Dear faithful partners in the ministry,

O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people (Psalm 105:1). We have much for which to praise the Lord! He is so good to us and His grace is all-sufficient! We would like to share with you the great deeds He is doing with us and through us, here in the USA, as well as in Brazil.

We praise the Lord for Missionary Garry Tyler, with his wife, Pam, as they are keeping the work in Osasco going while we are here in the USA for furlough. They have re-started the teen meetings every other Saturday evening, and have had good attendance with even a few visitors. Please remember Rivaldo in your prayers as he has been coming, but has yet to trust Christ as his personal Savior. Adriano, a man that Dan led to the Lord a couple of years ago, has gone visiting with Garry on occasion, so pray that he and his wife (Kléia) will continue to be faithful to church and in making visits. Pam and our niece, Christa, have taken Kléia to make a visit with Sandra, her sister-in-law, who was very depressed after losing her baby. The Gospel was clearly presented to Sandra, and although she did not make a decision at the time, she is open to having more visits with Pam and Christa. Please keep Sandra in your prayers regarding her salvation.

Vacation Bible School is also scheduled at the Bible Baptist Church of Osasco, Brazil for July 22-25. Please pray that God will greatly use those involved in the preparation and teaching of the VBS, and that many Brazilian children will trust Christ as Savior. Also pray that we will be able to get into the homes of these children to be able to witness to their unsaved parents. In our next prayer letter I plan to give a report on the VBS held in July.

On Friday, May 7, 2010, Becky gave birth to Christine Ruth Bennett. Christine was born at 8:01 a.m., weighed 8 pounds and 6 ounces, and was 19 1/2 inches long. Everyone loves her, and Deborah and Matthew are constantly touching and kissing her. We praise the Lord for this new addition to our family. We plan to make a new family picture made as soon as possible so that new prayer cards can be made. 

The following Saturday on May 15, our oldest daughter, Rachel, graduated from the A Beka Academy in Pensacola. FL.  We praise the Lord for her completing this milestone in her life, and we look forward to seeing how God is going to use her in the future.

We had the privilege to be at BIMI on June 8 for the 50th anniversary celebration of our mission. We were able to see some friends, pastors and missionaries that we had not seen for a long time, and also witness the inauguration of Dr. David Snyder as the new president and general director. Dr. Snyder has been a missionary in Alaska and has served as the Far North director with BIMI. We praise the Lord for God’s direction in the selection of Dr. Snyder as president. We are also glad to see that BIMI remains a conservative, independent, fundamental Baptist mission board.

We are busy scheduling meetings for the remainder of 2010, and even into the first part of 2011. We praise the Lord for two new churches that have added us to their missions family since we began traveling! Please pray with us that we will be successful in scheduling meetings with other independent Baptist churches that will partner with us in prayer and financial support.

Thank you once again to those of you that have been a part of our ministry. Some have been partnering with us since the beginning, and others have “come on board” just recently. Each one of you is important, and the part you have in our family and ministry is vital. May God continue to bless each and every one of you for “holding the ropes” on our behalf.

O give thanks unto the LORD; make known his deeds among the people!

Your missionaries to Brazil,

Dan & Becky Bennett

HE IS SO PRECIOUS TO ME
Words & Music by Charles H. Gabriel

So precious is Jesus, my Savior, my King;
His praise all the day long with rapture I sing.
To Him in my weakness for strength I can cling,
For He is so precious to me.

Refrain:
For He is so precious, so precious to me;
For He is so precious, so precious to me.
’Tis heaven below, my Redeemer to know,
For He is so precious to me.

He stood at my heart’s door ’mid sunshine and rain,
And patiently waited an entrance to gain.
What shame that so long He entreated in vain,
For He is so precious to me.

Refrain

I stand on the mountain of blessing at last,
No cloud in the heavens a shadow to cast,
His smile is upon me; the valley is past,
For He is so precious to me.

Refrain

I praise Him because He appointed a place
Where some day, through faith in His wonderful grace,
I know I shall see Him, shall look on His face,
For He is so precious to me.

Refrain

Here is another song that tells of the PRECIOUS name of Jesus.

PRECIOUS NAME
Words and Music by Lydia O. Baxter, 1870

Take the Name of Jesus with you,
Child of sorrow and of woe,
It will joy and comfort give you;
Take it then, where’er you go.

Refrain:
Precious Name, oh, how sweet!
Hope of earth and joy of Heav’n;
Precious Name, oh, how sweet!
Hope of earth and joy of Heav’n.

Refrain

Take the Name of Jesus ever,
As a shield from every snare;
If temptations round you gather,
Breathe that holy Name in prayer.

Refrain

Oh, the precious Name of Jesus!
How it thrills our souls with joy,
When His loving arms receive us,
And His songs our tongues employ!

Refrain

At the Name of Jesus bowing,
Falling prostrate at His feet,
King of kings in heav’n we’ll crown Him,
When our journey is complete.

I love those two songs that remind us that Jesus is PRECIOUS! His name is precious. The Bible tells us that the blood of Jesus Christ is precious. (1 Peter 1:19 – But with the precious blood of Christ…)

The Bible also tells us in 1 Peter 2:7, “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious.” Those of us that believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, He IS precious to us. Jesus was precious to “Grandma.”

But now I want to change my focus a little to something else in the Scriptures that is said to be “precious”. The Bible says in Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”

It’s interesting to note that the same word is used of Jesus, His blood, and the death of His saints. We can understand that Jesus and His blood are precious, even essential, to our salvation, but how is the death of a Christian precious in the sight of the LORD?

Let me try to explain it by using a simple illustration from the airport. We have been to airports and many times have seen it when one person is about to enter the line that reads “EMBARKING”. There is a circle of friends and loved ones around the person that will soon be departing. They are hugging, crying, and kissing the soon departing loved one. It is truly a sad time as they say their goodbyes.

However, at another location, perhaps half-way around the world is someone else anxiously awaiting the arrival of the aforementioned person getting ready to embark on his trip to a new and different place. The people in this place are excited about the arrival of the traveler. Everything has been prepared. They can’t wait for the long-awaited loved one to arrive as they count down the days, then the hours, and then the minutes. This excited waiting party is at the airport early with flowers in hand, checking the flight status on the computer monitor in the terminal. They eagerly watch out through the window, wondering if THAT’S the plane he is on, wanting to see when the plane lands, and then whispering a prayer of gratitude when the plane has safely landed. Then, as excited children on Christmas morning, the arrival party practically runs to the “DISEMBARKING” area to be the first to get a glimpse of the one arriving.

But wait: the traveler left a group of sobbing loved ones just a short time ago. It was a tough trip, both emotionally and physically. Now he is anxious to see the arrival party at the airport. It was a long, tiring journey, and the traveler is ready for the journey to end, and to finally get home.

As our weary traveler nears the end of his journey, he sees HIM. The ONE who loves the traveler with an everlasting love. The One who gave His life for the traveler. The One who had prepared a place for the traveler. Everything is ready for the traveler to arrive. As the eyes of the weary traveler makes visual contact with the One waiting, he sees Him running toward him with tears of joy streaming down His face. As the two embrace, the tired traveler hears, “Welcome Home, My child.” The journey has ended.

As we return to think of the departure of our dear mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, grandmother-in-law, and great grandmother, we can rest assured that her arrival on the other Shore was a grand reunion with her Savior. As we on THIS side weep over the departure of our beloved one, there was joy on the OTHER side upon her arrival. The LORD was there to take her in His loving arms, and not only did He say to her, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” but He also said, “Welcome Home, My precious child.”

The Home-going of a precious saint of God is precious in the sight of the LORD. And since it is precious in the eyes of God, it should be precious to us as well.

“Grandma, you will be missed, but we know that you are in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, and surely it must be precious!”

That is how the death of a Christian is precious in the sight of the LORD.

Now THAT is PRECIOUS!