Prayer Letter (3rd Quarter 2024) – Answered Prayer

September 26, 2024

Greetings from São Paulo, Brazil!

We want to say a big “THANK YOU” to those of you that have been praying for the request that we mentioned in our past few prayer letters. We want to relate to you how that God answered the prayers of His people in a wonderful way.

Around the beginning of April, Pastor Lucas and his wife, Rute (Ruth), felt that God was leading them to look for another ministry in which to serve. They have been serving in a church where Pr. Lucas was saved and studied for the ministry. We’ve known Rute since she was a little girl, and now she is a pastor’s wife. Rute grew up in the Deaf church in São Paulo, and she knows Brazilian sign language (LIBRAS).

In mid-April, Dan was in contact with a former pastor of the Deaf church in São Paulo, and Dan asked him to pray that God would send two men to become the pastors of the two Deaf churches. This pastor mentioned it to his wife, and she texted Pr. Lucas and asked him to pray about it. By the way, the former pastor of the Deaf church in São Paulo is Rute’s father.

Back in September of 2023, Becky saw Rute teaching the deaf ladies at the Women’s Retreat, and she did a good job. Becky decided to ask Rute to speak at our Mother’s Day Tea, and Dan wanted to invite Pr. Lucas to come and preach that same weekend. Dan called and talked to Pr. Lucas, thinking he was the assistant pastor, but soon found out that he was the senior pastor of the church.

Dan invited them to come, and he quickly accepted. He told Dan that they had been praying about changing ministries, and only one other person knew about it.

Pr. Lucas, Rute, and their two small daughters came for the weekend of May 4th and 5th. It was a wonderful weekend of teaching, preaching and fellowship. On Monday morning, Dan and Pr. Lucas sat and talked about the Deaf church for a long time. Pr. Lucas and Rute both told us that they felt like they were “at home,” and seemed to have really enjoyed their time here. Pr. Lucas said that they would pray about God’s will concerning him becoming the pastor, and that he would give us an answer by the end of June.

On June 24th, Dan sent a message to Pr. Lucas just to let him know that we were praying for them, and if he had any questions to give him a call. He immediately called Dan, and he said that God had confirmed in their hearts that He wanted him to become the pastor of the Bible Baptist Church in Arujá. Glory, Hallelujah!!!! Praise the Lord!!!! That is a huge answer to prayer.

Let me also add another interesting piece of information: Pastor Lucas does not know sign language. Although that was a concern of his, Dan assured him that if God is calling, then part of the calling is preparing to minister in the language to which God calls a person. He is currently taking classes and doing well with what he has learned.

 Pastor Lucas and family moved to Arujá in August, and he is excited about learning and communicating with the Deaf. The church people have really embraced the new pastor, and we are excited to see how God is going to use this family in the years to come. They are a young family with some ambitious ideas, goals and plans. They have already talked about buying property and building in the future. We praise the Lord that we have had a part in the birth, growth and development of this church. This is also fruit to your account! To God be the glory!

Please be in continued prayer concerning a pastor for the Deaf church in São Paulo. We have someone in mind that could be a possibility…just waiting on God’s perfect timing. When that prayer has been answered, we will let you know.

Thank you for faithfully partnering with us as we reach the Deaf in Brazil!

That all may “hear,”

Dan & Becky Bennett

Pastor Lucas, Rute, Becky and Dan
Pastor Lucas, Rute, Lígia e Laura

June 2024 Prayer Letter

                                                                                                                                                                                                  June 13, 2024

Greetings from São Paulo, Brazil!

We want to say a big “THANK YOU” to those of you that have been praying for the requests that we mentioned in our last prayer letter. We had a men’s cookout in April at the home of one of the deaf men from the church in Arujá. We encouraged the men to invite their deaf friends, but only one deaf visiting man showed up. Luciano is a deaf man from the church, and he invited Emerson, the visiting deaf man to go to church on Sunday morning. Emerson said that he couldn’t go to our church because he was going to another church to see a baby get “baptized.” Luciano asked him what the meaning was of baptizing a baby, but Emerson didn’t know. Luciano began witnessing to Emerson, and since Dan was beside Luciano he asked Dan to “take over.” After a few minutes of talking, Dan asked Emerson if he knew why Jesus came to earth and died on the cross. He didn’t know. Dan began to simply explain the Gospel message to him. As he was talking, one of the men got up and went inside to get a small “Wordless Book.” When Dan started explaining the meaning of the colors, it was as if a “light came on” in Emerson’s mind and heart. After nearly 45 minutes of Luciano and Dan taking turns in explaining the Good News to Emerson, he bowed his head and asked the Lord to forgive him for his sin and save him! Praise the Lord!

For Friend Day, we had a family of four that came as first-time visitors. The couple is deaf, and they have two hearing boys. When the service began, the lady, Ellen, had a huge smile on her face. She had never been to a church where there was someone who focused on the Deaf. Her husband, Junior, was more reserved, but he seemed to enjoy it. When I asked them to come again, he said that they might, but Ellen jumped in and said that they would definitely be back! Their boys, Ryan and Bryan, also seemed to enjoy being there.

 Several weeks ago, Becky began teaching “The Wordless Book” after the church services. There are several children in the class, and some of the deaf adults stand around to watch the lessons. On May 26th, two hearing children (CODA) Ryan and another girl, Alice, trusted Christ as Savior. On the same day, Gustavo, a deaf boy made a video of what he has learned so far, and he is so excited about the things that “Mrs. Rebecca” is teaching. Gustavo is not yet saved, but we believe that it won’t be long. Please pray for Gustavo’s salvation.

Please keep praying that God would send two men (and their families) to become pastors for these two deaf churches. One young Brazilian pastor visited the church in Arujá in May. He is praying about God’s will about becoming the pastor, and he said that he would give us an answer by the end of June. Your fervent prayers would be greatly appreciated!

That all may “hear,”

Dan & Becky Bennett

Sent out by Southside Baptist Church, Rock Hill, SC – Pastor Tyler Donough

Prayer Letter March 2024

Greetings from São Paulo, Brazil!

I want to begin by saying, “THANK YOU” to those of you that partner with us in prayer and financial support. I know that we convey this sentiment in every prayer letter, but we want you to know that we don’t take you for granted. We appreciate so much your faithfulness to the Lord, and to us, in “holding the ropes” for us all these years.

On March 9th, there was a Ladies Cookout at a member’s house of the church in Arujá. The purpose of this was for the Deaf to invite their deaf (and hearing) friends. There was a delicious Brazilian cookout, and Becky explained the Gospel to the women that attended. In all, there were 28 in attendance, and 7 first-time visitors. The Seed was planted, but no one responded to the Gospel that evening. Pray that these visitors would come to church to learn more of salvation through Jesus Christ.

The Deaf church in Arujá is a daughter-church of the Deaf church in São Paulo. Most of the members there have been saved for a short period of time, and it’s wonderful to see the hunger for the Word of God. Dan is teaching from the book, Firm Foundations: Creation to Christ in Sunday School and going through the Book of First John in the morning service.

Please pray for us during the month of April as we are planning a Men’s Cookout, Friend Day, and even a baptismal service on April 28. We will also begin teaching a basic Brazilian Sign Language course in a church about an hour from our home that will last about 6 weeks. We are praying that God will use this to raise up workers, especially men, and pastors, among the deaf. At this moment, we are praying for AT LEAST two men/families to come and pick up the mantle of the leadership of these two deaf churches – that the Gospel Light would continue to shine to Deaf that are lost in the darkness, and in the silence. Thank you for helping us pray!

That all may “hear,”

Dan & Becky Bennett

Prayer Letter – December 2023

  December 21, 2023

Merry Christmas from São Paulo, Brazil!

We want to express our sincere gratitude for the cards and special Christmas offerings that we have received from so many of our supporting churches. Your generosity has been overwhelming, and we don’t take those expressions of love for granted. Many of you have been “holding the ropes” for us prayerfully and financially for many years, and we thank the Lord that we have had such a strong team, and some for more than twenty-five years.

Some of you may have heard the news of the recent Home-going of Becky’s father, Pastor Ken Walters, on October 21st. He pastored our home church for more than 43 years, and resigned as pastor in January 2022 so that he could travel and preach more. He had just celebrated his 80th birthday only two weeks prior with a big party that was well attended by family and friends. He faithfully served the Lord for many years, and he influenced and encouraged missionaries and pastors around the globe. He was a man of God and is already greatly missed.

Last month, Dan had the privilege to baptize a deaf couple that trusted Christ as Savior. Gilson and Marileide were invited to church by Amilton, one of our deaf men that unexpectedly passed away last year. This deaf couple has been faithful and were so excited to follow the Lord in believer’s baptism. Gilson had a huge smile on his face, and Marileide shed tears of joy after they were baptized.

Thank you for allowing us to represent you in the city of São Paulo. May God richly bless you all this Christmas season as we celebrate, worship and adore our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

                                                                                                That all may “hear,”

                                                                                                Dan & Becky Bennett

Prayer Letter – October 2023

October 12, 2023

Dear faithful partners in the ministry,

Springtime in São Paulo has brought some warm temperatures and early summer showers. The flowers are starting to open as we see God’s creation in full bloom.

As we look back over the past few months, we praise the Lord for the opportunities to serve our gracious Lord. Last month, the pastor of the hearing church where the deaf church meets asked Dan to preach on Sunday evening. There was a good crowd, and the people listened intently as Dan shared about the need for more laborers among the Deaf. At the invitation, two men responded and talked with Dan and asked how they can help. One man said that he would be willing to preach once a month, while the other man, with tears in his eyes, said that he and his wife would pray about this “open door” of opportunity. Please pray that God would send more laborers among the Deaf in São Paulo, and Brazil.

Recently, a fellow missionary and friend, Joel Dunbar and family, returned from furlough, so he asked Dan to go and preach for him as they are trying to adjust to coming back to Brazil. As “older” missionaries, we count it an honor to be able to help and encourage younger missionaries in the Lord’s work. This family has two sons, and we enjoy spending time and talking with the MK’s to try and encourage them.

Our missionary colleague and family, Jon and Hannah Speights, left the first week of October for their furlough. Jon started a “daughter church” from the Deaf church in São Paulo five years ago. The Lord has blessed the work in the city of Arujá with several young families. Furlough replacement for a Deaf church is almost unheard of, but missionaries to the Deaf need to take furloughs, too. The church in Arujá is a little over an hour from where we live, so we are going to be busy going back and forth.

Many of you have been supporting us for a number of years. Thank you for being faithful to pray and give toward the work among the Deaf in Brazil.

That all may “hear,”

Dan & Becky Bennett

Prayer Letter – June 2023

Dear faithful partners in the ministry,

During the last week of March, we had our annual BIMI South America Field Conference. This is a special time as the missionaries get together for a time of fun, fellowship, and spiritual refreshment. Our guest speaker was Pastor Scott Crabtree from LifeSigns Deaf Baptist Church in New Albany, Ohio. Brother Crabtree’s wife, Tricia, spoke to the ladies, and this couple was a special blessing and encouragement to us all. We are honored to be part of a great group of missionaries that serve the Lord with BIMI in South America.

On April 19th, Dan was asked by a deaf lady to go and witness to her aunt that was dying with throat cancer. When Dan arrived, the lady was barely awake, so he quickly began to share the Gospel with her. Within minutes, the lady had closed her eyes, but Dan was not sure if she had gone to sleep, or not. Dan went through the whole Gospel presentation with two other family members standing nearby. This is a strong Catholic family, and many of the things Dan explained had never been heard by them before. Although no one made a profession of faith, the Gospel Seed was planted. Early the next morning, the lady with cancer passed away.

On April 22nd, Dan was asked by a Christian deaf lady to make a visit about two hours away with her mother that practices spiritism. This woman is in her 90’s, and all through her house are idols and statues of various “saints.” She was a nice lady, and happily showed us around as we talked. We finally went into the house to sit and talk. She listened to some of the things Dan said but was easily distracted by other things. After about 45 minutes of talking about Jesus being the only way of salvation, she abruptly said, “Enough!” She didn’t want to hear any more, so Dan paused the conversation. After a while, lunch was served, and the deaf lady urged Dan to start the conversation again. For another thirty minutes Dan went over the Gospel message, but this lady’s heart is very hard. She thanked us for going, and even invited us back again. Please pray for the salvation of Mrs. Tica, that the Holy Spirit would soften her heart to the Gospel, and that she would trust Jesus as her personal Savior before it’s too late.

We are thankful for some recent visitors we’ve had in church. One deaf lady had been having family problems and was living on the streets. She went missing, and one of our faithful deaf church members reached out to try and help this homeless woman. The missing woman was found, and was in church the following Sunday, along with two of her friends. Please pray for the salvation of Rosemeire (Rosemary).

Dan returned to the USA for the high school graduation of our son, Matthew. He is now in Kentucky working at the Creation Museum with two of his sisters. Please pray for him as he adjusts to these changes in his life.

Finally, thank you for being faithful to pray and give toward the work among the Deaf in Brazil.

                                                                                                                        That all may “hear,”                                                                                                                         Dan & Becky Bennett

February 2023 Prayer Letter

Greetings from São Paulo, Brazil!

“For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” (1Cor. 16:9)

Just as the Apostle Paul penned the above words to the church in Corinth, sometimes we feel that we could write the same thing. The Lord has been opening several doors of opportunity that have the potential to open more doors of ministry.

Teaching Brazilian Sign Language in Osasco

On February 4th, Dan started teaching a sign language class in the city of Osasco. This is a city where we lived and ministered during our second term. Dan met the pastor of this church last year, and the invitation was given to teach a small group of people that want to reach the Deaf in their area. It’s a fun group, and they enjoy learning the Brazilian Sign Language.

Dan also visited another church nearby our house in the neighborhood called Guacuri. He had a good talk with the pastor, and the pastor is very interested in having us to go to his church and teach the Sign Language.

On Sunday evening, February 26th, Dan was also asked to preach in the Indianapolis Baptist Temple. (This is a neighborhood in the city of São Paulo, not in Indiana.) This church has been a vital part in our church in that they allow us to meet in their building since we don’t own property or a building. Our church has been with them since the year 2,000.  There may be another door of opportunity opening in this church to teach Sign Language here, as well.

Dan preaching at the Indianapolis Baptist Temple

Although our church is still small, we have seen some slow numerical growth, as well as spiritual growth. Working with the Deaf is not a “sprint,” but a “marathon.” As the Lord opens doors of ministry, the adversary also takes notice, and so we must always stay “on guard.”

When Dan returned to Brazil after the wedding, Becky planned to stay for two more weeks. However, Becky’s mother had some serious health problems, and so Becky stayed to assist her mom. Becky’s mom, Mrs. Chris Walters, has made some slight improvements, but she is not back to “normal” yet, so Becky is still in South Carolina at the moment. Although many tests have been done, the doctors have not found the cause of her constant headaches. Please keep my mother-in-law in your prayers.

Finally, thank you for being faithful to pray and give toward the work among the Deaf in Brazil.

 That all may “hear,”

Dan & Becky Bennett

Prayer Letter – August 2022

Greetings from São Paulo, Brazil!

Over the past few months, we have been staying busy in the work here. As I mentioned in our last prayer letter, our family went to the Deaflympics 2022 in the city of Caxias do Sul. Silent Word Ministries out of Trenton, GA purchased and provided us with thousands of tracts to take and distribute. We were able to hand out many Gospel tracts, talk with a good number of people, and several deaf people made professions of faith.

On May 30, Amilton, one of our faithful deaf men, died unexpectedly at the age of fifty-one. He had just celebrated his fifteenth “spiritual birthday” the day before. Back in November of 2021, Amilton invited a deaf couple to church named Gilson and Marileide. This couple had visited numerous other churches, but when they visited our church, the Gospel was clearly presented to them, and they trusted Christ as their Savior. We praise God that Amilton invited these people to church before he went to Heaven. One person can make a difference!

We have been invited to go to a church two hours northwest of us next month in the city of Boituva. Dan will be preaching, and we will be presenting our ministry among the deaf. The pastor seems to be interested in starting a deaf ministry in the church, so we are excited about this opportunity.

September 25th has been designated as “Blue Sunday.” This is a special day in Brazil that celebrates and brings awareness to the deaf and their culture. Each year, we invite Deaf from all over São Paulo to our church, and Dan will preach a simple, evangelistic message, followed by a small party to show our love for the Deaf. Please pray for Deaf to be saved on this special day.

Our two remaining children at home are doing well. Matthew began his senior year of high school, and Chrissy started seventh grade. Becky not only stays busy with our own children, but also with the children at church. She is often requested to attend doctor’s appointments to interpret for our deaf ladies, and that can take up several hours in a day as we trek all around São Paulo. Thank you for praying for our family!

One important prayer request we have is that God would send us someone to come and work with us. We would love to have a Brazilian man to come and eventually take over as pastor. Dan has begun to work with one of our men who has preached a couple of times, but he hasn’t had any “formal” Bible training. Dan plans to spend more time training this man, but someone to work alongside of us with experience would be a huge blessing.

Also, please pray for our colleagues, Jon and Hannah Speights. They have two children with some serious health issues, but it seems as if numerous medical exams have been unable to find the root causes. Your prayers for this family would be greatly appreciated.

Once again, THANK YOU for allowing us to represent you as we labor among the Deaf in São Paulo. We are extremely grateful for your prayer and financial support.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     That all may “hear,”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Dan & Becky Bennett

April 2022 Prayer Letter

April 28, 2022

Greetings from São Paulo, Brazil.

It’s an honor to serve the Lord Jesus Christ!  Next month will mark our 23rd year of being in Brazil. God has been so good to us, and we praise Him for His faithfulness to us.

The last week of March was our annual BIMI Field Conference. Since our Brazil Field Director, Sean Lunday, took over being the Director over all South America, our Field Conference was attended by nearly eighty people from five different countries (six, if you include the USA). As always, it was a blessed time of fellowship, wonderful preaching, fun activities, good Brazilian food, lots of laughter, and spiritual refreshing. We met some new friends and got reacquainted with old friends. It was great to get our spiritual “batteries” recharged to continue the work of the ministry.

Samuel, a deaf man that visited our church back in October of 2021, has been coming off and on for the past few months.  He told Dan that he didn’t own a Bible, so Dan was able to give him a Bible that was paid for by a church in the USA through the ministry of BEAMS. Dan encouraged Samuel to read the Gospel of John three times, and he said that he would.  On April 17th, Samuel was back in church, and after a visual, Easter/Gospel message, Samuel placed his faith in Jesus as his Savior. Hallelujah!

A few weeks back, Becky was contacted by Danielle, a lady in Pompéia, a city about six hours northwest of São Paulo. We had met this family several years ago through some mutual friends, so they knew that we worked with the Deaf. A couple weeks ago, they contacted a man to do some work, and when he came to their house, he brought his deaf cousin to help. The deaf man, Gabriel, doesn’t know sign language, and Danielle’s family became burdened for Gabriel.  Danielle then got in touch with Becky, and after several conversations Becky agreed to teach this family Brazilian sign language (LIBRAS).  They had their first class on April 19th via Zoom, so please pray that Gabriel could be reached with the Gospel by this family as they learn sign language, and then teach him.

The Deaflympics (Deaf Olympics) will be held in Brazil on May 1st through May 15th. We just found out about this a short time ago but dismissed the idea of making the trip since we didn’t know of anyone else going among our missionaries. However, we felt the Lord leading us to go and be a part of reaching Deaf from around the world with the Gospel.

Dan sent a voice message to his brother, David Bennett, to ask him for advice about going to the Deaflympics. David has organized a couple of groups that went to two previous Deaflympics in other parts of the world, so we knew that he would be able to help. To make a long story short, David was able to get a big, plastic tote on a plane the following day, full of tracts, DVDs, and Gospel literature in several languages. David’s daughter and son-in-law, Brian and Christa Pate, are missionaries in Brazil, and they were leaving the very next day to return to Brazil after their furlough. Dan picked them up at the airport the next day, and also sixty-five pounds of Gospel “Seed” to be scattered around the Deaf world.

Please pray for us as we meet deaf people from around the world, and as we put the Good News of Salvation into their hands. The Gospel could go to Communist, Socialist, and Islamic countries. Only God knows how far the outreach will go. Pray that we would be Spirit filled, and that God would give us wisdom as we share the Gospel with those to whom we can minister. We can communicate in English and ASL (American Sign Language), as well as in Portuguese and LIBRAS (Brazilian Sign Language). Pray for us as we take the Seed of the Word to the Deaf of the world, that Jesus Christ would be magnified, and that souls would be saved. He promised that His Word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11), so let us pray for a bountiful harvest of souls for the glory of God.

Thank you for having such an important part in the ministry among the Deaf here in Brazil!

May the Lord continue to bless you there in your community as you faithfully serve Him.

                                                                                    That all may “hear,”

                                                                                    Dan & Becky Bennett

January 2022 Prayer Letter

Dear Fellow Laborers,

Since our last prayer letter, we have seen five people make professions of faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. There have been three deaf adults saved, and two hearing CODA’s (Children Of Deaf Adult). We praise God for the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of these people as they have been coming and learning the way of salvation.

On a not-so-joyful note, our youngest daughter’s Brazilian document (RNE) expired while we were on furlough. When she returned to Brazil in September, she returned with a tourist visa, giving her 90 days to renew her permanent visa. We tried to renew her visa, but were unsuccessful in scheduling a visit with the Federal Police. On December 22, Becky returned to the USA with our two children as that was the 90th day of Christine’s tourist visa. We have been keeping our eyes open for available dates and times to schedule an appointment, but each time we look, it says that there are no dates available and to check back later. If you would, please pray with us that we would be able to renew Chrissy’s Brazilian document as soon as possible.

On the same note, Becky’s Brazilian document will expire in March, but because of all the “red tape” that we have been going through with Chrissy’s document, it would be somewhat miraculous if we could renew Becky’s document before it expires. The problem is that, when these documents expire, that person is required to leave the country, even if it’s only for enough time to get the passport stamped. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated as we attempt to renew Becky’s and Chrissy’s Brazilian documents.

On January 2nd, my pastor/father-in-law retired from the pastorate of our home church. Although I was not required to go back for the retirement celebration on January 9th, I thought it fitting to return to honor Dr. Kenneth and Christine Walters, my pastor and his wife, giving honor to whom honor is due. My mother-in-law has also been faithfully serving in the deaf ministry all these years. It was good to be there and honor this faithful couple and servants of our Lord. My father-in-law is now lining up meetings, mission’s conferences and Bible conferences as he seeks to be a help to pastors and missionaries in the work.

Our home church, Southside Baptist Church in Rock Hill, SC, has called our former youth pastor to become the senior pastor. Pr. Tyler Donough has done an outstanding job with the youth over the past eleven years, and we feel confident that he will be a good fit as pastor of our sending church.

We would appreciate your prayers as we navigate through the turbulent waters of COVID, and in trying to encourage people to not be afraid to return to church. We are praying for revival in 2022, so please join with us in prayer for the Bible Baptist Church of the Deaf in São Paulo.

Thank you for your faithfulness in giving and praying for us.

                                                                                                         That all may “hear,”

                                                                                                         Dan & Becky Bennett