When one hears the name Paul Washer, renowned evangelical preacher and founder of the HeartCry Charo Washer Missionary Society, one inevitably wonders about the person who walks alongside him in ministry and in life. Enter Charo Washer — wife, support, missionary, and believer. Though not always in the limelight, Charo’s story is one of transformation, commitment, cultural bridge-building, and quiet strength. In this article we explore her early life, her faith journey, her contributions to ministry, her family life, and her ongoing legacy.
Quick Bio
| Field | Details |
| Name | Rosario “Charo” Washer |
| Date of Birth | 1963 |
| Place of Birth | Lima, Peru |
| Nationality | Peruvian & American |
| Known For | Wife of evangelist Paul Washer; missionary and ministry‑partner |
| Spouse | Paul Washer |
| Children | Four (Ian, Evan, Rowan, Bronwyn) |
Early Life and Cultural Roots
Charo Washer was born Rosario “Charo” Washer, and her story begins far from the pulpit. She grew up in Lima, Peru, in a home shaped by a Peruvian mother and a Spanish father—giving her a rich blend of cultural influences. Her upbringing included attendance at a Christian-school setting in Latin America, mingling with missionary children, but according to sources she did not herself embrace a saving faith in Christ in her early years.Her Latin American heritage and bilingual capacity—Spanish and English—would later become a valuable asset in global missions.
That foundation of being rooted in two cultural streams (Spanish/Peruvian) helped her bridge social, linguistic, and cultural gaps in later ministry work.
While specific details about her formal education or childhood ambitions are sparse, Charo’s willingness to serve in missionary settings early reflects a heart oriented toward service—even before the full turning of her faith journey.
Meeting Paul and Entering a Shared Mission
The path that brought Charo and Paul Washer together unfolded amid missionary context. Paul, whose work was deeply rooted in missions, crossed paths with Charo in Peru, where she had connections through missionary schooling and service. In 1993, Charo and Paul married, combining their lives not only personally but into a common mission.
From that point onward, Charo’s role was intertwined with both home and mission. While Paul took the forefront as a preacher, missionary-trainer, and evangelist, Charo offered the support, the relational stability, and the cultural bridge essential to sustaining mission work. Her decision to step into marriage and mission together reflects a beautiful partnership: one person preaching, the other supporting, yet both looking outward to global impact.
The Turning Point: A Personal Faith-Journey
Perhaps one of the most compelling chapters of Charo’s life is her personal spiritual awakening. Though she had been involved in missionary work for about a dozen years in Peru, the story goes that around 2004 she recognized that her own faith had not yet anchored in a true conversion experience.In a testimony shared in mission-magazine form, she wrote about how the Word of God “opened her eyes” to the reality of salvation.
This moment is significant because it shows that proximity to ministry and involvement does not automatically mean personal transformation. Charo’s story becomes an example: you can serve, you can donate time, you can be immersed in Christian culture—but if you haven’t personally met Christ, the journey is incomplete. Her transparency about this conversion gives a strong witness to others who might feel they’ve been “involved” for years yet lack the heart-knowledge of faith.
Mission, Service & The HeartCry Partnership
With her faith grounded, Charo stepped more fully into the supportive mission role aligned with HeartCry Missionary Society. Founded by Paul in 1988 (though sources differ slightly on the date), HeartCry’s vision is to support indigenous missionaries and proclaim the gospel globally. Charo’s role, while quieter, is crucial: logistic support, cultural understanding, administrative backbone, encouragement. Her bilingual and bicultural background enables her to serve as a liaison in many ways: understanding Latin-American mission fields, connecting US and Spanish-speaking contexts, managing family alongside ministry. While she is not typically spotlighted as a public speaker, her behind-the-scenes contributions reflect a model of Christian service that is less about fame and more about faithfulness.
In the HeartCry publication “God’s Gifts, Testimonies of Salvation,” her personal testimony is featured as an example of God’s saving work.
Moreover, her story underlines the importance of holistic mission: the preaching, yes—but also the home front, the family, the relational life, the administrative ground. Without that base, the pulpit work can strain and falter. Charo provides that base.
Family Life: Wife, Mother, and Home Builder
In the midst of mission-travel, speaking engagements, and cross-cultural ministry, Charo has also navigated the deeply important role of home builder. She and Paul have four children: Ian, Evan, Rowan and Bronwyn.
Raising a family in a ministry context comes with unique challenges—unusual schedules, travel, cross-cultural demands, public attention. Charo’s role becomes vital in keeping the household anchored, ensuring that the children know both love and faith, routine and mission. Her example offers a blueprint for how Christian women in ministry families can balance public callings with private responsibilities.
Beyond that, her commitment to family underscores a broader theological point: that mission begins at home. Her identity is not only “mission-support” but “wife and mother” — and she cherishes that. As one social media bio says: “Wife to one, mother to four, follower of Christ, photographer, bookworm, traveler, chef wannabe…”
That humanity—being ordinary but faithful—in a high-profile ministry context makes her story relatable and encouraging.
Cultural Bridge & Global Perspective
Charo’s life spans Peru, Spain, the U.S., Latin America and beyond. This global footprint means she is uniquely equipped to engage diverse cultures, languages and mission contexts. Her heritage and experience enable her to cross cultural boundaries in a way that many mission families cannot.
In missions today, cultural awareness is more important than ever. Charo’s fluency (linguistic and cultural) allows for deeper connection with local missionaries, local communities, and a more humble posture in mission work. Rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all model, she helps embody a model that respects culture, listens, serves.
Her life shows that being a “missionary” is not just about geography but about culture, identity, language, relational trust. She helps illustrate how mission is enriched—not diluted—by cultural diversity.
Challenges Faced & Lessons Learned
Behind the scenes of any ministry life are challenges. For Charo, some of those may include: stepping out of one culture into another, balancing private faith with public ministry, navigating family life under the gaze of ministry expectations, and maintaining identity apart from “being Paul Washer’s wife.”
From her testimony we also learn the lesson that “serving” is not enough without “being born again.” Charo’s conversion experience shows that ministry involvement without genuine faith is insufficient. Her journey reminds us that mission must be built on personal spirituality, not simply function.
Another lesson: the importance of the unsung roles. Women in ministry often function in the wings—supporting, managing, encouraging. Charo Washer reminds us that those roles matter deeply. Without the stability and life behind the scenes, the “front-stage” ministry would collapse.
Finally: the virtue of humility. Charo Washer life is not punctuated by fame, but by faithfulness. She models the truth that greatness in God’s kingdom often looks like faithfulness in the small, the hidden, the everyday.
Legacy and Ongoing Influence
What legacy does Charo Washer leave in motion? First, a legacy of testimony—her story of conversion and faithful living encourages others to examine their own spiritual lives deeply. Second, a legacy of partnership—her marriage to Paul shows how husband/wife teams can serve together in mission. Third, a legacy of cultural connectivity—her bilingual, bicultural background embodies the future of global missions.
While she may not publish sermons like her husband, or appear on stage regularly, her influence ripples through the lives of missionaries, children, families, and many readers. She is part of shaping an ethos: mission begins with personal faith, is sustained by relational depth, and is broadened by cultural humility.
In a world where public ministry often overshadows the personal, Charo Washer life stands as a reminder: the “behind-the-scenes” matters. The home matters. The quiet faith matters. The lived example matters. For those who know the ministry of HeartCry, the name Charo Washer may not be the loudest, but she is certainly one of the most foundational.
Why Her Story Matters for You
You might ask: “Why should I care about Charo Washer’s story?” Here are a few reasons:
- If you serve in a ministry or church setting—her story validates the importance of the supporting roles.
- If you’re in a cross-cultural context or serve globally—her bicultural heritage shows how that can be a strength.
- If you’re reflecting on your own faith—her conversion reminds that being active in Christian work isn’t the same as being truly born again.
- If you raise a family while engaging in mission or service—her life offers a model of integration.
- If you want to serve with humility rather than publicity—her life quietly models faithful, effective service.
Final Reflections
In summary, Charo Washer is much more than “the wife of Paul Washer.” She is a woman of cultural depth, faith journey, relational strength, and behind-the-scenes influence. Her story encourages us to look deeper than the pulpit and consider the lives that hold up the pulpit. She reminds us that missions are not just about the speaker on stage, but the life lived at home, the quiet choices, the cultural bridges, the personal faith.
Her journey—from Lima to missionary service, from involvement to conversion, from supporting role to foundational partner—speaks to the truth that every believer has a part in God’s story. Whether seen or unseen, every faithful step matters.
So next time you think of mission, ministry, or Christian partnership, remember the name Charo Washer—not because she is famous, but because her life invites us to believe that faith lived out matters perhaps more than faith spoken aloud.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is Charo Washer?
- Charo Washer (Rosario “Charo” Washer) is the wife of evangelical preacher Paul Washer, and a missionary partner and believer in her own right.
2. What is Charo Washer’s role in ministry?
- While she is not typically the public speaker, Charo Washer supports the HeartCry Missionary Society through relational, cultural, and logistic roles, and helps sustain home and family life in mission context.
3. What is significant about Charo Washer’s faith journey?
- Although she was involved in missionary settings for years, she experienced a personal conversion around 2004, reflecting that involvement does not equate to saving faith.
4. How many children do Charo Washer and Paul Washer have?
- They have four children: Ian, Evan, Rowan and Bronwyn.
5. What unique cultural background does Charo Washer bring?
- She was born in Lima, Peru, with a Peruvian mother and Spanish father, has lived in Latin America and speaks Spanish and English, which helps in global mission contexts.
