An update from Dwayne and Stephanie Smith, our missionaries in Seattle. Our God is faithful, and we are settling and adjusting after a 3000-mile move across country. It was just eight weeks ago that we loaded the moving truck and turned in the keys to our sold home. God has met us in so many ways—from the beginning of the discernment process and all the way through the move. He has answered prayers and provided miraculously for us. Even though we left Virginia without an answer on our housing, God reassured us that “He had it” and that our only concern was to focus on the city. As soon as we pulled into Seattle, we made an offer on a fixer home and had a signed agreement with the owner in TWO HOURS! This home wasn’t even on the market. But it was a unique situation, with ideal proximity to the areas we feel called to serve, access to bike commuter trails, great schools...everything we prayed for. Not only is it right-sized for our family now but also for our dreams for the future of providing a mentoring place for interns and small teams to stay with us. In fact, the home was already zoned for multi-family use! We still have lots of boxes to unpack and many house projects to work on to prepare for the future, but we are in awe of how God has answered our prayers and gone beyond what we could have imagined. One of the greatest blessings we are giving praise for is that our kids are adjusting beautifully and quite quickly. The Lord has already surrounded them with kids who are reaching out to them, and they are clicking. He has also brought some older college-aged guys alongside our two older boys who are totally committed to Christ (one of whom we have known for years). They are investing in and spending time with the older two. Each of our older boys has expressed how comfortable they feel here and the purpose they feel for God bringing us here. This is an answer to prayer—both our prayers and YOURS! Moving into the fall, we ask for you prayers in several specific areas: 1. Our first phase has been focused on settling and establishing residency, but we have numerous projects to complete on the house. 2. Phase 2 begins this fall as our kids begin attending public school. Pray for a successful transition for them – spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. 3. Also, in the next few weeks, Dwayne will be applying for a job in the city to begin learning the area we feel called into. We are praying for the right situation. 4. We have been presented with several opportunities for community/ministry involvement. We are praying for wisdom to know which doors are the right ones to open and which ones need to remain closed. We want to be on God’s plan. 5. We are studying detailed demographic studies of several key city areas. The people in these areas represent God’s heart, and we need His ideas on how to reach them. THANK YOU for praying us through our first weeks. God is continually meeting us in personal and tangible ways. We feel your love and prayer support. Feel free to message us on Facebook or at smithsonmission@gmail. We appreciate the texts, emails, and letters of encouragement we receive. Much love to you all! Keep pressing on... Dwayne and Stephanie Smith (your missionaries to Seattle)
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 18:11:45 +0000
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