Smith Prayer & Praise - May 2010
Thanks so much for your faithful prayers! We have not been as faithful with our prayer updates! Please take a little time to read through and pray over our photo prayer update.
These World Cup Tracts are currently being handed out all over Mexico and other parts of Latin America as the world gears up for the soccer tournament. The tracts give the World Cup schedule as well as a brief plan of salvation and offer a free Bible study. Our team ordered around 12,000 of these for our Bajio region of Mexico. Praise God that a few weeks ago we got the information of a man that had received a tract and is interested in a Bible study. We visited Jose to drop off a study, and have been in contact with him about getting together to study the Bible. Just today we gave a young couple a tract and started a conversation with them. We hope this may lead to another evangelistic Bible study as well, although they live in a small town outside of Queretaro. Please pray that these tracts might continue to have an impact here and all over Latin America.
MK Spiritual Emphasis Camp
In April our three kids enjoyed a few days at camp with some of their fellow MK's. It was Ben's first year to attend as a first-grader. While they were at camp we had a chance to get away for a few days and celebrate our 15th anniversary a little early. Please pray that our family would continually grow in our love for God.
Children's Day celebration at church
Children's Day celebration at church - Luis & Miriam did a great job
with an Ephesians 6 Armor of God presentation
Mother's Day service at church
José Luis, Cesar, and Gerardo organized the Mother's Day service
and sang to the mothers with the help of the youth group
We praise God for what He is doing in the New Birth Bible Church. We recently had services celebrating the children for Children's Day and the mothers for Mother's Day. Part of the excitement for us was that we did not have much to do with planning either one of these special services! Please pray for the leadership of the church as we are moving toward naming elders and deacons, and continue to organize the church leadership.
Cesar updating the square meter chart at church
Foosball for square meters!
We continue to raise funds for the property purchase project. Right now we are at 26% of what we would like to raise in the US, and at 32% of what we would like to raise in Mexico. This means that as of today we have purchased 101 m² and have 277 m² to go. One of the creative ways that the church here is raising funds is through a foosball table. The youth group raised funds in order to purchase the table, and all proceeds from the table are going toward the property purchase. Please pray that all the funds would be provided in time to make the last payment in September. Would you consider helping us with a square meter, or whatever God lays on your heart? If you are interested in helping us in this way, please see the Square Meters for Christ article below.
Time for cake!
Quest training event with our team
Ben (right) had his friends Silas and Tucker Hower over for a few nights
We have so appreciated our CAM missionary team. We get together about every two weeks to pray, encourage one another, and fellowship. We recently celebrated Ben's seventh birthday together. We are made up of four families - 13 kids. We also recently enjoyed some training together at the camp. The topics were Finding a Balance Between Family and Ministry and Cross-cultural Conflict Resolution. Our team seemed to benefit greatly from our time together. Bryan is currently leading the team, and preparing the next team leader who will take over in 2011. Please pray that our team would continue to be unified and grow together.
We recently started a marriage study with five other couples using Gary Smalley's Making Love Last Forever study in Spanish. We have met twice, and it is exciting to hear and see what God is doing in each couple. This is a great study that God used to help us make some changes in our marriage about five years ago. One of the couples have not put their faith in Jesus yet and we are praying they will see their need for a Savior. Another one of the couple's, Jose Luis and Estrella, and from our church and are interested in taking the study in order to share it with some other couples. Please pray that this study would be used for God's glory to see his work accomplished in these couples.
Thanks so much for taking the time to pray and support us in this venture together for God's glory!
Bryan, Lori, Kendra, Tara, & Ben
Square Meters for Christ
The New Birth Bible Church and Community Center here in Queretaro, Mexico is purchasing the property which we have been renting for the last year and a half. We praise the Lord for His provision for this opportunity. The corner property is 378 m² and includes a large open roofed area which we have been using for the sanctuary. It also includes a house and two apartments. The property is ideal in many ways for the church to continue to grow and reach out into the surrounding communities. We praise God that the church here has been working creatively and giving sacrificially toward this purchase. The owner is a believer, and has given us a very fair price, and about a year to pay the balance.
The property viewed from the corner
So how can you help?
~ Give a gift:
Each square meter has a cost of $350. An account has been set up with CAM International to receive tax deductible gifts toward this project. Would you pray about this and consider helping us with one or more square meters? This is an opportunity to invest in a wonderful gift for Christ’s glory to be proclaimed in Queretaro and around the world!
There are two ways for you to make this gift:
- Make a secure online donation with credit/debit card or paypal:
Go to www.caminternational.org - Click the “Give” tab and select “donate online.” Select “Special Project” and enter the number 063608
- Send a check by mail:
Send your check made out to CAM International and earmarked for “Project #063608 New Birth Bible Church Property”
Send to:
CAM International
8625 La Prada Dr.
Dallas, TX 75228
~ Become a “champion” for this project:
Would you be willing to help us promote this project in your circles of influence? We would be glad to provide you with some brochures which you can use to promote the project. Simply e-mail us and let us know how many you would like, and where to send them.
~ Pray!
Please help us by praying for God’s provision as funds are raised both in the US and here in Mexico. We know that God “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).
Thank you!