So Proud of My Brother!

I have a younger brother that I need to brag on a little bit. I don't get to see him very much, and those times will be even less & less by summer's end. 

He and his family live a few hours away, and we are lucky that they can make time for us with the rest of their family when they come our way. He & his wife have five children and when they come for a visit, our crowd gets even louder if that's possible. If you even hear a distant rumble, its probably us getting together.

Part of the reason that I am so proud of him, is that he and his family have accepted a call from God to be missionaries in Venezuela. This has been a long time coming.They have spent a lot of time and energy sharing their passion for what God has brought to their lives. I can remember when he was just a teenager, so much wiser than his much older sister, he told me that God had told him he was going to be a missionary one day. I am not even sure if he remembers that conversation. But, I do. Part of me was thinking, how could he know that at such a young age? You have to know, at that time in my life, I was saved, and I had drifted very far from the Lord for a long time, yet, I had finally realized that what was missing in my life was a relationship with my Heavenly Father. I thought, one day, maybe I will be close enough to the Lord for him to speak to me and to use me. Through the years, I have watched him grow and serve the Lord, his wife and his children in so many ways. He has said so many times in his life, "I want what God wants for me".

They have such a desire to be in Venezuela that I know their hearts are already there. In the next few months they will take the next step in this journey. Makes part of me sad, but makes me bubble up with pride to see such love and obedience to the Lord. Many people may not understand the whys and the whats of such a calling. I just know that FAITH is the answer to all of those questions. They have put their lives in the Lord's hands and they trust him with ALL that's to come. HE IS ALL THEY NEED!

There are lots of details about how they were called and where they are now in this process. They have a blog, and she updates it as she has time. (not sure how she does it, with all the itinerating -traveling and raising support-, homeschooling the children ages 5-14, preparing to leave the states and dealing with life in general.) Check out their Mission Story at  The Venezuelan Voice as well as her latest blog post 16 Years of Togetherness.

If you don't mind add the Smith Family to your prayers as they follow the Lord. If you have a chance stop by their blog and leave them a note of encouragement and maybe even a donation of support, I know they would appreciate it. I know they would love your prayers as they come to the final months of preparation. 

Love you Scott, Charity and my wonderful nieces and nephews!!! I am soooo very proud of you and what you are doing!!!