Spring Valley, Chattanooga Christmas

I felt called specifically to write to all the neighbors on Christmas Eve and make a gospel presentation. The attached letter was put together with a candy cane for 100 or our closest neighbors. I am confident that God's word will not return void. You can pray with us that door will open for continued ministry in our neighborhood. I pray that God will use you in yours.

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Merry Christmas from the Bennetts at 3537 Valley High Ln,

This note is composed with great Joy on Christmas Eve with a simple goal in mind to share love. Our neighborhood is large enough that I am sure there are some who do not know the reason for the season. I ask that my brothers and sisters in Christ please pray that this note has a positive, eternal, life-changing effect on our neighbors around us. Others please read on…

A vast majority of you will read this as an introduction to me and my family. My name is Philip Bennett. I welcome the opportunity to personally greet any of you who would seek me out at the address listed above. It is not said often enough even at Christmas but know that I love each of you. The truth in these words may be shared whenever you open your mail box this season. You may also gladly share with family who are visiting from elsewhere around the world. I bring the message of Hope in Jesus Christ my savior.

My family and I are in service to the King. You too can know the saving grace of God this Christmas and have the only gift that has ever lasted forever. We know from the Bible that all have sinned. This means even one lie or stealing something. Sin separates us from the love God has. The love is so great that on Christmas Christ left heaven and appeared to man as a child. Jesus Christ died on the cross was buried and rose from the grave to provide a way for us to come boldly to the throne of grace.

The Bible tells that if we confess with our heart that “Jesus is Lord” and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. (Romans 10:9-10) Like the gifts received at Christmas, salvation is free to the recipient while costly to the giver. God so loved you that he gave his son to die (costly) and make everlasting life available (free).

Finally, each neighbor should know that you are prayed for by me and my family. Many times we have walked the streets of our neighborhood lifting up the families inside each home. It has been the desire of my wife and me to reach out personally. We are thankful for what is celebrated at Christmas and the special opportunity to share that it has provided. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight. (Proverbs 3:5)

Thank you for the opportunity to share. We welcome a visit if this note has been an encouragement or you have any questions. God bless you. Merry Christmas

Honduras

The Bennett family parted ways for an opportunity to join the Lords work in Honduras. Although the girls stayed behind in Tennessee, Lisa holds a reward in heaven for her participation in the mission. Thanks are to God for providing me with a loving partner in my bride Lisa. The trip, detailed below, was a great success. Not only did Lisa bring my name to the throne room of heaven through prayer but she ministered to our daughter Grace by continually providing love and care while pop was far away from home.

I left with Woodland Park Baptist Church on a two part mission to Honduras. The church has worked since Hurricane Rita struck in 1998 to found and support Forgotten Children Ministries. Part one of my services required a willingness to be available for whatever the Lord revealed was needed in this third world country where he is at work. Part two was more long term. Lisa and I know that God has an exciting plan for our futures serving him. This trip was to provide confirmation to our call.

The trip introduced me to a new concept/phrase coined by WP Mission Pastor Larry Frick, “a divine appointment”. Focusing on availability as a goal provided countless opportunities to participate in divine appointments where it is clear that the Holy Spirit has been at work to bring about His good pleasure through a child like me. The team stayed at Noah’s Ark shelter in downtown Tegucigalpa. Armed guards were present on the street corners and razor wire adorned the top of every home. Plenty of good food was always available here as 15 former street boys were housed inside. As a guest, I felt a bond with the wonderful ladies who fixed our food and with the boys who were depleted on the necessary level of hugs and love each one needed.

Meeting Jeremy, Vilma, and Magi, which I can fully appreciated as divine appointments, allowed me to present the gospel clearly in the cultures native language of Spanish. These two ladies love the Lord deeply and have a heart for evangelism. Jeremy too is a kindred spirit whose work ethic and love combined to make him an instrumental part of the group. We were able to deliver food and love gifts made possible by WPBC and FCM. Others made a home more livable from the shelter that existed on site. Each home visited allowed the gospel to be presented and many were saved.

Listening to the voice of our leader, God Almighty, allowed Vilma and Magi to provide guidance to different houses for ministry. There was also an opportunity to share in a corner store where one young lady was assisting residents with child care while managing the facility for pool playing and refreshments. I was able to take on four children single handedly and allow the ladies to speak with Beverly. She confessed of her sin and recognized her need for our savior. Together we rejoiced over the salvation of this precious young woman. Together Vilma, Drew, and I returned the following day to pray a hedge of protection around the building. It was an incredible time of praying in the Spirit and knowing the Lord was pleased with our supplication.

The afternoons spent at Grace Farm 30 minutes outside the city were a relaxing time of encouragement for the team. It is here that the boys are able to live once they reach the age of 12-15. Young men are further removed from the city life that they have left and are given the opportunity to learn more about our creator God. The men are taught in school; they are trained in English, and have opportunities for work ethic development. The facility is remarkable and improvements are steadily underway. Each time we were able to visit I came to know my Father better by seeing that He is at work even in the smallest things like provision of fresh water.

In Monte Redondo it was evident that Christ indwelled the town. There was prosperity in the community. I was again blessed to be giving as residents and town people waited patiently for a bag of gifts with clothing, food, and toys. Only after spending time with individual pastors did it become evident where the real leadership came from. This community is one with Christ at its center. Never have I been as encouraged as I was upon learning about the monthly prayer and fasting that the entire Christian family takes part in. Seven different denominations meet monthly to not only prepare for what the Lord will do next but also get out the good news to their friends and neighbors.

The week wrapped up quickly with plans to return to Noah’s Ark and spend time with these once forgotten children. The most influential result of the trip to me is two fold just like I felt the original call to be. First, as I have shared with many of you personally, I know my God better now than when I boarded a plane in Atlanta, GA on 12/2/07. He is working world wide and has invited me to join Him in a winning challenge. Second, I can see God work through the birth of a vision. What began as a need to provide the necessities to boys that had survived a hurricane in a part of the world where needs are hard to come by has flourished under the careful eyes of God. Soon, there will be high school graduations for the boys. They will one day be able to have mechanic certifications at the farm. Many are accepting Christ as their savior and expressing an interest in working with FCM on staff. I confess that I am willing to be a part of the Lords work.

My God is bigger than I know. He will fulfill his purpose for me. Psalm 138:8

Back in TN!

Well, we are finally back in TN for the holidays! We asked many of you for prayer for Grace's very early plane ride with Mom. Your prayers were definitely heard and answered as Grace did wonderfully on both legs of the trip as well as during the 2-hour layover. Some sleeping on both planes and minimal screaming :) We spent a wonderful 9 days in Memphis visiting family over Thanksgiving before coming home. Again, Grace did so well in Memphis and on the 5-hour drive home. Grace is still adjusting to being home and not having at least 3 pairs of eyes adoring her at all times ;) We've been breaking her in slowly as her enamored aunt spent the first day home with us - mostly helping us unpack and decorate for Christmas, but also playing with Grace. Many thanks to everyone who has prayed for our extended travel time over the last couple of weeks. We look forward to spending time with as many of our TN friends as possible this month!

Happy Birthday, Grace!

My first taste of cake & icing!



Eating a Subway sandwich like a big girl



I LOVE this sweet stuff!!!



What's in that bag?



Hmm...I believe the jacket will complement my bike helmet quite nicely :)

We had a wonderful visit to Chattanooga in September to celebrate Grace's first birthday and her great-grandfather's 90th! As you can see, she had a great time eating cake and opening her gifts. She decided at one point to see how many of her gifts she could hold onto at once. I guess she thought I was trying to take them away for good! We are so grateful that our families were able to be in town to celebrate this milestone with us.

Neighborhood & Rodeo Outreach

This past weekend and for the first half of this week, our church is focusing on spreading the gospel here in our town. We had a PRCA-sanctioned rodeo over the weekend which provided the opportunity to host kids' events beforehand and to provide food to the rodeo sponsors as well as the competing cowboys and their families. This week we are setting up a festival-type event at a different school each night in order to bring in kids and their parents/guardians. This is definitely stretching all of us out of our comfort zones as we strike up conversations with people about Christ. Please pray with us that God would do a mighty work through us in order to bring glory to His name and new believers into His kingdom!

Where we've been...

The past month has flown by. This is probably an obvious statement since we haven't posted to our blog at all lately. In the past month, Grace has started crawling, pulling up on everything that is remotely stationary, figured out her pincer grasp so she can feed herself, and started cutting her 3rd tooth! We have had a wonderful time watching Grace explore and test her newfound freedom. As a result, the word "no" has become a regular part of our vocabulary every day. There have also been more tears than normal (on Grace's part). She definitely doesn't like being told that she's not allowed to play with something - usually cords, large appliances and dirty shoes.
We have also seen just how naive and trusting she is. When we are playing on the bed she loves to take off crawling as fast as she can toward the edge. A couple of times we have simply stayed near her rather than pulling her back immediately. She will briefly look over the edge and then plunge right off the side! Don't worry - we don't let her fall to the floor. I'm not sure if she believes that we will catch her or if she just has no concept of depth perception. Either way we see just how much she needs us whether she realizes it or not. In much the same way, Christ sees just how much we need Him whether or not we know it. He sees our hurt - the pain we have from being let down by someone we trusted. He knows that if we simply turn to him, the pain can go away. We can put our full trust in Him and He will never let us down! This is not to say that our lives will be all sunshine and roses, but we will never again be alone in life's trials. It is truly amazing to see just how similar Grace's need for us is like our need for Jesus Christ.

Busy Weekend

We drove up to Rexford, about an hour from here, Saturday morning to experience our first Amish Auction. The handmade furniture and quilts were incredible! I was hoping to purchase a full-size quilt, but the ones being auctioned were selling for $600-$1200 each. I did end up with a small, display-size quilt from a vendor outside the auction itself. We learned recently that most of the Amish community are not Christians. This was quite a surprise b/c of the strict rules under which they choose to live. However, we have a small community at the edge of our town that is Christian. Our church here has a fellowship with them once or twice a year so we are hoping to be here when the next one takes place.

On Saturday night, we went to a bull-riding competition which happened to be the first for Grace as well as Philip. We were all impressed with the size of the bulls and riders themselves. We even saw a female rider in the miniature bull-riding competition! Hopefully, Grace won't remember that!!

A trip to Kalispell on Sunday rounded out the busy weekend. This was a much-needed trip for Mom to spend some time shopping at Target and TJMaxx! The trip also gave us some quality time to spend talking while Grace slept. We have much to talk as well as pray about as we consider what the Lord has as our next step in the journey of faith.

Teeth!

I noticed Monday night that my baby is finally cutting her first teeth! This is a wonderful thing, but then I felt even more guilty that I was frustrated with her. It's definitely not her fault that she couldn't sleep well. Also, she took great naps starting Monday afternoon until Thursday morning. Not so great since then, but that just gives me more practice in being patient. :)

(The picure of Grace was taken May 27 on top of Tunnel Mtn in Banff, Canada)

Always Learning

The past several days have been especially challenging. Grace has not been napping as well as she normally does and, therefore, has been cranky. We have still had some wonderful times as she continues to grow and learn each day, but I have let these great times be overshadowed by my frustration with her crankiness. Just last week, before these hard days, I spoke with a friend who has been studying and practicing the fruit of the Spirit. It was such a blessing to speak with her and I'm sure the last several days would have been much harder had she not reminded me of the fruit that I am to show as a follower of Christ. I have to admit, for the first few days, our conversation was not on my mind. However, over the weekend, I remembered her words and was convicted that I had not been bearing much fruit. The following is from another website, allaboutgod.com:

Fruit of the Spirit - Visible Growth in Jesus Christ
"Fruit of the Spirit" is a biblical term that sums up the nine visible attributes of a true Christian life. Using the King James Version of Galatians 5:22-23, these attributes are: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. We learn from scripture that these are not individual "fruits" from which we pick and choose. Rather, the fruit of the Spirit is one ninefold "fruit" that characterizes all who truly walk in the Holy Spirit. Collectively, these are the fruits that all Christians should be producing in their new lives with Jesus Christ.

I am humbled to think that I was not showing the Fruit of the Spirit to my daughter. As her mother, it is my job to teach her through practical application what it means to be a Christian. Although she is still very young, she watches me day in and day out and I truly desire to accurately display the love of Christ to her. So, I am learning to give up the natural desire of my flesh, which is to be frustrated when my precious little one doesn't nap well. Stating it this way, the problem that started all of this seems very trivial. However, I know that the application reaches far beyond this one event.

Montana

Well, this is going to be a long post. Grace would like to tell the story, so here it is: Daddy got a new job with an environmental company and we moved to Montana! He moved in mid-April and Mommy and I joined him at the end of April. We left Nashville on a Friday afternoon and that night I saw Daddy at the airport in Spokane, WA. It was 11pm our time and Daddy said that I looked like a zombie (hee hee!). I just couldn't sleep on the plane - there was too much to look at and it was still daylight when we were flying! We all spent the next day shopping at stores like Target and TJMaxx because the town we live in doesn't have these stores. Mommy and Daddy said the drive from Spokane to our town was very pretty, but I was asleep so I don't remember it.

We live in the mountains of Montana and the Kootenai National Forest is our backyard.

Across the street from us is the Kootenai River. I love going on walks with Mommy. I get to see lots of trees and deer and several houses along the way. One day we even saw bighorn sheep! Everyone tells me that we will see more sheep this summer when it gets warmer outside. We found 2 great churches. One has a nursery that I get to play in with my new friends. Daddy bought a backpack for me to ride in when we go hiking. I really like it because I get to be tall and see everything like Mommy and Daddy do. (If I get tired I can go to sleep in it too!)

Two weeks ago, before we had the new backpack, we went hiking along the river and then last weekend I got to ride in the backpack around the Ross Creek Cedar Trail. The trees there were the biggest I have ever seen.

Daddy and Mommy said that we were in an old-growth forest where the trees have never been cut down. I had lots of fun riding around! Just last night we walked across a swinging bridge and saw Kootenai Falls! I liked all the water rushing down :) I could even feel the mist on my face sometimes. Now you've read my version of our story. If you want more details, especially about the times I was napping and don't remember, you'll have to ask my mommy or daddy. Time for another nap!

6 Month Checkup

Grace went to the doctor this past Monday where we learned that she is in the 75-90th percentile for her height and the 25th for her weight. The doctor said "It looks like she is going to be long and lean. Any idea where she gets that from?" Grace is ahead of the curve in here ability to sit up without support and was given the go ahead to start on solid foods. She has already had rice cereal and oatmeal, but on Tuesday she tried sweet potatoes and absolutely loved them as evidenced by the picture :) She enjoys grabbing the spoon when it gets close to her mouth and helping get it in (and around) her mouth. We are truly blessed as we watch her grow and learn something new each day.

Callaway Gardens

Grace enjoyed a short vacation with her parents for their 4th wedding anniversary. She experienced exotic butterflies, a flower and vegetable garden, her first beach, and more pollen than a little body can stand. She also met her great aunt and uncle, Laura & Ramsey and cousin, Win. Win & Ramsey brought her a stuffed Easter bunny which she enjoyed playing with while Mommy & Daddy went out to dinner alone. Grace told us that she behaved while we were gone, but you never know! As much fun as she had being out of town, she was happy to be back in her own crib Saturday night.

Update

We are finally figuring out this whole blogging idea. Maybe we'll be able to keep it up to date! The past 6 months have been some of the best months of our lives, but they have definitely flown by too quickly. Since Grace was born nearly 6 months ago she has grown nearly 6 inches and gained about 7 pounds. She smiles all the time, holds onto her toes when lying down, loves to sit up when playing with her toys, and sleeps a lot. One of her favorite places to go is the grocery store. She rides in the Baby Bjorn on my front and I think she smiles at people just so they will tell her how cute she is :) We definitely haven't been going and doing like we used to, but we are starting to venture out some. Grace naps best in her crib so we try to be at home when it's time for her naps. We've taken her hiking a couple of times - once last fall and once just the other day. Her daddy carries her for the hikes. She likes to sleep some but really enjoys facing out and taking it all in. Grace's 6-month birthday is this coming Sunday and we'll already be halfway through the first year! I'm sure she will continue to grow and change just as quickly. We pray that we will continue to grow with her.