Prayer Letters

Dear co-laborers in the ministry,

As I sit in my office on the last night of the year, I can’t help but reflect on the goodness of God.

On Sunday, September 29, we had a special “Blue Sunday” to commemorate Deaf Awareness during the month of September.  There were 89 people in attendance, and eight deaf people made professions of faith. It was a, “Glory, Hallelujah,” kind of day!

On October 11, I received a phone call from my oldest brother, David Bennett, telling me that it would not be long before the Home-going of our earthly father.  I arrived back in Chattanooga on October 14, and me and my two brothers stood around Dad’s bedside waiting for his imminent passing.  However, as his three sons stood around talking, reminiscing, and laughing, Dad seemed to have made a slight improvement.  Within a week’s time, he was sitting up, watching football, and drinking buttermilk with cornbread (it’s a Southern thing).  Dad was a pastor for 49 years, and he would ask me to read the Bible to him, and then read some from one of his favorite commentators, finishing off with a prayer for family and loved ones.  I was able to spend some time with Dad and my two brothers while waiting for his passing, which turned out to be the most time we’ve been together since we were teenagers.  Just as I was about to return to Brazil, my father, William Edward Bennett, passed away suddenly from a cardiac arrest on Tuesday evening, November 19.  The two-hour funeral service was a blessed time of rejoicing, singing, testimonies, and challenges from the Word of God. 

I returned to Brazil on November 25, and then on November 27 we began our prophecy conference in conjunction with the 25^th anniversary of the Bible Baptist Church for the Deaf.  Since this was the “silver” anniversary, I had invited my brother, David, to come and preach this conference, since he is the one that planted this church 25 years ago.  David preached Wednesday through Sunday, and three people made professions of faith in Jesus Christ.

December kept us busy with planning, preparing, and decorating for a Christmas dinner, and then Dan performed a wedding ceremony of a deaf couple that was saved in September.

As we start 2020, once again we want to express our sincere appreciation to all that have faithfully prayed and given financially to our ministry this past year.  We are very grateful to those that sent in a special Christmas offering, and your generosity has been overwhelming.  We are blessed to have you on our team, to partner with us here in Brazil, and we don’t take you for granted.  May the Lord grant you a fruitful, blessed, and HAPPY NEW YEAR as you enter 2020!

                                                                                                That all may “hear,”

                                                                                                Dan & Becky Bennett

Dear ministry partners,

The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.  Psalm 126:3

We serve a mighty God Who is WORTHY of our love and worship!  

Back in January we were contacted by a fellow BIMI missionary in Jundiaí, a city about 90 minutes from our home.  He asked if we taught sign language to church groups, and if we would be willing to drive out to their church for the class.  We set aside six Saturdays in June and July to go and teach a basic sign language course for three hours each Saturday for six weeks.  On the first Saturday, we were shocked to see that practically the whole church had signed up to take the course. It was very moving to see the whole congregation singing and signing hymns and choruses that we taught in our class. There was even a man there named Santiago who only had one hand!  He told me that, even though he could not become an interpreter or very proficient in sign language, he was doing it so that his family would see his example.  What a blessing to meet a man with such a commitment to God and his family!  After six Saturdays, we had a special graduation ceremony on Sunday morning, July 21st.  We were thrilled to be able to hand out 101 diplomas to those that satisfactorily completed the course.  They are praying that God would raise up a couple that would head up this ministry.

On July 29th, Dan returned to language school, not because he needs a refresher course in Portuguese, but to interpret for a missionary deaf couple that has moved to São Paulo to learn Portuguese. This is a one-year course that will be two hours each day, Monday through Friday. Pray for Michael and Ruth Douglas as they learn Portuguese, and for Dan as he interprets and attempts to explain in Brazilian sign language the complicated verb conjugations of the Portuguese language.  Michael and Ruth have learned a good bit of the Brazilian sign language, and now they will be learning the spoken language to be able to read and understand Portuguese, and that Michael can study and prepare properly for preaching. They could use your prayers, as well.  Becky will be babysitting the Douglas’ two little girls while the parents go to language school.  

The new church plant in Arujá is going well.  Our co-workers, Jon and Hannah Speights, keep us informed as to what is going on in the church there.  There have been some tremendous blessings, as well as some incredible difficulties, but through it all we sit back and say, “Praise God for what He is doing in Arujá!”

Thank you for being a part of souls being saved among the deaf and hearing in São Paulo, Brazil!

That all may “hear,”

Dan and Becky Bennett

Dear ministry partners,

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. Psalm 145:3

We serve a GREAT God Who is WORTHY of our praise!  We are grateful to God for every one that has a part in our ministry with their prayers and financial support.  We don’t take it for granted that God’s people lift us up in prayer on a regular basis.  We understand that it is because of people like you that we can continue serving the Lord in Brazil among the Deaf.  Thank you so much!

On January 13, two more precious deaf people made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.  Ernando and Solange started coming a few months ago, with a desire to learn the Bible. Since Becky has been teaching an evangelistic class on Sundays an hour and a half before our worship service, she asked them to join in the class, too.  After several weeks of learning about Heaven, the consequences of sin, the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection, and the forgiveness of sin, they bowed their heads and received the gift of eternal life.

On February 17, Ewerton, the grandson of one of our deaf ladies, made a profession of faith after the children’s class.  His sister, Emily, who made a profession of faith back on September 30 of last year, shed tears of joy when her brother was saved. 

The new church plant in Arujá is going well.  Our co-workers, Jon and Hannah Speights, told us that since they began holding Sunday services in their home on October 21, 2018, twenty-one people have been saved.  On February 17, they began holding two services on Sunday and a mid-week prayer service. In addition to that, they are now holding eight individual or couples Bible studies a week in their home.

Last month was our annual BIMI All-Brazil Field Conference.  We had a wonderful time of fellowship with other missionaries that are like-minded.  Several of our missionary couples have been here for over 40 years, and it is an honor to “rub shoulders” with these faithful servants of God.  These precious people are in their late-60’s to mid-70’s.  We praise God for their faithfulness, but we would also like to see some new, young missionaries that will surrender to come over to Brazil and help us.  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.  Matthew 9:38

Thank you for being a part of souls being saved among the deaf and hearing in São Paulo, Brazil!

                                                                                                That all may “hear,”

                                                                                                Dan and Becky Bennett

Happy New Year from São Paulo, Brazil!

I trust that you all had a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!  I apologize for the delay in getting out an update of the last quarter in 2018.  I started to write a prayer letter the first part of December, but I received a call from my oldest brother telling me that my Dad was in critical condition.  We made an unexpected trip to the USA which put our prayer letter on a “back burner.”  My Dad improved, and I am glad that I could go and see him for several days.  We also saw our three oldest children that live in the States, as well as spending several days with Becky’s family.  Becky and I got colds while in the USA, probably because of the extreme temperature changes.  When we left Brazil, it was around 90 degrees, and then arrived in Charlotte, NC to temperatures around freezing.  Even after returning to Brazil on December 31, Becky has been fighting a sinus infection with the accompanying symptoms.  I ended up taking  her to the doctor, and she is now on antibiotics.

Since our last prayer letter, we have seen the Lord working in wonderful ways.  On November 18, Dan preached a soul-searching message on Hell, and two people prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  One was a hearing boy of deaf parents, and the other was a precious deaf lady.

The following week was our Prophecy Conference, and at the end of the Conference, another young hearing boy listened well during the sermon about eternity and wanted to be saved, so after showing him the Bible verses he prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior.

On December 9, we held our annual Christmas banquet.  This is not only a time of fellowship for our church people, but also another opportunity to preach the Christmas and salvation message to visitors.  Marlene, a deaf lady that was saved back in April of last year, brought her deaf boyfriend, José, to the Christmas banquet.  After seeing the message as to why Jesus came, José responded to the invitation and asked the Lamb of God to take away his sins.

In our last prayer letter, I mentioned the start of a new church plant in Arujá.  This is a daughter church of our church in São Paulo.  Our co-workers, Jon and Hannah Speights, began holding Sunday services in their home on October 21, 2018.  Since the start of the Deaf church in Arujá, 17 people have been saved, and they have been averaging 40 people in their services.  Please continue to pray for the Speights in 2019 as they teach, preach, evangelize, and disciple the Deaf in this new church in Arujá.

Thank you for being a part of souls being saved among the deaf and hearing in São Paulo, Brazil!

                                                                                                That all may “hear,”

                                                                                                Dan and Becky 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