Deputation Notes

June - August 2003

 

“Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel;

I am the Lord thy God… which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.”

Isaiah 48:17

Dear Family and Friends,

 

These past few months have been busier than we had anticipated.  There have been several meetings and some traveling.  In the seven meetings since starting deputation we have traveled almost 4000 miles already.  We are thankful for the safety and blessed times we have had in these first five months of deputation. 

The middle of June we traveled up to Ohio where we had a meeting in the church in which Sophie was raised.  The next week John spent at the Ohio Bible Fellowship’s Pastors Conference at Camp Peniel.  Sophie and the boys were able to spend that week with her parents.  The other meetings since then have all been in South Carolina in the cities of Greer, Lancaster and Landrum.   We have  also been able to spend some time with our future co-workers in Kenya, the Hafler family, as they are home on furlough.

Our meetings the rest of this year will be in either North or South Carolina.  John has been busy calling many pastors and lining up meetings and we say thank you to those churches that have already scheduled us.  It has been our prayer that the Lord will allow us to present our ministry in those churches who will stand behind us with their prayers, as we have seen already that the Lord is in charge of the finances and we must rely on Him. We can only give praise to our gracious Lord for providing almost 34% of our needed support already. 

Since we began in March of this year, deputation has only been “part time” as John has continued to work full time at the Sheriff’s Office here in Greenville.  Since John has been the main support technician for their present computer system in the dispatch centers he had committed himself to continue his employment until the end of this year.  Plans have been under way to complete the installation of a new computer system by that same time; thus we felt that it was the Lord’s leading that this would be a good time for us to transition into full-time deputation, and also a proper time to terminate his employment.  This decision came with much prayer and with great dependence on the Lord to fulfill His promise to supply our every need.

The Lord has allowed us to schedule many meetings in the Ohio area during the first quarter of 2004.  After our daughter arrives in mid December, we plan to move up to Ohio and will be based out of Sophie’s parents’ home for a few months.  Then we have a few meetings in the south during May and into June and then head back up north again.  We are excited about the doors of opportunity the Lord is opening for us as we travel down the deputation trail.

 

Prayer Requests:

1. The Lord’s blessing on the deputation meetings this fall.

2. Health for Sophie and the baby that is due in December.

3. The ministry in Kenya as the Hafler family is home on furlough.

4. Guidance as we plan for full-time deputation.

 

Your missionaries to Kenya,

 

John, Sophie, Joshua and Caleb Smith