co-worker. God has answered my prayers beyond belief. God has enabled her to walk on water and often pull me out when I start sinking!
I usually ask Judy to read and improve my letters before I send them, but she didn’t read this one.
Thank You, Heavenly Father, for the great gift You gave me on March 3, 1973!
In Christ in France,
John Hatcher
Contact Info:
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
2 T Impasse de la Picardie
31830 Plaisance du Touch
France
jmhatcher@aol.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
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Celebrating New Life in Christ and New Life in Our Family
April 24, 2026
Greetings from the beautiful Rift Valley of Kenya! Another May is upon us, and that gives me the opportunity to share things with all of you from my perspective. Yay!
It’s been quite a year, but what year isn’t? In April 2025, Chloe’s teacher was tragically killed in a matatu (that’s a public service vehicle that looks like a mini-van and holds about 15 people) accident one morning on her way to our home for work. That one incident set a whole new trajectory for our family. I went from working with a behavior specialist to BEING the behavior specialist. I went from collaborating with Chloe’s teacher and the ABA organization she worked for to HIRING and TRAINING Chloe’s new teacher, SETTING all the short-term and long-term goals, DESIGNING all the interventions, programs, academic supports and goals, and behavior tracking and intervention, and MONITORING progress and/or regression in all areas. It’s a huge change, and it’s indescribably overwhelming.
Interestingly – for several months before Doreen’s untimely death, I’d been feeling the prompting of the Holy Spirit that I was going to need to be more deeply involved and that we needed to stop working with the ABA group in Nairobi – that I needed to take on the whole responsibility. I wrestled and wrestled with that. What would that look like? Was this really a prompting of the Holy Spirit, or was I just being an overly worried mom (something I get accused of a lot – unfairly, I might add)? Would I have to step back from RVA?
We talked to several advisors, and everyone advised us (and Roger advised me as well) to NOT step back from RVA – it’s my calm in the storm, my breath of fresh air, my opportunity to leave my home and serve my community. It, in fact, helps me be a better mom to Chloe. We hired a top-tier specialist in the US – a Christian counselor who specializes in helping families like ours with kids like Chloe – to talk us through strategies, help Roger and me stay on the same page, and encourage us in our family journey.
As a result of all of this, we’ve seen a lot of growth in Chloe this year. Physically, she’s bigger than I am now! Yes, we’ve got an 11 year-old in a 25 year-old body with a 6 year-old mind (in some respects). Academically, we’ve seen a lot of growth in reading, writing, and math (1st and 2nd grade level, but that’s a big improvement). Emotionally, we’ve seen a lot of growth in her ability to more quickly calm herself when she has what we call “freak-outs” or “melt-downs.” Instead of lasting an hour or 30 minutes, it might last 1-5 minutes.
However, this also does mean I’ve informed RVA that I have to step back from teaching Computer classes. I will still be teaching Swahili and developing that curriculum and those resources for them, but dropping Computer classes means I go from 16 classes per week – with 86 separate students with 53 of those students in two different subjects – to 9 classes per week with 53 students. It also means I don’t have the password set-up and computer set-up for every student at the elementary school. It just wasn’t all sustainable – it was like having 3 full-time jobs (including Chloe). I will be finding a smaller, secondary role to play, but it will be something that can get me home earlier in the day and without all the extra grading, planning, and administration.
In OTHER NEWS!!!!!!!!!! As you already know, Roger and I are now grandparents! I had the wonderful opportunity to be with Emily and Igor starting 2 days before Persephone (Per-sef’-uh-nee) – or Sephi for short – was born and extending until just after she was 7 weeks old. Oh, what a gift that was! Emily and Igor are over the moon in love with this precious (and precocious!) little girl. And in OTHER NEWS!!!!!!!!! Igor was saved last year and is getting baptized on May 17th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And in OTHER NEWS, Amy and Matt are expecting a little girl in July!!!!!!!!!! And in OTHER NEWS Josiah is getting married in August!!!!!
Which leads me to a prayer request: Roger and I need to travel to the United States TOGETHER for 4 weeks in July/August. We can’t miss these family milestones. But…finding someone to be with Chloe while we are gone is highly challenging. Please pray that people will step up so Roger and I can do this together – it’s been 4 years since we’ve been able to do anything at all just the two of us. There are so many logistics – I don’t need to share them all; God knows them all. Also, continue to pray for Chloe’s continued growth – especially in the areas of self-control and panic responses.
God bless all of you! Thank you so much for your prayers on our behalf. Together, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23
Your sister and fellow servant in Christ,
Julie Tate
Contact Info:
Roger & Julie Tate
Moffat Bible College
P.O. Box 70
Kijabe, Kenya 00220
rojuta@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
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The Best Job
May 12, 2024
Dear friends and family,
In one month, we will be looking back to the month of June when we stepped off the plane in Brazil to begin the journey of a lifetime. I will be the first one to admit that I was the reluctant part of this couple. We started our service for Christ in the town of Garça and are serving out of Caraguatatuba now. There have been 28 years and they have been the most fulfilling years of my life. We started helping Odali and Kathy Barros with an orphanage and I fit in there because all my young life I always had more children around me than was normal. So, working in the orphanage made me just at home.
I think I can say I have received more Happy Mother’s Day greetings on this Mother’s Day than the normal mother. Not only from the orphanage children, but from each church where we have served. The children adopted us as mother and dad.
I have continued for these years to gather children like a piped piper. Not only caring for them like a mother but nurturing them in the Lord which has more lasting effect.
I want to thank my blood children for being willing to share me with these children around the world. I have often heard AJ say that if he were choosing people to be missionaries, he would not have chosen him. I am here to confess that I would not have chosen me either. But He has been able to use us in spite of ourselves.
As this is the month of Mother’s Day, I can say that being a mother has been my best job and I am glad that He chose me for this job, not only for my children, but for all my Brazilian children.
Here are some pictures from our time in Brazil with some of the Brazilian children.
Thank each of you all for trusting us to do the job God called us to do.
In His service,
Barbara Hensley (Missionary Wife of AJ Hensley)
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
News & Reports – May 2024
The Online Edition of the May 2024 BFM News & Reports is available at the link below.
*Remember you can click on any headline to view the post/letter on our website.
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Prepared in Advance for What God Would Have Her Do
[Re-printed from May 2019 issue]
This month we missionary wives have been asked to write the letters for the mission sheets, so here I go with the many memories.
This year we will be completing 22 years in Brasil. It seems as though it was just yesterday that AJ started his campaign to convince me to go with him to be missionaries to Brasil. As many of you all have heard, in the beginning I was hard to convince, but God is faithful, and He worked on my heart. So, when AJ told me that he was going before the Church on Sunday night to tell the Church he was surrendering to be a missionary, God put these words in my mouth, “I am ready”.
I have not regretted—not once—that response. Our first place of service was in Garça, Brasil, with Odali and Kathy Barros. I helped Kathy with the children and AJ worked with Odali. There I used all the various skills that I had learned in Owsley County, Kentucky, as the daughter of Pastor H. W. Baker, who was a mission pastor. We stayed in Garça for 6 years being parents to up to 21 boys. There are many stories that could be told of those years. Needless to say, we have many children who call us Mom and Dad there in Brasil. We share that honor with their biological parents and with Odali and Kathy. Of all the boys that went through our care, some have their own businesses, some are lawyers, others are in the business world, and another is finishing his studies to become a veterinarian.
Have you ever washed clothes on a wash board? I did as a teenager and again in Garça. Have you ever had to heat your water on a stove or in a big tub outside? I did as a teenager and again in Garça. Have you ever had to walk to Church? I did as a child and again in Garça. As I said before, God prepared me early for what He would be having me do later. In the words of AJ, “God is AWESOME!”
After Garça, we moved to Jacarei, Sao Paulo, where we had plans to open another orphanage. As we worked through the paperwork, we started a mission church and there I continued to work with children. We had several families in the neighborhood who did not have transportation to get to a Church. They also had children, so I worked with them on Saturday and Sunday in Bible schools and Sunday schools. But after two years we realized that we were not going to be able to get the approval from the mayor for the orphanage, so AJ began to pray for a sign to stay or move on.
Maybe you have heard this story, but God answered these prayers with a sequester. You see, we were living on a farm way out in the country and were a target for theft. This gave AJ his answer, so we moved to Caraguatatuba. There we worked with Pastors in two churches and then we opened a new work there.
My service for the Lord continued to be with children. With the help of one of the boys from the orphanage in Garça who came to help us in Caraguatuba, we had Saturday Bible school in the homes of various members.
As we began to look for a place to open a new work, one of the children from these Saturday Bible schools, who started as a babe in arms in these Bible schools, stopped us on the streets. He stopped us on the street and said, “Mrs. Barb, when are you coming back to our neighborhood to teach us?” So, guess what that sealed our decision as to where to start our new church.
Caragua Baptist Church came to life in this young man’s neighborhood. There again my job was with children. God sent many, many children to our location and we love them all.
So my time in Brasil has been an adventure where I have sat up all night rocking a sick boy, planned a wedding for one of the boys in our care, taken in people who are down on their luck, women who have been abandoned by their husbands and grandmothers whose homes are being flooded, and counseled women in their day-to-day problems…to name a few of the things that God has let me do.
I just want to say, “Thank You, God,” for working in my heart to make me willing to go on this adventure with AJ Hensley. We serve an AWESOME God. Thank you for all these memories and we look forward to many more.
In His Service,
Barbara Hensley
CONTACT INFO
AJ & Barbara Hensley
30524 Mimi St
Sebring, FL 33870-0530
AJ: 859-539-2302 | Barbara: 859-539-1424
ajcaragua@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
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A Marriage & Ministry Ordained by the Lord
April 29, 2024
Hello our dear praying friends,
Charlene here, taking advantage of the opportunity to share with you a little of our ministry world from this missionary wife’s perspective. Above and before all else, I want to say that it is a privilege to serve the Lord alongside my husband, Bobby, and also say that I have always been thankful for this calling. There are unique challenges I face serving in Brazil, but I also know that everyone has their own set of challenges just because we, as God’s children, are not of this world. The Lord told us in advance in His Word that, if we wanted to be His followers, then we would face trials, obstacles and opposition in this world.
The Lord definitely ordained mine and Bobby’s marriage and ministry. We are so different from each other in personality and skills, but He uses those differences to complement and complete us as a team. Bobby is a more visionary and big-picture sort of person, and I am a more detailed and “give me the plan” type of person. Does this cause problems? Sometimes, of course, but more often it helps us accomplish more as our differences work together to fill in the gaps that normally come up when trying to pull off a ministry or event.
My role provides me with a wide variety of experiences. For example, recently I accompanied Bobby on an evangelistic trip to several native indigenous tribes in the jungles of Argentina. We shared God’s love with 6 different villages all in one day. Their material poverty was apparent, but thankfully, the riches of God’s grace were shared with them and many of them became heirs with Jesus through the word that was shared. We also evangelized in neighboring Paraguay in 120-degree temperatures. I have to be honest and admit that I was very uncomfortable, but I do count it a privilege to have done that for God’s glory.
One of my favorite roles is to be an encourager to our team leaders’ wives. I know what it feels like to move to a new place, leaving friends and family and starting a ministry from scratch alongside my spouse. I am able to share that experience with them and how God always comes through to supply everything we need to be faithful and pleasing to Him. I also realize that it is my role and privilege from the Lord to support and encourage Bobby in what the Lord has called him to do. We really are a team and I’m glad to be on it.
Let me close by telling you how grateful and thankful I am for your prayers, love, and faithful support on our behalf. May the Lord richly reward and bless you as well.
Yours in Christ,
Charlene Wacaser
Contact Info:
Bobby & Charlene Wacaser
Currently Stateside on Furlough from Brazil
Phone: (813) 501-9328
E-mail: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online
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Seeing God at Work in the Lives of Our Children
April 12, 2024
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is with great joy I write you once more. It’s a privilege to share with you all God is doing here in São Paulo City.
First, I want to share about God’s work in our children’s lives. Sarah is graduating from High School on June 10th. We celebrate her accomplishments and a new phase as she prepares to go to college here in São Paulo. We are grateful for God’s work in Laura’s life, as she demonstrates daily her spiritual growth and knowledge about Jesus. We praise God for Benjamin’s life also. He gives us so much joy as he develops not only in stature and academics but also in his faith and love for Jesus. Melissa, from all four, is who has grown the most in every area of life. She really has improved in her learning abilities, her performance in sports, her social skills, her confidence, and interest in spiritual practices. It’s amazing to watch them becoming young adults, and Melissa becoming a teenager, with all that phase brings (LOL). I’m thankful for your prayers; we need it so much!
Second, I would like to share the results of our First TBRI National Conference, organized by ABBA (Associação Brasileira Beneficente Aslan). We had people from six states, and more than twenty cities. We had five speakers, three representing Texas Christian University – Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development, one from Pontes de Amor, an Adoption Support Group, and me. This conference was done by faith. I’m thankful to partners like Nikki and Jason Estes (iCG Pay), who raised funds and supported us from the start. I’m thankful for Srini Sirigire, he owns Whiztek. I’m thankful for D & A Papéis, and FlySkyCare. Without their contributions it wouldn’t be possible. I’m also thankful for an amazing team, who worked non-stop to make this conference a success. If you would like to support our ministries with Foster Care, and children and adolescents in risk and social vulnerabilities, please make donations to BFM and specify “Jud & Raquel’s Foster Care Ministry”.
Prayer Requests:
Our family health. There is a dengue crisis going on here in Brazil.
Our kid’s last two months of school, and future education plans for Sarah.
My dad’s health. He almost had a heart attack on April 10th. He’s on the waiting list for a heart valve transplant. His heart is very weak, and he is having symptoms such as shortness of breath, high blood pressure, and stomach discomfort.
My mom’s health. She was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer in September 2023. She’ll go through chemotherapy and radio therapy in the next months.
We have two babies in our foster care program. Please pray God will send us more foster families, it’s a challenge to recruit Christians families to receive these little ones in their homes.
Our TBRI trainings. Many non-profit organizations ask us to train their staff and team. Pray for wisdom, and funds.
Pray for our Agape Baptist Church. We’ll have a community outreach this upcoming Sunday. Pray for salvation.
It’s an honor to serve Jesus Christ through Baptist Faith Missions. We feel privileged to be part of this great mission. Thank you for all you do for our family.
Raquel Hatcher
Contact Info:
Jud & Raquel Hatcher
São Paulo, Brazil
judsonhatcher@gmail.com
(872) 400-6522
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
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