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
109 Profess Faith in Christ in Southern Brazilian Vacation Town
March 3, 2025
Dear Friends,
Everybody needs a little vacation time, of course, but I’m glad that Brazil’s summer vacation has come to an end. Remembering that, south of the equator, the seasons are the opposite of those in the USA. Fall is beginning and students are returning to school, our main venue for evangelistic outreach. We did take advantage of the summer break, though, to host a volunteer missionary training seminar and the results were wonderful. After two weeks of study on the biblical foundation of missions and evangelism, we took our team of 17 full-time missionaries and 16 first-time volunteers to a vacation town on the coast of southern Brazil to minister in the public squares and parks. Our team had the opportunity to share the gospel to over 1600 people. Of these, there were 109 who made a public profession of faith in Jesus. There were also 79 more who rededicated their lives to Christ who realized that they had left their first love and were living in disobedience to God. Now that the summer break is over, though, we have the whole school year scheduled for gospel presentations to thousands of students and staff. Please pray that the Lord will use our teams to bring many of them to a saving knowledge of Christ.
Yago and Manoela are doing well in Portugal. Not without extreme trials, though. I shared last month that they got the news that Manoela was pregnant and that they are both very excited about the coming of their first baby. A few weeks ago, Manoela experienced some strange pains and discomfort and sought medical attention. Not to go into details, I ask that you pray for the Lord to miraculously heal Manoela and her baby. Both are in grave danger of loss of life. They were counseled to abort the baby, but they both refused to do this. May the Lord do what only He can do.
A group of our missions partners are scheduled to arrive in Curitiba this week for a week of evangelistic ministry with Projeto Vida, our outreach team. We are excited to see all that God will do through them together as they share the gospel in several public schools and parks. We know that they will be both a blessing and be blessed as they allow the Lord to use them in this ministry.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and 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
18 New Apprentices in Training & Sharing the Gospel
February 2, 2025
Dear Friends,
I was in Brazil the last couple of weeks training a new group of missionary volunteers for this new year. Our traveling evangelism ministry partner, Projeto Vida, tries to put together at least two training seminars per year: one in January and one in July. This past month we had 18 new volunteer apprentices coming from four different states. A couple of other veteran missionaries and I were the speakers/mentors for this conference. We spent one week in the biblical study of missions and evangelism and then the students accompanied our experienced team of missionaries on a 10-hour trip to the southernmost state of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul. There in a coastal city called Canoas, they spent the final week in one-on-one evangelism and outreach. The Lord blessed tremendously in at least two predominant ways: Lost listeners heard the gospel message and surrendered their lives to Christ and, also, our new volunteers were overwhelmed with how much the Lord used them to share the love of Jesus to the lost and are excited about getting out there and participating more.
While in Brazil, my former co-pastor, now senior pastor, invited me to speak to my former church. The good folks gave me such a warm reception. It was very encouraging to see how well Cledson has taken up the reins and how well he and his wife, Fabiane, are leading the church. One of the impressive details about Cledson’s leadership is how he guided the church through a very difficult and painful move to other facilities. I know how hard that can be since I’ve done it a couple of times throughout our ministry. It was clear that the Lord was doing the leading, because of the better location and lower costs. The former building was located quite a distance from a major road or street, but their new location is right in front of a main city bus terminal and a neighborhood park. During the course of a week, tens of thousands of residents pass right in front of the new location. The park also offers ample opportunities for evangelistic outreach through social interaction with the visitors and residents. And, as I mentioned, this better location also comes with a better price. God is so good!
I spoke with Yago and Manoela, our missionaries to Portugal this week. They shared the news that Manoela’s pregnancy is going fine. Yago got some good news about his “tent-making” vocational income as well. Microsoft Portugal has handed him a new set of working orders which assure that they will continue to receive a good portion of their financial support for an extended period. He had told me a couple of months ago that they had not received any contract information, and they were concerned that their income might cease. Yago conveyed to me, though, that he and Manoela were certain that the Lord was not finished using them in Portugal yet, so they were prayerfully seeking His leading and sustenance. With this new work order information, they can rejoice now that the Lord has confirmed their presence there for some time. We continue to pray for them to win lost Portuguese people to Christ and to build the church there.
On a personal note: After nearly three months, Charlene and I were able to move out of the hotel back into our home. The repairs after Hurricane Milton are nearly done, lacking only the kitchen cabinet tops and a little bit of electrical work. We still have not had much success getting our insurance companies to pay their due protection, but we will continue to appeal the process and pray that the Lord will lead us to a viable solution.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and kind support. We pray that 2025 will be a year full of ministry opportunities and results.
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 in Presenting the Gospel
December 7, 2024
Dear Friends,
We love having a part in what the Lord is doing among the crowds in public presentations, church services, and school auditoriums through our ministries. It is a joy to see the gospel presented to large numbers and know that God’s glory is being spread abundantly, but an equal joy comes when we hear from individuals how the love of Jesus has transformed their lives. Our missionary partners share that same joy with us. Wyne Carolina is one of our volunteers and she told me how, after an evangelistic skit in front of a school crowd of 900 students, a confused teenaged girl sought her out to ask her to explain more clearly the gospel. Wyne, using the Scriptures, shared with her about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection for the salvation of sinners, of which she was one. In that one-on-one encounter, that young lady was enabled by the Holy Spirit to understand her need for Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. When asked what she was going to do with Christ, she confessed her sin and accepted His pardon by surrendering her life to God. Wyne Carolina loved making God known on the stage before that crowd, but her joy was even greater to be used to introduce a new daughter to the Father and Savior. Each member of our evangelism team, Projeto Vida, shares the same sentiments. We count it a privilege to partner with them.
Pastor Cledson and the Nova Igreja Batista de Curitiba put together a large gospel dramatic production last month. There were over 70 volunteer members of the church involved in the preparation, production, and presentation to over 400 in attendance. At the conclusion, 14 people professed Christ as their Savior and Lord. This type of outreach may not be ideal for every church, but we have discovered at least four main benefits for ours: 1) The level of quality of the production teaches our members to present to God their best efforts and gifts, 2) The number of people who come to a dramatic gospel presentation exposes some people, who wouldn’t ordinarily go to a church service, to the Word of God, 3) Our church members learn to serve, often very strenuously and costly to themselves, but joyfully for God’s glory, and 4) Several of our members discover ways to use their gifts and talents for the growth of God’s kingdom and are challenged to remain engaged in serving, even after the big events.
On a personal note, Charlene and I are presently being housed in a hotel while we await the restoration of our house that was damaged by the floodwater of Hurricane Milton. We have been here for over a month while our insurance companies seek to use loopholes to escape responsibility for the damages. We are grateful, though, because we know that there are so many others that were much more negatively affected. The Lord has been gracious to us through it all and we know that He will see us through this for our good and His glory. Thank you for your faithful prayers for us and kind support of our ministry.
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
198 Profess Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior
November 9, 2024
Our traveling missionary team, Projeto Vida, experienced an amazing month of outreach in three different cities! In all, the team shared the gospel with 4,831 people. Of those people that heard the gospel, 198 made a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Oh, how great is the love and mercy of the God. Our team of missionaries returned to Curitiba, our home base, overflowing with gratitude and joy with how the Lord used and blessed their efforts. They had to spend a few days doing maintenance work and cleaning on the vehicles and equipment they use in their ministry, but they are now ready and excited to depart on what will be their last mission journey of the year. We pray that this next trip will be greatly blessed with many more individuals coming to know the Lord as well.
Our missionaries to Portugal, Yago and Manoela, called us a few days ago to share some joyful news. They are expecting their first baby! We rejoice with them at this news. Along with their ministry of Bible study and outreach in Portugal, they are working diligently on the translation of their children’s Bible study lessons into English for an upcoming mission effort in Egypt. The Lord has not opened the door for them to move there, as yet, but the ministry that called upon them to provide these Bible lessons is still in need of the material. They remain open to God’s direction in how He wants to use them. Please keep them in your prayers.
Charlene and I are traveling tomorrow to the annual Thanksgiving Missions Conference on behalf of Baptist Faith Missions at the New Hope Baptist Church of Dearborn Heights, MI. We hope to see some of you there and will miss those who can’t.
Thank you for your faithful love and support of our ministry. May the Lord bless you greatly.
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
Rare Opportunity to Minister with Fellow Missionaries Judson & Raquel Hatcher
October 4, 2024
Dear Friends,
We have learned, though not perfectly, to look at everything around us through the lens of God’s sovereignty. Of course, that is both a challenge and a blessing. The apostle Peter began to sink when he got his eyes off Jesus, looking at the circumstances around him instead of focusing on the One who controlled the circumstances, who was with him. This past month we had some wonderful opportunities for evangelism and training. Of course, our enemy and the enemy of our Lord hates that, so he saw fit to bring on some distractions, and outright attacks. If the Lord had not reminded us daily of His sovereign rule and power over all things, we would have lost our focus and victories. But there was celebration in heaven over the many who surrendered to Christ during our evangelistic efforts in the public schools and squares, and our trials did not nullify that.
We had a rare privilege to minister together with some missions-minded churches and pastors and with our fellow missionary, Judson Hatcher. As many of you know, Brazil is a huge country. “Although the total area of the US is approximately 500,000 square miles larger than the total area of Brazil, Brazil is larger than the contiguous US by approximately 300,000 square miles. About 685,924 square miles of the US is covered by water compared to only 21,441 square miles of Brazil.” (worldatlas.com) Although Judson and Rachel minister in Brazil, we rarely get the privilege see one another or work together because of the distance between our fields of service. The time spent ministering together was a joy and we hope we’ll be able to do it again in the not-too-distant future.
Yago and Manoela continue faithfully in Portugal. They are having regular in-presence services after a few weeks of virtual meetings. Both they and their members are much happier. They are also working steadily on translating their children’s Bible study lessons into English to be used in Egypt and other Arab nations. Please continue to pray for them.
Projeto Vida worked alongside our visiting pastors and church teams in Curitiba, their home base, for a week, but they went immediately to some outlying towns to share the gospel after those days together. One of our missionaries, Julio, had been sidelined for some surgery, but he returned to full-time duty this month. He was really missing the daily joy of sharing the gospel to unreached youth and their families. He seems to be fully recovered, and we are thankful to the Lord for that.
Charlene and I are preparing to attend the Annual Thanksgiving Conference on behalf of Baptist Faith Missions at the New Hope Baptist Church in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, next month. We look forward to reacquainting with some of our dear brothers and sisters there, but we also hope to meet new friends and family in Christ. Thank you to pastor Terry Adkins for the invitation to attend and speak.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and 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
Read more
A Vision Trip to Brazil
September 26, 2024
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Greetings in the name of our Lord! We hope this newsletter finds you well and filled with the joy of serving Christ. We are excited to have received Daniel Akers, Shamma Lorredan, and Glenn Tolson from Heritage Baptist Church, Lexington, KY. They were here on a vision trip to Brazil, which took place from September 3 to 17. The purpose of the trip was to map out future plans for yearly church mission trips to Brazil.
Together, we embarked on this journey with a heart full of anticipation and a desire to strengthen our partnerships in the field. The bulk of our trip was spent in São Paulo, where we visited our church planting framework for evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development. It was inspiring to see these men engage with Brazilian people and witness their dedication and passion for missions and our partnership to spread the Gospel in this vibrant city.
One of the key highlights was our visit to Raquel’s foster care ministry. This impactful initiative not only provides a safe haven for at-risk children but also serves as a platform for sharing the love of Christ with families in need. I was grateful for the opportunity to share Raquel’s passion for foster care, connect with those involved in this ministry, and explore ways to support those efforts.
The three men also joined us for a day at the soccer school and ministered to young athletes. While in São Paulo, they also learned of other sports evangelism opportunities in basketball and volleyball as potential opportunities for future sports mission trips. They received an invitation to speak at our kids’ school – PACA. Shamma shared his powerful testimony of salvation, how he became a professional musician, his survival of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and how the Lord equipped him to serve as a pastor in Lexington, KY.
Additionally, we traveled to the Marília and Cornélio Procópio regions to connect with the pastors and churches of the Togetherness Network. In Cornélio, we gathered with pastors, pastors in training, and spouses to discuss a bilateral partnership in ministry. This meeting inspired everyone, and the repercussions will produce a lingering positive impact. Daniel and Shamma spoke at the Pastors’ Symposium in Duartina, where they preached on “The Legacy of Faithful Preaching in Pastoral Ministry” and “The Legacy of Integrity in Pastoral Ministry”. It was a significant symposium full of enthusiasm and encouragement for pastors, aspiring pastors, and spouses. Everyone’s dedication to the Gospel inspired us, and it was a time of mutual edification.
During the second weekend of our trip, we joined Bobby and Charlene Wacaser in Curitiba. Here, we learned about Projeto Vida and the church’s ongoing efforts to reach the community through evangelism and discipleship. Together, we were able to have a firsthand experience of the depth and scope of the Wacaser’s ministry in Curitiba. The significance of the church’s Bible training for adults and the children’s ministry is self-evident.
As we reflect on this trip, we are grateful for Heritage Baptist Church. We are also thankful for your continued support and prayers. Your partnership enables us to engage in this vital work, and we are excited about the future opportunities that lie ahead. Please offer prayers for the ongoing ministries in Brazil so that they may bear fruit for the Kingdom and that more people will experience the love of Christ.
On another note, the soccer school continues to be a powerful tool for evangelism in São Paulo. This last month, we had two friendly games with other soccer teams, during which I was able to openly share about Christ. Through this program, we can connect with athletes and their families, sharing the Gospel and fostering relationships that lead to discipleship. The soccer school not only opens doors for sharing the Good News but also provides us an opportunity for discipling new Christians and developing leadership within the sport. We have seen firsthand how the Lord uses this initiative to minister to numerous families in their homes, creating a ripple effect of faith and transformation.
Thank you for standing with us in this mission. We look forward to sharing more updates and stories of God’s faithfulness in the coming months.
Always grateful,
Jud & Raquel
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
Blessed by Team Visiting from Virginia
September 3, 2024
Dear Friends,
I really wanted to wait a few days to send my report last month because our visiting team from Virginia had just arrived and we were only beginning our week of ministry together in the schools and streets of Curitiba, Brazil. I can now share with you that it truly was a blessed few days of sharing the gospel with students and school staff. We were thrilled at the way the Lord moved in the hearts and lives of those that heard the gospel, and those that shared it. Pastor Jared Via has done a fantastic job of teaching and training his church what it means to be a follower of Jesus. His team of youth and their leaders boldly spoke in front of crowds, and one-on-one, about what it means to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. With the help of our volunteer translators, teens from 14 to 19 years of age were very intentional, yet perceptive in approaching the students who watched their gospel skits and listened to their personal testimonies and who seemed moved by the message. Only eternity will reveal exactly who and how many surrendered their lives to Christ through their efforts, but there were over 150 who publicly professed Jesus as their Lord and Savior during the course of our days of ministry together. We know from the Scriptures that there is rejoicing in heaven over the repentance of each lost person (Luke 15:7), but we’re also happy that these young witnesses of Christ had the privilege of being used by the Lord to have a part in that spiritual birth.
Our Projeto Vida team of evangelists loved the time spent together with their American brothers and sisters. They only knew from a prior visit a couple of the teens from the group of 18, but before the week was up, they seemed like lifelong family members. There was a lot of sadness and tears on the day of departure, but they know that goodbyes come with the territory of mission work. Our team of 13 missionaries went straight from their week of work with our Virginian friends to begin another week of outreach in a couple of coastal towns a little more than an hour from their home base. The Lord continued to bless and use their efforts in sharing the gospel. Hundreds of teens heard the Word and many came to know Christ.
Our missionaries to Portugal, Yago and Manoela, continue faithfully teaching and sharing the Word there. Portugal is definitely not “white unto harvest” like much of Brazil, but they are being obedient to preach the gospel to the “uttermost parts of the world.” Please remember them in your prayers.
Next week, Charlene and I are returning on another mission trip to Brazil with a small group of dedicated soul-winners. We have partnered with some of them on several occasions and we rejoice at the opportunity to do so again. Our ministry plan will be very similar to what we did with the group I mentioned earlier, but there are no teens in this group. What is evident is that the Lord can, and will, use anyone who is willing to offer themselves to Him to take the gospel to the lost and needy. Some of these volunteers are grandparents who are having the most fruitful times of their life. Why don’t you come too? There are no limits to how God can use you.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and 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
Read more
