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 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