Dear co-laborers in the ministry,
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Prov. 3:5
We praise the Lord that He is trustworthy and omniscient, and we don’t have to depend upon our own weak, finite understanding. God’s ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best, no matter how, or when, or where they may lead.
We had our annual Faith Promise Missions Conference in April, and we praise God that we were able to increase the support of the five missionary families we now support.
As you may remember, we had Vacation Bible School in January when we had our first deaf person come to church from the neighborhood. As a result, we began our deaf ministry. On Sunday morning, April 26, Becky had the joy of leading Cristiane, a deaf lady, to the Lord. Becky has begun to disciple her, and it is so refreshing to see her desire to learn and grow spiritually. Recently, one of the lessons was regarding the Church, and as Becky was teaching Cristiane about tithing, she became real quiet. When Becky asked her what was wrong, she was noticeably convicted and embarrassed at the same time when she said, “It looks like I have been robbing God.” What a marvelous thing that would be if every Christian got convicted about stealing from God by not tithing!
On June 16, Becky and I went to Cristiane’s house for a Bible study, and just as they were finishing the lesson, Cristiane’s eleven-year-old daughter, Amanda, came in from school. She had asked her mother about how to be saved, but as a new convert herself, she didn’t quite know how to explain it to her daughter. That day, Becky showed Amanda how she could have her sins forgiven and go to Heaven, and with tears in her eyes Amanda trusted Christ as her Savior. Since then, Becky has begun to disciple Amanda.
On Sunday, July 5, we had Friend Day at our church with eight visitors in our morning services, and eight deaf people. One deaf couple that has been coming, André and Renata, have a hearing son named Luis Eduardo. After the morning service, our children’s Sunday school teacher, Clara, came up to me with Luis at her side. She told me that Luis had something to tell me, and very shyly Luis told me that he was saved.
A couple of weeks ago, a young deaf man and his girlfriend came to church at the invitation of another deaf man. During the Sunday school lesson, the question was asked, “Who were Adam and Eve?” These two deaf visitors had no idea who Adam and Eve were. They guessed that they were possibly friends, but had never before heard the biblical account of Creation. We were amazed that two people in their twenties knew nothing about the creation of man, the fall of man, and the way of salvation. Please remember William and Carina in your prayers regarding salvation, as well as André (mentioned above) and William, Cristiane’s husband.
We want to say thank you to those who have responded to our last prayer letter concerning our financial need. The dollar, for now, is steady and one church has increased our support while three others have started supporting this work. Thank you very much! While we are still “feeling the pinch,” it has eased somewhat.
As of now, we still do not have a furlough replacement, nor do we have any idea about when we will be returning to the States. Please pray that God would send the right person to come and take over the work in His perfect time. Thankfully, we have the promise of God in Proverbs 3:6: “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
Thank you for your faithfulness to give and pray for us as we reach the hearing and the deaf with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ
That all may “hear,”
Dan & Becky Bennett