December 30 2018

What a year for our family. We have so much to be thankful for and top of the list are the many who support & pray weekly for our ministry and family. 

 

This morning as I read from Proverbs 30 a verse really hit home in my heart. Verse 16 talks about things that are never satisfied. The grave- (yep death here is daily). Our Amo is starting a coffin building business with his friend as a part of his math and vo-tech training now for homeschool. We expect to see his business thrive!, the barren womb ( yep Sarah, James new mommy ,pleaded like Hannah did for a baby. God heard and gave her my precious James after decades of begging.  He is so loved they literally almost have him bubble wrapped for protection!!) fire  (anyone living in PNG very long has seen devastation of the massive fires lit to burn the mountain grasses.  Mountain fires blazing and crackling and consuming all in their paths is a terrifying site to behold)  and the parched land. 

 

Sitting here with the ocean breeze cool and refreshing and the early Madang sun warming the very depth of my heart as I worship the Creator of this magnificent place, I see that the heavy tropical rain has the sandy ground just saturated to the max.

 

I am contemplating my life, and I also see puddles in so many areas where once parched need had been. The power of answered prayer is truly evidenced all around us!!

 

Getting to a very needed few days away was nothing more than a huge challenge. It was not just the struggle to afford financially a few days away, but the physical challenge of getting there when airfare was just totally beyond all stretch in the budget. The ” roads” were so rough that we once again broke our brake line as the massive potholes snapped a bracket again. 😳Having brakes while driving in the mountains of a wild a tropical rainforest is a pretty big need for sure. God once again mercifully allowed us to be at a place of relative safety where we got to a workshop that was still open with men willing to stay and fix our car despite their work time being complete.  God even provided Mr. Anonymous to pay for it with a gift given the day that happened❤️  Big puddle!!

 

God blessed us with an amazing week of Christmas outreach to the Kenemaro community. We have a list of all the kids that participated in all the sports on ALL the teams. We have been praying for them. We pleaded with GOD to be able SOMEHOW to invite EACH ONE to camp as our guests!!  That is 110 plus camp fees!!  We made tickets by faith and God is honoring our step.... pray they come now as parched need has become a puddle. God is providing!!!  

 

We were tired ( well to be honest , exhausted!!) after the past weeks/ months of intense ministry opportunities. We needed a time away to rest and refresh. Here I am enjoying tropical paradise where each crashing wave rinses yet another sigh of tiredness away. Sleep. Fun. Fellowship (our whole team on the field came too just for fun!!!❤️) and my favorite food on earth...saksak!!!....have us refreshed and ready to get back on the fast pace of youth camp just over a week away now!!!  It is our most critical week of ministry as our youth are the future. We will give 120% to minister to the kids and now we are ready!!!  A puddle of energy is in place of parched land of exhaustion. Thanks for praying us a needed break away!  Come apart before you fall apart is great advice❤️

 

We are so blessed. My spiritual goal this year is to ask God to develop a sweet and calm and QUITE Spirit in me.  (please feel free to ask how im doing at letting GODS WORD transform me in this way...accountability is great!! )Trust is a major part of QUIET! My book for vacation reading was Living on the Ragged Edge by Swindoll. It has been such a great reminder to study the journal of Solomon written in Ecclesiastes. The emptiness of all that is ”under the sun ”is just such a true reality.  The final destination of all life's traveled paths will not satisfy if God is not a part of the journey. The good life -the only one that satisfies- exists only when we stop wanting a better one. It is the condition of savoring what is rather than longing for what might be!!  I believe the Apostle Paul said it best with the Spirit guiding his pen, ” for I have LEARNED in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content.... Both to abound and suffer need...I can do ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST which strengthens me”

 

I guess I can't think of a better thought going into a New Year of unknown joy and sorrow. Christ is ALL WE NEED!!  HE is my Good Shepherd guiding us along. Quiet peaceful trust!!  

 

 

We leave your Sunday evening for our long rough trip home to Goroka. We lost both battery and brakes on the trip here so pray our sweet car holds together until we get safely home before New Year drinking makes the safety risk worse. 

 

Pray for all the millions of things that need to come together before CAMP STARTS!!  

 

* LOTS OF KIDS and for God to do a mighty work in hearts and lives!!

 

❤️pray for 100 Bena kids to come and for 50 to be saved!!  We want to start a huge youth outreach ministry at Kenemaro. We need kids and a sports area!!!  ( more about our exciting prayer goals in that area in 2019!!!!)

 

* pray for the food to be good and adequate and AVAILABLE!! I get to feed the kids this year❤️❤️  Last year I was still disabled from surgeries!!  Happy to be strong and healthy again!! (big puddle) 

 

 

We have decided after much prayer and fasting to homeschool Amo.  We need much prayer for this huge adjustment for him and our family in this change. He is very social so pray specifically for us to find good friends and positive opportunities for him to grow and mature academically as well as socially and spiritually. 

 

So much God has done. So many that have had a part in all of it through prayer and sacrificial partnership in many ways!!! Our puddles are full!!

 

 

Bill. Lori and the boys 


http://myaccount.abwe.org/p-1472-smith-william-l-and-lori.aspx
 

1.  Clinic- Trying to raise   a minimum of $10,000 for a special order of medicine that will help us get a bigger discount.  WE have $7,500.  Pray for  $2500 still to come in so we can have minimum order amount to get the bigger discount.  (use the link above and mark in the memo  it is for clinic account 020)

2.  College-   Goroka Baptist Bible College- George Goodwin Memorial account.  About  $30,000 has come from various sources.   We need about  $10,000 more to match the  $20,000 donation. Funds will be used to upgrade the GBBC campus including the boys dorm and classroom. Use the link below and mark in the memo box for  Account number 016
http://myaccount.abwe.org/p-2146-goroka-bbc-work.aspx

3. Coffee-   GBBC sells coffee to help offset cost of giving Bible College education to upcoming Pastors and teachers.    We have  about  750   250 gm packets of  coffee.  Price is  US$15 per bag (10 or more is  $10 each)  Shipping is free.   Drink Coffee and support GBBC at the same time.  www.coffee4png.com  This can be a big help in keeping the cost of Bible College down.  PLEASE DRINK SOME COFFEE.

4. Camp-    PRAY PRAY>  We are so grateful God has provided the funds to sponsor the kids to come.  Pray God Changes lives.  WE will keep you posted!