Sad Report

From Steve Saint, founder of Itec

Sunday late afternoon, Josh Guthrie was killed in a plane crash near the
Orlando North Airpark in Zellwood, Florida.

Josh was a very capable commercial pilot and experienced aircraft mechanic
preparing himself for a career in humanitarian aviation to help physically
and spiritually hurting people in frontier areas of the world.

The "bush-type" plane Josh was flying was donated to Itec (the Indigenous
Peoples Technology and Education Center) a Christian non-profit
organization, specifically so that Josh could build flight time and
experience, flying and maintaining the type of aircraft he was preparing to
operate to help hurting people.

We, the members of Itec and Airsign Aerial Advertising who helped schedule flights for Josh, are deeply saddened and will be marked by his death. But,
we are determined that Josh's dream of using airplanes to take comfort and hope to hurting people "Beyond Roads" will live on as a memorial to our
friend and partner.

Steve Saint

Update from the Benslers

 It’s with thanksgiving that we write this post.  We want to take the opportunity to report to you some of the highlights from our past two years and to give you an update on our current direction.  For those who have partnered with us by praying for us and financially supporting us, we want to thank you and share with you how God has used your prayers and support to impact His Kingdom.

As you know, along with a willingness to follow God onto the foreign mission field, God had put on our hearts the desire to equip indigenous believers with tools to help them play a significant role in the Great Commission.  The tool we had in our hands was medicine and the desire we had was to pass on these skills to indigenous believers so that they could care for the needs of their own people and win the right to share Jesus.  Just prior to leaving to Peru, God connected us with Steve Saint, a man with a similar calling, and the organization he founded, Itec (The Indigenous People’s Technology and Education Center).  We moved to Peru with the understanding that God had brought us together in partnership with Steve Saint, but that He had also opened the door for us to move to Peru.  Our time in Peru was a season of preparation and training in both language and culture.

In late 2008, the door opened for us to move to Florida in order to work more closely with the Itec team on the medical training program, IMed.  Although it was sad to leave Peru, God made it clear that we were to follow in obedience and faith.  God continued to confirm that we were to stay in Florida and work on the curriculum and to use the Itec office as our base for training trips to South America. 

Over the past year and a half we have participated in the development of an optometry training program (ISee) that is being used by indigenous believers in several countries, including Indonesia, Nigeria, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil.  Work continues on the IMed training program, with a working set of modules close to completion. The desire for such training amongst believers is great.  It has been exciting to watch our brothers and sisters in frontier areas eagerly receive this training and use the tools as bridges for sharing the love of Jesus.  What good things God has done!

Through much prayer, we and our pastors at our home church, Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel, sense God is directing us to complete our time at Itec and embark on a time of further ministry training.  They have asked us to wrap up our work on the IMed project and move back to Calgary in early June.  They have set up a transition time for our family to get settled of approximately three months.  In September, we anticipate that Evan will begin a one-year internship at the church while working part-time as a medical doctor. 

What does this mean for you?  We are asking that you would continue to pray for us as we take this step of faith.  Work will continue on the IMed project at Itec and your prayer support is important.  

Words can’t properly express our gratitude both to God and to you, our partners.  Thank you for trusting us and for partnering with us.  This has been an exciting journey of trusting God to work in and through us. 

To Him be the glory and honour,

Evan and Heather Bensler

Making Memories

Last weekend we decided to go on an impromptu road trip. Being from Canada, our knowledge of the southern states was somewhat limited. We decided to remedy this by visiting as many states as possible. We rented a reliable car, packed it with plenty of food and treats and headed out. Twenty hours of driving and 1100 miles lead us through four states in just two and a half days. We managed to visit Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana all in one day. Good thing our rental had unlimited miles! Since our time in each state was limited, Rachel decided we needed to have ice cream and licorice to make the visit seem more official. Evan and I topped that by having coffee, too. Although the trip was short, it will remain a special memory for our family.


Ministry Update- Evan is hard at work on the IMed curriculum. Currently, he is writing outlines for the trauma and pain control unit. He is also working on improving the core module in preparation for an upcoming training trip. Please pray for insipiration, wisdom, and direction.

Gift of Sight

Last November, while attending the Global Medical Missions Conference in Louisville, KY, Evan and I met an optician with the heart to train God-followers to run vision clinics. In the early 90's, Dr. David Curtis started running his own vision clinics on short term mission trips and found that he couldn't keep up with the demand for his services.  After many unsuccessful attempts at recruiting opticians to join him in missions, he designed a low-tech training program to equip "lay-opticians".   Currently, Dr. Curtis is training North American short term missionaries and he is just beginning to train national believers as well. 

Evan and I were able to attend his training program at CC St. Pete.  Our desire was to further our knowledge about optometry so that we could improve the I-See training program.  We had a wonderful time at the training, both because the session was informative and stimulating, and because we met other like-minded believers from CC St.Pete.  We look forward to seeing how the Lord may use the connections made that day.  The day of training provided us with further skills and confirmed our desire to train national believers to use this vital skill to share the love of Jesus.

Barbara Manatee....you are the one for me!

Wherever we live, we try to take see the local attractions, especially if they are outdoors (and free!) In Newfoundland, Evan and I would drive through the many inlets near Twillingate to try to get the best views of icebergs. In Lima we would walk along the Pacific coast, trying to spot pelicans and other sea birds diving for fish. At this time of year in Florida, it is the season for manatee spotting.

In December and January, the cool temperatures on the Gulf Coast force manatees to seek the comfort of the natural springs in the area. A manatee will suffer from hypothermia at just 68F. The natural springs in this region of Florida stay at a consistent 72F and make a perfect wintering spot for the manatees.

Last week the kids and I drove to nearby Kings Bay to see if we could see manatees. In just 20 minutes we spotted approximately 40 gentle giants. The aerial shot of the manatees was taken by Evan as he flew over the area in the 801 preacher pilot.

I titled this blog entry after a Veggie Tales song called "Barbara Manatee." If you want to see the video, check out our homeschooling blog at www.escuelitaencasa.blogspot.com. Nothing like a Silly Song from Larry to brighten your day!

Friends from Up North

Some of our dearest friends from Canada visited us during the Christmas break. Ron and Carol (with kids) and Doug and Cherie (with kids) took time away from a family reunion to spend time with us.

Ron and Carol along with their three children met us in Clearwater for a couple of days. Although the weather was cold, the time together was sweet. Ron is an elder at our home church and he and his entire family have been intentional in reaching out to our family and supporting us over the past two years. Our children have developed a special friendship over the past couple of years of monthly skype calls. What a gift it was to have them visit during the holiday season.

Doug and Cherie, along with their children, also visited us over Christmas. We had the opportunity to give them a tour of Itec and to introduce them to Steve Saint. From the flying car to the dental chair, they experienced it all. It is rarely quiet at Itec. On the day of their visit, the 801 preacher pilot took its first flight.

Cherie and I have been friends for many years and have homeschooled our children together. Our friendship has helped us survive and thrive throughout our homeschooling years. Prior to our departure from Calgary, Doug and Cherie felt that God wanted them to sell their home in order to rent ours as a support to the ministry God was leading us to. It has been a tremendous blessing to have them in our lives. Their willingness to sacrifice and follow God's leading has been an incredible encouragement to us. We are honoured to have such quality people in our lives.

A trip to visit us isn't complete without a stop at Rainbow Springs State Park. The weather was COLD, but that didn't deter us. It was a blessing to have friends visit us during a season that can be difficult when one is away from home. I think God knew we needed that boost. There is something special about being with friends who have walked alongside us for many years and have sacrificed to support and love us.

Christmas at Itec

Here are some photos from the Itec Christmas Party. It was a time to celebrate the season together as families and to remember God's blessings.  Ginny and Kathy cooked up a wonderful feast for everyone to enjoy while Lydia (Ronbo's daughter) and Heather brought out their violins to lead everyone in singing Christmas carols.  It was a great time of fellowship and fun!

Merry Christmas with love from the Benslers

Partnerships

This past week we were blessed to have a visit from our Brazilian friends. Pastor Eli and his wife Sylvana joined Charles Stafford, the director of Amazon Vision Ministries (AVM), on a tour of Itec. You may remember these friends from photos and stories of our trip to Brazil in October. Pastor Eli and Sylvana live in Manaus, Brazil, and work with AVM, traveling the Amazon Region working with local pastors. It was a joy to see them again and to have the opportunity to show them around Itec. Pastor Eli was especially impressed with the Maverick. I think he has visions of himself navigating the Amazon in the flying car.

Pastor Eli and Sylvana seized the opportunity to be trained in the I-See program.  In a short time, Sylvana was fitting Charles Stafford with Itec glasses.  Along with Rosie, a young woman we trained while visiting Brazil, AVM is well equipped to use the program.  The goal is for Pastor Eli and Sylvana to train other national believers in the program when they return to Brazil in late December.

AVM is in the process of incorporating Itec's training programs into their ministry. The ministry uses a boat to travel to river communities within Brazil. The plan is to outfit a boat as a training center.  Charles and Pastor Eli see the need for pastors in the region to be equipped with skills that will help them care for the needs of their people and that will help their ministries to be sustainable. Itec's optometry, dental, medical, and mechanical programs will complement the Bible training these pastors are receiving from AVM.

Itec is looking at partnering with AVM in this venture.  Please pray for both Itec and AVM as they move forward in this partnership.  Wisdom is needed as this partnership is formed.  Please also pray for us as we look at our possible role in this. 

Global Medical Health Conference

Discussing a new teaching tool

This past week Evan and I attended the Global Medical Health Conference in Louisville, Kentucky for the 4th time.  This missions conference has proven to be a place where God has both blessed us and opened doors for us.  It was encouraging to be there once again.

Three years ago, Evan and I attended the GMHC with the hopes of confirming the direction we felt God had given us for missions.  We felt called to teach and equip indigenous believers with medical skills as a tool for sharing Jesus.  At the time we weren't sure if "everyone was doing that" or if it was a crazy idea.  What we learned was the idea of empowering national churches with medical skills was an emerging, but radical concept.  Few people at the conference were saying it was possible, but there were early indications that this was the future direction of medical missions.  It was at this first conference that we met Steve Saint.  We didn't realize at the time that God would direct us to join Itec, but He did use Steve to confirm to us that we were on the right path.  It was at the next year's conference that God began directing us to a partnership with Itec.

 

This year we noticed a marked shift in attitude towards training and equipping nationals with medical and dental skills as door openers for sharing the gospel.  The trend now is towards "transformational empowerment".  This means equipping indigenous churches so they can play a meaningful role in the Great Commission.  It is exciting to see this shift in attitude.

One highlight during our time at the conference was meeting a young, future missionary nurse named Hope.  She introduced herself to me after one of Steve's talks.  Hope feels called to be a missionary nurse and I have no doubt God is going to use her life in amazing ways.  I was struck by her obvious love for the Lord and her enthusiasm.  She has promised to send me a photo and email when she is on the field in a few years.  What an inspiration to meet a young person with such passion and focus!!