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