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The Times and Democrat - Ministering to the deaf
For three weeks during one of the most hectic times of year -- when family and friends are busy preparing for the holidays and bustling about to complete their last bit of Christmas shopping -- a man and his daughter set out on a journey to the other side of the world to share the love of Jesus.
David Bennett, founder and director of Silent Word Ministries International, and his daughter, 18-year-old Elisabeth Bennett, left the day after Thanksgiving in search of a handful of men to help and teach the more than three million deaf individuals living in India about the word of God and basic Bible doctrine and provide leadership in pastoral training.
Until recently, the Bennetts resided in Orangeburg with wife and mother Vicki Beaver Bennett's parents, Jack and Shirley Beaver.
The main cause of deafness in India is attributed to German measles, due to the lack of medical treatment and preventive immunization in the country.
What David Bennett couldn't have predicted and didn't expect when he arrived in India was the interest and willingness he found in so many of the people to share the love of Christ with the deaf.
India has a population of more than one billion people, with at least 80 percent of the population adhering to Hinduism.
"God answered my prayer with a total of 21 men showing interest and a burden for the deaf of their regions! Praise the Lord!" he wrote in a letter to friends and family on Dec. 16.
The Bennetts travelled with a team of men, including the Rev. Jim Starr from Vision 20/20 Asia, Evangelist Tom Farrell, Evangelist Lin Croxton and Pastor Bill Egerdahl. Meetings were held in three different states -- Nagaland in Northeast India, Bhadravathi in Karnataka and Gangtok, Sikkim, located east of Nepal.
While in each state, seminars for pastors and lay leaders were held during the day, followed by evangelistic meetings in the evenings. Elisabeth Bennett used her talents to witness to the crowd, playing her violin and speaking several times to ladies, young people and children's groups.
"Many were blessed and grew in their relationship with the Lord," David Bennett said of his daughter's work.
Elisabeth Bennett, who shared with friends and family bits of the journal she kept while in India, talked of witnessing to an older Hindu couple while on the Nov. 26 flight from Amsterdam to Delhi and eating lunch with an Indian military leader and his wife on Nov. 28.
"The Lord blessed our trip and I had a wonderful time," she wrote. "I made many friends and learned a lot about their culture.
"I would love to go back some day ... but even if I never get the chance to go back to India I know that one day I will see those who have put their trust in God again in Heaven."
In his letter, David Bennett reported that more than 400 adults and 30 children made public professions of faith.
Because English is taught in Indian schools, locals had no problem communicating with the Bennetts. In fact, most homes speak three or four different languages. One family the Bennetts visited spoke 15 languages.
Plans have been made for a five-day seminar in Hyderabad in April 2007, with SWMI planning to train 30 Indian men, hailing from several different states in India, in the area of deaf ministries.
Sharing the story of Umesh Grover, a deaf Indian man who grew up Hindu but after being saved began holding weekly meetings for prayer and Bible study with about 100 deaf adults, David Bennett explained to his loved ones the importance of helping Grover help his fellow students.
"I was burdened as I saw this man take the initiative to begin a 'fellowship' for the deaf when he does not even really know what a church is about," he said. "Umesh needs ground(ing) in the Word of God. Others need to be trained in the deaf ministries."
The pair returned from their trip on Dec. 14, 2006. David and Elisabeth Bennett were only able to communicate by phone with the rest of their family in Orangeburg less than half a dozen times during their stay in India.
The Bennetts are not new to ministering. For more than 25 years, David and Vicki Bennett, along with their 12 children, served as missionaries in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where they built a church for the deaf. The entire family participates in the mission work, singing and signing, while David Bennett speaks on families, marriage and their mission to the deaf.
The family is currently transitioning to full-time life in the States. They recently purchased home near Chattanooga, Tenn. in order to be closer to SWMI headquarters in Trenton, Ga.
For three weeks during one of the most hectic times of year -- when family and friends are busy preparing for the holidays and bustling about to complete their last bit of Christmas shopping -- a man and his daughter set out on a journey to the other side of the world to share the love of Jesus.
David Bennett, founder and director of Silent Word Ministries International, and his daughter, 18-year-old Elisabeth Bennett, left the day after Thanksgiving in search of a handful of men to help and teach the more than three million deaf individuals living in India about the word of God and basic Bible doctrine and provide leadership in pastoral training.
Until recently, the Bennetts resided in Orangeburg with wife and mother Vicki Beaver Bennett's parents, Jack and Shirley Beaver.
The main cause of deafness in India is attributed to German measles, due to the lack of medical treatment and preventive immunization in the country.
What David Bennett couldn't have predicted and didn't expect when he arrived in India was the interest and willingness he found in so many of the people to share the love of Christ with the deaf.
India has a population of more than one billion people, with at least 80 percent of the population adhering to Hinduism.
"God answered my prayer with a total of 21 men showing interest and a burden for the deaf of their regions! Praise the Lord!" he wrote in a letter to friends and family on Dec. 16.
The Bennetts travelled with a team of men, including the Rev. Jim Starr from Vision 20/20 Asia, Evangelist Tom Farrell, Evangelist Lin Croxton and Pastor Bill Egerdahl. Meetings were held in three different states -- Nagaland in Northeast India, Bhadravathi in Karnataka and Gangtok, Sikkim, located east of Nepal.
While in each state, seminars for pastors and lay leaders were held during the day, followed by evangelistic meetings in the evenings. Elisabeth Bennett used her talents to witness to the crowd, playing her violin and speaking several times to ladies, young people and children's groups.
"Many were blessed and grew in their relationship with the Lord," David Bennett said of his daughter's work.
Elisabeth Bennett, who shared with friends and family bits of the journal she kept while in India, talked of witnessing to an older Hindu couple while on the Nov. 26 flight from Amsterdam to Delhi and eating lunch with an Indian military leader and his wife on Nov. 28.
"The Lord blessed our trip and I had a wonderful time," she wrote. "I made many friends and learned a lot about their culture.
"I would love to go back some day ... but even if I never get the chance to go back to India I know that one day I will see those who have put their trust in God again in Heaven."
In his letter, David Bennett reported that more than 400 adults and 30 children made public professions of faith.
Because English is taught in Indian schools, locals had no problem communicating with the Bennetts. In fact, most homes speak three or four different languages. One family the Bennetts visited spoke 15 languages.
Plans have been made for a five-day seminar in Hyderabad in April 2007, with SWMI planning to train 30 Indian men, hailing from several different states in India, in the area of deaf ministries.
Sharing the story of Umesh Grover, a deaf Indian man who grew up Hindu but after being saved began holding weekly meetings for prayer and Bible study with about 100 deaf adults, David Bennett explained to his loved ones the importance of helping Grover help his fellow students.
"I was burdened as I saw this man take the initiative to begin a 'fellowship' for the deaf when he does not even really know what a church is about," he said. "Umesh needs ground(ing) in the Word of God. Others need to be trained in the deaf ministries."
The pair returned from their trip on Dec. 14, 2006. David and Elisabeth Bennett were only able to communicate by phone with the rest of their family in Orangeburg less than half a dozen times during their stay in India.
The Bennetts are not new to ministering. For more than 25 years, David and Vicki Bennett, along with their 12 children, served as missionaries in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where they built a church for the deaf. The entire family participates in the mission work, singing and signing, while David Bennett speaks on families, marriage and their mission to the deaf.
The family is currently transitioning to full-time life in the States. They recently purchased home near Chattanooga, Tenn. in order to be closer to SWMI headquarters in Trenton, Ga.