Great Things He Has Done; Great Expectations for 2019
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
January 4, 2019
I want to start this letter and this year off with a hearty “Praise the Lord!” for all that He did in and through us this past year! We were blessed way beyond our expectations. The great things that God did emboldened us to have greater expectations for this new year.
During our special Christmas services, we had a huge turnout in attendance and a great response to the gospel presentation. Fifteen individuals surrendered their lives to Christ, six people professed that they wanted to rededicate their lives to the Lord and several visitors told us that they want to know more about the Christian life from what they saw in the way they were treated by our church members. I was thrilled with how hard our members worked in preparation for this event and how well they received our guests. I spoke with all of them after the special service and, although they were exhausted, they were very happy with how the Lord used them to touch the lives of so many people. The next day after our services I contacted all those who had made decisions to encourage them and we will begin discipleship training this month.
Our traveling evangelistic teams are in their summer recess because Brazilian schools are on summer break and that is our main venue for outreach. We will be hosting a missionary training seminar in the middle of this month and we are expecting volunteers from several different states. We give them biblical missions teaching in the classroom for two weeks and then we take them out on short term mission trips into the interior for another two weeks. After these four weeks of training several of these young people usually volunteer to stay on to work with our team for an additional six months or more. We hope that will be the case again this year. God has used this method and these young people tremendously repeatedly.
Charlene and I finished our first semester of giving free classes of English as a second language. We found out that this ministry is truly God-given avenue for sharing the love of Christ to the lost in our community. People who wouldn’t normally come to a church service came to learn English and that gave us the opportunity to share how God has changed our lives as we taught them English. In fact, several of those who accepted Christ as their Savior at our Christmas services were either our students or family members of our students and none of them were attending church before we started teaching them English. We thank the Lord that He gave us the insight to launch this ministry and we hope to use it even more efficiently this year.
We thank you for your faithful prayers and support of our ministry here in southern Brazil. We are hoping to see the Lord do great things in 2019.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279
Sobrado 1, Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR. Brasil
Phone: 55-41-99899-2333
bobbymichael_1[at]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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Back to School & Continuing to Train Young Kenyan Men
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
January 3, 2019
Dear praying friends,
Happy 2019! We wish each of you a happy 2019 as you serve the Lord this upcoming year. May we truly be busy serving God, as we don’t know how much time we have to serve. Time passes so fast, and how we need to prioritize and put His kingdom first. I am reminded of Matthew 6:33, which says “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Please pray for my wife and daughters, as they will be going back to school this next week. My wife will be teaching on Thursdays and Fridays, and assisting where she can. I am thankful for her servant spirit and making herself available to serve. Our daughters have been getting bored as the break has been long, so we are thankful that they will be going back to school soon to be with their friends again. This school has been such a huge answer to prayer in regards to the much needed socialization for our children, and having activities to do. They will be studying the languages of Kiswahili and French, as well as staying busy with their studies. Please also pray for Julie Tate, my wife’s friend, as they both will be assisting with the new curriculum during the week.
I (Nathan) am continuing to disciple the younger Kenyan man in his home village of Rafiki. We have gone through many Biblical teachings together, and recently we studied about the need for daily devotions. We looked at how we need to spend time with God, praying, studying the Word of God, and entrusting to Him all the activities of the day. He seemed to appreciate the teachings and it challenged him in regards to his quiet time with God. I hope and pray that the teachings will be a blessing to him. He has told me that he has been growing spiritually, for which I am thankful. I feel that the men need to be grounded and pass through the discipleship course before they are sent out to start churches. This is the way I feel led at this time and I pray that you would pray that God would bless and provide the right men to train. I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 3:6, where Paul says, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” Without His blessing, nothing will work, but I am trusting Him to give the increase. Praise God.
I am also continuing to train another younger Kenyan man in the area of Milimani, right outside of Kitale town. This young man also seems hungry to learn and be discipled, for which I am thankful. He has given positive feedback to the training, and I thank God for that. Please pray for both of these men, as they have jobs and are busy, but are desiring to be taught and trained in the Word of God. I will continue to wait, pray, and trust the Lord to provide the right men in His timing and plan. I appreciate your prayers for me as I continue to train and leave the results to God.
We appreciate each of you so much. May God bless you for your prayers, sacrificial giving, and notes of encouragement. You are each a blessing and we thank God for you. We will keep you updated.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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
Teaching and Training in Kitale
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
December 3, 2018
Dear praying friends,
We are now at the end of 2018, with 2019 right around the corner. As I (Nathan) look back on this year, I am amazed at how quickly the time passed. I am reminded of Psalm 39:4, which says, “LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.” May we make the best use of the days that the Lord gives us, as each day is truly a gift. This letter will share ministry progress as well as prayer requests.
Please pray for us and other missionaries during this holiday season. It is not easy to be separated from family and friends at this time, but God gives grace. Christmas is such a special time of the year, and during the busyness, may we not forget the true reason for our celebration, the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We wish each of you a very merry Christmas and a happy upcoming 2019. We are thankful for the missionaries who are here in Kitale now, who we will be getting together with during this holiday season, however, our hearts and thoughts are with our families as well. We have many exciting things to look forward to in 2019, one of which is the new school that God has provided for our daughters in Kitale.
We wish to thank anyone who donated to the shipping and set up costs for the new school. My wife and Julie Tate have been working hard to ensure that the right materials have been shipped into the country. Praise the Lord, some of the curriculum has already arrived and they plan to start training teachers this week. This curriculum is very new to the teachers and they are not familiar with it, so please pray for my wife and Julie as they invest their time and energy into training them. My wife has been praying about how to be more involved in the school, and she has decided to volunteer to co-teach the language arts block and history with Julie. Please pray for her in this endeavor as well, that God would help her and she would be a blessing. This has been a long break for our daughters, and they sometimes get bored, but they are looking forward to starting school with an international curriculum the beginning of January, Lord willing. We will keep you updated on these things and we appreciate your prayers.
I (Nathan) am continuing in the discipleship course in the village of Rafiki with a younger Kenyan man that I have been meeting with for the past several months. I have been encouraged in his spiritual growth, and I hope and pray the teachings have been a blessing to him. I want to give him a solid foundation before training him in church planting, as I feel there are many teachings the men need before being sent out to start churches. Recently we looked at a lesson titled “The Faithful God.” In this lesson, we saw many things about His faithfulness. We considered things such as God’s faithfulness has no limits, His faithfulness does not fail, and His faithfulness is great. Psalm 36:5 says “Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.” In Psalm 37:25, David wrote “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” God will take care of us as we serve Him. He is a faithful God, and we can trust Him.
Please pray for me as I continue to disciple another younger Kenyan man in the area of Milimani, near where we stay. He has been busy with his job, but desires to continue studying and learning the Word of God. I am trusting God to provide the right men to train in His plan and timing. God is faithful and I will trust Him.
We will be sure to keep you updated and we appreciate so much your prayers, letters of encouragement, and sacrificial giving. You are each a blessing to us and we wish each of you a very merry Christmas and happy upcoming 2019.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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
Thankful for New School Opening in January
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
November 2, 2018
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and we are now almost finished with 2018. 2019 will be here soon! God has been so faithful over the past year and we give Him all the glory and praise. He has answered so many prayer requests of ours, including a huge one regarding schooling for our daughters. May we enter 2019 with a spirit of service and gratitude to our great God.
In regards to our daughters, I have been updating you on the progress of the new school in Kitale. One of our biggest prayer requests has been for stable friends for our daughters. This is a huge challenge on the mission field as so many families come and go due to transfers, job changes, etc. I am pleased and so thankful to God to report that there will be a new branch of the school opening in January 2019. The new school will be called Milimani Christian Homeschooling Community. This will be an international branch offering Christian curriculum from publishers such as BJU, Math-U-See, All About Reading and All-About-Spelling. We are beyond thankful for the 4 directors of the school and the vision they have had to start a school with a strong Christian, Biblical foundation in our small community. My wife and Julie Tate have been very involved in the planning stages of this and will continue to assist the directors with training the teachers and overseeing the implementation of this new curriculum. This will be such a good step for the school and we believe that once the school gets established in its new curriculum that it will attract other missionaries and nationals with their children from other parts of the country. This school is truly a miracle and a gift from God. We are in awe of God’s provision for our small community. I think of Luke 1:37, which says “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” God still does miracles every day and how we need to trust Him fully.
I (Nathan) am continuing in my teaching to a younger Kenya man in his home village of Rafiki. I have worked hard on the discipleship lessons and my goal is to get the men that I train grounded in their faith. I believe they need this foundation before they are sent out to start churches. Just recently we studied about our enemy, Satan, and how to defeat him. We studied about how he is very active, and how we wants to deceive and blind people to the truth of the Gospel message. (2 Corinthians 4:4) At the end we studied about how to defeat him-by prayer, knowing the Word of God and using it, and putting on the whole armor of God. Ephesians 6:11 says “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” How we need to do this every day, as it truly is a spiritual battle.
I am also starting to disciple another young man in Milimani, near where we live. He also seems to have a hunger for the Word of God and seems to be growing spiritually, for which I am thankful. We will see where the Lord leads, but I am very grateful for this opportunity as well and ask that you would pray with me for God’s leading and direction.
In closing, the new school has many start-up expenses, such as shipping costs for the curriculum from the States, additional teachers for the new branch, and the costs associated with needing new classroom space. If anyone would feel led to help contribute to these costs, please email us and we will give you the information. God bless you for all your love, prayers and sacrificial giving. May you all have a blessed upcoming holiday season.
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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
Young Man Seeks Discipleship
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
October 3, 2018
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and we are thankful for the Lord’s care, protection, and guidance for our lives. What a great God we serve, and He deserves all glory and praise. This update will give current ministry updates as well as share prayer requests.
Please pray for our daughters and their schooling here in Kitale. They are really making many friends, and having many activities, so we are praying about how to balance what they are getting at school along with homeschooling. The school uses the local Kenyan curriculum and we have found that this isn’t sufficient to prepare our daughters for their futures. Therefore, we find we have the need to balance homeschooling with the girls also attending the school for socialization. This is not an easy task, but one we are praying about. It has been challenging to balance both, and we would appreciate your prayers for us for wisdom and guidance for them for the future. We are very thankful for this school for them and the many friends they are making. They are also learning some Swahili, the language of Kenya. I listened to my daughters singing the “1 through 10” song in Swahili to me recently, and it was really encouraging. It goes something like “Moja, Mbili, Tatu, Nne, Tano, Sita, Saba, Nane, Tisa Hadi Kumi.” They will certainly pick up the Swahili quickly at their age, something I still struggle with but try to use when I am in the villages training.
Speaking of villages, please continue to pray for the village ministry in Rafiki where I (Nathan) am training a younger Kenyan man in his home area. We have continued along in our discipleship course, and it is going well. I recently taught him on opposition, with the idea that he will face opposition as he serves the Lord. But, for him to stand strong, rely on the Lord through the trials and obstacles, and to trust God to work on his behalf. 2 Timothy 3:12 says “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” I also love John 16:33, which says “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” God will be with us, no matter what we face. How we need to trust and rely upon Him, through all seasons of life.
God has provided another opportunity for me to disciple another younger Kenyan man in our area. He approached me recently and desires to be taught/grounded through discipleship materials, so I started with him last week. He was encouraged with the first lesson and desires more teachings. At this point, he doesn’t really know his future plans, but he wants to be discipled, and will take the next step that God wants him to take when finishing the discipleship course. This is encouraging and we would ask that you pray for both this opportunity and the ministry in Rafiki. God is in control, and I leave all the results to Him.
Please pray for my wife as she continues to go to the hospital ministry, helps our children wherever she can, and supports me in the opportunities that God provides. She is a true helpmeet and blessing to me and our family. There are many challenges on the mission field, and we greatly desire your prayers for us. Just day to day travel is a big prayer request, as the roads are in bad condition, there are large amounts of traffic on the road, and many overtake without really paying close attention. We trust God for our safety each day, and He is faithful.
We appreciate each of you so much. Thanks so much for your prayers, sacrificial giving, and encouragement. It means so much to us.
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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
Sharing Christ in Rio Grande do Sul
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
August 30, 2018
Dear Friends,
In Brazil, Father’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in August and not in June, like in the USA. So, this month we had a special service on Father’s Day at our church which went very well. To give the mothers a break, the men and boys of the church were to work together to prepare, either the largest, or the best tasting sandwich that they could come up with. We were surprised by some very delicious sandwich recipes and the 4 feet long sub that one family made. One of the other main goals of this event was to have our members invite friends and family members that do not know Christ or who are not a part of a local church. We did have several unchurched folks attend that Sunday and I preached a simple and direct gospel message. We trust and pray that the Lord used His preached word to accomplish in the hearts of those present just what He purposed to do. We now have about 5 new teens who want to begin discipleship classes since that service. Those classes will be starting this coming Sunday and we hope and pray that those young people are truly saved and that they will follow through with baptism and growth in the knowledge of Christ.
One of Bobby Wacaser’s English classes
Projeto Vida Van heading out to the southernmost state in Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul with 12 volunteers.
Our traveling evangelistic team, Projeto Vida, was ministering in the southernmost state of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul. They worked specifically in two towns, Flores da Cunha and Igrejinha. It might surprise some to learn that, even though the state of Rio Grande do Sul is one of the most culturally civilized states in Brazil, it is the least evangelized. In fact, demonic worship and witchcraft is much more common there than Christianity. We sent our team to help two new church plants share the gospel in the public schools and parks. Our volunteers shared their testimonies, performed gospel skits and preached to over 2000 people this month and there were dozens of professions of faith in Christ as a result. The pastors of those new works are now following up with personal discipleship of those who made their decision public.
I took a group of 12 on a mountain camping trip recently and everyone really enjoyed it. Especially because of Charlene’s 2 gallons of delicious chicken noodle soup that I took to feed them. We are in the middle of our winter season here and the temperature on those days was around 45 degrees inside the tents. The next day we hiked to the top of the mountain and the Lord blessed with beautiful weather and scenery. I like to use these outings to invite people who wouldn’t normally spend 24 plus hours with a pastor or missionary, but because of the adventure involved, participate. It gives me and my co-laborers several opportunities to live outwardly the presence of Christ in us. We have seen the fruit of these efforts on many occasions and we are still seeing it. Not to mention that the mountain hikes help me to keep in better physical shape.
Charlene and I are extremely grateful to you who pray for us and for your generosity that allows us to minister here in southern Brazil. May the Lord bless you richly.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Rua Laudelino Ferreira Lopes, 279
Sobrado 1, Novo Mundo
81050-310 Curitiba, PR. Brasil
Phone: 55-41-99899-2333
bobbymichael_1[at]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 Study on Prayer with the Young Man in Rafiki
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
August 4, 2018
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and we are already in the month of August. This year seems to be passing so fast, and what a reminder to use wisely the opportunities that God gives us to serve Him. This update will share current ministry updates, as well as prayer requests.
One prayer request I (Nathan) have is for safety on the roads as I travel out to the village of Rafiki. I have been training a younger Kenyan man in his village area of Rafiki, which is on the outskirts of Kitale. How can you pray for safety while traveling?
The road is not dangerous, not at all. Just challenging to navigate at times. Many times the roads can be in a bad condition, especially after a hard rain. What happens is the road is mud, and when it rains, many different vehicles pass over the road, creating large potholes and ruts all over. The mud then dries, and the potholes and ruts remain. It is a challenge to drive in the early morning, but this is the time I need to leave for the young man I am training in the Word of God. I try to leave earlier in the mornings now, to allow more time to avoid the potholes along the road. Sometimes it rains hard in Rafiki and it has not rained much in Kitale, so there are challenges. I am thankful for the safety I have had so far, as I go very slow and carefully. There is a great view of Mount Elgon along the way to Rafiki. The mountain surrounds Kitale and to see it in the mornings with the clouds surrounding it is truly majestic. The peak stands at over 14,000 feet. God’s creation is amazing.
We have gone through many lessons together, and a recent one was on the subject of prayer. We saw in the lesson on prayer, our need to pray for several reasons: To praise God for Who He is, to pray for others, not just ourselves, and to not give up/faint when we pray. To trust God to give the answer in His timing and plan. Of course, there are many other reasons to pray, but this was a small part of the lesson we studied together. I like 1 Thessalonians 5:17, which says “Pray without ceasing.”
Please pray for us as we continue along. Please pray for him to depend on God and rely on Him.
I will keep you updated on the progress of this ministry, and the training that is continuing from the Word of God. How I need to pray faithfully and rely on God each step of the way. The work is His, and I commit it to Him. Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” What a great promise.
We thank each of you for your prayers, interest, and sacrificial giving. Each of you are a blessing to us, and we thank God for you.
Until next month,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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
Continued Discipleship of Young Man in Rafiki
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
July 2, 2018
Dear praying friends,
We hope this finds each of you doing well and we appreciate each of you so much. God is so good, from the blessings He allows us to have, to His protection, His leading, and His guidance. We are so thankful to each of you and ask that you would please continue to keep us in your prayers.
Last month, I (Nathan) shared about the new immigration process that requires missionaries and other foreigners in the country to get their documents verified in Nairobi, the capital city. We are so grateful that the documentation verification was successful, although challenging. There were reports of huge, long lines very early in the morning, and that it was best to get there very early. A friend of ours had stood in line for seven hours waiting, so this was definitely a challenge. God was good and the verification was successful. Please pray for others that are either in the process, or have not been able to get theirs processed yet. God is in control of all these things and we trust Him. He is so faithful. A verse I like is 2 Timothy 2:13, which says “If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny himself.” What a precious promise from the Word of God.
Please pray for me, as I (Nathan) am continuing with the discipleship program with a younger Kenyan man in the Rafiki village. The roads out to his village have definitely gotten worse, so I leave earlier now in the mornings to get there, allowing time to go slower to avoid as many potholes as I can. I always leave when it is light outside, but sometimes there is a fog that hovers over the road, so I go slow, with my light on, etc. I would appreciate prayer for safety on the roads as I travel there to his village. We have covered many teachings in the Word of God, and I pray that he continues to grow spiritually and have a desire to reach others. Please pray for him, and myself, as we continue along studying the Word of God.
In sorrowful news, earlier in June, there was a plane crash within Kenya in a forest area. It was a smaller plane, but 10 occupants tragically passed away from their injuries. Plane travel is generally very safe and low risk, so there are many inquiries and investigations into what happened. Please pray for all affected in this tragedy.
We are so thankful to each of you for your prayers, sacrificial giving, and encouragement. You are each such a blessing to us and we appreciate your mindfulness of missions around the world. Have a great upcoming 4th of July holiday with friends and family.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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
