Smith Prayer & Praise - February 2010

Your prayers for us are much needed and appreciated! Please take a moment to pray as you read this pictorial prayer update:



The 2010 New Birth Bible Church mission logo

The New Birth Bible church mission/goal for 2010 comes from Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go ye therefore…” During the month of January our focus for teaching has been on evangelism and discipleship, concluding yesterday with an evangelism workshop. After the service those who wanted to went across the street to a community park and shared their faith. We praise God that two people responded to the Gospel by trusting in Christ as their Savior! One of them is a man who does maintenance at the park, and the other a 14 year old boy who lives near the park. We praise God for a great start to the year in this way. Please pray as we follow up on these decisions.



Our family with friends Isela, Diana, and Ivan

We praise God for Isela and her children who visited us yesterday evening (Her daughter Gaby is not pictured above. She was in school and not able to come). We had the privilege of leading them to the Lord about four years ago. Even though they now attend another church they are active in their faith and Isela is making disciples of her own. We concur with John, “[we] have no greater joy than this, to hear of [our] children walking in the truth.” (3 John 4)



The chart we have up at church shows the
progress for the property purchase


Bryan giving the owner of the property a partial
payment in December.

We praise God for a good start to the Square Meters for Christ property purchase project in the months of December and January. We have reached 18% of what we would like to raise in the US, and 25% of what we would like to raise in here Mexico. Each square in the above chart represents one square meter. Please pray that we will be able to reach our goals and be able to pay for the property completely by this September. If you are interested in helping us with this project please scroll down and see the Square Meters for Christ article below.



Mauricio, Luis, José Luis, Bob, Cesar, and Bryan –
6 of the 7 church leaders at New Birth

We are excited about the church leadership that God currently has in place at the New Birth Bible Church. Bryan has greatly enjoyed being involved in training three of the above pictured men, Luis, José Luis, and Cesar, plus Gerardo who is not pictured. We praise God that the leadership team continues to grow in unity and is working well together. “To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.” (Ephesians 3:21)



Celebrating a “Happy Birthday Jesus” party with
Grandma and Grandpa Smith on Dec. 25


Fishing with Grandpa Wenger – our
only catch for the day!


Playing piano with Grandma Wenger

We praise God for the special family times that we were able to enjoy over the Holidays. We had the joy of having both sets of grandparents here over that time! We also praise God for His protection and provision for our family. Please pray for our van which has been giving us a few problems recently. We would love for it to last us a few more years yet.


Thanks so much for taking the time to read this update and pray for us. Please give us your feedback: what do you think of this format for our prayer updates? Should we do it again?

By the way, we enjoyed getting e-mails and cards from many over the Holidays! We especially enjoy receiving updated family pictures. Thank you! Please keep reading below if you are interested in helping with the Square Meters for Christ project.


Being and Making Disciples in Central Mexico,
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!

A CHRISTmas Opportunity

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

Smith Connection Prayer Letter - Dec. 2009

Here is the PDF version of our Dec. 2009 prayer letter. Thanks for your prayers!

PDF Prayer Letter: Download file



Here is our latest prayer card which was sent out with this letter


If you are interested in making a donation to the Square Meters for Christ project see here: http://bryan-smithconnection.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-opportunity.html

Photo Highlights - Fall 2009

Click the icon below to go to our Picasa site or watch the slideshow here:

Fall 2009

Smith Prayer & Praise - October 2009

We would appreciate your prayers for us over the next few weeks. Please use part of our upcoming schedule to pray for us:

- Oct. 18-21: Lori will be attending a Women of the Harvest Retreat – please pray for safety in her travels as well as for a relaxing and beneficial time with the other missionary ladies
- Oct. 22-Nov. 3: Bryan will be attending a Quest conference in Big Sandy, TX – please pray for safety in his travels, for the family as they stay home in Mexico, and for a time of blessing and growth in this training opportunity
- Nov. 4 and 6: Bryan will be concluding the third of ten books with the four men from the church here that he is discipling/training – it has been an excellent ministry opportunity that Bryan has greatly enjoyed – please pray for continued growth in these four men and their families
- Nov. 7: our church youth group, which we are helping to lead, will be involved in putting on a Life Festival as an evangelistic outreach into the community – this is in light of and in response to the Day of the Dead celebrated along with Halloween here in Mexico from Oct. 31 - Nov. 2 – please pray for many families to attend and hear the Word in their hearts
- Nov. 8: Bryan will be preaching on Daniel chapter 10 at church – the Daniel series has been excellent for the church here. In the new year we plan to go into the book of Revelation. The Lord is coming soon! That afternoon we will be hosting the four families of the men Bryan is training plus our fellow missionaries, the Buhlers, for lunch, a time of fellowship, and some ministry tips from the Buhlers – please pray for continued growth of the church and its leaders
- Nov. 9-12: Bryan will be attending another class in his Masters’ program at the Puebla Bible Seminary – this course will be on Animism and World Religions – please pray for safety in travels, safety of the rest of the family at home, and for a good class and much learning

One more exciting note: The New Birth Bible Church here in Queretaro has signed a contract to purchase the property where we are currently meeting, and has made a down payment on it. We have about a year, interest free, to pay the balance of it to the owner, a Methodist believer. We praise God for this step of faith, and His provision for this meeting and outreach place for the church. We will be seeking to raise funds for this project both here in Mexico and in the U.S. More details to come in the near future, but please be praying for God’s provision for this project.

Being and Making Disciples in Central Mexico,
Bryan, Lori, Kendra, Tara, and Ben

Photo Highlights - Summer 2009

Here are some new family and ministry photos. You can either click on the thumbnail below to go to our picasa site, or watch the slideshow here.

Summer 2009

Smith Prayer & Praise - August 2009

Thanks for your prayers. We have not been real faithful in getting requests and praises out recently because we have been in a whirlwind of summer activity, but we do appreciate your continued prayers for us. Here are some praise and prayer items:

PRAISE:

1. For the teams that came to minister here in Querétaro this summer from Pennsylvania, Texas, and Indiana. Each team was a blessing to the ministry here.
2. For the recent remodeling that was done to our church meeting area. It is a new place! We have a new floor and stage, painted walls, a storage room, a new wall, and security bars on the windows. We praise God for His provision for these projects.
3. We praise God for the people that have been touched in recent community outreach – children, teens, and couples have been impacted with the Truth, and we have much follow-up to do.
4. It was a joy to see eight believers baptized in July, including our daughter Tara.

PRAYER:

1. For Lori and our three children, Kendra, Tara, and Ben, as they start homeschooling again next week. Ben will be at home for first grade now after having completed his stint in a Mexican kindergarten. This will be an adjustment for the new school year.
2. For Bryan as he catches up on his Masters’ studies after a busy summer. He would like to go to his next class at the end of August all caught up.
3. For a new Bible study with a couple that we will be starting on Friday. They are interested in knowing more about Jesus and God’s Word, as well as learn more about marriage. Pray that Jorge and Mari Carmen would come to Christ.
4. For God’s provision for the purchase of the church property that we have been renting. The owner is interested in selling the property to the church, and the church is interested in buying if it is the Lord’s will. Please pray for wisdom and provision.

Thanks so much for your prayers! We appreciate your faithfulness in lifting us and the ministry here up to the Lord. Stay tuned for some new pictures soon.

For His Glory in Mexico,

Bryan, Lori, Kendra, Tara, & Ben