Wednesday, February 15, 2006
[1:34 PM]
Weekly Update
Matthew 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Good Afternoon Everybody,
We begin this week's update on a sad note. Last Tuesday evening, we were notified that Brother Jose and Martha had a death in the family. Her father, who was a Christian, passed away earlier that day. They had a service at the funeral home where Jose was able to give a clear Plan of Salvation. Unfortunately, half the family is unsaved, and they also had a mass for the Catholics who attended. Please pray that God will use what was said to prick the hearts of the unbelievers. Also please remember to pray for the family in their time of sorrow.
On a much better note, Juan Carlos, one of our new "baptizees", was on his way to school with a friend named Alexander. They got to talking about the Bible and what they believed, and Juan Carlos was able to share the fall of man and why God required sacrifices in the Old Testament. They talked briefly about Jesus, but Juan Carlos was trying to establish the authority of the Bible. He came to our house that afternoon and told us what had happened and asked us to pray for him because they were to talk again that evening. He said, "I tried to take him to a point where he really wanted the answers and then left him to think before I give them to him." When they met again that evening, Juan Carlos finished the story. He ended with Revelation 3:20, "Behold I stand at the door and knock..." He said, "Alexander you were searching and God brought you the answers. Now He's knocking, what are you going to do?" Alexander replied, "Well, I've opened the door and I see it's Jesus, how could I ever turn Him away?" He bowed his head and asked Jesus to come into his heart. Juan Carlos did an exceptional job giving him the Bible in miniature to explain every facet of salvation. He keeps growing in leaps and bounds.
There was another young man with them named Victor who told Juan Carlos that he had asked Jesus into his heart a while ago. It's sad, but nobody had any idea. Please pray for him that the Lord will show him the need of spiritual growth.
In the last update we told you about the lady getting saved at the Bible study. She was the one who has ten children and many more grandchildren that she wants to be in Heaven with her. She had the opportunity to talk to one of her sons this past week. He was very angry. Please continue to pray for her and her family.
Last week was the Pastor's conference in Fresnillo at Brother Oziel's church. There were probably 40-50 pastors and missionaries there, not including the folks they brought with them. It was such a blessed time and we were able to meet some new folks. One of them was a pastor down in an area that will be getting saturated with the Gospel in two weeks. We were looking for someone that could help disciple and do Bible studies and, wouldn't you know it, God worked it out. Praise the Lord!
Starting tonight through the end of the week, there's another Pastor's conference at Brother Pepe's church. Please pray that God will use these conferences to rejuvenate His workers in the field.
Keep up the good work praying for God’s ministry here. You’re making a huge difference!
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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Tuesday, February 07, 2006
[2:55 PM]
Weekly Update
I Peter 3:13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
Good Morning Everyone,
Wow! What a week. We hardly know where to begin. I guess we'll start where we left off last week.
We went on our desert run to the north of Zacatecas last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and what a blessing it was. The people were so happy with their cassettes of Bible lessons. We were able to get into seven different ranchos to share them with. We had five church services during the three days we were gone. The people were all so gracious. They will give you the last of their food, the best of what they have, anything to accommodate you.
There were sad parts too. We saw a church that was started eighteen years ago, spawned off about twenty missions, and now the doors are closed. There is one family in the town that we met with. Please pray that God will send laborers into this location to get these doors opened up again and the gospel spreading from there once more.
Friday, Amber and our missionary friend, Laura, went to their Bible study on the other side of Zacatecas. They had been holding the studies every two weeks but were asked to make it a weekly thing. The mother of the family that has been hosting the Bible studies in their home has started attending. You can now mark February 3, 2006 as her birthday into God's family. Praise the Lord! After she accepted Christ, she said, "I have ten children and their spouses and children. I want all of them to go to Heaven with me!" I think she got it!
Then Saturday, I went door knocking with Brother José. If you remember a couple of updates ago, we talked about a lady who had recently disowned her son because he was a Christian. We went back to visit her and her heart is so hard. It would have been easy, given her attitude, to just call it a day. But, God didn't have that in His plan. We came up to a corner and there was a young man standing there watching us. We had been to his house about a month ago. He caught our attention and we went over to talk to him. He asked, "Why are there so many different versions of the Bible?" He was comparing the Catholic Bible to the version we use and had looked at the Jehovah's Witness "Bible", and was very confused. José showed him a couple of verses where the difference was "verily" vs. "certainly" and minor changes like this. That appeased him somewhat but, but he went on to tell us, "I read my Bible, but I can't understand it." José showed him in the Bible where it says that you can't understand without the Holy Spirit teaching you. He looked up and said, "Hey, I want that!" José took him through the Plan of Salvation and he also accepted Christ as his personal Saviour.
Got time for one more? Sunday night at Brother Jim's church in Zacatecas, a young man came in very hungry, looking for food. They bought him some tacos and bread, which he scarfed down. He went back into the church for the evening service where they had a pastor visiting there to share his vision for working with the youth. He was able to talk to this young man and, long story short, there's another new name written down in Glory!
We want to thank all of you who have prayed so seriously and earnestly for the work here. This is fruit to your account. Someday you'll meet all of these strange Mexican faces in Heaven waiting to shake your hand.
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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