New Facility, Discipleship, Family Camp, Mentorship, & More

Jud and Raquel Hatcher are third generation missionaries serving the Lord in São Paulo, Brazil. They are part of the “SeedFactory” church planting initiative, which is a movement to plant churches in all 26 Brazilian capitals. Since 2006, 43 churches have been started in 5 states.

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.


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What’s a Missionary Wife’s Life Like?

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Bobby and Charlene Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.

April 22, 2022

Dear readers,

When I’m asked what a missionary wife’s life is like, I guess I have to say that it is as varied as there are missionary wives. This is true because every missionary wife has her own personality and her own set of skills and struggles that shape her. I’m certain that there are many circumstances and experiences that we missionary wives have in common just by the nature of our calling to leave our families, our home culture and language. But how we adjust to all of these is different in many ways because we are different in many ways.

Before anything else, though, I want you to know that I do not consider my life on the foreign mission field a sacrifice or a burden. I am thankful to the Lord for the life He has given me. Yes, I have my struggles and hardships, but I know that each and every one of you do too. Some of mine are completely different because of my calling, but many are very similar to yours. I am both happy and fulfilled in what the Lord is using me to do here in Brazil. I thank Him for the privilege to serve Him where I am.

It is hard for me to put a title on my role, so I will just share some of the things that I do and not worry about titles. I help our couples’ ministry team leaders prepare for our outreach events. We usually hold 4 to 5 of these events per year. They are basically two-hour banquets, each with a different décor theme and different marital issues in focus. My husband, Bobby, usually brings a message addressing the marital principle in focus and always shares the gospel with the lost guests. My part is to help plan the décor and set up the auditorium for those who attend.

I also work with our children’s teaching ministry. We have put together a great team of volunteers who are gifted teachers and I assist them now. Through the course of our ministry and with each new church plant, I am usually the first and main children’s teacher as we begin to discover and develop new teachers from among our new converts.

Maybe one of my most important roles, though, is to assist Bobby in whatever he needs me to do. When he has to counsel women, he always has me with him, both for my female input and for ministerial integrity.

Our home life is one of the strongest illustrations of what we teach and of what he preaches, so I realize that I must give great attention to making it both pleasant and solid. We have raised our children and we now have an “empty nest,” but I want it to still be full of joy and love.

The hardest part for me as a woman is the absence of our children and our grandson. But I would rather be 5,000 miles away from them doing what the Lord wants me to do than to be in the same city with them when that’s not His will for me.

My prayer request is that Bobby and I will always be attentive to the Lord’s leading. We want to be in fellowship with Him so intimately that we will know when and where He is leading us to new opportunities to share the gospel and plant new churches.

I am really grateful to all of you who pray for us and for the faithful support to maintain our ministries.

Yours in the love of Jesus,
Charlene Wacaser

Contact Info:
Bobby & Charlene Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279
Sobrado 1, Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR. Brasil
Phone: 55-41-99899-2333
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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Missionary Update: Jud & Raquel Hatcher Stateside from Brazil [October 2015]

Jud and Raquel Hatcher serve the Lord in Manaus, Brazil. They are part of the "SeedFactory" church planting initiative, which is a movement to plant churches in all 26 Brazilian capitals. Since 2006, 43 churches have been started in 5 states.

Jud and Raquel Hatcher serve the Lord in Manaus, Brazil. They are part of the “SeedFactory” church planting initiative, which is a movement to plant churches in all 26 Brazilian capitals. Since 2006, 43 churches have been started in 5 states.

October 7, 2015

Dear friends,

This last month has passed so quickly.

Family

Our kids are doing well in school. Their greatest difficulty is still the English language, but they are committed to learning. They regularly bring books home from the school’s library and we take them once a week to the public library. Bedtime is a hard time for me, as I have to insist they stop reading and turn off the bedroom lights. I am grateful for their desire to read in English. The kids are doing well socially too, as friendship comes easy to them. I would be harder on us as parents if they were having difficulty making friends. Raquel is doing great, she participates in a women’s midweek Bible study and is connecting well.

Teaching and Networking

I am enjoying my time at Liberty University as an adjunct professor. Teaching and mentoring is part of my DNA and I feel at home engaging with students. The Lord is giving me the opportunity to connect and network with new pastors at existing churches around the Virginia and North Carolina region. The opportunities to work with Dr. David Adams at the School of Divinity in the Pastoral Leadership Program and with Dr. Matt Willmington at Thomas Road Baptist Church is never boring. This experience is also a great learning opportunity for me. I do stay busy, but that is part of my life’s routine anyway.

Upcoming

This coming weekend we plan to participate in the “Testify to the Gospel Conference” at Grace Baptist Church in Fairborn, OH where my dear friend, Mark Pyles is pastor. The following week I will participate in the Refuel Conference at Thomas Road Baptist Church, where Jonathan Falwell is senior pastor.

Our prayer requests are as follows:

  • Our finances.
  • Our children’s education and English language.
  • Expanding our support base network.
  • For our unsaved neighbors.

Grateful,
Jud Hatcher

Furlough Address:
216 Mill View Ln
Lynchburg, VA 24502
(859) 608-4742
judsonhatcher@hotmail.com
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