Missionaries to Mexico | The Benedicts Blog

Weekly Update

2008-11-12T14:26:00.001-06:00

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the LORD, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

Hello Everybody,

Sorry the update is a little bit late this week, but we have been busy! The truck decided to quit working on us. We took it to the mechanic and hopefully we won’t have to buy a new head for it. He’s checking it out right now as we write this. He pulled it apart and found water in the pistons. Please pray that it will be something minor that won’t cost too much and will something that can be repaired quickly. The vans cost so much more money to drive than the truck. With 350,000 miles, we understand that the truck isn’t going to last forever. Please pray that God will provide another vehicle to replace it.

Our tables are still not completely installed. Hopefully tomorrow that will be finished so we can get back to life as normal, whatever that is.

We have a new baby in the church Alondra. She was born last Wednesday. Baby and mama are doing fine.

We will be leaving bright and early Tuesday morning for the United States . Please pray for traveling mercies, no vehicle problems, no border problems, low gas prices, light traffic, cheap motels, and that double cheeseburgers will still be on the McDonald’s dollar menu. Please pray for Alison and David who will be having their wedding ceremony on the 22nd of this month. Please pray for me (Steve) as I will be performing my first wedding ceremony. I’ve recently figured out that I am beginning to have problems speaking to groups in English. I’m practicing, but I could sure use some extra prayer support – or maybe we could just do it in Spanish. Alie speaks Spanish, but David doesn’t. We could make him agree to anything, “Just say, Si!” I wonder how much money has that she could use to bribe me with?

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-11-04T19:10:00.000-06:00

1 Corinthians 16:23 The grace of our LORD Jesus Christ be with you.

Hello Everyone,

What a week! Getting back into the swing of things after 10 days off was good, but as always, we have had things to deal with. We lost two of our girls this week, one due to her refusal to abide by the rules, and another who went home to her family after they accepted Christ. Both made us very sad. And if you'll remember us asking you to pray for the three kids that the state wanted back, that has become an issue again. We are now trying to help their uncle get custody. He and his family are Christians, and it looks like we are fighting a losing battle, supposedly the order has already come down for us to have to turn the kids over to the state. We haven't seen anything yet, and we'll keep on as we are until God allows them to be taken from us. He still is in control.

We were able to jump right back into the thick of things with the church also. We thank God for brother Horacio and Fabiola, who watched the kids while we were gone, and also took over the services for us at the church. It wasn't too long ago (last summer) that, when we left, the doors of the church closed. We didn't have anyone faithful enough to take over. Now we have a few we can count on, and that is such a stress reliever when we have to be gone.

We're looking forward to having new tables installed tomorrow. We mentioned to Brother Eddie that we'd really like to replace the tables in the dining area. For all of you who have visited, you know how rickety the picnic tables were. It's going to be great to have all the tables all uniform and much sturdier than they were before.

Brother Eddie Flowers, the pastor of Grace Baptist in Conway, Arkansas - the church who is in charge of the Children's Home - was able to come visit with us for a couple of days this past weekend. He is such a great supporter and encourager, and always seems to come at the right time to be a huge blessing.

For all of you who pray for our sons, Jake and Jon, I want to send out a special thank-you to you. They seem to really be shining in the work here right now, and are such a huge blessing. Jon has started to teach kid's class at church, and Jake has started playing guitar for the services. He also makes a great bus driver, getting people to and from church, to and from the home, taking trash to the dump, etc. Please pray for all of your missionaries, and especially for their kids. Satan attacks them like he attacks all Christians, but it seems like a lot of the time, he focuses more on them. They have their own special issues that every missionary kid has to deal with, as well as the normal kid growing-up stuff. Okay, now I can get off my soapbox. Anyway, thanks again for the prayers, you are always in ours.

The Benedict's
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-10-28T08:19:00.001-06:00

1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abidth for ever.

Hello Everyone,

We're back in Mexico! We just got in tonight and are currently in a motel in Guadalajara. For those of you who didn't realize we were out of the country, we spent the last week or so in Missouri at the missions conference at Talking Rocks Road Baptist Church. It was really wonderful to be able to visit our "home" church again and visit with our family there. It was also a wonderful time to refocus. Sometimes it seems like you're just so close to the battle you don't realize all the victories. God is good.

We had a great time seeing the ministry that is going on there with the scripture. We were able to help put together scripture to be sent out. We were also able to meet other missionaries and had a great time of fellowship with them.

Mary and Nathan were able to fly in for the conference and they brought along a surprise. Samuel flew in with them! It was so wonderful to get to visit with the kids again. We sure do miss them. Please pray with us as we get into Jerez tomorrow that all will be well.

God is continuing to bless the ministry here in Mexico and it's amazing to see all the unexpected support.

The Benedicts
Co-Laborors in Christ
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-09-23T15:49:00.000-05:00

3 John 1:5 Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers.

Hello Everybody,

Well, we made it to the border and back, picked up our boys and Steve's folks and got some much needed supplies. No flat tires, no immigration issues, everything went fine, just the kind of trip we like.

We'd like to ask you to pray for some folks from our church who are having some struggles right now. Manuel and Ruth, baby Christians, are really struggling financially and are having a hard time finding good, steady jobs. It causes them to do some things they shouldn't be doing, i.e. going back to work in a bar some days. Brother Horacio is trying to quit smoking and is having a tough time. Dr. Elizabeth has been having some problems with a few of the "bad apples" of the community. These are all very serious requests and we'd ask you to take a moment right now and talk to God about them.

About two months ago, we started taking up a special offering for missions at our little mission here. The first month they were able to scrape together $25 and were so excited. You know how God blesses. The majority of our people in our church would be below poverty standards, even here in Jerez. But, through the grace of God, they gave $150 this last month for missions. This is over and above their tithe. Praise God, it is exciting to be here!

We are preparing to head back to Missouri in October for our home church's mission's conference. We haven't been there for a mission's conference since we moved here to Mexico five years ago and cannot wait to get to be a part of it again. It is the most exciting time to be there. Then we're going to be heading to Florida at the end of November for the wedding of our younger daughter, Alison. We would like to be able to take a little bit of extra time to spend the holidays with our loved ones there but we're not sure if we'll be able to work that out or not. Please pray that God will open the doors that He would have us to go through and that we'll be in the center of His will whichever way He decides.

Thanks to all of you who are such a vital part of this ministry! We couldn't be here without you.

Steve, Amber & Muchos Ninos

Weekly Update

2008-09-09T21:05:00.000-05:00

Hello Everybody,

We are ready for the rainy season to end! Every day or night, it has been raining just enough to make the grass grow like crazy. Trying to find the time to keep it cut can be a little difficult. Oh well, it sure looks nice when it's done.

Please really pray for little Jose. We need some cooperation from his family to get his hernia surgery and they're not exactly anxious to sign this extra paperwork. His grandfather said it would be better if he just died and his mom thinks it's not really that necessary. It's a sad situation, but God is more than able to handle it. For those of you who have met the kids you'll remember Jose is the brother of Leti, the one who was so badly burned by her mother.

We lost Dusty. His mother worked some back channels through the family services here and signed other papers to have him adopted to another family. This was extremely hard for us to lose him, but we're learning as we go along that we have to change the way that some things have been done in the past to protect us and the kids. On the positive side, Lupita (our 17-year-old) saw Dusty out with his new family this week and he seemed very happy. Please continue to pray for him.

We'll be heading to the border tomorrow for two days to meet up with Steve's folks. Please pray that we don't get swamped or blown off the road by the hurricane and that everything goes well for the trip. Brother Horacio is going to be handling the service tomorrow night for us. What a blessing it is to have a man capable and willing to step up when needed.

Thank you for all the prayer support that you've given and will be giving over the next few days and remember when you see a Taco Bell to pray for the Benedicts and the ministry here in Jerez, Zacatecas, MEXICO.

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division
www.BenedictBunch.com

Weekly Update

2008-08-27T14:47:00.002-05:00

1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Hello Everybody,

Can you believe it's almost the end of August already?!? Where has the year gone? The kids here are all back in school, and we are trying to get everybody readjusted to the new schedule again... well, OK, mostly it's just the two of us that are still trying to adjust, but the kids are patient with us. We have to have Lupita (our eldest) at her school here in Jerez by 7 a.m., a fifteen minute drive every morning. While Steve takes her to school, Amber is busy getting the breakfast made and served, helping Chole (our night/girls end worker) change kids, do hair, wipe faces, etc. At 7:45 the bigger kids have to be off to school, then she takes the final group of the little ones to school at 8:15... if the teachers show up on time. After that, it's sweep, mop, do the dishes, etc. until about 10:15 when we take Chole home and pick up Chela (our day worker), go pick up the groceries for the day and for the breakfast the next morning, pay bills, and do anything else that is needed to be done, then return to the home to start lunch. The kids get home around 1 p.m. from school, so it is time to make them do their homework. Then about 2:30 we have our lunch (the big meal of the day here), then it's wash dishes, sweep, mop, put the little ones down for a nap, and make sure things are ready for the supper (more of a snack). At 5 p.m. we take Chela home, get any last minute things we need, pick up Chole again, return to the home, drop her off on some nights so we can return to our house to check e-mails, make phone calls, put out updates, or do home Bible Studies, or on Wednesday and Saturday evenings (and Sunday mornings) we have church services, then we get to return to the Children's Home to help prepare all the kids for bed (baths, P.J.s, etc.), get the bigger kids to bed (the last group at 9:30 p.m.) and then we get to collapse into bed to try to get enough rest for the next day (see above all over again). Try to find time to prepare stuff for church services in there somewhere (if possible) and that is a normal day (for abnormal people). What that doesn't take into account is all the "extracurricular" stuff that comes up routinely. For instance...

Sunday started out great. We had excellent services, the spirit in the church was very good, we went home and had lunch (hot dogs and macaroni & cheese), and then the fun started. One of the girls had money come up missing. Another of the girls had gone into town to spend the day with a very trusted member of our church, got away for a few minutes, and bought some stuff that got her into some serious trouble. I'm not going to go into the details, but it's pretty serious, please pray for her and us as we try to get through this. Then on the way back into town to talk to this other person that was involved and his family, we ran into one of the older boys doing something that he definitely was not allowed to do also. God's timing is incredible. Five seconds later or earlier and he would have never gotten caught. So we had those issues to deal with also.

Tomorrow we have to go to Zacatecas city, about a 45 minute drive each way to take the above-mentioned girl to see a Christian psychiatrist to see if he can help us and her to get some things under God's control instead of losing her. He is now pastoring a church that we were somewhat involved in starting in the city of Guadalupe. While we are there, we will go to Sam's Club to get stocked up for the month of September with all the necessary items that we use in bulk, then hopefully make it back in time put potatoes in the oven (the kids love baked potatoes with cheese, sour cream and bacon bits... but then who doesn't?) and then to go pick up everybody for church at 6 p.m., after which we take everybody home, and if all goes according to plan, eat baked potatoes and then get the kids in bed, etc....

Who want's to come help us? Anyone?..... heeeello..... still looking for hands... oh well. You people are already doing so much for this ministry down here, and for that we are so very, very grateful. Keep up the prayers please, and for those who partner with us financially, a big muchas gracias for that also. We know we couldn't do it without all of you back there supporting us. God bless you all.

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-08-19T13:11:00.000-05:00

Deut. 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Hello Everyone,

The kids at the Children's Home are back in school, all of them starting this past Monday. Well, almost all of them. Luis Angel (Dusty) is the only one left at home this year. They even have a program for the two-year-olds that will turn three by December, so Juan and Maricela have classes also. Lupita, our oldest girl, started high school this year, despite our ignorance. She was supposed to be all signed up before May 20th of this year... and we got her signed up last Friday. It was really a miracle, and it shows who is really doing the work down here (God) and not the know-nothing-but-trying-hard-to-learn-Americans who pretend to be in charge. The school system said there was no way, but He made it happen anyway, praise His name! And now we know for next time.

The church continues to press on. Attendance is still down a bit, but we're trusting God to bring in those that He knows have the desire to do something special for Him. We started a special missions offering a little over a month-and-a-half ago, and were able to send off the first $25 last week. God is really blessing the church through the tithes and offerings, and the people are really excited also. When we rented the new building, we (Amber & Steve) thought that we would be paying for the majority of the rent, but the people have really stepped up and they are able to pay for it themselves normally. Praise the Lord.

The Children's Home last month was really in poor financial straits. From about the 12th of July until the end, we were pretty much covering all of the expenses personally. That couldn't last very long, and God is too good to let it become too much of an issue. This month we have received quite a bit of extra money for the Home, and we are trusting God to touch more hearts to take it on for regular monthly support. It takes about $3200 - 3500 per month to run it correctly (depending on the strength of the dollar), and we normally receive about $2200-2400 each month. Please pray with us that people/churches will be open to God's prompting in this matter, and thanks so much to all of you who are already involved financially.

By the way, for your information, God is really good. We have had water all week, not to mention electricity, and more than half of the kids are healthy. Amber was down with a bug for about 4 days, but is back to her normal self again. She spent the whole day yesterday and today enjoying painting the office (that's not normal!). Steve's heart is doing pretty good for all of you who have been asking. The dogs are healthy and the house is still standing, and, best of all, we are going to be grandparents next March/April! Praise the LORD!!!

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-08-12T21:48:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 25:25 As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

Hello Everybody,

We figured we'd give you an end-of-summer-vacation update. Over the last month, the kids have been enjoying themselves collecting pets. A few of them, we rejected - two tarantulas, a mouse, and a few scary things I'm not sure of. Right now they have a menagerie of twelve turtles and the insects they catch to keep them satisfied. We also received a new critter today, named Luis Angel. He's two-years-old and thirty-two-and-a-half pounds of 100%boy! We decided to nickname him "Dusty" after Amber's dad. There are a lot of similarities. Please pray that all will adjust to our newest addition.

As for church news; numbers have been down. We've had quite a few new visitors but with all the responsibilities at the children's home there just hasn't been enough time to do all the necessary visitation and checking up on people. Somebody out there needs to search their heart and find out if they're the one that we're praying for. We need help! Seriously, please pray that God will provide the workers that are needed in this field of souls and that He'll keep us sane and give us health until relief arrives.

Please remember to pray for Paul and Diane Avant as they're searching for God's will right now.

We're trying to make our fall plans and we'd really like to have a couple of extra weeks off around Christmas time to be with family and relax a little bit. Please pray that God will lead us in every step of the planning and provide the necessary workers and money to make it happen.

Thanks to all of you who make this possible (I think) by giving and praying. Sometimes things seem overwhelming and we get a little note that encourages us and gives us the strength to press on. We don't always have time to reply immediately, but it really helps knowing that somebody is thinking about us and praying for us.

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-08-05T09:43:00.000-05:00

Psalm 128:1 Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in His ways.

Hello Everyone,

After a week of silence, we're back. We had a group come in from Florida that filled our days with much business and fellowship last week. They repaired fences, painted the church, built us a garbage corral, baked cookies (42 dozen), played with kids, etc., etc. We want to thank them for everything that they accomplished and for the fellowship they provided.

We've received notice that two churches took the children's home on for their Vacation Bible School penny march. All total, they raised over $2600, praise the LORD! Thanks to all the kids (and adults) who participated in this, you really have made a difference.

We hate to cut the update short, but we have a group practicing their puppets sketches, and another group cleaning and we're their transportation. God bless all of you and keep on praying!

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-07-23T15:39:00.000-05:00

Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Hello Everybody,

We have water at the children's home!!! We had to replace 200 meters of water line to get it, but after twelve days without it, we now have it! The kids all smell better after bathing regularly and we're almost caught up with the laundry. Thanks for all the prayer.

Our oldest boy, Daniel, just received his drivers license today! He's so excited and so are we. We've already begun to delegate tasks to him that would otherwise steal our time that is already more precious than gold to us.

We had an 'almost' uneventful trip to the border. The radiator started leaking again, but that was very minor. Our passports and birth certificates were in Puerto Vallarta with the kids at camp, and that turned into an ordeal. It took us about three-and-a-half hours to get through Mexican immigration, but God was good, we were able to get everything taken care of. Because of that, we met a man at Mexican's customs who should be able to help us with our vehicle situation. Friday we have to go back to the border to return the group. Please pray for traveling mercies.

Fernando and Mili agreed to become the new house parents, but won't be able to get here before September. They have to raise about $3,000 to get everything taken care of that they need to get taken care of. We are very anxiously awaiting their arrival.

We baptized five Sunday morning and should be baptizing three to five more tonight. Please pray that God will give them courage and peace as they take this next step in their Christian life.

Please really pray for us. This is a lot of work! Thanks in advance.

In the Service of The King,
Steve & Amber

Weekly Update

2008-07-15T15:32:00.001-05:00

II Peter 2:17a These are wells without water....

Hello Everybody,

We have been without running water for three days now at the children's home! We have all the kids with us here at our house now, so we can do some laundry and cleaning. You don't know how much you miss water until you don't have it. Apparently the pump is down at the community well and we're not sure when it will be fixed. Please, please, please, please, please, pray that we have water when we get back out to the children's home and that the pump will be in good working order to keep us going.

Did we mention we don't have water??? Even the van can't keep it's water! It's at the shop right now getting the radiator fixed. It should be done in a couple of minutes so we'll be going to get that. Please pray that everything works as we need to take this van to the border this weekend to pick up a group, and that we'll have water.

The kids came back from camp at Puerto Vallarte, where they have lots of water. They had a great time and are ready to go back. You know what kids bring back from camp??? Dirty laundry! You know what you have to do with it? Wash it! You know what you need to wash it? What we don't have this week, water! Thank the Lord, they had a good trip except for running out of ....gas (you thought we were going to say water, didn't you?). Our teenagers are at camp this week, please remember to pray for them.

So to recap, please pray for water, the van, water, the kids at camp, water, our sanity, and last but not least, water!

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-07-14T09:58:00.002-05:00

I Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.

Good Evening Everybody, July 8, 2008

Just a quick update to let you know what's going on. Last week our houseparents (Cuco and Oralia) decided to call it quits so we have been out there ever since caring for the kids. The fuel pump went out on the Dodge van , the radiator was spraying all over the place on the white Ford van, the transmission started leaking bad on the truck. We had to call the police out to the home because of a verbally abusive, estranged family member. One of the kids ran away, taking with him our cell phone and money.

The fuel pump is fixed, the transmission leak is fixed, the radiator is doing fine, and we have three new kids! The other kids at the home, seem very content. We had our first puppet show last week and our kids really enjoyed it, we'll try and send pictures in the future. Thursday we're going to be talking to a couple about taking over as houseparents. Please keep this in your prayers. At midnight tonight, the first group of kids takes off for church camp. Please pray for their safety as they travel and that God will use this time to reach their hearts.

Satan has really been attacking, in case you didn't notice. Not only us personally, but the people in the church are really getting hammered also. But, greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. No battle, no victory. Please really keep us uplifted in your prayers, it feels like we're running on fumes most days.

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-06-26T12:16:00.002-05:00

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promisedbefore the world began;

Good Morning Everybody,

We have lots of good news. We wrote a few weeks ago about receiving a new girl into the home. Her parents, Manuel and Ruth, have been coming to church very faithfully ever since and this last week they told us that they have accepted Christ. They were asking where they should start reading the Bible, which is a great indicator of the reality of their decision. We have an open forum type class on Wednesday nights where we pick a topic, everybody takes a week to study and get verses to back up their point of view and then we discuss it the following week. It has been awesome to see the people digging for the answers instead of just taking our word for it. They (Manuel & Ruth) said, 'We want to participate, but we don't even know where to start to look for answers. Can you tell us where to look?' Baby Christians are so much fun. We're going to start an extra Bible study a week with them on Thursday.

Remember Norma? She's the lady that you folks were praying for that got saved. Sunday we were talking about our church needing to support missionaries (not us). We talked about tithes and offerings and she decided that she needed to put the last of her money in the offering. She was a bit concerned because it was only a couple of pesos and she still had to pay her rent and buy food, but she felt God leading her that way, so she obeyed. When she got home Sunday afternoon, she realized that she had locked herself out of her house. She was very frustrated and angry and prayed that God would change her attitude because she didn't want to be like that. She went to her friend's house to get a key, and on the way, a man stopped her and said, 'Here's some money to help pay your rent.' It was about three times the amount she needed to pay the rent for the month and it was enough to pay all of her bills and have food. She was so excited she was about to burst when she told us. Ain't God good?

One of the men who is part of the association that the Children's Home is under (legal stuff) asked us (about a month ago) how much our electric bill runs. We gave him copies of the bills and he said he was going to try to get the city to reimburse some of the money we had spent. Yesterday he brought a group of seminary students from up in Juarez out to the home. The kids had a wonderful time with puppets and clowns and lots of singing, etc. He also brought with him an envelope with over $340 in it. He had managed to talk the president of Jerez into helping us out. Last Saturday we didn't have any more money for the children's home for the month. Two deposits were made on Monday which covered food and workers. The reimbursement money will help us with some maintenance items that need to be done.... again, ain't God good?

We will be taking two girls to visit with a dentist today about root canals. Please pray that all will go right.

Just a re-cap of this month; We have seen nine people make decisions for Christ, we are running out of room picking people up for church, we have a new volunteer to teach the kids computer skills at the Children's Home, and we have seen so much excitement and growth at the church. We've seen God provide again for the work down here. Sometimes it's easy to get frustrated and to dwell on the problems (there are always problems) but God is so good! Thanks to all of you who pray fervently for us and the work down here. Please especially remember our kids this week when you pray. Not just for our kids, but also pray for the kids of all the missionaries out there. Satan attacks them in ways you wouldn't believe, trying to destroy ministries and they need every bit as much prayer as mom and dad. Thanks!

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-06-17T13:30:00.000-05:00

Psalm 112:1 Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in His commandments.

Hello Everyone,

It's a beautiful sunshiny day, not too hot, not too cold, just right. It's a normal day here in Mexico. We've had some rain over the past few weeks and the rainy season is getting ready to start soon, but for all of you sun lovers, you need to come see us.

Saturday evening Dr. Elizabeth, one of the ladies in our church, was teaching the 7-12 year-old class and had five kids nail down their salvation. We're so grateful for their decisions and her ability to put things on their level.

We had a great Father's Day celebration Sunday at church. One of the ladies thought we should do something special, so Saturday evening she organized a meal for the following morning. The food was outstanding, the fellowship was even better, and we had a glorious outdoor service. We had quite a few first time visitors and had to make an extra run with the van to get everyone.

We had a good trip back and forth to the states, thanks to all for praying. No flat tires, no alternators catching on fire, no real excitement at all. Just the way we like it!

On to Children's Home news. We asked you last week to pray for a little boy named Jose who was seeing the doctor about a hernia. After examining him they determined that he didn't have a hernia and his problem should resolve on it's own. We'll keep an eye on it, please keep praying, and we'll keep you posted.

We took Ricardo to the dentist this week, he's been having some pain in his teeth. The x-rays showed that his wisdom teeth are coming in and that in combination with some of his teeth being rotated incorrectly is what's causing the discomfort. He needs braces and will eventually have to his the wisdom teeth removed surgically. The braces will cost $200 up front and then $20 per month until they come off. Lupita also will have to have braces. Please pray with us that God will supply the money that's needed to get these needs taken care of.

Speaking of money, this month the children's home has had a couple of added expenses along with our bi-monthly electric bill being due. We're running behind, so please pray with us that God will supply the necessary finances. We're sure He will, we're just waiting to see how. We'll keep you posted.

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-06-11T12:11:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

Good Morning Everyone,

Praise God for answered prayer! We asked you to pray for Oralia's friend, Norma, who started coming to church a few weeks ago. We had the opportunity to talk with her this week and she is saved. We asked you to pray for Daniel who has been going through some struggles of his own and he really seems to have turned the corner. It can be tough being a teenager!

Speaking of teenagers, Jake and Jon will be heading to the states for the summer to work and spend time with family. Please keep them in your prayers, that they will be good Christian testimonies to those they come in contact with and that God will keep them strong. Please pray for us as we travel to San Antonio and back, that God will keep us safe and without any vehicle trouble or unforeseen expenses.

Another prayer request we'd like to pass along is for little Jose, one of our kids at the home. He's five-years-old and needs an operation for hernia repair. He is at the doctor as we write this, trying to get everything scheduled. With socialized medicine it can sometimes take a little while. He's one of our newer kids and has been an absolute delight.

We've been receiving a daily devotion from Pastor Stanley at New Hope Baptist Church in Missouri that we have been enjoying very much. If anybody is looking for a daily devotion, we would highly recommend it. You can just e-mail him at newhope2006@hotmail.com and ask to be put on his daily mailing list.

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-06-04T14:50:00.001-05:00

Hebrews 10:37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

Hello Everybody,

Still nothing new on Leti, Jose, and Maricela. We're still praying that God will provide a way for us to keep them and so far we have not heard anything more. Please keep praying for them.

We thought we'd take a moment and share some needs for the mission. Our new building has lots of rooms adequate to house missions groups that come to visit. It has the potential to save a good amount of money for the groups who are now staying in Hotels. Each room has the foundation for two full size beds and its own bathroom complete with shower. We need 8 full-size mattresses, bedding for 14 full-size beds, three toilet seats, and curtains for 5 of the rooms as well as the sanctuary. If you are interested in giving for this specific need, please let us know and we'll get you the details.

We are in the final stages of planning the summer camp for our kids. Please remember to keep that in your prayers also. It can make a world of difference if the kids go with the right attitudes.

We were able to go visit one of our missionary friends and Brother Pepe in Fresnillo this past week and it was a HUGE blessing. Brother George and his church almost have their building bought. There are a couple of snags (always) on the paperwork and the owner lives in Chicago and he needs to be here to sign the papers or it will cost them more money. Please remember them in your prayers also.

Please pray for Daniel, one of the young men at the children's home. He has so much potential but sometimes gets distracted feeling like he needs to take care of his family. They sometimes put some pressure on, as he's old enough to quit school and have a job. Realistically, he's not old enough to quit school (16) but it can be rough on him. He's a great kid, and I think he's turned the corner as far as deciding to be where God has him. But, it's a tough row to hoe.

Thanks for all your support.

The Benedicts

Weekly Update

2008-05-28T11:05:00.000-05:00

Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Good Morning Everyone,

No news is good news? We're still in a holding pattern with the kids that we wrote about. Their uncle was trying to regain custody of them but they're still at the home, doing very well and we're still trying to pursue paperwork for adoptions before they are taken away. Continue to pray, please.

We have four more kids whose dad has resurfaced and wants to take the kids with him to the United States. We're not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing, so we're just praying that God's will will be made completely apparent so we can follow that.

We had an awesome service Sunday morning. It seemed like the people came prepared to worship and receive a message, and the spirit in the church was incredible. We're going through the parables of Jesus and it's been a lot of fun.

We have another lady for you to pray for. Her name is Norma and she's a friend of Oralia. She's not saved, but has been going out to spend time at the children's home and seems to really enjoy being there with the kids. This past weekend she came to church and is excited and planning on being there tonight also. She seems to really be searching for the truth and we all know who the Truth is, don't we? Please pray that she'll make her decision for Christ soon.

We made a quick trip to Guadalajara last week (hence, no update). We had a good time visiting the zoo and a small amusement park they have there, and our goal is to make a return trip with the kids from the home. They offer group discounts.

Thanks for all the prayer support. Please continue to remember Juan as he's struggling to get the drugs out of his life.

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-05-06T11:24:00.001-05:00

I Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Good Morning Everyone,

Wow what a morning! Things here have started out with a bang today. Please pray with us that things will slow down just a little bit.

In good news, we've had three people baptized in the last two weeks. The one that we asked you to pray for, Ramiro, has gone on a drinking binge instead of getting baptized. Satan fights dirty. But, praise the Lord, three of the kids from the children's home have followed the Lord in this step of obedience.

Other good news, our good friends and fellow missionaries, Paul & Diane Avant, have finally made it back. About a year-and-a-half ago Paul broke his ankle and is still having problems with it. He goes back at the end of the month to talk to a surgeon in Oklahoma to see what the next step will be. But, while they're here we're abusing them as much as possible. He's helping us with quite a few plumbing issues at the children's home as well as helping us transport people for church.

We have another prayer request for you. We have the opportunity to nationalize our vans so they don't have to be taken in and out of the country when we go. We can put them in the name of the children's home and that will save a ton of wear and tear on them. Two things are needed for this; $2,000, and another vehicle for our family's use. With gas prices continuing to rise and the need to be in the states a few times a year, this seems to be a better option. Please pray with us and if you would like to help with any part of these needs you can contact us.

Thanks to all for the continued support, not only for our family, but for the children's home as well. A gallon of milk runs about $4.50, beans have doubled in the last year, rice has also doubled, everything has gone up. The food bill for the children's home has increased by about 40% since December. Praise God the kids are still eating well, and so are we, thanks to the faithfulness of his servants. Keep it up, God will bless!

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-04-22T20:51:00.001-05:00

1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Hello Everybody,

It's time to pray! Satan has really been vicious in his attacks this past week or so and, while some of the things seem to be better, we still have a lot to pray about. Remember our family as we personally struggle some days to stay focused and committed without getting overwhelmed. Remember Luis as he is really facing a major decision in his life. Please pray for the people of the mission, especially Ramiro who said he wants to be baptized and is really getting blasted also. Then there's the children's home which is constantly in need of prayer support. Thank you in advance for taking this seriously and putting in some time in front of God's throne for His kids and His work here.

Brother Eddie Flowers (whose church sponsor's the children's home) and some friends will be coming to see us today. It's always a blessing to see him, and we're looking forward to spending a few hours together. Tomorrow we'll be taking a trip to Durango to talk to someone else about starting another children's home. Please pray that God gives us wisdom in this undertaking (maybe undertaking is a bad word choice ... smile).

We had the pleasure of meeting some other missionaries in the city of Zacatecas today. Brother Larry Baird and his family have been missionaries in Chihuahua, Mexico, for over fifteen years and God has recently put them here in our state. It was good to sit and talk with them and are looking forward to a good relationship with them.

Saturday will be our baptismal service. Ramiro said that he plans on getting baptized, and there are two other ladies who have expressed the desire to be baptized but seem to be waffling on whether they really want to or not. We're going to plan the service even if there's no one to baptize. What??? Of course we'll have food, we're Baptists!

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-04-08T21:26:00.000-05:00

Psalm 30:4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.

Good Morning Everyone,

They say things happen in three's, and it seems like that may be a correct assumption. Last Thursday we received our third set of three new kids at the children's home, bringing our total number of kids to 30. Jose (5), Leti (3, almost 4), and Maricela (2), joined our ever-growing 'family'. We took the six smallest new kids to the doctor yesterday and four of them are on medicine now, trying to heal up from infections they brought with them. Please pray that they'll adjust quickly to their new life.

In other children's home news, with vehicle repairs, electric bill, propane tank needing to be filled, clothing and medicines necessary for all the new kids, we have really gone through money like water this month. As of yesterday morning we'd already used well over half of what we normally receive for a month. But God is providing! Yesterday we received two e-mails about checks that came in to be deposited and each of those were over $1000. It can be nerve wracking sometimes not knowing when or how God is going to supply. But every time He does, it's just as exciting as the last time.

Church attendance is starting to come back up with the fair being over now. We've had some new people decide to make our church their home and that is always exciting. Some of them have been saved for a few years, some for many years, and some who have told us they're planning on being back haven't been saved yet. Cuco's brother and sister-in-law (unsaved) visited last week and enjoyed themselves and are making plans to return.

Please keep Luis, our youth pastor, in your prayers. His sister and mom are starting a child care center in Zacatecas City and he has been over working with them trying to help them get things started. With that and the work he does here, it's going to wear him out quickly. Please pray for his strength and rest. Please pray also that they will receive the children necessary to fund the hiring of another employee to take Luis' place.

Juan Sierra is a friend of ours who we met through Brother Pepe in Fresnillo. He got saved in the states a few years ago and moved back here to reach his people with the Gospel. He has a prison ministry and a mission that he is in charge of, and now he's feeling God calling him back to the rancho where he grew up. He says to the best of his knowledge, the Gospel has NEVER been preached there. He needs a vehicle and he needs financial support.

Thank you for being in continual prayer for us and the needs of the ministry down here. Thanks to all for continued financial support and the many other things that you do to promote God's work here in Mexico. God bless you all.

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-04-02T11:30:00.003-06:00

Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

Good Morning Everyone,

We had a good few days off last week. A big thanks to all of you who prayed for us. Now we're back to the daily grind.

We came home to vehicle problems. Both of our vans had to go into the shop. The Dodge had a broken spring in the brake and it sounded terrible, but praise the Lord that was an easy fix. The Ford has a coolant problem, not sure exactly what it is yet. Hopefully it will be done today. The vehicles for the children's home are also needing repair. The van won't shift higher than second gear, and now we need a new wheel bearing on the pick-up. If it's not one thing, it's another.

In children's home news, we got three new kids while we were gone last week. Three adorable boys, ages 2, 3, and 4, were brought to us by the DIF after being abandoned. They have been through some pretty ugly things for their ages. Please pray that God will help them adjust well to this transition.

We were able to take all of the older new kids to the dentist to get them all checked out yesterday. We're so thankful to be able to work with the local government here to meet these kids' needs.

In church news, the attendance has been down the past two weeks. The fair is in town during the Easter break (yes, we call it Easter because they are definitely not celebrating the resurrection - it's VERY pagan.) The kids get two weeks off from school and the visitors that come in from all over Mexico and the U.S. at least double the population of Jerez. Because of this there are lots of temporary jobs and our people have benefited from the opportunity but the church has not. Things should get back to normal this week.

In saddest news, Samuel has moved on to the next phase of his life. He left us to go to Florida and work so he can have the money he needs to go to school this fall. He's planning on attending Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, FL, to pursue music. Steve's mom and dad left with him Monday morning. We're going to miss all of them.

Please keep us in your prayers. Things have a way of getting crazy real fast down here. Thank you for all you do for this ministry.

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-03-19T12:01:00.002-06:00

Galations 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Good Morning Everyone,

We've had such a busy week, it's hard to know where to start. Last week we had a group from Snook, TX, come visit us and they were a HUGE blessing. They were able to help us start some projects, complete some projects, and think about other projects. They bought all new towels for the children's home along with storage containers to help organize clothing. They painted new walls that they helped build, and provided us with some great fellowship. We want to say, 'Thank-you', to them and their church.

Saturday, we had our big 'Grand Opening' fiesta for the new church property. The attendance was great and we had a good time. Our friends from Snook handled the games so all of the people from the mission could play also. We served nachos and watermelon to everybody, and then Luis gave a short, clear, gospel presentation. It was a lot of work, but definitely worth the investment.

Monday, Pastor Pepe from Fresnillo came to visit the home. He brought a bus load - over fifty people - with him to work on projects, play with the kids and visit. They had an impromptu church service in the afternoon which was enjoyed by all. Oralia kept herself busy preparing the food for the group. It was good day and everybody had a good time.

We are in the process of receiving three kids into the children's home, ages thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen. Please pray that God will give us wisdom in assimilating them into the 'family'. We will be doing all the paperwork with DIF (family services) so as to have better legal custody of the kids. DIF has been working with us in a number of ways and we're truly grateful to have their support. Our relationship with them seems to get better every week.

Our lives have been pretty hectic with taking on the children's home, moving the mission, and normal ministry stuff, etc., and we are planning to take some time off next week to get away by ourselves. Please pray with us that God will make this possible and things will run smoothly in our absence.

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-03-12T08:58:00.001-06:00

Psalm 71:1 In Thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.

Good Morning Everyone,

Praise the LORD, Luis is back!!! He returned Monday evening ready to get back to work. The kids were excited to have him back as well.

Last Saturday we had our "garage sale" at the new property. We had a group that went around and invited everyone from the community to come and we had a very good response. Everybody received a tract, a John/Romans, and an invitation to come participate in our church services. Please pray that God will draw these people to himself. This Saturday we will be having a fiesta celebrating our new church home. We've invited all the community to come and play with us, and then we'll be giving a short Gospel presentation.

We have a group coming in today from Texas to visit the children's home. We're looking forward to a time of fellowship with them, as well as a time to complete some projects.

Please really remember to keep us in your prayers. The children's home is a lot of work by itself, and then when you add in a new area to start working, finishing up the new building, along with all the normal ministry stuff, it can be extremely stressful. Jacob got up this morning with a fever and feeling overall pretty miserable. We're tired and Satan likes to attack when we're down. We know that God's not going to give us more than we can handle, but we're looking forward to hopefully soon taking a couple of days off if He makes it possible.

Also, please remember to keep Brother Pepe in your prayers. He is really struggling financially right now. He's our pastor friend from Fresnillo whose father died last fall and because of this they are still paying medical and funeral expenses.

Thanks in advance for the prayer support we know you will be giving us this week. God is good!

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-03-05T09:00:00.001-06:00

Colossians 4:2-3 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ ...

Hello Everyone, March 5, 2008

We have such great news to share with you all. We were able to rent the new facility. We've been soooo busy, trying to get things cleaned up, moving from one place to the other, normal services, as well as children's home duties, dentist and eye clinic visits, and we've had guests!

The new building and property are such a blessing! We were able to move in Thursday and have been using it since. The people are so excited and our services are much less disrupted. The kids have classrooms that are away from the sanctuary and there's not a busy road in front. We were able to have a sign made and hopefully we'll have a few pictures attached.

There was a group here in December who did a vision clinic. The glasses finally made it in and Samuel has been helping to get them distributed this week. He's been really enjoying working with the people.

Steve's mom and dad made it in late Saturday afternoon. We're so thankful they're here. We look forward to sharing our workload with them.

Speaking of visitors, Tuesday morning Steve and his dad were able to go with a group of men from Kentucky to visit a lot of the pastors in our area and invite them to a pastor's conference coming up in July. Brother Rick Reeder put this on last year and it was a big success. They are renting a very nice motel in Zacatecas City and will be footing the entire bill for rooms, food, everything except for transportation for Pastor's, Missionaries, and their families.

You gain some, you lose some... well, in this case, one. Luis, Steve's right hand, is MIA this week. He's with his family in California talking to some churches there about the work here. Please pray that God will speak to these people's hearts and also please pray that God brings Luis back QUICKLY! We miss him.

The end of this week we're planning on doing some door-knocking in the new area around the church property. We're going to be distributing tracts, a gospel of John/Romans, and an invitation to visit our services along with a personal invitation to visit the new facility where we'll be hosting a "garage sale". This is intended to get the folks from the neighborhood to visit the property. Then we have a celebration, more or less, a type of open house planned for the following week where we plan on sharing the gospel. Please be in prayer with us about these plans as the dates are quickly upon us and plans are still in the rough draft stages.

What would we do without you, our faithful prayer supporters? Nothing! Please remember to keep us in your prayers as our days are long and the nights are short. Please pray with us that we'll have open doors that we might share the gospel of Jesus Christ. "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

The Benedicts,
Co-Laborers in Christ
Mexico Division

Weekly Update

2008-02-26T11:35:00.001-06:00

Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Good Morning Everyone,

Joshua is gone. Alison is gone. Wahhhh!!! Alison came for a short visit and it was so good to have her back here again. We had to make a quick trip to the border to renew some paperwork and dropped her and Joshua along with some other missionary friends of ours at the border. Alison is going back to her life in Florida and Joshua is starting a new life on his own. He's working to get money to go to college in the fall. As much as we miss him, we're grateful that God has grown him into a good Christian young man. Please keep both of them in your prayers.

We had our first youth group meeting this past Friday and by all accounts it went very well. Luis had a Bible study and a game with the kids and they're all looking forward to this next Friday. Luis and Sandra are working with a church camp to get some of our kids involved there. They have already gotten quite a few scholarships that the kids can earn. If any of you would like to send a kid to camp, the cost is $50.

We had our baptismal service Saturday night. Azucena was our only baptizee, but we had a great time. We had between 110 and 120 in attendance (it's hard to get an accurate count with everyone moving around). Then Steve was surprised with a giant birthday cake. We all enjoyed eating pazole with birthday cake for desert.

God seems to have closed the door on the property that we've been looking at. In all this time we've never been able to get in contact with the man who owns the building. But, as you all know, when God closes one door He opens another one. Tomorrow we will be working out the details (prayerfully) on renting a MUCH bigger building. We're going to offer $200 per month which is very little for the amount of space we'll be renting, but it's also twice the amount that we're currently paying. The "sanctuary" is about three times what we have now and the lay-out is perfect as it has rooms for the kids classes. They held a VBS there last year and had over 150 kids in attendance. So, the opportunity to reach new people is definitely there. The people from the mission are excited about the opportunity it seems that God is giving us to reach out to whole new area of Jerez. Please pray with us about this.

Can you imagine your first day as a dentist in a clinic and having twenty-one children come in for a visit? The kids were able to have their teeth checked and we were able to schedule times for them to have the fillings and other things they are needing. We have one young lady who is needing braces and the initial cost of that is around $240 and then monthly visits of $20. Please pray with us that God will allow us to take care of this need soon.

We are so grateful for our supporters. We are constantly amazed at the responses we receive from our updates. Knowing you all are praying for our needs is such a tremendous blessing. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

The Benedicts
Co-Laborers in Christ,
Mexico Division