Totally Worth All the Challenges
October 26, 2025
Dear Friends,
It was totally worth it! All seventeen of our volunteer missionaries say the same thing. Despite the heat, the tiredness, the uncomfortable sleeping conditions, the many changed lives make it all worth these challenges. Our headquarters are located in Curitiba, Parana, in southern Brazil. Several geographical factors contribute to give Curitiba a pleasant climate, almost year-round. But we don’t have to travel very far to find hot and dry or hot and humid conditions. This last month’s mission included both of those. Part of the work was actually in a desert area. Our team has learned to focus on the people’s spiritual needs to the point that they can ignore the physical discomfort and show Christ’s love to those who so desperately need it. The Lord in His goodness blessed the efforts and many people came to know Christ as their Savior.
In order to receive invitations to minister in the public schools and city squares, Projeto Vida (Project Life) has developed a platform that makes it attractive, even essential, to public leaders. The gospel skits are based on societal struggles from people’s daily lives like drug abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence, molestation, and bullying. In all the skits, having Jesus as Lord and Savior is the solution to these problems and the only answer for eternal peace with God. It always amazes us how He uses such simple and humble efforts to open hearts and impact lives. Our missionaries spend much time in prayer before the presentations and demonstrate genuine love for those to whom they are ministering. This past month we had the joy of seeing several hundred young people trust Christ with their eternal destiny.
I do need to ask if you might be led of the Lord to help with the repairs and maintenance on our travel van and equipment trailer that suffered from the many miles on the highways? This last trip was over 3,000 miles total. Many of the highways that were traveled on are not well paved and they damage the suspension and wheels of both vehicles. If you’d like to help, please send your contribution designated, “Projeto Vida” and we will get our equipment back in tip-top shape.
Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and 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
Read more
Joy Uncontainable: 64 Souls Saved, Even Where Darkness Tried to Dwell
August 30, 2025
I will never tire of seeing the expression of joy on the face of someone when they realize that they have been saved by God’s grace. Charlene and I had this privilege multiple times this month as we ministered together with a team from Virginia and our evangelistic team, Projeto Vida. As we shared our own testimony, or as we translated for some American teen, we watched as God worked in the hearts and minds of many hearers. We were blessed to have 64 people profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in public schools.
Before we went to one of the schools that we ministered in, we received news that we would have to be very careful not to attempt to evangelize the students openly. There was some concern from a person in an administrative position at the school who is involved in witchcraft and demonic worship. They had raised an objection to our team being permitted to go into the school to preach. We all prayed earnestly before we went and while we ministered as well. The result was that the teachers and students loved our team’s dramatic presentation of the gospel and the personal interaction with them afterward. Although satanic forces were against us, we had the joy of seeing 4 people at that school surrender to Christ. In addition to the celebration of these new believers entering the family of God, we are also encouraged by the boldness that these teenage evangelists have developed through their experience in the public arena. It is our prayer that they will trust the Lord to use them anytime they are willing to obey Him and share the gospel, in Brazil, or with their fellow students in the USA.
We are blessed to partner with some amazingly dedicated and humble servants of the Lord. We are also very grateful and appreciative to you who prays and gives so that we can apply ourselves to this mission effort. May the Lord richly bless you.
Thank you!
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and 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
Read more
Celebrating 40 Years of Gospel Ministry in Brazil—and the Story’s Still Unfolding
June 29, 2025
I can hardly believe it, but it was 40 years ago that Charlene and I arrived in Brazil as young (in our mid-twenties) missionaries. The Lord has blessed us with the privilege of making Him known to thousands of Brazilians during these years. We are thankful that He still sees fit to use us for His glory in sharing the gospel and assist in planting New Testament churches.
A little different from my usual reports, I wanted to share with you a testimonial from a mission team volunteer who was with us recently. This report comes from Janet, a grandmother who came and spent a week with us in evangelistic outreach in public schools and parks. In Janet’s own words:
“For many years, my husband and I have been very blessed to go on mission trips together. On our recent trip to Brazil, we had the privilege of going into junior and senior high schools with missionaries Bobby and Charlene Wacaser and Projeto Vida. We had the freedom to share what Jesus meant to us and what He could do for each of them. One particular day, I was asked if I would share the Gospel to a very large group of students and teachers. I was okay sharing in small groups, but I was not so sure about sharing with the entire school assembly.
As the program of Gospel skits and testimonies began, I watched the faces of those teens. Many of them were in tears. The Holy Spirit was already beginning to touch hearts. It was then that I was reminded that many years ago as a young 16 year-old, I was as lost, desperate and lonely as many of these young people were. I was searching for something, or someone, to fill the great void in my heart. Then someone shared with me that Jesus was the only One who could rescue me. In that moment, the quiet voice of Jesus spoke to my heart to remind that these precious teenagers of Brazil needed to be rescued as well. They needed someone to tell them that Jesus loved them and gave His life for them. I am so thankful that so many of these young people surrendered their hearts and lives to Jesus that day. After the program, dozens and dozens of them stayed around to meet in small groups to speak one-on-one. It was such a joy to rejoice with them about the decision they had made to follow Jesus. It was also a great reminder to me that, “…how can they believe in Him if they have not heard of Him? And how can they hear of Him, unless someone tells them?” Romans 10:14.
I am so grateful that God can use even me.” – Janet Via
In just a few weeks, we will be hosting another group from the church where Janet is a member, and we pray that many souls will be saved and that the lives of those who come to minister will also be blessed by faithfully sharing the Gospel to the lost in our city.
Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support. May the Lord richly bless.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and 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
Read more
Spreading the Fragrance of Christ
May 16, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Judy and I are getting things together to head to our annual church weekend. This is a moment that all enjoy as our spiritual family spends a couple of days together in fellowship and worship. This is a great time of encouragement and sharing that is very who good for the body of believers.
I recently read two autobiographies of individuals who many would particularly find outside the likely realm of people to be saved. One was a lady born in the early sixties who was a professor in a well-known university in Syracuse, NY. She was an atheist, lesbian and ardent fighter for gay rights. She came to the Lord through gentle believers after many meals and discussions. She contacted them initially to get an opinion of “the other side” for an anti-God book she was writing. She is now very active as a believer who has been married to a pastor for a number of years. The other life story is of a high-class Pakistani lady who had been married to a general and ambassador who came to Christ. She came to Christ in the sixties when already a young grandmother.
The scriptural text that greatly touched me from this second mentioned book was, “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15).
This morning Judy and I were having our weekly discipleship encounter with a new believer, and as she shared about encounters with others in her extended family of broken relationships and the opportunities that our Father gave her in the last week, I was touched by the reality of how God is using her to touch broken lives with which she has connections. We don’t have to make things happen. We just get doused with God’s perfume and it permeates the world around us.
I will close with another example of the power of God’s fragrance. Laure, the mother and wife in the family who hosts Bible studies in their home in a small rural town, told us in the meeting last Saturday about her surprise reception of a letter from a fifteen-year-old girl thanking her for impact Laure has had on her life. She had just trusted Christ as Savior. She is not from a Christian family and not in Christian circles. Laure had been praying for the girl’s mother who has gone through great difficulties. Laure was surprised that she had had any influence on the 15-year-old daughter…My answer was from the text I quoted above. God’s perfume…
John and Judy 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.
Read more
Doors God is Opening
April 23, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings from Southern France. We hope that your Easter Sunday was as enjoyable as ours. Sunday was a good day of rejoicing with the church at Plaisance du Touch. Emilie was here for the first time. She is the second child of parents who trusted Christ a few years ago; faithful participants in the church of Jesus that meets in our home each Sunday.
A few weeks ago, while Judy and I were out on our regular walk, we crossed a gentleman walking his dog. He was friendly and we exchanged phone information and discussed getting together. His wife is a High School English teacher. Last week we had them over for a snack and a friendship is developing. A door to connect with a couple who needs Christ.
Last week I was working in the front yard when a man about my age stopped and said, “Bonjour”. It was obvious that he was interested in chatting, so I stopped my flower planting and spent a few minutes getting acquainted with him. Yesterday afternoon a lady knocked on the door and invited us to come and snack at their home in a couple of hours. It was the man’s wife. He is a retired teacher and High School principal. God has opened another door.
On Monday afternoon another couple from further up our dead-end street spoke to me when they paused on the lane up the other side of our home. She was anxious to get better acquainted. Her husband is 93 years old. He did not talk as much but seemed to enjoy the conversation. God opened yet another door.
Each week Judy and I spend a bit over an hour speaking English with a couple of ladies. The last two times the subject has been primarily about Christ and the gift of life He offers us; walking through the door to share the Good News of Jesus.
This is our life here in Southern France. Praying for God to open doors and walking through them when they are opened.
The connections our Father gives us has led to many opportunities in the past and opened the doors to establish the Bible studies we have in seven different cities. The Word is the seed and the fruit is Eternal life. Rejoice with us in the work God is doing here as you partner with us in God’s work.
Your sister and brother,
Judy and John
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.
Read more
Churches in Brazil Continue to Grow with National Pastors
April 3, 2025
We were pleased that our evangelistic partners from Roanoke, Virginia, were able to spend almost a week in ministry with our outreach team last month. The Lord blessed in so many ways. More than one hundred people surrendered to Christ through the gospel being shared in the schools and parks in a neighboring city, Araucaria. Our volunteers loved the time and effort spent with that team and look forward to future opportunities. One detail that stood out to me was how all four of them, though grandparents, were used so effectively among the youth of Brazil. We know that, first of all, God was working after much prayer in preparation for their trip. But I also believe that their compassion for the lost and their incredible work ethic and effort to get the word out to as many as possible were used of God for others to see Him in them. We have partnered with youth groups many times in the past, and will do so again, but observing grandparents like these minister with the passion and diligence these good folk demonstrated is inspiring.
Our traveling evangelistic team, Projeto Vida, just returned from their first full month of ministry in public schools for 2025 (the school year here begins in the middle of February). I was amazed at how the Lord opens doors of opportunity to get the gospel to so many people who may never set foot inside a church building. During this trip, our team had the privilege of sharing the gospel in 11 public schools, reaching 3056 people. Of those present, 203 professed publicly that they were trusting in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Our partnering pastors now have the contact information of these new converts and will begin the discipleship process with them for continued growth in Christ. We are expecting an amazing year of fruit for God’s glory.
I spoke with two of our national pastors this month and their reports are very encouraging. In Northern Brazil, the Nova Igreja Batista of Itacoatiara is experiencing some impressive growth. Pastor Daniel Sombra and his wife, Neuliane have a new baby girl and a lot of new baby Christians to minister to. They are having to add on to their church building to accommodate the new growth, thanks to God.
Pastor Cledson and his team in Curitiba put together a couples’ dinner for outreach and marriage counseling. The church continues to grow under his faithful leadership.
Charlene and I want to thank you for your prayers and loving support.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and 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
Read more
New Facility, Discipleship, Family Camp, Mentorship, & More
April 2, 2025
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Greetings from Brazil! We are excited to share how God has moved in our ministry over the past few months. Your prayers and support have been instrumental in these blessings, and we are grateful for your partnership in the Gospel.
Christmas Evangelistic Production
December was an incredible month. We hosted a Christmas evangelistic production that was attended by 406 people in two presentations. We rejoiced to see 16 individuals make decisions for Christ! Praise God for the work He is doing, and please continue praying for these new believers as they take their first steps of faith.
New Church Facility and First Wedding
In January, we had the joy of moving into our newly leased church facility! This was a milestone moment for our people and has already been a tremendous blessing. We celebrated our very first wedding in the new location—what a wonderful way to maximize the usage of this space!—we received extended family members and friends of the couple with the opportunity to share the Gospel message during the ceremony.
Discipleship Class for New Believers
After the big Christmas production, we continue to focus on spiritual growth and launched a discipleship class for those who have recently come to Christ. This has been a great time of grounding them in biblical truths and preparing them to walk faithfully with the Lord. Please pray for these new believers as they grow in their faith.
“Zeal” Family Camp
We had an amazing two-day youth camp called “Zeal,” which was filled with fun, fellowship, and most importantly, a deep dive into God’s Word. The energy and enthusiasm of these families was contagious, and we are encouraged by their desire to live boldly for Christ.
Soccer Evangelism and Discipleship
Our evangelism and discipleship efforts through soccer continue to thrive. The outreach is growing, and we are seeing lives transformed through the relationships built on and off the field. Please pray for endurance, wisdom, and continued fruit in this ministry.
The Togetherness Network
Pastors and churches part of the Togetherness Network continue to grow and collaborate with each other on building projects and other evangelist and discipleship efforts. Pastoral mentorship and fostering relationships are a significant component of my ministry to these pastors. The church plant in Marilia is growing steadily and has partnered with Heritage Baptist Church in Lexington, KY for prayer, support and mission trips.
Family Update
On the home front, we have much to celebrate! Our daughter Laura is preparing to graduate high school in June and will be heading to Liberty University in August. We are incredibly proud of her and excited to see what God has in store for her next chapter. We also had two birthdays recently, Sarah turned 20 and Benjamin 17. We thank the Lord for the blessings of family and the joy they bring to our lives. Melissa is in 7th grade and has grown tremendously in her academics and has become a key player in the sports competitions against other schools in São Paulo.
Raquel is actively training foster care parents, social workers, and childcare givers through online and in-person training modules and seminars. She also leads the fantastic children’s team leaders as we work with kids through our current church plant.
Thank you for praying for and supporting us. We are grateful for your faithfulness and encouragement as we continue the work God has called us to do here in Brazil. May the Lord bless you abundantly!
Prayer requests
1) Judson is recovering from left knee surgery and may have to operate on the right knee.
2) Laura twisted her ankle during volleyball practice at school, the MRI shows two torn ligaments.
3) Church growth, evangelism and discipleship.
4) Meetings with the Rawlings Foundation regarding camps in Brazil, networking and local church discipleship of kids who accept Christ during a camp.
5) Assisting with the translation of materials for the first Masters in Youth Ministry in Brazil that begins in August 2025.
Always grateful,
Judson & Raquel
Missionaries to Brazil
JUD & 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.
Read more
A Delight to See God at Work
March 19, 2025
Dear Fellow Disciples of Jesus Christ,
We thank God for you and your participation in what God is doing here. The past few days have been extremely windy here. It is a reminder of a verse that Judy and I quote often “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) God is at work in ways that are invisible like the wind, but the results are obvious.
Last night, we were at the regular Bible study meeting in Mazere about an hour and a half drive south of us. This is a group of believers who would have to drive an hour and a half to participate in a Baptist or similar church. We have been holding meetings in this city for about 20 years. Douceline, a believing young lady, moved to this city at that time. She was very discouraged because she knew no other believers in Christ with whom she could fellowship in that region. Judy and I decided to offer coming to her home weekly for Bible study and fellowship. Douceline loved the idea and soon began seeing herself as a light for Jesus in the area. She is the director of a History Museum in this city and has contact with many people. She began inviting people to the weekly Bible study we were having in her apartment. Over the years we have had scores of interested people participate. The group now is mostly believers growing in the Lord and we meet in the home of a couple on a farm just outside the city. Just one example of how the many outreaches God has given us began.
Tonight, we will be in a Bible study hosted by Blandine, Douceline’s sister, in a city about an half hour drive north of us. We will be meeting on a Wednesday instead of the typical Thursday night meeting because this is the beginning of the New Year in Iran. Blandine’s husband is Iranian and they will be celebrating the Holiday with Iranian friends on Thursday. God has saved individuals in this Bible study during the last couple of years. It is delightful to see God at work.
As I close, I want to tell you about two wonderful blessings among many for which Judy and I are especially thankful to our Heavenly Father. March 3rd was our 52nd marriage anniversary. We are so thankful for the children, their spouses and the grandchildren He has given us. What a delight it has been and is to serve the Lord in three continents and experience the way He has worked around us and the great number of friends and brothers and sisters in Christ God has given to us. Judy had cataract surgery on both eyes during the first couple weeks of March and she is doing very well and can see much better. Thank you for your prayers.
Your sister and brother in Christ,
John and Judy Hatcher
Contact Info:
John & Judy Hatcher
2 T Impasse de la Picardie
31830 Plaisance du Touch
France
JMHatcher@aol.com
Present USA phone 1-812-416-1033
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
