February 8, 2012
Dear partners in the ministry,
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31. We praise the Lord for the privilege to serve the Lord in Brazil. Sometimes we do get weary, and sometimes we feel faint, but we are thankful for the renewed strength that the Lord has given to us.
We returned to Brazil for our third term on December 6, 2011. We have been back for two months now, and we are somewhat settled in temporary housing. Some dear, long-time missionary friends of ours, Terry and Wendy Broyles, have bent over backwards to help us in this transitional time of getting re-adjusted to the Brazilian culture, something that has been especially important for our younger children. They have an apartment on their church property that they have graciously offered for us to use at a very low rental cost, and have also loaned us their car while we search for a vehicle.
We were privileged to have Rachel and Joseph, our two oldest children, here with us in Brazil for Christmas. They have finished their first semester at West Coast Baptist College, and are already back in Lancaster, California, for their second semester. They love it there, and we were thrilled to see and hear what God is doing in their lives already just after one semester. With two in college, we all would appreciate your prayers for them as we are so very far apart, and we cannot just hop in the car and be there in a couple of hours. Please pray with us regarding their school bills, as well.
Last month, our family helped with Vacation Bible School at the Bible Baptist Church in Jundiaí. I have also had the privilege to preach and go to Bible studies during the month of January.
We are also going into São Paulo most weeks to attend and help in the deaf church. I have preached there on one occassion, but my Portuguese sign language is a little rusty. The Brazilian pastor with whom we are working has separated the hearing from the deaf for Sunday school. He teaches the deaf while I am now teaching/preaching each week to a hearing group that is mostly made up of teenagers, with a few adults.
We were able to get all of Christine’s paperwork turned in for her permanent visa at the Federal Police, and are thankful for all the running around we did regarding this process before we left the States. It would have been a great deal more complicated, not to mention, time consuming, if we had not done this before we got here.
I also had to renew my Brazilian driver’s license recently, since the one I had expired while we were on furlough. This also was a complicated and time-consuming ordeal as I had to go to Detran, Brazil’s rendition of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). I won’t go into detail here for lack of space, but after having received instructions from various people that had absolutely no idea what they were talking about, I finally was able to get everything done and turned in, and I am now waiting for my license to arrive. Because I am a foreigner, I don’t just pick it up at the DMV, but will wait for it to be sent to a neutral location, and when it arrives between 14 and 30 days later, I will then be able to pick it up there.
We are still looking for the right vehicle, at the right price. Full size vans that can accomodate our family are rather expensive here. The older models that are more reasonable have high mileage, and often have been abused by the passengers. The newer vans with less miles and in better condition, are pretty much out of our price range. We are looking to possibly buy an older vehicle, with less miles, but also in our price range. Thanks for your prayers in this regard.
In my next letter, I trust that we will be able to let you in on some exciting, unexpected news concerning the deaf church. However, since the idea has not been finalized, I don’t have the liberty to mention it right now. We would appreciate your prayers for wisdom as some important decisions will need to be made in the near future.
We can’t thank you enough for the part that you have in our ministry. We don’t have any ministry partners that we consider less significant than another. Each of you is important, and each one of you are a valuable asset to the work and ministry of the Bennett family in Brazil. May God bless each and every one of you in a great way as you serve the Lord right where you are planted!
Your representatives in Brazil,
Dan & Becky Bennett