Staff
Jacqueline Bolonha da Costa
- jacqueline.bolonha@wordmadeflesh.org
- Country
- Brazil
Born and raised in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Jacqueline is the oldest of five children. Raised in a Christian home, since her childhood she learned to live Christian principles, and to love Jesus and His work. As a member of a missions-minded church, Jacqueline was greatly influenced by the testimonies and experiences she heard there. As someone working in the area of information technology and graphic design, she thought that the Lord wanted to use her in that way, perhaps by supporting missions. But as she spent time with missionaries on vacation and heard about their experiences and how much they loved what they did in spite of the great difficulties, her heart burned with a desire to be a part of this great work of evangelism.
Growing up and living among Christian friends and family members, she never saw the "other side" of the world, and wasn't able to imagine someone growing up without hearing about Jesus. God opened her eyes to see the reality of the world around her, in which many people were dying without knowing the love of Jesus, and yet she wasn't sharing with them all that she had within her. Jacqueline yearned to share the unselfish love of God with those who needed Jesus.
Jacqueline was introduced to Word Made Flesh in November 2007 through a group of WMF volunteers that had become her friends. They invited her to join them one evening on their visits to people who lived on the streets. It was a transforming experience, one that marked her for life as she heard God speak to her, saying that those He wanted her to love and serve were very near. She began volunteering with WMF's street ministry, serving Jesus among the poorest of the poor with joy and submission.
Jacque says: "I read in a book once that the Lord first takes (the bread), blesses it, breaks it and then gives it. It was like that with my life. First Jesus took me for Himself, blessed my life, broke me, molded me, prepared me and taught me, and only after that did He send me."
In August 2008, Jacqueline accepted an offer to become a staff member of WMF Brazil.