October 2012 Prayer Letter

Dan Bennett

Dear partners in ministry,

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.” Read more →

A Strong Foundation

Dan Bennett

A while back when my son, Nathan, was here, he and I went to go to help a friend do some work on his house that needed to be done. One thing we did was to break up the driveway entrance so that it could be replaced. Nearby was a large pine tree, and the roots had spread and grown under the driveway, and had broken the concrete. One thing that I noticed was that there was a rather large root that had made a deliberate turn when it reached the foundation of the house. It did not go under the house, but ran alongside the foundation. Thankfully, the person who built the house had the wisdom to build a strong foundation, so that even the roots from a nearby tree could not penetrate it and do damage to the house.

That made me think: It is very important to have a strong foundation on the Word of God, so that when the roots of secularism, humanism, materialism (and all those other “isms”) try to do their damage, the firm foundation with hold fast and true. They will run alongside the foundation, looking for a weak spot, so be sure that your foundation is complete, and deeply grounded. If you try to skimp, cut corners, taking shortcuts on something so important, and not build a secure foundation, the roots of destruction will find their way in, and do great damage.

My friend, your time with God, reading and studying the Bible, being in ALL the services of the church are vital to your spiritual foundation. If you cut out a little here and a little there, you are doing it to your own spiritual demise. Don’t cut corners with God. Build a strong, firm foundation on the Word of God, and then you’ll be able to withstand those attacks from those underlying forces. You’ll be glad that you did!

Get rid of the dog!

Dan Bennett

Soon after I moved out of my parents’ house, I secured a job with a small, carpet-cleaing company in north Georgia. I enjoyed working there, learning to professionally clean, tint, and dye carpet. One day when I went to work, my boss told me that we had a large job to do. When we pulled up to this house, it looked like one of the large, brick mansions that you would see on TV. The owner and his wife were both of the snobby sort, but they gave us the job of cleaning, tinting, and dyeing the carpets throughout their entire house. This job took us two days to complete, and we even cleaned the wool carpet in his Rolls-Royce.
Besides the snobbish couple, there was also a Great Dane that resided in their house. It appeared that the large canine did not go outdoors at all, for everywhere we looked, there were large “doggie deposits” on the expensive carpets. Before we could clean the carpets, we were required to clean up the disgusting doggie doo. However, with a Great Dane loose in the house, we knew that it was just a matter of time before another ‘land mine” would be found.
I have been doing a good deal of thinking lately about the 21st-century Christian, and how they remind me of that wealthy, snobby couple. Christians want to be saved from Hell, but they don’t want to give up their sinful life-style — they are not willing to get rid of the Great Dane. They are wanting to live the life of a child of the King, but allow the Great Dane to continue living with them, and dirtying up their lives. When someone tries to help them by saying, “Get rid of the dog,” they get offended, and say that it’s “part of the family.” When you were saved, you were also sanctified, or rather, set-apart from that mess. If one is saved and cleansed from the filth and condemnation that was caused by sin, why would a Christian want to continue to have something in their lives that stinks and is disgusting? That old life-style WAS a part of you, but you were cleansed, and the Great Dane was put out. He will try to sneak back in. Don’t let him back in, and by all means, don’t invite him back in!
One more word of caution: Don’t replace the Great Dane with an elephant.

Prayer Letter 5/31/12

Dan Bennett

May 31, 2012

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 Read more →

February Prayer Letter

Dan 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. Read more →

We are back in Brazil!

Dan Bennett

06 December 2011

 

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. Read more →

Prayer Request

Dan Bennett

Please pray with us that we will hear from the Brazilian Consulate today regarding Christine’s visa. We are planning on leaving for Brazil in just two weeks from today. It sure would be nice if we could all go together. If her visa does not come in before December 5, I will have to stay behind with Chrissy until it does come, while Becky takes the other four children on to Brazil. I would rather that our family not be split up like that as we leave for our third term in Brazil. I know that God is in control, but your prayers sure would be appreciated.

October Prayer Letter

Dan Bennett

Dear Faithful Partners in Prayer and Support,
We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to you for your faithfulness to God, to us, and to our ministry.
In 1994, God called Becky and me to be missionaries to the deaf in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Sao Paulo, a city of 23 million people, has between 45,000 – 80,000 Deaf! In our first term, we had the privilege of working with Dan’s brother in the Bible Baptist Church for the Deaf of São Paulo. God raised this church up to be a Gospel Lighthouse to the deaf in that region.
God brought to the deaf church a few hearing families from a neighboring city. Although it was not our original intention, God led us to start a hearing church in Osasco during our second term. On October 1, 2004, the Bible Baptist Church in Osasco held her first service. We saw souls saved, people baptized and discipled, and we even began to support five missionary families through Faith Promise giving. We praise the Lord for using us to start a fundamental Baptist church in Osasco.

From the beginning, our goal and prayer was to turn the church over to a national pastor. After we had started the congregation in Osasco, we noticed another fundamental Baptist, national pastor, Pastor Eutálio, also pastoring a work nearby. In God’s wisdom and goodness, He has led us to join our two churches together under Pastor Eutálio. This pastor, married with two grown children, has fourteen years of ministry experience. He said he was humbled, yet excited about serving our church people as well.
Read more →

May 1, 2011 Update

Dan Bennett

Thank you so much for your prayers for us, and for the church situation in Brazil. I went to Brazil in March, and the Lord opened up a door for us to rent another building in the close vicinity of our previous location. It is also more reasonable that where we previously were, allowing us to save more money. We did not come up with enough money to buy a piece of property, but we have received a little more than $9,000.00 in special offerings. We have put this money in savings now, and will continue to pray and ask the Lord to provide the necessary funds to be able to purchase in the future.

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!

February 2011 Newsletter

Dan Bennett

February 24, 2011

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