Wednesday, August 30, 2006
[10:44 PM]
Weekly Update
Psalm 79:13 So we Thy people and sheep of Thy pasture will give Thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.
Hola Amigos,
In our last update we told you about our contest that we started at church. This past week, we set a record attendance of forty-six people! And, if that's not good enough, we had fifteen first-time visitors!! And, if that's not good enough, Sunday morning one of our first-time visitors accepted Jesus as his Savior!!! This is a young man named Joel, in his early twenties, and for whom we've been praying for quite some time. He is the son of one of the ladies who attends faithfully. The change in him, from when he first stepped in the church to when we dropped him off at his house, was incredible. He has a history of using drugs and alcohol, so please really keep him in your prayers.
We've been blessed with many vehicle problems over the past couple of weeks. From differential in the Suburban, to brakes, to a fuel-pump, and a still needed air conditioner compressor. Praise the Lord He's also given us the finances to meet these needs. After all, they're His vehicles. Please pray that we can find the compressor soon so the A/C can be up and running again.
Last week we also mentioned that we were going to be needing a new building, or additional space for our mission. The building that we had been looking at is unavailable. However, our current landlord has offered us the connecting part of the building that we're already in. He has a small store there right now that he's going to shut down so that we can have the space. It seems to be exactly what we need, except that it won't be available until December. We're going to talk to him about letting us use some of the space for a kids class before we actually rent the building. So, please pray that God will work out all of these details.
We were able to go to Fresnillo and visit at Pastor Pepe's church Sunday evening, and what a blessing it was. He preached about being a strong Christian. He said it's not enough to give your tithe and be looked up to in the church, but that it's more important that when you're out of the church that people recognize you as a strong Christian then too. Way to go, Pepe!
We were able to get our follow-up started in the city of Guadalupe. You'll remember that it is where, with the help of a group from Alabama, there were over 4,600 gospels placed in homes. There are over three-hundred and fifty who will require some type of follow-up, whether it's group Bible studies, in-home Bible studies or just a visit. There's a lot more to do, so please keep that in your prayers also.
We will be heading to the border this next week and won't be back until after our update is due. We get to stop and spend some time with Juan Carlos in Monterrey, which is very exciting for us. His med school is going well, but it's very tough. Please pray for traveling mercies for us.
Thank you all so much, for your part in the ministry here.
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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Wednesday, August 23, 2006
[6:19 PM]
Weekly Update
Mark 1:38 And He said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
Greetings Everyone,
Well, just like Jesus said to His disciples, we've been going into the next town and the next town... Praise the Lord, we had some visitors this week with a burden for reaching the people of our state. Brother Rick, Brother Delton, and Brother Carl came down from Kentucky to survey some areas they have worked in as well as some new areas. We've also done some, and continue to do some follow-up in a couple of the towns that their groups have worked in. It was good to see their passion and their commitment.
Speaking of visitors, we also had eight - count 'em - eight brand-new, first-time visitors at our mission this past week. We are starting to make the walls bulge. We started our church contest and the first week was a rousing success. The people are memorizing verses, memorizing the books of the Bible in order, inviting friends, and we're having a great time. We taught them the chorus "Alelu-Alelu-Alelu-Alelujah, Praise Ye the LORD" and man did they have a blast! They wanted to sing it over and over. There were people going by the church, just staring in through the doors trying to figure out what was going on. Did I mention we're having fun???
As you can see in the above paragraph, we are going to need to be looking for a new place to meet soon. We are almost past full capacity. We have a place in mind, we just need to get serious about negotiations for the rent. Please pray with us for wisdom and God's will to be done. Our idea, right now, is to keep the place that we have to use for the children's church/nursery, and rent a spot a couple of doors down for the regular church services. It's a big step, but we know that God is in control no matter what.
Remember, every time you pass a Taco Bell or see their commercial, pray for us. And, not just our family (that's really important) but also for all the ministry work that is going on here in our state of Zacatecas.
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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Wednesday, August 16, 2006
[5:28 PM]
Weekly Update
2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
Hello Everybody,
Wow, the week has gone by fast! We told you about the group from Alabama that came down to help do a Gospel Saturation. We ended up getting out 4,604 Gospels and have close to two-hundred-fifty homes that have expressed interest in having a Bible study. We know that lots of them say that just to be nice, but it is by far the most names we've ever had to follow up with. We also have over a hundred people who would like us to come back and talk with them a little more. We praise the Lord for the work that was done, and thank whole-heartedly this group of "temporary Mexican" laborers that God sent us from Alabama.
Even with all that done, there was still a section of the area we were working in that we couldn't finish. There was a pocket of apartment complexes, hundreds of homes, which we weren't able to get to. We will be going back towards the middle of September with a group from our home church in Missouri to try to finish that up. Please pray for this area, that God would work in their hearts now to prepare them for when we return.
Amber's uncle Butch should be going home from the hospital today. He had his operation and they removed all of the tumor that they were able to get to and he was responding well immediately after the surgery. We haven't yet received the lab results so please keep him in your prayers. Thanks so much for all the prayers this past week.
We're getting ready to kick off a contest at our mission. The last one went very well, but it was only for the kids. This one will be for everybody and we're excited to see what God will do.
Alison started college last week and has already had four tests. This week she even got to meet her professors. They decided that since there wasn't going to be much going on last week that they would use that time as time to get their students used to coming to class, while they took the time off. There were some that showed up and those are the ones who gave tests. It seems like one of her professors is a Christian. Alison was able to share her testimony during the "get acquainted" session yesterday. To tell you how God has blessed her in the Spanish language department, one of her teachers didn't realize that she was American and not Mexican. When he found out, he was very embarrassed. Please pray that God will be able to use her greatly in school. Wouldn't it be great to have a whole generation of Christian doctors graduating and hitting Mexico at the same time?
We're a little bit run-down and tired, what with how busy things have been the last few weeks, and we know that that is usually the time when Satan attacks. Please remember to pray diligently for us and the work here.
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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Wednesday, August 09, 2006
[5:49 PM]
Weekly Update
Righteous art Thou, O LORD, and upright are Thy judgments. Psalm 119:137
Hola Amigos,
You caught us right in the middle of a busy week. We have a group from Alabama here and we are going door-to-door, distributing Gospels to every house in a portion of the city of Guadalupe. Since Monday afternoon, we've been able to give out over 3,000 pieces of scripture. We are also asking the people if they would like to have Bible studies in their home, the same as we've been doing in Jalpa and Fresnillo. We will be finishing up this first phase tomorrow, so please pray for us. Next week we will start follow-up, trying to schedule studies for those folks who have said they're interested.
We have a special prayer request (again). Amber's uncle, Butch, has been diagnosed with a fast-growing brain tumor. He is scheduled to see if they can do surgery within the next couple of days. Please pray for him and their family during this difficult time.
Our printer seems to be on the blink. Please pray that it will decide to act right so we can get things printed for our services this evening.
Sorry this update is short, but we're behind a little bit because of the project we have going on this week. Thanks for all of the wonderful prayer support.
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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Wednesday, August 02, 2006
[3:45 PM]
Weekly Update
Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near.
Hello Everybody,
We had a great week, it's hard to know where to start. We'll start with the biggest news first, I guess.
Do you remember us asking prayer for a man named Ramiro? He was the man who sometime ago wouldn't allow his wife and kids to come to church. She had to wait until he passed out and took a taxi. God had softened his heart and he is regularly attending church now. We asked you to pray for him and apparently many of you did. Sunday morning Ramiro entered the family of God, praise the Lord!
Then, on the way home, Alison was talking to Senor Cruz when he told her that he wasn't quite sure of where he would spend eternity. This eighty-three-year-old man had earlier made a profession of faith, and has been very faithful in his church attendance. We've recently been really hammering trusting only in Christ, not in Christ plus saints / good works / religion / etc. Alison talked with him for some time and he ended up also putting all of his faith in Christ alone. He nailed it down.
We were invited to the "Grand Opening" of Brother Miguel's church over in Fresnillo. We packed our van full (fourteen adults, ten kids) and drove about an hour away to participate in this victorious time of fellowship. There were probably two-hundred and fifty or more people crowded in to this brand-new building. It was an exciting time and so good for our people to see that, while they are a small minority, there are a lot of other believers here in Mexico.
Last, but not least, we started to take up offerings a couple of months ago. The first month the people were able to completely pay the rent and we were really excited about that! But you know how God is, He just keeps on blessing. This month they not only paid the rent, but we are able to give our first missionary offering. The people have already picked out who they would like to give this love offering to and will be taking it to them this next week. It's incredible to see the spiritual growth in our people here and it's because of folks like you praying and giving that we can be down here witnessing and taking part in God's work here in Jerez and throughout the state of Zacatecas. Thanks again, and keep up the good work!
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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