Thanksgiving & Commissioning Service
November 19, 2022
Dear Friends,
This past week, our church celebrated our thanks to the Lord for this year’s provisions as well as His calling from our midst, Yago and Manoela Guedes, to go to Portugal as missionaries. We had a commissioning service for them and a Thanksgiving banquet at the same event. It was truly a joyous occasion. It was the first time that our entire church could get together at the same time and location for nearly two years. We met at a church member’s farm that has a pavilion that was large enough for us all. Yago and Manoela will have arrived in Foz do Arelho, Portugal by the time you are reading this letter. We will be praying for them and seeking to support their ministry efforts as they seek to reach the spiritually lost there. There is less than 1 percent of born-again believers in Portugal and this young couple will greatly need the Lord’s wisdom and power in sharing the gospel and winning lost souls. Please pray with us and for them as they seek to serve the Lord and obey His commission. If you believe the Lord is guiding you to aid this couple, you may contribute with the memo: “Wacaser-Portugal Mission”.
It has been many years since I have had any health issues and I am extremely grateful. These past two weeks, though, I have struggled with laryngitis and have had to call on my co-pastors to preach in my place. I haven’t felt very ill, but my voice was too weak and raspy to communicate without being a distraction. I am grateful to be able to count on these young men who are doing an excellent job of faithfully delivering the Word. I seem to be much better today (Saturday) and intend to preach at both services tomorrow. Challenges like this are great reminders to me of just how much I depend on the Lord for every large and small grace. I pray for His strength and ability to honor Him with my mind and my voice.
Just a little reminder that in Brazil, below the Equator, we are entering into our summer months and the 3-month school break. Since the public schools are our traveling evangelistic team’s main venue for outreach, we change our focus during this period to assist the home church with the Christmas program and to minister to the poor and homeless in our own city. The volunteers who are from other cities will get a couple of weeks to return home to visit with their families on the holidays but will return shortly after New Year’s Day to begin preparing for the outreach trips scheduled for next year. The Lord blessed greatly this past year as we were privileged to share the gospel to over 40,000 people in public venues. Thousands of those who heard responded by surrendering their lives to Christ. All honor and glory to our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Charlene and I are so thankful for the faithful prayers and support on our behalf. We humbly acknowledge and recognize that you sacrifice from what you could use in any number of ways but choose to give so that we may minister here. We thank the Lord for you and pray that you may be eternally and richly blessed.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and 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
Read more
Young Couple Headed to Portugal as Missionaries
October 22, 2022
Dear Friends,
The young couple from our church, Yago and Manoela, have received their work visas to go to Portugal and have already purchased their airline tickets for November 22. Our church will be hosting a sending off meeting and gift shower before they travel. Their visas came out a couple of months sooner than expected, but this is good news, and they will be able to get settled in Portugal before the Christmas holidays. We are still praying and discussing ministry strategy with them and are guiding our church in how and how much we can support them. If you believe that the Lord is leading you or your church to partner with us in their support, feel free to contribute with a designated offering “Wacaser-Portugal Mission”.
Our home church just held an evangelistic drama presentation based on the story of Esther in the Bible. We had over 70 of our church members involved in this presentation in one form or another. We practiced, built, painted, sewed, and recorded music and voices for over 4 months in orders to produce a quality presentation with a gospel invitation at the conclusion. We received more than a dozen public responses to the invitation at the two meetings. Our “next steps” discipleship team is following up with Bible lessons for new believers.
I traveled to meet with Projeto Vida, our itinerate evangelistic team, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. We were thrilled to see how the Lord worked through our 12 volunteers in the public schools where we shared the gospel to 2300 students and staff within two weeks, resulting in over 140 professions of faith. The first school where our team was scheduled to minister got a message one day before our presentation that we would not be welcome. They canceled the engagement because we were evangelical (the principal is a spiritist). Almost immediately after the cancellation, we got a call from the secretary of education from a neighboring city inviting our team to come minister to a huge assembly of 4 schools at one location. We ended up reaching four times as many people than we would have reached at the other school, had it not canceled on us. The Lord’s plan is always the greatest.
Charlene and I are doing very well, and we thank you for your prayers for us and your faithful support.
In Christ’s love,
Bobby and 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
Read more
New Neighbor, Youth Meetings, & More
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
May 10, 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I just finished reading the letters written by the missionary wives and thoroughly enjoyed them. Maybe the ladies should write our letters more often!
Yesterday, I was enjoying a great “down home” lunch of butter beans and corn bread and my thoughts turned to the excited way God has touched my life. Here I was eating a good old Kentucky meal, a reflection of my parents’ and wife’s roots and I began thinking of just how multicultural our weekly ministry is. Already this week we have had several Bible studies and prayer meetings in French, English and Portuguese. People in these meetings were from France, England, New Zealand, Brazil, Portugal, Central Africa, Germany, Switzerland, America and Algeria. All of that in just five days… Sunday through Thursday. The week is not yet over. Tomorrow we have a full day of cleaning house for church, counseling and Youth Meeting.
We love it!
There are always ups and downs. Sometimes what seems to be a down becomes an up. I will just give you a little illustration of something that happened a couple weeks ago. Judy and I returned from a visit and shopping and I could not locate the keys to get in the house. Having looked every in and out of the car and trying to contain my frustration, I decided that I might as well break in the house. As I was in the process of doing this, a lady walks up to our open front gate and says, “I live next door and I have been wanting to meet you. What are you doing?” I sheepishly explained the situation. She then looked down just under the front wheel of the car, picked up a set of keys and asked, “Are these what you are looking for?” We then spent a few minutes getting acquainted with this new neighbor who mentioned that one of the reasons she had anticipated moving in next door to us was that a person who used to live on the next street over told her how friendly we were and what great music came from our house.
We had been praying to meet these new neighbors, but our plan had fallen through. Judy usually makes “from scratch muffins with hand-picked blue berries” for new neighbors to break the ice. Just a week or so before she had mixed a batch, but for some reason (first time ever) when they came out of the oven, they were a flop. All along God had a plan and a way of saying, “I hear your prayers and I love you and your neighbors.”
We continue to be very encouraged by the commitment of members of the church. Tomorrow is youth meeting to be held and Philip and Amanda’s home. We usually alternate between our homes hosting these youth activities. Having 25 or so teenagers in your home for a meal, interactive games and Bible study requires a bit of work…before and after. One of our families asked if they could host the next one. Tomorrow, this same family is having the whole church and friends brought by members to their home after the morning service for a “potluck lunch” and viewing of the film, “A Case for Christ”, by Lee Strobel.
We hope this little tidbit of what God is doing in our corner will encourage each of you, our partners.
Rejoicing in France,
John and Judy
John Mark & Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.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
