Then…

After a 3 & 1/2 hour delay in Philadelphia while waiting for the windshield to be replaced on the airplane I was to fly on, the passengers were finally able to board the plane. Due to other minor things, we waited another half-hour as the plane was refueled, and for the air traffic control tower to give us clearance to takeoff. On board was a “balloon lady” that went up and down the aisle making animal balloons for the children. One tall young black man said that he wanted one, too. She asked him if he wanted something special, and when he said that he did, she blew up a brown balloon, and then made a few twists and turns of the balloon. It was not evident as to what she made until she reached up and placed the balloon up and over his head, and then lowered it to cover his mouth. She then said, “You asked for something special, so here it is,” just as she reached up and gave him a great big kiss on his balloon lips.

Let me begin by saying how grateful to God we are for each and every one of you that have an integral part in our ministry.  Thank you for “holding the ropes” so firmly and faithfully!  We do not take you, or what you do for us for granted.

As the first month of 2013 is already history, we thank the Lord for what He has done, and we look forward to seeing what He will do in the remaining eleven months of this year.

Regarding the church property, some time ago, an elderly deaf couple passed away and left a portion of their “estate” to the deaf church.  After being tied up in legal matters, their property is now free to be sold.  Please pray that it will sell quickly.  We don’t know for how much it will be sold, but the sale of this property should help with the initial cost of getting started on the construction of a building. 

We are praising the Lord for a great Deaf Women’s Retreat and a Deaf Men’s Retreat in January!  We had the privilege of having missionary/evangelist Jim Sloan with us for the Men’s Retreat on Friday and Saturday, January 25th & 26th.  Brother Sloan also preached for us twice on Sunday.  The deaf really enjoyed having him here.  One young lady, Marcia, who has come a few times, responded during the invitation.  Another deaf lady, Sônia, has been witnessing to Marcia, and she and Edenir, the Brazilian pastor’s wife, took Marcia into another room and gave her the Gospel one more time.  After about thirty minutes, there was a new name written down in Glory, and it was “Marcia”, as she repented of her sin and trusted Jesus as her Savior!  She is the third person that we have seen make a profession of faith recently.  On November 25th, a twelve-year-old boy named Gustavo trusted Christ as his Savior, and then on December 16th, a deaf woman of seventy-five years of age named Maria put her faith in Jesus Christ.  To God be the glory!

Please pray for the salvation of Willian, Marcia’s common-law husband.  I have been able to witness to Willian at great length on a couple of different occasions, and he also went to the Deaf Men’s Retreat and heard the Gospel there, too.  We believe that it won’t be long before he, too, is saved.  We would also appreciate your prayers for the salvation of Eraldo and Luciene, Marcos and Edna, Alex and Yanes, Kleber, and Murilo.

We want to express to you our gratitude to the many Christmas, anniversary, and birthday cards that we have received over the past couple of months.  We have already received two packages for Valentine’s Day (with Reese’s peanut butter hearts and M&M’s!), and we appreciate you that have made a special effort to let us know that you are praying for us.

We count it an honor to represent you in Brazil.  May the Lord continue to bless you as you faithfully serve Him in your “Jerusalem”, and also for reaching out to the uttermost parts of the world, including Brazil!

That all may “hear”,

Dan & Becky Bennett

What a privilege it is to serve the Lord! Let us never forget that Jesus is coming again, and it may very well be soon!

In our last letter, we mentioned the donation of property by another church to the church in which we are now serving. The church that donated the property had to formulate a legal document, stating that they were, indeed, donating the property. When the document was taken to a notary’s office to be legalized, there was something that the notary noticed that was done in error. As a result, the document was not notarized, and the land donation has not been officially transferred over yet. It’s a lot of “red tape,” but we are not discouraged by this delay, believing that God has something great in store for this area called, “Guacuri.”

Dan has been going out door-to-door in this neighborhood, and has had the opportunity to share the Gospel with a good number of people. Time or space will not permit us to go into great detail, but Dan has encountered a Seventh-Day Adventist, a Mormon, a Spiritist, many that were not a part of any religious organization, and many that claim to be Catholic. This area is saturated with many Pentecostal churches, complete with loud sound systems, women preachers, and speaking in tongues. We have our work cut out for us here, but great opposition means great opportunities. Thanks for your fervent, faithful prayers on our behalf!

Dan and Becky have been going to make visits in the homes of the families in the church. We have been well received, but were also excited to be asked to return to teach them the Bible. Discipleship is lacking here, so we plan to go back and teach them in the area of Christian living, and Bible principles.

Dan also recently went to the home of the parents of a deaf man that goes to our church. His parents are hearing, and claim to be Catholic. Dan was able to give a clear Gospel witness for ninety minutes, but their minds have been indoctrinated for so long in their religion. Although they did not make a profession of faith, they invited Dan to go back again. They had many questions, and before Dan left, he encouraged them to read the Gospel of John three times. The man said that he would, but the lady was more closed-minded. Please remember Ivanildo and Maria in your prayers regarding their salvation.

We were able to visit another elderly lady that is not saved, but has heard the Gospel on several occasions over the past few years. She was in the hospital, and we feared she might be dying. This is the lady that was hit by a motorcycle about five years ago, and Dan picked her up and took her to physical therapy three times a week. We made the trip out to see her, and she was pleased to see us. We were able to clearly give her the Gospel, but like the times before, she did not make a profession of faith. We did encourage her to repent and put her faith in Jesus Christ that night, since we never know when our last day will be. Please remember to pray for the salvation of Mrs. Moretti.

Becky: Our family is doing fine. Rachel and Joseph are in the second year at West Coast Baptist College and really loving it. Nathan is in his senior year of high school, while Anna is trying to do both her junior and senior classes this year in order to graduate next May with Nathan. Deborah is in the 5th grade, and Matthew is in the second. Christine is a cute “little mess” and we all love having her around. She is 2 1/2 and learning so much! We thank the Lord for our family. We are looking forward to having Rachel and Joseph with us this year for Christmas!

While you probably hear this from every missionary, “Thank you for your prayers” is not just an empty cliché. We truly do covet and appreciate your prayers. Thank you, again, for partnering with us financially in this needy harvest field of Brazil.

Your representatives in Brazil,

Dan & Becky Bennett

Dear co-labourers in the ministry,

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. We truly count it an honor to be able to represent your church in Brazil.
For those of you that were praying for us as we were looking for a vehicle, we appreciate your prayers. The Lord provided the money for us to get a twelve-passenger van in good condition. We bought it from an individual, and we had it checked by a deisel mechanic to make sure the engine was fine, and also a mechanic that specializes in transmissions, and everything checked out great. However, just a month after we bought the van, we were moving to our present location when the water pump went out. I pulled off the road when I heard the engine noise just as soon as I could, but the damage was done. The motor was blown and had to be rebuilt. We were without a vehicle for a month while the work was being done, and so we took the bus back and forth to church. We now have the van in our possession, and we hope and pray that we will not have any more problems with the van for a very long time.
In the deaf church, I am getting more opportunities to preach, and therefore my sign language is gradually improving – thank the Lord! The church has struggled in recent years as a good number have left the church, and some have even been telling other deaf that the church had closed. We are praying that the current members would stay faithful, and also that we would be able to reach more deaf with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We mentioned in our last letter about some exciting news regarding the deaf church. The news is that the Bible Baptist Church in São Paulo has received a donation from another church of TWO adjoining pieces of property. We have prayed for property for a long time, and now the Lord has given it to the deaf church so that we could go to that neighborhood and plant a church. Right now, we are waiting for the paperwork to be done before we can actually do anything with the property. This is only the beginning right now, so your prayers regarding this would be greatly appreciated. We do have a special day planned to dedicate the property and then to have a cookout at our house. We pray that this will excite the people and give them a vision of what God is going to do in our new neighborhood!
My hearing Sunday School class has become solely young people, and thus our Youth Ministry has begun. We have recently begun to hold youth meetings in our home every two weeks, and after our second meeting a fourteen-year-old girl made a profession of faith. Praise the Lord! A special thanks goes out to our home church, Southside Baptist in Rock Hill, SC, for donating and sending sports equipment to use with the teens! They will be excited!
Regarding our family, Rachel and Joseph have completed their first year at West Coast Baptist College. Rachel plans to work this summer to save money for the fall semester, while Joseph will be working in a Christian camp. Nathan is working to finish 11th grade, and Anna is almost finished with 10th grade. Deborah is finishing with 4th grade, and Matthew is getting anxious to finish 1st grade. Christine celebrated her second birthday on May 7, and she is a precious two-year-old. We thank the Lord for her, as well as, for all of our children God has given us. We pray that the Lord will use them all for His glory!
We have moved, so please make a note of our new mailing address:
Rua Alta, 5 – Sete Praias
Bairro Santo Amaro
São Paulo, SP 04477-520
Brazil
If you would like to receive our prayer letters via e-mail instead of via the U.S. Postal Service, please let us know. You may e-mail me at pastordaniel.brasil@gmail.com.
Thank you again for partnering with us in the endeavor of fulfilling the Great Commission in the needy harvest field of Brazil.

That all may “hear”,

Dan & Becky Bennett

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

Dear family and friends,

First of all, on behalf of our entire family, we would like to say a great big “THANK YOU” from the bottom of our hearts for your fervent prayers for us in regards to our “journey” to Brazil. It was truly an adventure! I will go back and reminisce a few days before our trip began on Monday.

Sunday was our last time at our home church before leaving for our third term in Brazil, so our pastor asked our family to stand in front of the pulpit after the morning service for the church people to come and tell us “good-bye.” We appreciated all the kind words, sweet remarks, hugs, kisses, and tears that were shed for us, and with us. We truly love our church! We will miss you all, and we would love to hear from you all from time to time.

On Monday morning, we had tremendous help as the Stockman’s, Bro. Donough, the Tyree’s, and Pastor & Mrs. Walters came to assist with packing and transporting our luggage to the airport. As Brother Branton Blair would say, “My, my, my,” did we have luggage! When we finished packing as much as we could, we had 22 large duffle bags as “checked luggage”, and a hodge-podge of “carry-on” luggage, complete with a stroller, car seat, and a booster seat. The internet said that our limit was 70 pounds per bag, so most of our bags were right at 69-70 lbs. However, when we got to the counter, the lady said that the limit was 50 lbs. Heather, my nephew’s wife, who helped us get our “stand-by” tickets told us that they had to honor what the internet said, and the internet said 70 lbs. for Brazil. After a mild “discussion”, she went and asked somebody, or perhaps went to the Delta website, came back and told us what we already knew, that we were indeed allowed 70 lbs. per bag. After all that was settled, we still had to pay for excessive baggage, but they were kind enough to take off $75.00 for one bag they discounted.

After we got checked in, we gathered in a circle as Russell Stockman led us in prayer. We then hugged and kissed and cried some more, and then headed toward security.

Well, we got back to our gate, and then we waited to be called to board our 12:45pm flight. That call never came since the plane was full. After we were informed of that, we continued to wait for the next available flight. The lady at the Delta counter told us that she would transfer us to the next flight, which would be at 2:15pm. In the end, she must have forgotten to do that because our names were not transferred to that flight.

The next lady was most helpful as she transferred us to a sure flight – one that was practically empty. The plane had to have a tire replaced, and then it was discovered that it needed to refill its’oxygen supply. The tire missed its’ first flight from Atlanta to Charlotte, and then when it did come, the mechanic tightened the lug-nut too much, and broke the nut. Anyway, people were changing flights like crazy, and since the plane that we were going to get on was delayed since 11:15am, the flight crew was also waiting there with us. We got to meet them, and even were able to meet the pilot and co-pilot, and then sit in the cockpit and take pictures. Thankfully, we finally got on the plane, and our family made up about half of the passengers. They treated us like royalty. We sure were glad when we got to Atlanta. We were even told in Charlotte that there were eleven seats open on the flight from Atlanta to São Paulo, and only four people ahead of us. That was good news!

When we arrived in Atlanta, we went to our gate to wait to be called. The lady at this counter was also having a bad day, apparently. As the people began to board the plane, we noticed that there were a multitude of people waiting to get on this flight. As all of the regular passengers were boarded, they began to call the names of those passengers flying on stand-by. As the four people ahead of us were called, I was ready to jump up and run to the counter as they called the next person, but it was not my name, nor anyone in my family. Another was called, then another, and still even more people. There were around ten people that were called ahead of us, and they were announcing over the intercom, “Last call”. I sat and prayed, and at last, they called us. It was a miracle from the Lord for sure as we got the last seven seats on the plane, and five of then were together! I sent a quick text to my father-in-law that we all got on the flight. As I sat down between two businessmen, they told us to turn off all electronic devices, and Pastor Walters responded to my text with one word: Glory!

We had a good flight, and we were sure glad to see missionary Terry Broyles at the airport with two of his men from the church. When we arrived at our temporary “home”, we we thrilled to see that they had gotten some of our furniture out of storage, and even had the bunk beds set up, along with our kitchen cabintes, bookcases, refrigerator, table and chairs, etc. We felt like we were “home”.

We were able to organize some things this afternoon, and even get our bed made. Wendy Broyles brought lunch to us, and Gisélia, a lady from the church, brought supper to us. Gisélia also had gotten our sheets out of storage, took them home and washed them, and we are now going to sleep in our own beds, on our own sheets. Can’t wait!

Wednesday will be a busy day as we continue to try and get more of our stuff out of storage that we need, like silverware. We are planning to go to the church here in Jundiaí tomorrow night, and the rest of the week will be spent in setting up our home.

A special “thank-you” goes to Stan and Judy Kemp for allowing us to use their van the entire time we were in the states. They saved us a tremendous amount of money, and for their generosity, love and freindship, we will be eternally grateful. God bless you both!

Again, thank you all so much for your prayers for us. We truly believe that we all made it on that flight to Brasil because so many of you were praying for us. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Please keep Deborah and Matthew in your prayers. Matthew misses his friends, “so, so much”, and Deborah is terrified of a roach she saw in her bedroom.

We send our love to all that made our furlough special. God bless each and every one of you!

Please keep in touch. We would love to hear from you all from time to time.

Your representatives in Brazil,

Dan & Becky Bennett & family

That all may “hear,”

Dan & Becky Bennett, and family

There is an empty lot directly across the street from our new location, and while it is not on the market yet, I believe it would be ideal if we could purchase that, and then build according to the needs and future growth of the church. God could put it on the market when we need it to be, if it is His will. We will see what He is going to do.

I received an e-mail a few days ago from the missionary that is taking our place in Brazil, and he said that they had a good number in Sunday’s services, with first-time visitors in both services. Praise the Lord!

We greatly appreciate your interest in the ministry, and we would certainly appreciate your prayers. God bless!

Dear Co-laborers in the ministry,

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5, 6
These verses are often quoted too quickly, and sometimes, even nonchalantly. The principles taught in these verses are forgotten because of mere familiarity. Do we really trust the Lord with ALL of our heart? Don’t we all too often lean on our own understanding? Do we acknowledge Him in ALL of our ways, allowing Him to direct our paths? I think most of us could be convicted from time to time after reading these verses. When all seems to be going well, WHAM!, we are hit with a difficult situation, and thankfully, we can run to the Lord in our time of need.
After six and a half years of renting a building for our church in Osasco, the owner has raised the rent to an outrageous price, causing us to have to relocate the church. For this reason, I (Dan) will be going to Brazil in March to try and decide where to relocate, and then sign the contract. It is our desire to be able to buy a piece of property, preferably with a building that we can utilize in which to hold services. As you know, the rent money that we have paid out for the last six and a half years is history, and that is the reason we would like to buy instead of rent.
While this has been sudden, the Lord was not taken by surprise. When we first heard of the rent going up, honestly, we were a bit discouraged. However, as we look to the Lord, we have been encouraged at the possibilities of buying a piece of property in the close proximity of our present location. We are excited about reaching some new people, and building up the church when we return to Brazil.
We have saved some money toward the purchase of a building, but what we currently have is not even enough for a down-payment. I have expressed our need to some pastors, and have even begun to receive money toward the purchase of property. While we are trusting the Lord to supply the needed funds, we would also like to give you the opportunity to get in on the action, possibly with a one-time special offering for us to be able to buy something. The owner of the building of our present location has given us until March 31 to be out of the building. Because of that, we are needing to do something quickly, hence, my upcoming trip to Brazil, March 17-28. We ask that you prayerfully consider this as a special missions project as we continue reaching more Brazilians in the city of Osasco with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Please send your gift to BIMI, with a note marked “Dan Bennett – Property”.
From a human perspective, it will be a miracle for all this to be done in the eleven days that I will be there, but God is able! Please make this a matter of prayer as well, that all will be accomplished in a short period of time. When this happens, we will surely be able to say that God worked a miracle.
We are also thrilled about a young couple that is on deputation, John and Hannah Speights. Thay have 74% of their needed support and are planning on going to Brazil to help us in the work. We are excited about the Speights family teaming up with us for our next term. Please remember them in your prayers as they finish raising their support to get to Brazil before the end of the year.
We are so thankful for a new church in Texas that has recently begun to support us. We are also excited about some promised support from a church in Ohio, as well as a desire to begin supporting us soon from a church in the Chicago area. Please continue to pray with us that our support would continue to increase and that we could get back to Brazil as soon as possible.
I praise the Lord that we were able to spend time with my father in Trenton, GA, on his 80th birthday. He pastored for many years before his retirement, and has had a tremendous influence in my life. As long as I can remember, my dad has had a great love for missionaries. Giving honor, to whom honor is due, I honor my father, Rev. William (Bill) Edward Bennett.
Thank you so much for standing in the gap with us financially and prayerfully. We are…

Your representatives to Brazil,

Dan & Becky Bennett