Dear Pastor, Family, and Friends,
Thank you for your continued prayers and support. We are grateful for all that you do for us. September and October were extremely busy months with a lot of activity and great things taking place and some not so great things.
Many of you who follow us on facebook already know that the Bible college was broken into twice causing us to have to make some decisions to add security and replace and old fence to secure the property. The security system has been installed and the fence is being replaced. Thanks to our home church Cherry Grove Baptist and other supporting churches and individuals the money has been promised to cover the expenses.
Also, we had the tags from our car stolen; causing me to have to spend the better part of the day in a police station doing paperwork and going to other offices to get replacement tags. We, also, have had to take Meredith to see some specialists for an issue she has had since she was two with the way she walks. We have seen a neurologist ruling out any neurological issues. We have seen and orthopedic and another specialist who works with this condition. We have been giving a diagnosis and a recommended plan of treatment to correct the issue. However, it will be two procedures over a one year period requiring her to be put to sleep each time. Therefore, we are going for a second opinion. Please pray with us that there will be another option not requiring her to have to be put to sleep.
I included these things in this email specifically for two reasons: 1. to inform you of challenges we are facing 2. because someone wrote me and said it seems like you guys have it easy.
We don’t have it easy. We face challenges every month just like anyone else. We see the effects of sin on a daily basis. We have to deal with difficult things in our personal lives and the lives of the people the Lord has sent us to reach. However, we choose to focus on what the Lord is doing and has done in spite of the difficulties and challenges. We want you to see the eternal returns you are receiving for the investment you are making here in Chile. We want you to know in spite of the difficulties that God is still saving and calling men and women into his service.
We had a great missions conference at one of the churches and added three new missionaries. At another church they had their first couples meeting. I was able to take part in a wedding for a young couple working in one of our churches. Erica was able to lead two ladies to the Lord and start discipleship. Morgan has starting teaching a Children’s class. Luke is now working in different ministries. This past week a young man wanted to meet with me to speak about his desire to go into the ministry. We started english classes as an evangelistic outreach. One of the young pastors, Fabían, challenged our young men to be more active in personal evangelism and when we arrived at church to teach the english class there were five young men engaged in five different conversations where they were sharing the gospel with people in the community. And the list goes on and on. God is advancing his kingdom and we are blessed to be a part of that work and a great team here in Chile. As one of our supporting pastors says often; “There’s no time for sad stories”
In Christ,
The Smithey’s
Jamie, Erica, Morgan, Luke, & Meredith