The Smith Connection

Special Update - Dec. 2, 2011

Please click on the following link to see this update:

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=dda64d1288d51a6819e6796ab&id=59da3aeb82

Posted by Bryan at 03:54 PM | Permalink

Here are a few current prayer items:

1. PRAISE GOD for the salvation of Mario and Anabel! Bryan, and one of his disciples, Cesar, have been studying the Bible with them and they trusted in Christ this past Saturday, May 21. For those who have been following their story, they are neighbors of the church property. It is their daughter, Isa, who trusted in Christ at our VBS last year and got baptized last month. Her parent's interest was sparked by her testimony and baptism. PLEASE PRAY for their new life and growth in Christ as we continue to study with them.

2. PRAISE GOD for His provision for some good focused time for Bryan to work on his masters' thesis the last two weeks. Some great headway has been made. PLEASE PRAY for him as he wraps up his thesis process. Lord willing he will graduate on June 4, and have about two months to completely finish the thesis project.

3. PRAISE GOD for His continued provision for the Square Meters for Christ church property project. We still have a good ways to go on our fund-raising, about half of the total, but the Lord is continuing to provide. PLEASE PRAY for the Lord to provide the financing necessary. The owner needs the church to pay him the total amount due at this time, so the church is working on taking out a mortgage which can be paid off as soon as possible without penalty.

4. PRAISE GOD for the four leaders who recently graduated from a two-year leadership training program that Bryan facilitated. PLEASE PRAY that God will continue to use them for His honor and glory in the New Birth Bible Church of Queretaro. Follow this link for some photos of the graduation: https://picasaweb.google.com/bryanandlori/LeadershipTrainingGraduation?feat=directlink

Thanks for you prayers for us! God is working!
Bryan, Lori, Kendra, Tara, and Ben

Posted by Bryan at 01:08 PM | Permalink

Thanks so much for your prayers for us today. We praise God that we were able to leave our children with some fellow missionaries here in Queretaro and travel to Mexico City to spend some time with Margarita and her family. We had a clear opportunity to present the Gospel with those present at the wake, and Margarita gave a wonderful testimony to her family and friends as well. Many seeds were planted, and we trust and pray that Margarita will have an opportunity to water and eventually harvest some of those seeds.

On the way home to Queretaro from Mexico City (about a two and a half hour drive) we came within seconds of having a head-on collision and/or being crushed by a semi that veered into the median guardrail as we passed on the other side of the highway. We literally saw the truck barreling toward us, and the Lord gave Bryan the presence of mind to swerve right as debris hit our van. Thank you Lord! We are safe and sound and our van doesn't appear to be damaged. We often take our safety driving here for granted, but we were reminded again of how important your prayers for us are.

This experience gives new meaning to the way we unknowingly signed our e-mail this morning:

"In His Service and Care"
Bryan and Lori

Posted by Bryan at 06:41 PM | Permalink

Please be in prayer for Margarita as her father went to be with the Lord last night. (See the excerpt from our last prayer update below) We praise God that he had the opportunity to trust Christ as his Savior, and is now in His presence. Lori and I are headed in to Mexico City today to be with Margarita and her family. Please pray for opportunities for Margarita and us to share God's comfort through the Gospel message and that her other family members would come to Christ through this difficult time. Thanks for your prayers! We'll keep you updated.

In His Service and Care,
Bryan & Lori

An excerpt from our last prayer update:
"Her father was just recently hospitalized and not given much hope for recovery from heart and lung illness. Margarita decided that it was time for her to move to Mexico City temporarily to help care for her parents and reach out to her family with the Gospel. We praise God with her that her father trusted in Christ shortly after she arrived last week! He is now ready to meet his Savior when the time comes. Please pray for the rest of her family to come to Christ and for her to have strength in following God's leading in her life."

Posted by Bryan at 08:34 AM | Permalink

Square Meters for Christ

The New Birth Bible Church and Community Center here in Querétaro, Mexico is purchasing the property which we had previously rented for a 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.

The property seen 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 Querétaro 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!

Posted by Bryan at 02:28 PM | Permalink

Thank you for your prayers. Here are some answers to prayer that the Lord has given us:

- I am doing better after a week of medicine and rest. My case of shingles did not seem to be too bad, or at least we caught it on time.
- Our website (www.smithconnection.com) is up and running again virus-free and hopefully more secure. We have turned off the comment feature which may have been a weak point in security. If you would like to comment just drop us an e-mail: bsmith@caminternational.org
- We have almost reached the 25% mark of the funds we would like to raise in the US for the Square Meters for Christ property purchase project. We praise God that we were recently able to make another substantial payment toward the total due in September of this year. See the Square Meters for Christ note below if you would like to help us with this project.
- On a related note, the Governor of our state of Querétaro granted our national co-worker, Mauricio Pérez, an appointment with one of his officials to hear our plans for the property purchase and community impact project. Mauricio was able to present the project and give the Governor some Christian literature. Please pray that God might work in his heart, first to trust in Christ as his Savior, and second to help us with the property purchase project.
- I recently got word that my Masters’ level classes from Lancaster Bible College will be credited toward the program I am currently enrolled in at Puebla Bible Seminary. This being the case, the only thing left to complete my Masters’ in Leadership Development is my thesis.

Thanks so much for being part of our team in prayer!

Bryan, for Lori and the kids

Square Meters for Christ
~ 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 Querétaro 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).

Posted by Bryan at 07:50 PM | Permalink

Please be in prayer for us these days. There have been many blessings, but at the same time some difficulties. We have suffered two virus attacks:

VIRUS #1 - We just found out yesterday that I, Bryan, have come down with shingles to the right side of my head. I am now taking medicines for it, but we understand that it can affect the eye if not properly cared for. We trust that with God’s help and the medicines I am taking I will be well again in a few days. Please pray with us about this. Today I am missing a great missions conference here in the New Birth Bible Church of Querétaro as am at home resting.
VIRUS #2 - On another note, it seems that our website was hacked and a virus added to it. Our server system found and cleaned out the virus, but we are be blocked by Google as an attack site. I hope to correct this soon, but in the mean time please use our back-up website: http://bryan-smithconnection.blogspot.com/ At the same time it appears that my laptop has crashed once again and needs to be fixed. It appears to be the video driver.

Thanks so much for your prayers for us! We know God is in control and has a perfect plan for us – we just need to keep trusting. I have been reflecting on my life verses a lot recently:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Prov. 3:5-6

What a great opportunity to put these truths in practice!

Thankful for Your Prayers,

Bryan, for Lori and the kids

Posted by Bryan at 11:46 AM | Permalink

Dear Praying Friends,

We trust that you and yours will have a Christ-filled Christmas and New Year! We appreciate all the prayers that have been taken before the Father on our behalf during 2009! You are an important part of our team as we make disciples together here in Central Mexico.

We want to share with you an opportunity to honor Christ and give Him a gift this Christmas. It is called 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 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. Just yesterday we gave a second part of the down payment. The owner is a believer, and has given us a very fair price, and about a year to pay the balance.

So how can you help? 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. 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 square meter? 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

Thank you for your time and consideration, and again, Merry CHRISTmas!

Bryan, Lori, Kendra, Tara, & Ben

A view from the corner of the property

A view of the sanctuary area

Posted by Bryan at 12:17 PM | Permalink

Thanks so much for your prayers and concern for us in recent days. Mexico has certainly been in the news a lot! Here are a couple points of general update on the situation and on our family:

- Lori’s Surgery - we thank God for the recent visit of two ladies from our home church in PA. They were a GREAT blessing here as Lori had her surgery and the beginning of her recovery. They made it back to PA safely on Monday. Lori continues to do well and recover more each day.

- Swine Flu – even though the news has been inconsistent and it is hard to know the truth, here are a few facts we think we know:

- There are no officially confirmed cases of the flu here in our state of Queretaro, although we are right next to two states that do have confirmed cases

- The government has closed all schools at all levels in the entire country until May 6 – this includes Ben’s Kindergarten, but not the girls’ home school! :)

- The government has asked that people avoid public gatherings for now, and has closed many museums, parks, convention centers, restaurants, and sports arenas.

- The leadership of our church decided it would be best to suspend all church activities at least until May 6 and focus on praying as families at home for this situation

- The US Department of State has issued a travel alert encouraging Americans to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico has encouraged U.S. citizens living in Mexico to take precautions, including having a two-week stockpile of essentials such as food, water, and medicines

We are taking the necessary precautions and trusting in God to keep us safe and healthy in the midst of everything. It has been a blessing that things have slowed down on the church side of ministry so that we can focus on catching up in some other areas, as well as to allow Bryan to continue helping Lori around the house as she continues to recover.

Thanks so much for your prayers for us during this time.

Trusting God,
Bryan, Lori, Kendra, Tara, and Ben

Posted by Bryan at 01:34 PM | Permalink

So what are these Transformation Teams all about? A good way to find out a little more is to visit the T2 Blueprint site. We are excited to be on a team with the B. Hower, McManus, and O'Brien families. We will be encouraging each other in ministry and personal accountability and generally be caring for each other. We trust that through fellowship and interaction as a team we can grow to be better disciples and more effective disciple-makers.

So what does this look like? One example happened just recently as the O'Briens arrived back in Mexico after their home assignment. They are moving from Cuernavaca to San Juan del Rio. One team member came up with the idea of getting a little welcome gift together - snacks, cleaning supplies, etc. So we all got a few things together. Some painting needs to be done in their new house, so the guys got together to help paint last Friday. In general, it is caring for and serving one another. Of course, while the painting was being done the guys had a chance to fellowship and goof off, and so did two of the gals. We are excited about our T2 team, and look forward to seeing what God will do in and through us!

Alan and Brock rockin' and rollin'

Tim does a painting balancing act

We'll try not to kill each other!

Posted by Bryan at 11:06 AM | Permalink

Thanks so much for your prayers concerning the radio and TV spots. Things went well, and it appears that we will have a weekly opportunity to share a verse from the book of Proverbs! We gave a Bible away to a caller on the TV show, and later found out that others had called in wanting a Bible as well. This may be another way to make contacts and open doors – give away Bibles to callers including an invitation for a Bible study in the front cover. We’ll keep you posted on how this develops. We will also send or post pictures of our new church meeting place soon.

With much appreciation,
Bryan & Lori

Posted by Bryan at 07:07 PM | Permalink

God provided an open door on the air waves...

Continue reading "Special Prayer Update - Feb. 15, 2008" »

Posted by Bryan at 06:21 PM | Permalink

It was around 8:00 PM and we were traveling down a dark and dangerous two lane highway when the car began to bump and shimmy. How would God help us through this one?

Continue reading "God's Care and Protection" »

Posted by Bryan at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Praise God we found a house! Click below for more details:

Continue reading "Special Prayer Update" »

Posted by Bryan at 06:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Emilio and Christy Contreras, who were just married about a year ago, were recently commisioned from the New Life Bible Church in Queretaro to help in the ministry of the New Birth Bible Church. We praise the Lord for this GREAT answer to prayer. We are excited to work along side this fine couple when we return to Mexico!

*Click below to read more details

Continue reading "ANSWER TO PRAYER" »

Posted by Bryan at 05:08 AM | Permalink

Winter finally really arrived in the month of February. The kids had been praying for some snow, and they got some! Sled rides, snowballs, beautiful scenery, icicles, snow days off from school, drifts, white fields - we enjoyed it all!
*Click below to see some Winter Fun pictures

Continue reading "Winter Fun" »

Posted by Bryan at 01:20 PM | Permalink

Dinorah, from our church in Mexico, is serving the Lord on a ship. See pictures and read more about her ministry...

Continue reading "OM Ship Ministry" »

Posted by Bryan at 03:38 PM | Permalink

So it's hunting season in PA. What's so strange about seeing a buck? How about a buck in your church??? (And it wasn't in the offering plate!) Read on...

Continue reading "Buck....in church?" »

Posted by Bryan at 03:02 PM | Permalink

One of the things we miss when we are in Mexico is all the fun fall activities and scenery. Some of our favorite things...

Continue reading "Lancaster County Fall Fun" »

Posted by Bryan at 01:02 PM | Permalink

Two days ago we picked 40 lbs of tomatoes....up off the side of the road!

Continue reading "Tomatoes From Heaven" »

Posted by Bryan at 11:38 AM | Permalink

Soccer excitement is in the air everywhere with the 2006 World Cup just around the corner. Here in Queretaro there is "Gallos Blancos" soccer excitement in the air as well. How do you share Christ with 11,000 people in a couple of hours in the midst of all of this excitement? Read on...

Continue reading "Soccer Excitement!" »

Posted by Bryan at 09:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (1)

This entry is a follow-up to an entry posted in November 2005 called Spiritual Darkness. Thanks to many prayers, an exciting turn of events recently happened. Read on ...

Continue reading "Spiritual Victory" »

Posted by Bryan at 06:36 PM | Permalink

Friday, February 24, was a 17 hour work day full of difficulties and blessings. A new sister in Christ, a drug addict in the rehab center again...

Continue reading "A Good, but Long Day" »

Posted by Bryan at 07:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (1)

If you ever have an itchy lower lip, DO NOT try scratching it by sitting on the kitchen counter and leaning over to scratch it on the edge of that counter...

Continue reading "A Tale of Two Teeth" »

Posted by Lori at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Why are these chairs chained to the fence? Can you imagine keeping your place in line for a week so that your child might have a place in the public school? Read on...

Continue reading "Chained Chairs" »

Posted by Bryan at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We praise God for our church Chirstmas program held yesterday evening. It was evident that God was at work in people's hearts. Even with the equivelant of the Super Bowl in Mexican soccer happening at exactly the same time, we had a full crowd of around 130-140 people! Praise God!

CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE ABOUT THE EVENING

Continue reading "God at Work in People's Hearts" »

Posted by Bryan at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Last night I experienced the most overt spiritual warfare I have ever seen in my life.

Continue reading "Spiritual Darkness" »

Posted by Bryan at 06:23 AM | Permalink

Today I witnessed an accident as I took Kendra to her dance class...

Continue reading "God's Protection" »

Posted by Bryan at 08:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Greetings! We are Bryan and Lori Smith and serve as missionaries with CAM International in the country of Mexico. Welcome to our website! We are just beginning to get this site up and running again in this new format. We trust that soon we will have pictures, prayer and praise updates, and much more information for you to browse through. Thanks for stopping by! Come again soon. For further information please contact us at bsmith@cam-mexico.org For now see pictures and prayer items at this site:http://caminternational.gospelcom.net/homepage/?bsmith
God bless!

Posted by Bryan at 10:09 PM | Permalink