Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Christmas Newsletter!

2015
It seems a bit silly to say that 2015 was “a year of change” since every year seems to be a year of change for our family (no, really). This year, the change came primarily in the form of moving out of the apartment ministry and buying a home, which has already proven to be a game-changer both for our family and for our work with Africa New Life. It has provided much-needed stability for our kids, a safe place for them to run & play outside, and a drastically increased focus on our calling to minister to the people of Rwanda. Plus, in just 4 months time, we’ve already more than quadrupled the amount of guests that we had in our entire 2 years of apartment living!

Who knows what God has up His sleeve in 2016? Does He even wear sleeves? All we know is that we’re right where He wants us and that none of it would be possible without your prayers and sacrifice. We are forever humbled by this and it motivates us to work that much harder. THANK YOU for believing in our family and ministry and for lifting us up as we do His work.

AFRICA NEW LIFE 
Africa New Life continues to grow and expand it’s impact in Rwanda, and we remain thoroughly grateful and humbled to contribute to the work being done. This past year, God used us to provide sponsors for 70 children. We hosted brunches to help spread the word and build a foundation here in Atlanta, led a team trip to Rwanda, spoke at 3 churches, ran a campaign to provide gardens for 17 families, created a website for potential church partners, built relationships with other non-profits, and much, much more.

Now that we’re no longer working with Apartment Life, things are changing and our role/impact is expanding. We’ve now created a leadership team, are working toward a large-scale gala, have two trips lined up for next year, and will be more focused on building relationships with church partners. In fact, Jeremiah has a new title: “SE Regional Church & Strategic Partnerships  Manager” (yeah, it’s a mouthful!). This is a fantastic fit and we’re really excited to continue doing most of what we’ve been doing to build up our region, but to now focus more strongly on some of our strengths. Of course, the bottom line remains the same: To see lives transformed, both physically and spiritually.  Please pray for God to deeply increase our impact!


FINANCIAL UPDATE
Frankly, since we work with the truly needy we find it difficult to ask for help. We have it so good. But we have been behind in monthly support for nearly a year now, insurance is going up, we now have a mortgage, the kids have a ton of doctors visits and medication, blah, blah, blah. God has always provided our every need, of course. If you're able to consider an additional gift by this December 31, 2015, it would really make a difference on meeting our shortfall, and would be so encouraging as we focus on the coming new year of ministry. www.gcmweb.org/jeremiah.smith Thank you so much for your partnership in spreading the gospel and meeting needs in Rwanda!

FAMILY
A 1st and 3rd grader? What?! It’s true. The kids are growing up. We keep telling them to stop, but they're just so disobedient. 
We are loving our home and the area we’ve moved to. As I write,  a deer is walking through our woods and a train is blowing its horn in the distance - this is life! The kids have excellent teachers and seem to really enjoy their new school. Church is incredible and we love serving in our various roles. We’re currently working hard to find ways to help families who have adopted or do foster care - this has been on our heart for quite some time. And of course, we’re working hard to establish long-lasting and impactful relationships with our new neighbors. Please pray for God’s movement as we spread the love of Christ!
PRAYER NEEDS
  • Effectiveness as we continue to build a foundation in Atlanta for Africa New Life and settle into a new role managing church partnerships.
  • Opportunities and direction in conversations with our new neighbors.
  • Wisdom in parenting and continued healing from past wounds in Ellie and Elijah.
  • Continued financial provision (and complete trust in that provision!)

CONTACT
140 Hartwood Dr
Woodstock, GA 30189
843.304.3436

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