Tuesday, October 26, 2004
[2:05 PM]
Weekly Update
I Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hello Everyone,
We had the privilege this week of meeting some new missionaries to the city and state of Zacatecas, the Jim Collins Family. He's finishing up his seminary by correspondence and will be taking a test today, please pray for a clear mind for him. We are so thankful that they're in the area and look forward to helping them out in any way we possibly can.
Yesterday we went to see Pastor Pepe and his family in Fresnillo. They're always such a huge blessing to us. They're putting the roof on their mission today, please pray for safety for the workers there. Next Monday we'll be picking them up and bringing them to Jerez so Pepe can see the new church property and see if they could take part in the building project. He's got a group of men that are constantly building something, whether it's churches, missions, improving homes and living conditions, etc. If we could hire these Christian men to help us build, we think that would be wonderful. We're looking at having them help us with the foundation and floor. For those of you that want to come down and help build, don't worry. There will be plenty of work to go around.
Church attendance was down this last week. It sprinkled just a little bit and when it starts to rain, some of our folks get a little nervous. Like we told you before, some of their houses are below street level and they end up with a lake in their living room. We did have a first-time visitor, Manuel, and he had a real good time. He said he plans on returning. I wish that you folks could here some of the testimonies from these folks down here. They are so precious.
Discipleship classes Saturday night went very well. They just finished up their study on Eternal Security and will be moving on to Baptism. Please continue to pray as this will mean these new Christians will have to soon make another decision about following Christ. Baptism is a more difficult decision here than it is in the United States. For these people Baptism could mean anything from friction within your family, all the way to being disowned by them, as well as people in the community. It really cuts all ties from the Catholic Church and it is a huge step in their lives.
Please pray this week for our home church, Talking Rock Road Baptist Church, as they are starting their missions conference tomorrow evening. They re also just getting started on the building project there.
Please pray hard for us this week. We are all feeling tired and run-down, and of course when you're tired and run-down that seems to be the time that Satan decides to attack. We've had some difficult situations over the past couple of weeks (Crazy George dying, people in the church having different issues arise, etc.) and even though we see God working these situations out, and we've seen lots of good things happen also, it's still stressful every time Satan attacks. He doesn't seem to be attacking our family directly as much as attacking the other baby Christians, and it's very difficult for us to watch as they don't understand their expanding role in spiritual warfare. But we know, like the verse above says, God is faithful!
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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Tuesday, October 19, 2004
[10:08 AM]
Weekly Update
Psalm 101:6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
Hello Everyone,
We have to begin this update on a sad note. A few weeks ago we asked you to pray for a man with hepatitis named "Crazy George". He passed away this last week, and as far as we know he never accepted Christ as his Saviour. We had talked to him, gave him tracts, John/Romans, and tried to show Christs' love, but he decided to count on his good works and his insistence that "I've never been bad." Please pray that God will use his death to bring other people to Himself.
Q: How many Mexicans can you cram into a 15 passenger van?
A: At least 36!
We transported 51 people to church this Sunday, an all-time high. You know what's so wonderful about this? There's never a complaint about being squashed. Every time you look in the rear-view mirror, all you see is smiling faces. Five of these were first-time visitors. And, praise the Lord, two of them went forward for Salvation! We are in need of another vehicle for transportation, preferably another 15 passenger van or Suburban.
We had a new program in place for the kids for discipleship class Saturday evening. Marta, Jose's wife, taught a Bible lesson and had coloring sheets for the children of the parents who attend discipleship class. This went very well. She seems to be an excellent teacher. The kids not only liked her, but they seemed to respect her as a teacher and authority. Please pray that this will be another effective out-reach opportunity.
The trip to and from the border to return Steve's family had no "faith-building" occurrences, and we're so thankful for that! We want to thank everybody, once again, for praying for traveling safety as well as praying for all the ministry and the people down here. Remember, every time you pass a Taco Bell ....
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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Wednesday, October 13, 2004
[2:34 PM]
Weekly Update
John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.
Hello Everyone,
I just wanted to send out a quick update to let you know how things are going. We had a great time visiting with our family this past week and were able to get a lot accomplished. We spent time at the children's home cooking and cleaning.
With the additional helpers we were able to get some of the extras done (windows washed, curtains cleaned, etc.). We had the opportunity to visit Villanueva and pass out quite a few tracts along with John/Romans.
Discipleship classes went very well with 46 children and adults in attendance.
Thank you for remembering to pray for these classes. Jose's wife has decided to help us with the children and will be putting together a lesson for them. This will be a wonderful time of growth for the children as well as the adults.
Church services went well Sunday with three adults making decisions for Christ. Monday we headed for Fresnillo to visit one of the national pastors there, Pepe, and offer some support. We had a great time visiting with him and seeing his ministry. They have a church with about 20 families and are starting a mission in another location that currently has about 8 families attending. They also have two 'soup' kitchens but due to lack of funds have had to cut back to only running one. He does construction work and will be coming down in the next week to help us get a better figure on how much it will cost to get the foundation put in for the church building. Keep us in your prayers as God leads us through each step of this process. It's very exciting!
Remember Steve and Alison in your prayers as they are on the road traveling today and tomorrow. Please remember to pray for Pepe and their financial needs as well.
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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Wednesday, October 06, 2004
[9:54 AM]
Weekly Update
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8
Good Morning Everyone,
Thank-you everybody for praying for our travel. We all arrived safe and sound yesterday evening, which is why our update is late. We had a great time visiting on the trip, and it's always lots of fun bringing new visitors here to Mexico. Steve's mom & dad have been here before but they brought three of our nieces with them this time for their first trip.
Last week we asked you to pray for Angelica and her situation with her husband. He wasn't happy about them going to church and discipleship classes. The newest information on them is that he left her for his old wife. She didn't seem terribly upset about this and neither did the kids. Please continue to pray for this family.
Last week we told you that a little girl named Maria Louisa got saved. She's been going up to everybody asking them if they're saved. She's very bold. As a result of this, three of the new girls at the children's home came up to Alison and asked if she could explain it to them. She took each of them separately into the office and went through the plan of salvation. All three of the girls accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour. It's fun to see the differences in people when they get saved. Maria Louisa wants to tell everyone. Diana started crying and said she was so happy, Laura said, very matter-of-factly, she needs to tell her Mom right away so she can get saved too, and Angelica just couldn't wait to get to the point. She knew all the answers and couldn't wait to ask Jesus into her heart.
Mark 16:15 And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. Brother Alejandro takes this verse very seriously! This past Sunday evening during church, Steve was floating between children's church and the "nursery" (just off to the side of the adult service on the floor) and the adult service. One of the kids in children's church started crying and wouldn't quit so he brought him to his mother. Right after that, Juanito (one of the babies), started crying also, so Steve took him to his mother. About that time, one of the burros, who'd been sticking her head in the door the whole service, started crying also. Well actually, I'm not sure if she was crying, or shouting Amen in Burro-ese. What I am sure of is the reaction of the crowd. Everybody was laughing, especially when Steve told Alejandro he was going to have to take care of his baby too.
Please continue to pray for us, especially this week with our extra family here. We will be extremely busy this week and heading back to the border with them next Tuesday. We thank all of you so much for your part in God's ministry here in Jerez.
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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