Craig and Katy Bennett
Serving the Bibleless in Vanuatu
Give Here to Make Our Ministry Possible

Thank You For Partnering with Us!

As the year draws to a close, we want to say a special thank you to all of you who have prayed and given over the last year, we could not do this without you! Thank you for walking with us and for praying for us, our teammates, and the people of Vanuatu. Thank you for the sacrifices you made in order to give financially so that this ministry could happen.

This year, our translators learned to use computers and Bible translation software (a feat in itself!) and have drafted portions of Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, Daniel, and Matthew. They also worked on checking portions of Genesis, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs, and the entire book of Jonah which were translated last year. Finally, together with them we began distributing portions of Genesis in each of the languages! God is moving in Vanuatu and his word is entering people’s lives and transforming them. We are so glad to be doing this ministry together with you!
So, What Are We Doing in the US?

Many of you have asked us what we will be doing over the next 10 months while we are here in the US. Sometimes people get the idea that being back home is a restful time for missionaries, however most missionaries report just the opposite! As you’ll see below we will be quite busy learning, traveling, and doing. That’s why Pioneer Bible Translators calls this time “Home Assignment;” it is a period of time that we are assigned to be doing work here in the US to make our work in Vanuatu possible. 

We have 4 main goals/tasks.
1. We will be visiting with churches and individuals who already support our ministry and seeking out more partners for our work in Vanuatu. Currently we only have churches and individuals committed to giving about 70% of the funds that are needed for our ministry to be successful so gathering new partners is vital to our work.
2. We will be participating in several continuing education opportunities to increase our effectiveness as missionaries. Craig is currently doing an online course in leadership and below is some information about a missionary care workshop that Katy attended earlier this month.
3. We will be raising funds to purchase a vehicle when we return to Vanuatu so that we can increase our effectiveness and also make our daily lives much easier. See below for more info.
4. We will be taking some time to visit our family and friends and to rest. After having been gone for over 3 years, we really miss our family and they miss us, too. It is important for us to take some time to visit with them and let our kids get to know their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all over again. Also, we need to rest and recover from all the illnesses, parasites, and other surprises that come with living in a developing country. Our bodies and minds need some time to recuperate so that when we go back in October we will be refreshed and ready to give to the people of Vanuatu again.
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Roots of Care Training

At the beginning of this month I (Katy) had the opportunity to go to Pioneer Bible Translators headquarters in Dallas to attend a workshop called Roots of Care. This workshop equipped me to understand the pressures and strains that our family experiences on the mission field and taught me some ways that I can minister to my teammates and help them to take good care of themselves. This workshop is a part of the “Culture of Care” that we are trying to develop so that our missionaries are healthy and happy in service.

This weekend long training was only one of two parts of the workshop; the other half will be offered February 16-18. If you are interested in learning more about how to care for missionaries and their families, I would love for you to join me in the second half of this training. Send me an email if you’d like to learn more, the cost of the workshop is $50.

A Truck to Call Our Own

As we mentioned a few newsletters ago, one of our goals for our time here in the US is to raise money to purchase a vehicle in Vanuatu. After 3 years of living without a vehicle of our own, we can assure you that our daily lives and our ministry would be much easier and more effective with the use of a vehicle.

While public transportation is available where we live in Vanuatu, it is unreliable and expensive. Our reliance on buses and taxis has resulted in us traveling more than 3 miles from our house only about 10 times in the 3 years we’ve lived in Vanuatu! 

We need to raise about $30,000 for the purchase of a vehicle that will be able to handle the rough roads in Vanuatu. Would you consider making a year end gift of $50 or $100 or more to help us get started? If so, please click on any of the “give” buttons in this email and select “Bennett Vehicle Fund” from the drop-down menu.
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We are in the process of scheduling our travel for the rest of the 10 months we will be here in the US and we want to make sure we get a chance to visit with YOU! Please contact us soon to let us know if have a specific time or event that you would like us to put into our schedule!