Winter in Brazil, but Hearts are Warmed by the Gospel
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
July 4, 2018
Dear Friends,
Here in southern Brazil we’ve just entered into our winter season, but our ministries are hotter than ever! Our traveling evangelistic team returned this week from 3 weeks of outreach into the interior towns of our state. The spiritual needs of the people are so great and God used our teams in some dramatic ways.
Shortly after our gospel presentation in one public school one of our team members went to the restroom. When he went in, there were four teenagers crying because of what they had seen and heard in our presentation. One of the gospel skits that was presented characterized a family that was torn and ravaged because of drugs and alcohol addiction and these teens were living in situations very similar. In the skit, the family found Christ as the answer and solution to their struggles and these youth realized that they too needed Jesus. Our team member used this opportunity to more fully share the gospel with them and all four surrendered their lives to Christ right there in the restroom. Later that night, at an outdoor meeting, they came to the front of the crowd to make their profession of faith in the Lord public.
At another meeting, a young man was impressed with the message that God is a loving “Father,” because, in his personal life, his father was the source of his greatest suffering. Because of his father’s alcoholism, his mother had abandoned the family and his father’s anger was poured out on the young man in frequent violent rages. On one occasion, the young man’s father fractured his son’s cranium by beating on him so violently. In anger and hopelessness, the young man ran away from home and got involved in drugs himself. He got caught by the police and went to jail and felt like no one loved him. He had recently been released from jail when he passed by the park where our team was presenting the gospel. He stopped to watch and listen to our presentations and testimonies. The Lord opened his heart to accept the grace and forgiveness that Christ offers and he surrendered to Him. He came to talk to one team member personally afterward and shared how joyful he was to sense the love and forgiveness of his heavenly Father even though his earthly father showed no care for him.
I gave three of our “preacher boys” an opportunity to preach at our home church this month and all three did very well. For Ruvian, it was his first time preaching publicly and he demonstrated a good grasp of God’s word and an ability to communicate its teaching to the people. I will continue to train all three and plan to give them more opportunities in the near future.
Charlene and I are so grateful to all of you who pray for us and give generously toward our ministry. Thank you so much and may the Lord richly bless you.
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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Scoffer Surrenders to Christ Just Days Before Drowning
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
June 3, 2018
Dear Friends,
We were very excited to be able to minister in Porto Rico this month! Oh, but it wasn’t the one in the Caribbean Sea. Actually, it is a small town in our state located on the banks of the Paraná River. Our outreach team went to help a local missionary share the gospel in public schools and parks for a week. Every outreach experience is different, of course, but some are very remarkable, like Porto Rico was. During our gospel skit presentations, there was one man who kept loudly interrupting the speaker by making jokes and trying to ridicule our efforts to share the gospel. It was necessary to have a couple of our men escort him from the platform more than once.
Before and during our presentations we pray for the Lord to guide us and use all that is done for people to hear and accept the gospel and this man was certainly being a hindrance. On the human level, he made our team angry and frustrated, but the Lord helped one of our preachers to see that the man´s behavior was the result of a spiritual battle going on in his mind and spirit. The preacher began a personal conversation with the man and asked him about his relationship with God. The man admitted that he felt totally alone in the world and was seeking attention. The preacher shared with him that Jesus Christ loved him and gave his life so that he could be saved and have an eternal relationship with God. The man listened and then returned to watch the rest of the presentations and testimonies. At the end of the service an invitation was given for anyone who had trusted in Jesus Christ to come forward to make a public profession and the man who was earlier causing a scene, stepped forward. The local pastor took the man aside and again explained the gospel to him to be sure that he understood the message. He assured the pastor that he understood and that he was surrendering his life to Christ.
A few days later our team went to work in a neighboring town. When they got on the highway to return to our headquarters the local missionary in Porto Rico called the team to share the sad news that that man had drowned in the Paraná River just that morning! Our joy and hope is that he is now in the presence of Jesus Christ. That remarkable event helped us realize again, and even more strongly, just how vital our ministry is. The likelihood that he would decide to go to a church service on his own accord was very slim, but because we took the gospel into the public square where he and many others were, that man got to hear the truth of God´s saving grace and we believe that already he is already in the presence of the Lord.
Just as the agitator in the crowd served to remind us to look for opportunities in our aggravations, my cell phone crash opened a door for me to share Christ with the iPhone tech guys last month. When I took my phone in to be repaired I had to wait at the counter for nearly 30 minutes. There were two technicians sitting there and no other customers. I started a casual conversation with them that led them to ask me what I am doing here in Brazil. That gave me a chance to share my testimony of coming to Christ as Lord and Savior through the Scriptures and to invite them to come to our church to know more. I pray that God will help me to constantly be aware of the open doors around us, if we will just pay attention.
Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support of our ministry here Curitiba, Brazil.
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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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
Different Avenues for Outreach: Rehabs, Beaches, and Daycares
Bobby, Charlene, Jessie, and Brennen Wacaser have served the Lord as church planters in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, since 1985.
February 8, 2017
Dear Friends,
Since December, January and February are the summer months in Brazil, the public schools are closed most of that time. The main avenue that Projeto Vida has of taking the gospel to the unreached population in the country is in the public schools, so during these months, our teams try to come up with other creative ways to share the gospel with lost folks. Our Missions Training Center did that this summer by taking the 2 teams of volunteers to some physical rehabilitation centers, daycare centers and recreational events on the beaches. They were a huge blessing to several rehab centers and were able to bring both immediate and eternal hope to many of the patients. During the 3 month period, there were over 1500 individuals who heard the Gospel presented through testimonies, skits, preaching and one-on-one evangelism. Of these 1500, there were 73 adults and 115 youth who accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior!
The evangelistic outreach on the beaches was especially challenging, yet at the same time, fruitful. While many of the patrons of the beachside bars and dance clubs ridiculed the young evangelists, there were also a good number of them who God touched through the testimonies and conversations of the bold witnesses of Christ. Several of our workers are former drug and alcohol abusers and God used them to make a connection that opened hearts to hear the Word. One young lady was at the beach on vacation, but upon seeing the open-air skits portraying the gospel, she was deeply touched by the message that Christ loves her. She had been exposed to the gospel as a child, but had not embraced it. Now, as an adult, she recognized her need for a Savior and surrendered her life to Jesus.
This is the first of 4 Missions Seminars that Projeto Vida will host this year, the Lord willing. There were 13 volunteer participants from other states participating and we hope that they will either return as long-term participants or stay connected as supportive prayer partners. We know they will be changed by their time as volunteers for the good of Christ’s kingdom.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
Bobby and Charlene Wacaser
3912 Casaba Loop
Valrico, FL 33596
Phone: (813) 481-7007
Cell Phone: (813) 727-6405
Email: bobbymichael_1@hotmail.com
Give: Click here to give.
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Outreach & Training in Mutirão
Odali and Kathy Barros served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil together from 1987-2013. In late 2013, they transitioned to Manaus in Northern Brazil to start sharing the Gospel and planting churches in villages along the river.
September 14, 2016
Odali and Kathy Barros are reaching out to several different communities in Brazil.
The outreach stretches for eight weeks in three different communities.
Pictured below is a gathering in Mutirão where they had 150 people present.
The building pictured is 8 meters x 15 meters (~26 feet x 49 feet).
They are using this ministry to train some of their people and then plan to move it to cities far away. Pray for those serving and for those who will hear the Gospel!
Odali & Kathy Barros
Caixa Postal 1
Iranduba, Amazonas 69.415.000
Brasil, S.A.
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
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Outreach Festival at Main Church, Growth in Iranduba & Multirão
Odali and Kathy Barros served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil together from 1987-2013. In late 2013, they transitioned to Manaus in Northern Brazil to start sharing the Gospel and planting churches in villages along the river.
July 27, 2o16
Greetings to all our friends and supporters!
Hope you all are doing well and rejoicing in the Lord. We are doing great.
We have had great things happening in our different missions. Here at the main church we have had great blessings. We planned an outreach festival. The area here is rural, so we asked the members to bring friends that were not church members—and especially lots of people. We started planning for 150, but, as time went on, we realized that people were really getting excited and that we better plan for more people. Good thing we did! We had 300 hundred come. It was exciting! We had the youth group from the mission in Iranduba do a skit and then I spoke. It was great! Last Sunday we had a family that came as a result.
At the mission in Iranduba we have started a new program for the youth to reach out to lost youth in their community. They are really excited. It’s called “Missiom” Rescue.
The mission at the community of Multirão is doing well. We are training a team to work here. They are doing well and keeping the number of people and visiting. The mission at Ubim is doing great and growing. The families where we have been having services have been so gracious, but with the growing number we are limited. We are praying and looking for God to show us a place to buy and or build.
Also the mission at Iranduba, we need to look for a place to buy land to build. The place we meet is rented and really is not cheap for the size it is. And we don’t have any class space. Please pray that God will direct us to some good deals and good locations.
We praise God for all of you that have faithfully supported our ministry. God bless each of you tremendously!
Love,
Odali & Kathy
Odali & Kathy Barros
Caixa Postal 1
Iranduba, Amazonas 69.415.000
Brasil, S.A.
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
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