February Update from Ernie and Anna Smith
On the “home front’, on the morning of January 24th Ernie woke up with sciatica pain down his left leg. By Tuesday the pain had increased down his left upper and lower legs with bones and joint with extreme pain. Doctor’s offices, pills, x-rays, MRI, etc – found that he had herniated the L4 and L5 discs. Jumping through all the hoops with the doctor’s offices and insurance coverage, Ernie finally got to a pain management doctor and on February 17th received anti-inflammatory injections to reduce swelling around the discs. Needless to say, this has limited things he can do. The best place for him is his recliner where he can adjust the angle of his back to lessen the pain. He is NOT a happy camper – he doesn’t like being inactive and confined to a chair. Pray with us for God’s physical touch, wisdom for the doctors, and patience for Ernie.
We were scheduled to visit churches in California the end of this month and for part of March – but due to this new “twist” in events – we had to cancel with hopes of rescheduling this summer or next fall.
Anna is doing great. She is the new designated driver, Doctor’s offices waiting room person, standing in lines at Wal-Mart Pharmacy, and truly a helpmate for Ernie during these interesting days.
We are blessed by your prayers for us and for Ukraine also for continued financial support for our ministry and the work in Ukraine. We value your partnership with us.
Have a great day in the Lord,
Ernie and Anna Smith
Ernie and Anna Smith World Gospel Mission
PO Box 4492 PO Box 948
Arizona City, AZ 85123 Marion, IN 46952
ernie.anna.smith@gmail.com wgm@wgm.org
ernie.smith@gmail.com www.wgm.org
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not to your own understanding,
but
in all your ways acknowledge Him
and He will make your paths straight."
Ernie & Anna Smith Christmas Update
God grant you the light in
Christmas, which is faith...
The warmth of Christmas,
which is love...
The radiance of Christmas,
which is purity...
The righteousness of
Christmas, which is justice...
The belief in Christmas,
which is truth...
The ALL of Christmas,
which is Christ.
(Wilda
English)
Merry
Christmas to you and Your Family!
God
Bless & Keep You.
Standing on His
Promises,
Ernie & Anna
Smith
Please download and read our prayer
letter.
Datwyler Mission Progress
“Sing
to the Lord,
all the earth; proclaim His salvation day after
day.
Declare His
glory among the
nations, his marvelous deeds
among
all peoples.
For great is the
Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all other
gods.”
1 Chronicles
17:23-25
To our loving
partners,
Please receive a
warm greeting from your partners (Tim and Daina) on the frontlines
of this great battle for the hearts of those we touch in Ecuador.
Thank you for the prayers offered on our behalf as we come up
against all kinds of trials and persecutions as well as enjoy the
fruit that God is producing among our brothers here in Ecuador. It
is most definitely an honor to serve Him in this way
with
you. We recognize
the sacrifice so many of you have made to see people all over the
world find hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. We praise God for each of
you.
This is just a
summary and announcement of the progress we are enjoying in one
area of our ministry.
Many of you are
aware of our constant struggle with the house we have been in for
over 2 years. We now have a move out date of Dec.15. We have looked
for another adequate place to rent in the area but have zero
possibilities so we have decided to buy property and build. We had
not considered this option before because of the high price of land
but we feel the very real need to establish a more permanent place
in this community where we have invested over 3 years and are now
seeing progress. As we were searching, Maria took us to a man that
was selling 20 acres of avocado grove inside Chaquibamba for half
the price per meter than is available in the area. We have to be
honest, the price is still more than we see as fair but nothing is
impossible for God. We are so convinced in God’s leading us
to this place that we are personally putting up the money to buy
the first acre at $75,000 in hopes that we can expand to 5+ acres
of the surrounding property to build a Door of Hope Ministry
Center. We consider our investment the first fruits of the
blessing we have received; won’t you listen and respond if
God touches your heart to invest even more in the Kingdom for
Ecuador? The seller has been very helpful and hopeful in selling us
such a small lot and is even carrying the loan at 5%APR over 5
years. We will sign the papers on Tuesday.
YAHOOOO!!
“And I will provide a place
for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a
home of their own and no longer be distracted.” 2Samuel
7:10
Now the work and
sacrifice begins with building a house to move into by Dec.15.
Actually we had an amazing day yesterday breaking ground with our
‘seeds of hope’, a group of over 20 new and faithful
followers who meet with us on Tuesdays for Bible study. We gathered
them all on the way to the property, piling in the truck. Then we
gathered on our makeshift pews (blocks and boards) under an avocado
tree and had our first worship time in what they are calling the
new Door of Hope. A very special and confirming time—we will
post the pictures on our Mission Society webpage
(www.themissionsociety.org/country/ecuador). After worship we all
worked on opening (cutting through bushes and then down to the
road) the entrance so the construction can begin. We need to remove
trees, connect electricity and water, contract a tractor and
prepare the plot this
week. Pray with us for
God’s hands to multiply the work of our hands to finish phase
one of construction (the house).
Our other
ministry obligations are being met as we seek to build the Kingdom.
We continue to pastor in Pijal taking 8-14 people from here to
Sunday worship each Sunday. We have 50+ attending our Saturday
Bible time. Hope Bible Institute continues to grow and bear fruit
in the lives of the students. New opportunities keep popping up as
we travel about our daily tasks. One example is the dedication of a
law office the other day as we were reviewing the house contract.
We have helped with broken legs, accidents, transportation,
counseling, feeding and teaching.
We have to say
that we are not doing what we expected, but we are doing what God
has put us here to do as He molds us for eternity. The job is not
easy—sometimes it is downright ugly, disappointing and sad as
we seek to lead His lost sheep to the great Shepherd. God gives us
joy and hope through all the good, the bad and the
ugly.
Our team here,
Isaac and family, Segundo and Maria and family send warm greetings
with a big hug and thank you to you all who make it possible for us
to be here.
Please pray with
us and consider how you/your church can invest in building the Door
of Hope ministries. Our cost of living as well as ministry will be
increasing as God expands our borders. We welcome questions,
comments and counsel as we run this race of excellence for the King
of kings.
“May the favor of the Lord
our God rest upon us;
establish the
work of our hands for us—
Yes, establish
the work of our hands.”
Psalm
90:17
Jesus is the
Door of Hope
Your fellow
servants, Tim and Daina Datwyler
Missionaries
with The Mission Society
PO Box
922637
Norcross, GA
30010-2637 USA
Designate
gifts: Datwyler Support 5/255/DY
If
you are giving for this new project-write ‘special
project’
July Update from Ernie and Anna Smith
The remainder of their letter can be downloaded here.