Haircuts and ESL Classes Open Doors to Share Christ
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
March 1, 2019
Dear Friends,
Charlene and I started our English as a second language (ESL) classes in February and we are thrilled with the number of students who have signed up! These classes are offered for free on weekdays at our church facilities. Besides our English classes, other volunteers from our church give classes in their areas of expertise. These free classes draw students (and their parents) into contact with us which opens doors for sharing the love of Christ and the gospel to neighbors who wouldn’t ordinarily set foot in a Baptist church. Just yesterday, Charlene and I had the opportunity to minister to a young family who had started coming to our church through our English classes. The husband had a motorcycle accident and was taken to a local hospital. The wife didn’t know what hospital he was in and didn’t even know how to start looking for him. His cell phone battery had died and she couldn’t get in contact with him. In her nervous state, she could only think of our church to call on for help. One of our volunteers called around until they located her husband and was able to get them connected. Charlene and I took the wife to visit her husband in the hospital. I visited with him and prayed with him and was also able to visit two other motorcycle accident victims who were in the same room. Only God knows how those English classes might open doors of ministry through this family and others who participate.
One day I was cleaning out some unused material that was starting to accumulate at our church and I had an encounter with a gentleman named, Athanasios. He saw a piece of material that he wanted to use at his home and asked me if he could take it. I was happy to give it to him and that encounter opened a door of conversation about spiritual things. In our conversation I had the opportunity to share my testimony of how Jesus saved me from my sins. He listened to me graciously, told me where he lived and invited me to further conversations. I want to take him up on his invitation and will be praying for him to fully come to know Christ.
Our Projeto Vida teams have been working a little closer to home this past month. In a neighboring town, Sao Jose dos Pinhais, one of the workers was cutting a man’s hair. The man professed a certain knowledge of the Scriptures, but in the course of the conversation it was clear that he had never surrendered to Christ as Lord and Savior. He confessed that he was unhappy and was a guilty sinner. Our worker asked him if he was willing to repent of his sin and confess Jesus as his Lord right there, and the man accepted. He thought he had only gone there for a haircut, but he walked away from that meeting a changed man! We are so thankful that the Lord continues to give us so many opportunities for sharing His love and grace.
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
The Privilege of Partnering with God
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
May 2, 2018
Dear Friends,
As I begin to write this report, I am nearly overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to the Lord for all that He has done since last month. Our evangelistic outreach team has just arrived from a 4-week trip to several interior towns and villages and I was thrilled to join them in a couple of these towns. The greatest joy that comes from having the privilege of partnering with God is the business of bringing lost folks into His family. It is blessing to be able to go into public schools, by invitation, and share the gospel clearly and openly to over 3000 students and teachers, but my most satisfying happiness was to get alone with a young father of 4 and lead him to Christ in a personal conversation. James, the young father, had gone to the car repair shop that morning to have some work done on his vehicle. On his way home, he passed by the town square where we were giving free haircuts, blood pressure checks and family counseling. The Lord nudged him through his curiosity and he and his young son stopped to get a haircut. As James was getting his hair cut, our volunteers are trained to start up conversations that lead into discussions of spiritual needs. By the time the barber had finished his haircut, James wanted to learn more about God’s love and plan for his life. The barber then referred him to come over to my counseling area to talk more at length with me. In my conversation with James, the Lord guided me to share the Scriptures that clearly revealed his guilt of sins against a holy God and his need of repentance and forgiveness. By the time our conversation ended, James confessed Jesus as his Lord and Savior and returned that night to our outdoor service, bringing his entire family. At the end of that service an invitation was given to come publicly before the crowd to confess faith in Christ and James and his whole family stepped out to do just that. We spoke with his family and got them all connected with the local missionary at that new church plant. He will begin to teach them in weekly Bible studies. Nearly all of our team members have personal stories to share of individuals that they too had the privilege of leading to Christ during this month’s travels.
Back at our own local church, Charlene and I have been excited about the constant influx of new visitors. We want to see even more come, but we are seeking to teach our members how to lovingly embrace those who come and make them welcome into our fellowship. What really encourages me is to hear the visitors share how the church seems like a loving family and that the services are so practical and useful to them. I just got great news from a lady in our congregation yesterday. She sensed that God wanted her to give up her paying job at a secular company to come and work full-time with almost no pay as an assistant at the church office and she has already given her company her two-weeks notice. We had been praying for a couple of part-time volunteers, but this is even better. Having her come on the team is such a blessing and we pray and trust that God will bless her faith and trust in Him. Her husband is just as confident that this is God’s plan for them that he isn’t concerned about a drop in income, even though they are far from affluent.
Thank you for your prayers and faithful support.
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
