When Lisa was in hospital with breast cancer, she requested that her clock radio be brought in so that she could listen to Rhema. This testimony is dedicated to the life of Lisa Bennett, a member of Rhema FM since 1995.

“Just over a year ago now, my wife Lisa was in hospital.  She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. Initially she had surgery, chemotherapy and was doing quite well. In 2015 the cancer came back again in her bones and in her liver as well. She received treatment for that cancer. I’m so grateful to live in a country like Australia where medical treatment is available and affordable. So she kept going with various stages of treatment, but the cancer kept coming back each time.

Mitchell & Lisa 1

Lisa and Mitchell Bennett

Towards the start of 2017 she was admitted to hospital a few times. During one of my visits she asked me if I could bring in her old clock radio off her bedside table because she was really missing listening to Rhema and the positive messages that come across in the music.

 

She just wanted a radio that she could turn on in the morning.  Listening to Rhema gave her a positive message and reminder about the hope that she had in God. She was a person of great faith, and had great hope for the future.

Right through all of her struggle through cancer she maintained that hope in God. Being reminded of that through the music that Rhema plays was an important part of her journey in that time. That experience made me realise how much both of us really appreciated Rhema and the message in the music, the teaching and the positive messages that come through, especially with the other type of radio stations in Newcastle.

Lisa died in April 2017, and since then I’ve been living on my own, as my two children are grown up and moved out of home. Since then Rhema has really been a support to me in that time living by myself. I spend a lot of time at home doing the church accounts because I’m the treasurer at Toronto Baptist. I always have Rhema on in the house to fill it with the message of hope and positive messages for the future.

I just want to do whatever I can to help Rhema because it is something very special that we have in Newcastle, broadcasting the message of hope. ”

– Mitchell Bennett

I'D LIKE TO HELP OTHERS DISCOVER HOPE
Mitchell & Lisa 2
Lisa was a mother of two. When the children were young Lisa suffered from bouts of anxiety and depression. At times she struggled to travel anywhere. Through God, and with the support of medical professionals and loved ones, she learned to manage this condition. And through her job at St Philips Christian College was introduced to the work of Dunamis Outreach Australia, an Australian based charity that raises money for work amongst underprivileged children in India. This became her passion and she served as treasurer for many years. Lisa and Mitchell travelled to India many times.

Lisa was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013.  Treatment was initially successful but the cancer returned in 2015. She died of liver failure in April 2017. Throughout this time Lisa continued to share her hope in God with everyone she met including others suffering from cancer.

Following her diagnosis with cancer, Lisa did a lot to raise awareness of breast cancer amongst Indian women. We funded breast-screening clinics and transported surplus mastectomy bras and prosthesis, donated by a Newcastle shop, to India for distribution to underprivileged Indian women. She had the opportunity to share the message of her hope in God with thousands of Indian people.