Dear partners in prayer and finances,

How do we begin to get you updated on all the events of the past months!?  We have experienced joy, sadness, wonder, amazement, frustration, and exhaustion; but in all of it, seeing our great God at work.  He is wonderful and cares about every detail.  Why are we always surprised when He performs miracles?  Oh, we of little faith.

The month of March found us separated as a family. Beth traveled to Michigan to be with her mother during knee replacement surgery and recuperation. It was a long five weeks for the “boys” to be on their own. We survived and Mom is doing great. We so praise the Lord for the folks that contributed for Beth´s airfare. We were convinced that she should be with her Mom during those days but not sure how the Lord would provide. He always does! Thank you to those He used to meet our need.  Cassie spent her spring break in MI so she stayed with Grandpa while Beth was at the hospital with Grandma.

 It is hard to believe that summer is already coming to a close! My first year of college ended on a good note and my first summer away from home seemed to just fly by! As some of you already know, I spent 8 weeks working at a church camp. The church where I have been attending has a youth camp and they hire four college students to work as activity planners and counselors. It was great to see the Lord work not only in the lives of our campers, but also in our lives. Some of our kids come from really rough backgrounds and it was a true blessing to see how the Lord has, and is, using them to reach others! All in all, summer was a lot of work but definitely worth it!

As I get ready to head back to school, I must adjust for a few changes. First, we begin our clinical study this year. We will be working with patients every Tuesday and Thursday instead of having in class lectures. I can’t wait to start this part of my learning experience! Secondly, I have been hired as an RA in my building. This will mean a week of training before classes start and more responsibility during the year. I think this will be a great opportunity and I am excited to see how the Lord will use it!

Thank you so much for your prayers and love.

·   Maranatha News

Dan´s leadership role as interim pastor and pulpit search committee president has been, to say the least, interesting and at times intense.

We have been able to coordinate all the ministries so that none have been hindered with lack of a senior pastor. We have had the challenge of revising the churches bylaws and have considered our first candidate. Although we have experienced the pressures that occur during a transition period, we have seen the blessing of the Lord. We ended 2007 with 75 voting members and currently have 84.  We also have a new member’s class of 16 believers beginning in August.

The search for God´s man to lead this ministry goes on.  We are looking for someone with experience. The work here is growing, not only in size, but also in outreach.  We currently have two congregations, one Bible study group, and the Bible institute.  It seems we are on the verge of a harvest after many years of sowing. Pray with us that this would come to pass.                                                         

·   Boa Saúde News

Carlos and Rejane, husband and wife, made professions of faith in April. Pastor Mário has weekly Bible studies with two other couples, but the work continues to be slow.  We have been unable to invest the time we wanted with our added responsibilities as interim pastor at Maranatha. If the work continues to show little progress we may have to make some hard decisions next year. Pray for wisdom.

·   Campo Bom News

Fabio and his mother stayed with us for a month in mid-April.  He is a single Brazilian missionary who has come from the north-east to work with a small group of believers in Campo Bom. This preaching point was established August 5^th last year with ten believers and has continued with services on Sunday evenings.  We were able to find Fabio an apartment in Campo Bom and both   Maranatha Baptist and the newly formed congregation are excited to have someone ministering there fulltime.

·   Estância Velha NewsWe were having Bible studies every Monday evening with this group in another neighboring town, Estância Velha. Juliana, the young lady in the middle, is finishing her last year of college in nutrition.  Her husband did not participate because he spent the week out of town at a job about two hours away.  On May 28^th, after experiencing a cardiac dysrythmia, he had a respiratory arrest in route to the hospital. It was estimated that he was without oxygen for 6 to 8 minutes.  They revived him but when we saw him in the ICU he was on a vent and basically unresponsive.  As we left them that day, our thought was, “only a miracle from God…”  Five weeks later, God did just that! Dalvane came home from the hospital walking and talking. He needs physical therapy but is progressing well.  His memory has been affected but nothing like the doctors suspected.  What a wonderful God we serve. We are praying that through this experience, each of these, as well as other family members, will trust in Christ personally. 

One final note: Along with our thank-you for your faithfulness, we would ask you to pray with us about our finances. In the last twelve months, with the devaluation of the dollar, we have lost 18% of our buying power.

Be assured of our prayers on your behalf.

 Daniel & Beth Bennett

 http://www.fimworldwide.org

555 SOUTH 24TH ST., ALLENTOWN, PA. 18104-6666  PH# 610-435-9099, FAX# 610-435-2641