Wednesday, January 31, 2007
[2:33 PM]
Colossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the LORD, so walk ye in Him:
Good Morning Everybody,
Let's start out with a "T" town update. Please pray for Noe, our missionary down there. He is getting pretty discouraged. We went yesterday to look for some property where we can build a church and tried to encourage him. You know that when you try to do something for God - the Devil will throw any obstacle he can in front of you, and for Noe it's no different. He's still pressing forward, but please really remember him in prayer this week.
Last week we told you we were going to try to crash a Bible study and we did. We talked to the teachers after the study was over. They told us that they've been teaching a "works" salvation among many other incorrect things dealing with the trinity, eternal security and baptism. We used this as an opportunity to re-teach last Wednesday and the response seemed very encouraging. However, one person, who has been hosting the studies has apparently (according to what we were told last night) invited them to come back and show a movie this week. We are going to have to deal with this so please, please pray for God's direction and wisdom. Please pray for Margarita, the hostess, that God will reveal the Truth to her in no uncertain terms. She has been saved and baptized, and it's very discouraging that she could fall for this pack of lies that the devil has sent her way.
In good news, those of you who have been praying for Oralia and Cuko can be assured that God is working mightily in their lives. Cuko is also drug-free now and has started coming to church this past week. They come to our house at least once a week to visit and share their struggles. One of the worst things for them is that even though they don't buy drugs, people are trying to give them to them freely now. The area they live in is full of drugs, alcohol, gangs and violence. This has been very trying for them. But God is so awesome, He has given them a home, not far from us, but a respectable distance from their old neighborhood. The plan is for them to move into their new home tomorrow. Praise the Lord for His goodness. This does not mean that you can stop praying for them though. Their new house needs windows and some other repairs, and we spent some time at the hospital last night with Oralia due to stomach pains.
We will be making our desert run this next week, visiting a lot of different ranchos throughout the Northern desert area of our state. We will be dropping off material, cassettes, having impromptu church services and just trying to encourage the people. Normally, however, we're the ones that end up being the most encouraged by these precious saints. Most often, there's one person or family in the entire rancho who are faithful Christians. Take a moment and imagine how you would feel if you were the sole Christian in your town. They have a very difficult life. Please remember us and them, that God would prepare all of our hearts as we plan this trip.
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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Tuesday, January 23, 2007
[10:56 AM]
Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children;
Good Morning Everybody,
We had a new record attendance of eighty-seven people last Wednesday night. We had to scrounge around to find enough chairs to give everyone a place to sit down. This included thirty-four first time visitors which was pretty exciting. We made sure that the plan of salvation was clearly presented and we are trusting God to make the seed grow.
Of course, whenever the church is growing, Satan gets mad and makes his presence known. There is, apparently, a cult that is trying to start "Bible studies" with some of our people. We heard hints for about a month now that someone was going around offering the people money for visiting. It seems that they've gotten into the home of one of our "not-so-faithful" people and have gotten a toe-hold from which they're trying to get others involved also. If we can, tonight we're going to go crash the Bible study. If not, it's something we will be addressing at church tomorrow. Please pray fervently for us that God will get a hold of these few and open their eyes to the truth about these deceivers.
In other good news, Oralia has been drug free for nine days now! She's really coming along it seems, but of course, Satan is trying to destroy her marriage now. He'll do anything to distract them from the love of God. Don't quit praying for them, please.
For about six months, we've been praying for a man named Margarito. He's the father of Carolina and he needs to be saved. Yesterday we stopped in at their house and he was reading his Bible. That opened the door for us and we were able to talk to him for about an hour during which time we were able to present the Gospel. His biggest obstacle is that he wants to earn his salvation by good works. He knows a lot about the Bible, which made it easier. He's been disillusioned by organized religion and is very wary of any kind of church. Please pray that God will open his eyes and his heart to the Truth, and that he will accept Jesus soon.
We just got off the phone with Brother Paul, who's in Oklahoma right now. He and his wife have been working with us for the past six months or so. He fell last week and broke his ankle pretty badly. Yesterday he had surgery, and they put in a plate with eight screws. He's not sure when he'll be coming back yet because of this. Please pray for his speedy recovery and speedy return to the work here. They're a HUGE asset.
We are currently planning, re-planning, and revising (it's a continuous process) our next planned trip to the states in February. This is going to be a little bit longer of a trip as we will be checking in with some of our churches. It's always hard to leave, but this is God's work and He is more than able to take care of it while we're away. Please pray for us to have wisdom as we try to plan our schedule according to His will.
Thanks again to all of you faithful prayer warriors and supporters. We know that God will bless you.
The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
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Wednesday, January 17, 2007
[9:50 AM]
1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at His coming. Good Morning Everyone, Let's start out by saying "thank you" for praying for the little baby named Laura (brain surgery) last week. She left our house Saturday afternoon to return to her own home, and is doing wonderfully. She's was talking and playing and just being a normal little girl. On top of that, she, her mom, grandma with other relatives and neighbors were all in church this last weekend. Speaking of church this last week, we had our new portion of the building packed full Wednesday and Saturday both! Wednesday night we had nine first time visitors come, not including Brother Alejandro and the group he brought from the children's home. Brother Alejandro spoke and brought a great message. Seven people raised their hand for salvation including (are you ready for this?) Maria Antonia's mother. This is the lady who had forbidden her daughter to come back to church last month because she got baptized. If you'll remember, we asked you to pray for Maria Antonia in an update last month. Praise the Lord! The whole family now has made a profession of faith. God is good. In other exciting news, we want to thank New Harmony Baptist Church for the new lap-top they sent us. It's already being prepared for use in our services. This is going to save us a lot of time and money as we won't have to be making so many copies of the lessons any more. We'd like to ask you to pray for a woman named Chole. She's been saved for a little while, got baptized last October, and is trying to grow in Christ. But of course, Satan is fighting that. Her husband, Ruben, has a drug problem and went on a binge last week which resulted in her and her two boys getting thrown out of the house. She's very discouraged. Please pray for that whole family: Chole, Ruben, Oscar, Juanito, and the grandfather as well. We want to update you with some encouraging news. We asked you to pray for a lady named Oralia who has been using drugs. She and her husband both were saved back in the early 90's but have been in a back-slidden state for a few years. We had the opportunity to go to their house and visit with her and her husband Sunday afternoon. She was ready to give up on God again, it seemed. She gave us tons of excuses why she hadn't been in church, to which we listened. We explained to her her that God wasn't interested in excuses, that she was making a decision that she wanted to make. We told her that it seemed like she was just trying to run from God again. That seemed to finally break through. Then yesterday, she and her husband came over to our house for dinner and she told us that since Sunday she hasn't used any drugs. Continue to pray for her and her husband Cuco. They both need to break away completely from the drugs and get involved in church. Please continue to pray for us and the ministry here. Amazing things happen when God's people talk to Him, and it's been incredible to be on this end seeing the fruit from your earnest prayers. Thanks! The Benedicts Co-Laborers in Christ, Mexico Division
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