Deputation Notes

April - June 2004

“Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed:

for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:9

Dear Prayer Warriors,

It is such an encouragement to us as we travel along the deputation trail to know that the Lord our God is with us wherever we go. We never need to fear or worry as He is always by our side and takes care of our every need. Our travels this past quarter have taken us across almost 4000 miles from as far north as Detroit, Michigan, south as far as Charleston, South Carolina, and east out to Monroeville, New Jersey. The Lord has blessed our meetings these past few months, as well as raising our support level to 42%. We look forward to what He has in store for us this next quarter as we have many meetings scheduled (only a couple Sundays left open). At this time we have meetings scheduled in NY, OH, IL and SC.

At the beginning of June we were able to attend the annual GFA conference at the WILDS Christian Camp in NC. What a blessing to see many of our friends who are also missionaries in various parts of the world as well as meet many others for whom we have been praying. We were encouraged and challenged to be faithful in the service to which we have been called. It was an special blessing to have the whole GFA Kenya team together. The Hafler’s have now returned to Kenya and are getting settled back into their ministry near Nairobi. The Knipe’s are busy getting everything ready, scheduling meetings, and anticipate starting deputation full-time in October. Another interested couple joined us for the day on Friday. We had a great time together praying, planning and just getting to know each other a bit better.

Our new prayer cards, featuring our entire family, are finally in. For those of you who received this letter by regular mail a copy is enclosed. If you received this letter via e-mail or are a pastor who would like additional copies for your church, please let us know your mailing address and how many prayer cards you would like to receive. We are truly thankful for the many of you who faithfully pray for us and our ministry.

Praises:

1. A good vehicle and safety across the many miles of deputation so far.

2. A healthy family – Joshua’s asthma did not flair up with the spring pollen.

3. The many blessings of serving a great Savior.

Prayer Requests:

1. That we would be faithful to God’s calling in our lives.

2. That we would be a blessing and encouragement to those churches we visit.

3. That the Lord would open the door for scheduling more meetings.

4. That the ministry would continue to be fruitful in Kenya.

Your missionaries to Kenya,

John, Sophie, Joshua, Caleb and Becky Smith