December Prayer Letter
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great Light, Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a Light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2)
(The following are continued excerpts from my parents’ book, “Taking Root Downward, Bearing Fruit Upward.)
“We discovered that Christmas in Haiti was quite different from Christmas in the States. Instead of a season of joy and good tidings, it was a season of fear shrouded by evil spirits. Each Christmas they visited the witchdoctor, who bathed them with his herbs to wash away the evil spirits of the past year in order that they might be able to cope with the evils the new year would bring upon them. They did not know that Christmas was a celebration of Christ’s coming to save them from all their fears and evils. Our hearts were deeply touched and saddened as we listened to these babes in Christ describe how they had spent their Christmas Eves at the shrine of the witchdoctor. So we determined to bring the message of Christmas joy and good tidings to a village that sat in darkness.
“So we began to prepare our first Christmas pageant with the new believers God had given us. The choir we had organized learned the Christmas carols, and others memorized the biblical passages. We had Mary and Joseph, shepherds and angels, wise men, and King Herod. We invited the people but were not prepared for the crowd or for their enthusiastic efforts to see and hear the Christmas story. They quickly filled the benches and the aisles. They packed in the doorway and climbed up and sat on the windowsills and moved onto the rafters until they were filled. Then they moved up on the platform so it was difficult to distinguish the actors from the spectators. The message went forth – glory to His Name!
“That first year, the Light was turned on in Pignon and that little village became conscious of what Christmas was all about! New dimensions were added to our programs year after year. Friends back home sent us many types of shiny papers, which we used to make decorations with the message of Christmas to put all over the church walls. Then we introduced caroling. They loved this and made it a December tradition, caroling from midnight to six in the morning and stopping to pray in the homes where they were invited in. Consequently, caroling and prayers began to replace the visits and bathing at the witchdoctor’s den. Hundreds of young people and adults found Christ as Savior through the ministry of caroling and the message of Christmas.”
“And the Light shines in the darkness…” (John 1:5a)
Mont Flueri Construction Continues – Medical and Dental Clinics Added
January 2018 will be a busy month for MFH. Please pray for the completion (Lord willing) of The Evangelistic Baptist Church of Hananeel by the MFH construction team. Our team leader, Craig Dehmel, Swartz Creek, Michigan, will arrive with the team on January 6 to put the roofing on, make the benches (pews) for the new church, and add the finishing touches on this project. Following this, there will be a medical team led by Dr. Patrick Hawley, Flushing, Michigan. They will arrive on January 13 and will minister health clinics in rural areas. Following these clinics, Dr. Michael Gusar, Boston, Massachusetts, will conduct the first dental clinic for MFH in Jacmel. We covet your prayers!!
Helping Hand Scholarships – please don’t forget
This fund is vitally important to help poor families who long for a better education for their children but struggle financially. Families are filled with gratitude for a little help that keeps their children in school. Thank you so much!
With thanks to you and gratitude to God for your support,
Tom and Sarah Bennett
PS. Please remember MFH with your Amazon Smiles. Thank you.
