Anticipating Exciting Ministry Opportunities in Brazil
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
January 3, 2018
Dear Friends,
We travel back to Brazil next week to “re-begin” our ministry there. To give a brief overview to you who don’t know us, Charlene and I served with Baptist Faith Missions as church-planting missionaries in Brazil since 1985. In March of 2015 my mother passed away here in Florida and we returned from Brazil to assist my family in caring for my aged and ailing father. Besides helping to care for my father, I also accepted the call to pastor a local Baptist congregation in Tampa, Florida. After my father also passed away a couple of years later, the Lord revealed to us that He wanted us back in Brazil to minister. Since August of 2017, we have been setting our affairs in order so that we might return to our field of service there. Pastor Darrell Messer and good people of Emmanuel Baptist Church of Bellbrook, Ohio have accepted us as members there and will be our sending church.
We are anticipating the very exciting ministry opportunities that await us in Brazil. Our evangelistic outreach efforts through Projeto Vida have been enhanced by the addition of a new 18 passenger van, which replaces one of the 35-year-old motor homes we were using. In fact, one week after I arrive, we will be hosting this year’s first missionary training seminar and we’ll be utilizing the van to transport missionary trainees to “on the field” ministry in the interior of the country. During this seminar, we teach the biblical principles of the great commission and then follow up with the practical application of personal evangelism and public preaching and gospel presentations.
It will be a welcome experience for me to go back to teaching and preaching God’s word in Portuguese again after nearly 3 years of preaching in English only. Charlene is also looking forward to offering English as a Second Language classes which open many doors of opportunity to get to know unchurched people and to share the gospel with them.
Along with the opportunities of ministry awaiting us will also come several challenges. One is the emotional battle of leaving our 1 month old first grandchild, Jayce Wacaser. He is so sweet and cuddly, so you can imagine our struggle. Also, we will have to replace our car and nearly all of our furniture and appliances in an expensive economy. We trust God for all these things, so we do not worry or fret, but we know we must work and pray that He’ll provide.
We are looking forward to giving our first update from Brazil next month as “re-commissioned missionaries”.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Stateside Address:
3912 Casaba Loop
Valrico, FL 33596
Field Address:
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Sobrado 1, Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
Phone: (813) 481-7007
Cell Phone: (813) 727-6405
Email: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
Give: Click here to give.
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Recovering from Surgery; Projeto Vida Sharing Gospel in Parana; Practical Needs
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
November 28, 2017
Dear Friends,
Yesterday I had much needed surgery done on my right knee and my doctor says I should have a speedy recovery. I wanted to get this behind me and hit the ground fully ready to begin our new phase of ministry upon our return to Brazil in early January, 2018. When I had to answer the questionnaire for insurance purposes they gave me three different options for the need of the surgery: 1) Auto-related accident, 2) Work-related accident, 3) Wear and tear. Option 3 was my answer, but it made me chuckle to think that some parts are just wearing out and there’s no one or nothing to blame, but fallen humanity. I thank God for the promise of heaven where our bodies will be made completely new!
Our ministry partners, Projeto Vida, are currently working in the northern region of the state of Parana, Brazil. That region continues to provide a wide-open door for sharing the gospel in public schools and parks and the people are very receptive to our teams while ministering to them. Many cities and towns in that region do not have a New Testament church in them and the people are hungry for God’s love. Drugs and alcoholism and demon worship are very prevalent in these communities and we are grateful for the privilege of taking God’s Word and the gospel to them. Upon my return to Brazil, I will be traveling with these teams to minister, but I will especially be in prayer seeking the Lord’s will about where to focus new church plants so that we will see an enduring and expanding witness in the region.
With our return coming so soon, my wife, Charlene, wanted to share with our readers some of her concerns from a missionary’s wife’s perspective.
Hello,
As we plan to return to Brazil in early January, 2018, there are several areas that I, as a wife, have to consider. One is that, when we left in 2015, we had to sell nearly all our household goods, furniture and appliances. We sold them at “yard sale” prices, but we’ll have to replace them at store prices. Setting up house again will be a challenge as we begin to look for a refrigerator, washer/dryer, bed, table, chairs and living room furniture. We won’t be able to take very much with us as luggage because the airlines have decreased the allowable free baggage from two 72 lbs suitcases to two 50 lbs suitcases. For me, as a woman, this is a difficult task, to decide what should and should not go. I realize I can’t take the kitchen sink, but I do want to take my favorite frying pans. Please pray for us and if you feel led of the Lord, contribute so that we may purchase what we need when we arrive in Brazil. Your sacrifice will be gratefully appreciated.
In Christ’s love,
Charlene and Bobby Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Stateside Address:
3912 Casaba Loop
Valrico, FL 33596
Field Address:
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Sobrado 1, Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
Phone: (813) 481-7007
Cell Phone: (813) 727-6405
Email: 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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Preparing to Return to Brazil
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
November 7, 2017
Dear Friends,
Charlene and I are preparing to return to Brazil on January 8, 2018. We have purchased our airline ticket and we’re trying to put together all the equipment and household items that we’ll need when we arrive. We have maintained regular contact with many of our friends there and they have helped us know which items are much less expensive in the USA and which ones can be bought in Brazil for about the same price. This information is very helpful as we start packing our bags because the airlines have reduced the amount of free bags that each passenger can take. Since we’ll have reduced baggage, we need to be very selective in what we purchase before we leave.
I have been corresponding with our Brazilian ministry partners and they are very excited about the news of our return. We are really looking forward to getting to be with them again and for the opportunities to meet and share the gospel with new acquaintances.
One of my most exciting expectations is the Missions Training Seminar that will begin less than one week after our arrival in Curitiba, Brazil. It will be quite motivating to have the chance to pour into a group of passionate godly young men and women who want their lives to count for Christ’s kingdom almost immediately upon our return. I am also excited about traveling with our Projeto Vida outreach teams quite often. Presently, two teams are in the extremely poor and dangerous slums of Rio de Janeiro sharing the gospel. The leader of the teams messaged me to ask for prayer and protection as they minister in those neighborhoods. He did make it quite clear, though, that all the team members feel the Lord’s arms of protection around them and they are emboldened to take the love of Jesus to these dear lost ones.
We are expecting the birth of our first grandson, Jayce Wacaser, any day now. We are looking forward to getting and giving as much “sugar” to him as we can before we leave. Please pray for his parents to be guided by the Lord to raise him to love and serve our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Also, pray that we will keep our eyes on the prize of serving the Lord with our whole hearts.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby & Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Stateside Address:
3912 Casaba Loop
Valrico, FL 33596
Field Address:
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Sobrado 1, Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
Phone: (813) 481-7007
Cell Phone: (813) 727-6405
Email: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
Give: Click here to give.
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God’s Hand at Work in Hurricane Irma
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
October 8, 2017
Dear Friends,
I’m almost certain that you either saw or read the news reports on Hurricane Irma as it passed through the Caribbean islands and then hit Florida. My family and I are living in the Tampa, Florida area and we were keenly aware of the meteorologists’ predictions about the size and intensity of that storm as it approached us. As a boy being raised in Florida in a Christian home, I had the experience several times of seeing how parents who trust in a sovereign Lord face the threat of nature’s forces with faith and confidence. Hurricane Irma’s arrival gave me the opportunity to exercise my own faith and trust in God’s power and goodness and to show to my own children and a Brazilian family who took refuge in our home during the storm that we truly do trust in Him.
Since the hurricane’s passing, I have also had numerous opportunities to minister to people whose homes were devastated by the winds. As I traveled about putting temporary tarp coverings on exposed homes, I ran into many people who are were more sensitive to their vulnerability and limitations and this afforded me the chance to share Christ’s love with them. I know that God was at work in a myriad of ways when He allowed that storm to come our way, but I am certain that at least two of those ways was to prepare the hearts of a family of five who came to my home and three homeless men who I ministered to in Naples, Florida where the damage was quite severe.
When we first went to Brazil 32 years ago we didn’t really know what to expect in terms of what we should take to be prepared to live and minister. Our 30 years there helped us be more discerning in our purchasing and packing and Charlene has been very busy using her keen sense of bargains as we get closer to our departure date.
Our evangelistic teams, Projeto Vida, are in two separate towns sharing the gospel in public schools as I write. There has been a great work of the Lord in leading many to repent of their sins and trust Christ as their Lord and Savior. I am looking forward to the days ahead when I can be with them in this unique gospel ministry.
If you or your church would be interested in meeting Charlene and me, or getting to know us better while we are still in the USA, please feel free to contact me at the address/phone number below for us to plan a visit.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Stateside Address:
3912 Casaba Loop
Valrico, FL 33596
Field Address:
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Sobrado 1, Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
Phone: (813) 481-7007
Cell Phone: (813) 727-6405
Email: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
Give: Click here to give.
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Returning to Brazil!
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
September 5, 2017
Dear Friends,
Charlene and I super excited to be returning as active missionaries to Brazil after 1½ years of “missionary emeritus” status. We maintained constant interaction with our ministry partners in Brazil throughout the period and continued to forward all funds to their designated purposes, but now we will be returning to live and minister in the field and we are thankful to God for calling us back.
We have been praying for direction on how to be the most effective we possibly can be when we return and we feel that God is giving us some clear strategies. One of the most important lessons that we have learned, though, is that God is more interested in our staying attuned to His leading on a day by day basis than He is in our big plans. Initially, we intend to assist the churches that we established before we left, if they need help. I will almost certainly be going out with our evangelistic teams, Projeto Vida, into unreached areas to share the gospel in the public schools and parks and pray for guidance from the Lord about where to focus on new church plants.
We have several challenges in going back which present us with opportunities to see God’s hand at work. The first is that, when we left, we needed to get rid of all our home furnishings and now we’ll need to replace them. Our house in Brazil is being rented out and is under a contract until the end of November. Also, our first grandchild is due to arrive around the same time. Of course it will be hard for us to move away so shortly after his arrival, but we know the Lord will give us the strength to focus on making His name known to the lost. Thirdly, we’ll need to purchase a vehicle almost immediately upon our arrival. Your prayers for us about these challenges will be greatly appreciated.
In the meantime, if you or your pastor would be interested in us visiting with you personally before we return to Brazil, please contact us at any of the numbers above.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Stateside Address:
3912 Casaba Loop
Valrico, FL 33596
Field Address:
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Sobrado 1, Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
Phone: (813) 481-7007
Cell Phone: (813) 727-6405
Email: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
Give: Click here to give.
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25 Years Later, Fruit of Labor Produced to the Second Generation
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
April 7, 2017
In my last letter I shared that Charlene, our daughter Jessie, and I would be going to Brazil to work with Projeto Vida in the public schools. I want to tell you about how amazingly the Lord blessed that trip and the efforts of all those who were involved. On the first day of outreach we were able to go into three very diverse locations. One group went to a public park in downtown Curitiba to serve a hot meal to nearly 200 homeless people. Not only did we give them physical food, but we also shared the gospel in different ways. Our youth performed gospel skits using pantomime. One of them also shared their testimony of salvation through a translator and then their leader preached an evangelistic message from God’s Word. There were several individuals who professed Christ as their Savior. All this was done to assist a missionary who follows up on these conversions to get these homeless people into a discipleship program and, often, rehab to overcome drug and alcohol addiction. The missionary operates a halfway house that helps these converts get into productive lives and leads many of them to begin assisting others who are still struggling with their vices.
The same group who ministered to the homeless in the morning went to a different neighborhood in the afternoon to assist a local church in sharing the gospel to the folks who were out and about in the streets. The teams again performed skits and shared their testimony, but here they were working in a middle-class neighborhood. Even here there were several who surrendered to Christ through the Word shared.
Ministering with Projeto Vida in Brazil
Over the next few days of outreach the teams were working in some public schools. The opportunities there were just thrilling! I want to share one wonderful blessing that God gave Charlene and me the privilege of experiencing. About 25 years ago, we began offering classes of English as a Second Language in order to get opportunities to meet lost people and share the gospel with them. One of our first students was teenaged boy who wanted to learn English in order to understand the words to Heavy Metal rock music bands. That wasn’t my intention, of course, but when he asked me to translate the lyrics to one of his albums I realized that it was a Christian Heavy Metal group and the lyrics gave me the chance to share the gospel through a medium that he himself was interested in. He came to know Christ and almost immediately began bringing many of his “metal-head” friends to our church. One of those friends trusted in Christ, surrendered to preach, got married to another converted rocker and became a Baptist Pastor to another state in North Brazil. Though I have not seen them for over 25 years, they have become the parents of 4 wonderfully dedicated Christian children now ranging from 15-22 years of age. When our group was ministering in one of the local high schools, I translated the message of the main speaker. At the end of the meeting, a 17-year-old girl came up to me and asked if I knew a Nilson Bispo de Jesus. Immediately I remembered my old disciple and I told her that I did. She told me that she was his daughter and that their family had recently moved back to Curitiba. That night we got to meet the entire family and we rejoiced to know that they all serve Christ and have been used by Him to spread the gospel through their talents and gifts. The Lord truly blessed us to see some of the fruit of our labor in Brazil, even to the second generation.
The Lord blessed in so many other ways during this mission journey, but I will save some for my next report. Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Stateside Address:
3912 Casaba Loop
Valrico, FL 33596
Field Address:
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Sobrado 1, Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
Phone: (813) 481-7007
Cell Phone: (813) 727-6405
Email: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
Give: Click here to give.
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Team from Florida Heading to Work with Projeto Vida
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
March 4, 2017
Dear Friends,
Charlene and Jessie are super excited! They will be leaving in just a few minutes to spend a couple of weeks in Curitiba, Brazil. During the first week, they will be catching up with friends and taking care of some business details. I will be joining them after that to begin a week of evangelism in public schools and parks together with Projeto Vida and the youth team from Bell Shoals Baptist Church from Brandon, Florida. We are expecting to have the opportunity to share the gospel to over 3000 youth and teachers during the time we will be there.
This will be the first full year that they will be using the newly purchased travel van that replaced one of our old buses. We are grateful that this mode of transportation will make Projeto Vida’s mission trips more efficient, quicker and will allow them to get to more secluded areas. We are thankful to all who contributed to make the purchase of this van possible. We want to continue trying to obtain other vans to replace the old hard to maintain buses, but we’ll keep these old buses rolling as long as we can because we still get the gospel to tens of thousands of lost folks yearly.
We are so thrilled to see how the Lord has used this ministry to transform people’s lives. Every week we see many making a public profession of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We know that God is pleased with this because it is what Christ commanded His disciples to do. We also know that there is rejoicing in heaven when one sinner repents and comes to Christ. We are also thrilled to know that there are literally hundreds of young men and women scattered across the globe sharing Christ as a direct result of how the Lord used them and blessed them when they participated with Projeto Vida as a short-term missionary or volunteer. God has greatly used and blessed this ministry and we expect even greater usefulness in the future. Thank you for your prayers and support.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Stateside Address:
3912 Casaba Loop
Valrico, FL 33596
Field Address:
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Sobrado 1, Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
Phone: (813) 481-7007
Cell Phone: (813) 727-6405
Email: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
Give: Click here to give.
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Humanly Unsurmountable Challenges in 2016; Victories Given by the Lord
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
January 5, 2017
Dear Friends,
When I look back at what the Lord did during the last year, 2016, it almost overwhelms me! Although some of our challenges were humanly unsurmountable, the Lord blessed in such a way as to leave us with our mouths hanging open in wonder and amazement. We have been strengthened in our faith and trust in the Lord through the victories and accomplishments He gave.
Projeto Vida was blessed by obtaining our first passenger van and utility trailer that has replaced one of our old “tired out” motor homes. We are excited about how much more efficiently we will be able to get to the more remote areas to share the Gospel. They will be able to save time and expenses and increase the number of locations that can be reached during the new year.
We want to start the year out with a clear focus on missions and evangelism—and what better way than to hold a Missions Workshop in the first month of 2017? Our experienced pastors and missionaries will be teaching for two weeks in formal theological studies followed by two weeks of practical evangelism and outreach in public arenas. Some of the students who come from several different states of Brazil and the USA will become long-term members of Projeto Vida after this training. Some of our volunteers will be returning to work in their local churches, so there will be a type of “volunteer exchange”. This works well for both personal growth and kingdom growth.
Charlene, my daughter, Jessie, and I will be going to Brazil in March to assist the youth group from Bell Shoals Baptist Church. We always have the privilege of seeing many individuals come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ during these events and we expect that again this year. We trust that God will bless these youth and their leaders and translators.
I am grateful to you who have prayed and faithfully contributed so that we can continue to make God’s Word available to those who would not hear otherwise.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Furlough Address:
3912 Casaba Loop
Valrico, FL 33596
Field Address:
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279-1
Sobrado 1, Bairro Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR Brasil
Phone: (813) 481-7007
Cell Phone: (813) 727-6405
Email: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
Give: Click here to give.
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