Monday, November 28, 2005
[12:33 PM]
Weekly Update
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
Good Morning Everyone,
I know this update is early this week, but we are in the midst of a major battle with Satan and his forces already this week. Whenever you have a victory, Satan is there to wreak havoc shortly thereafter.
First, the victory: Saturday, we went out door-knocking again. We returned to the street where we went the first week. We had visited with an elderly lady, and she was very receptive, but hadn't come to church. When we returned Saturday, she met us with a big smile, and invited us into her home. We shared a little bit more of the Bible with her, and praise the Lord, she accepted Christ into her heart.
Later that same day, the attack really got going. There had been some things going on that we were trying to deal with between a couple of people within the mission work. Unfortunately, it came to an ugly head. Now, there are hurt feelings, angry people, folks ready to quit, and the all of the normal things that go with this sort of thing. We are trying to get them to deal with this Biblically, but all of the parties involved need to also understand their part in this, and be willing to do things as the Bible says.
Then, as if the attacks on the church aren't enough, our daughter, Alison, was harassed while moving things into her new apartment by a couple of guys who smelled of drugs very strongly. It bothered her enough that she waited for about 30 minutes before going back out to her vehicle, and when she went back out, the ignition was torn out of her vehicle. Somebody (or somebodies) had tried to steal it, but apparently couldn't get it started. Satan is attacking everywhere! He is trying to distract us and turn our attention on every hand.
Right now, we feel like Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:8-9, where he says, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;" We understand that God is in control, and that He knew all about what has transpired this past little while before He created the earth. He already knows how it's going to work out, and it will work out for His glory and for our good, just as He has promised (Romans 8:28). And while it is hard to be thankful for uproar and upheaval and fussing among the brethren, and the perceived danger of our daughter, we can be thankful that God is still in control and that He has chosen us at this time to be a witness to His power and total control.
Please be in earnest, fervent prayer for us, and for the people involved in this dispute. And please pray for our daughter, Alison, as well, that God would keep her safe. Satan is trying to destroy the work that God has going here in Jerez, and not just here, but the entire state of Zacatecas. He is an insidious enemy, but his defeat is certain in the end. And we take it as a compliment that he feels the need to attack us, and intend to continue pressing on "toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.{" You can't have the victory if you aren't willing to get in the battle, right?
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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Wednesday, November 23, 2005
[10:33 AM]
Weekly Update
I Samuel 12:24 Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He hath done for you.
Good Morning Everyone,
We had our first Wednesday night prayer meeting last week and it was a very exciting milestone for us to pass. We had about fifteen people show up and they seemed very happy to be there.
Sunday night, Brother José took the church people to Zacatecas (about a forty-five minute drive) to another Baptist church where they were having a movie night. They came back all excited. I think that seeing other Christians in a church that looked like a church opened up a whole new world for them. There were even questions about baptism raised on the way home. One girl that has never been to our church not only heard the Gospel, but has also said that she plans on being there for our Saturday night discipleship class.
Our trip to Plateros went well. When you see hundreds of feet of wall space and ceiling space taken up with thank-you letters to an idol, it really breaks your heart. It's a huge money maker for "organized religion". You can make your purchases of idols, pictures of saints, and that kind of thing on your way to the basilica. Then, when you get to the basilica, you can have the priest bless your purchase (for a price, of course). How sad, these people are willing to part with their hard-earned money and do pilgrimages to try to earn their way to Heaven all because no one has ever shared the Truth with them.
We have an unusual prayer request for you to add to your list. Juan Carlos is one of our young friends here who is trying to get permission to travel with us to the states this December. We believe that it would be a great opportunity for him to meet with many other Christians and have a good time doing it. He's getting all of his papers in order, but he needs someone to cancel their appointment so that he can take their slot. He's a baby Christian, and he knows that we're praying for this, but he doesn't have a lot of hope that this will happen. Please pray with us that God will get him the permission to travel with us and use this to build his faith.
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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Wednesday, November 16, 2005
[10:38 AM]
Weekly Update
Psalm 9:1 I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will show forth all Thy marvelous works.
Good Morning Everyone,
A very wise person once said you shouldn't worry: most things you worry about never happen and the things that do come to pass, you can't do anything about anyway. Last week we asked for special prayer for a situation we were going into. We were going to visit with a family with a daughter, whom I am thoroughly convinced is demon possessed. She has been very, very, sick, but when someone tried to talk to her about Jesus she became very violent, punching him in the face, spitting on him, and then chased him out of the room. After much prayer and fasting, we went with the intention of facing the demon head on. If this sounds courageous, let me assure you I was very nervous.
When we got to the home, we found that the daughter had been put into a mental facility, so we weren't able to address that issue. However, what we were able to do was have a three hour Bible study with the rest of the family. It's no wonder that the demon had chosen that house. There were idols everywhere! The Bible study went very well and they asked us to return to continue Bible studies with them. I believe the father was very close to accepting Christ. In fact, he might have already made that decision in his heart. Anytime, however, that we came close to the decision making point, there was a major distraction. Please be praying Saturday afternoon for this family and the Bible study that will be taking place. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all of you prayer warriors that had us lifted up in prayer during this situation last week.
More good news! We will be starting Wednesday night prayer meeting at the Mission this week. Brother Ignacio (Nacho) who has been saved for nine years, and recently moved here from Puerto Vallarta, will be heading up this effort. We are very excited about this, as it is another answer to prayer.
Tomorrow we plan on visiting another strong-hold of Satan. Plateros is the third-most-visited religious site in all of Mexico and about 45 minutes from our home. It's the home of the Santo Niño, the god of the state of Zacatecas. We will be trying to learn more about this particular face of the enemy so as to be better equipped to deal with it when it arises.
Thanks again for all of the prayer and financial support.
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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Wednesday, November 09, 2005
[9:01 AM]
Weekly Update
Judges 6:17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.
Good Morning Everyone,
Let's start out with the Guanajuato trip to meet with the University Campus program that we talked about last week. First of all, thank you for your prayers for our safe travels. We had no problems, even though we didn't get much sleep. The motel that we stayed in was right in the center of town, and our window was on the main street getting in and out of centro.
The meetings themselves were not at all what we had expected. However, we did have the opportunity to talk with a few of the campus ministry coordinators from some of the major universities in the United States, and were able to present our vision to them. We're not sure what the results will be, but they seemed favorable to our desired approach of using the local church and established pastors who are gifted in working with youth.
You ever have one of those days when you just can't seem to get it going? Amber and Mrs. Laura Collins had one of those days last Friday. They were scheduled to go to a Bible study about an hour-and-a-half away, and you know how it gets sometimes when you just don't feel up to it. They were faithful in leaving, albeit, a little bit late and of course the van was low on gas so they had to stop and take time to fill up. Upon leaving the gas station, there was a carnival ride that was being transported and part of the attraction had fallen off the trailer and was scattered across the road. At that point, they were really ready to give up but they pressed on anyway. When they finally arrived at the entrance to the rancho, there were rocks set out across the road to block it off. It was then that they realized that it was Satan who was really trying to stop them. Taking a glorified burro path, with cactus scraping both sides, navigating around huge rocks strewn here and there, they finally arrived at the home of the Bible study. What do you suppose the result was? Both the husband and wife received Christ as their personal Savior that night. That, my friends, is a testimony of perseverance (or stubbornness).
I know we ask you to pray about things and that you do, and we're very thankful. However, I have a prayer request today that I really need you to take seriously all day long, both today and tomorrow. I (Steve) have been given an opportunity tomorrow to do something that scares me to death and we’ll leave it at that. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to get involved or not and have set out a “fleece” to make that determination. Please, please pray extra diligently both for me and this God sized task that needs to be undertaken.
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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Wednesday, November 02, 2005
[9:12 AM]
Weekly Update
II Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
Hello Everyone,
We had a busy week last week, and it's continuing this week. We went over at Brother Pepe's mission to help put in some windows, a door frame, paint, and clean up some things. Then a few days later, we were able to go over to a church in Zacatecas city and help do a little sprucing up. We painted, hung a bulletin board, helped glaze the windows, and did a little cleaning, etc. We had a great time, and were able to accomplish a fair amount.
Sunday evening, we went over to Brother Pepe's mission for an "Open House" of sorts. They had 60-70 people there, some of them first-time visitors, and it was a great time! They had Sword drills, Bible quizzes, and lots of singing. Brother Pepe had a really good message about every single person being created for a specific purpose. Then afterwards, like all good Baptists, we had an "eatin' meetin'" and the food was great! We sure suffer down here, don't we? God is good.
Tomorrow, Steve's mom and dad (who have been visiting/temporary missionaries this last month) will be heading back to their home in Michigan. It'll take them about five days to get home, so please be in prayer for them as they travel.
Also tomorrow, Steve and Brother Jim Collins will be heading to Guanajuato, Guanajuato, to take part in a University Campus program. We are attempting to connect groups of Christian college kids in the states with colleges here in Mexico. The goal is to start good Christian groups on the campuses within our state of Zacatecas. Please pray for safe traveling, and that God will lead each step of the way as we try to assist in this new outreach project.
Keep passing those Taco Bells, we need your prayers. Without you folks back home praying and supporting the work here it would make the life of many Zacatecanos very dark indeed.
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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