Hey gang hope your summer is going great.
I had every intention of sending out an email about Father's Day and detail all the wonderful things I love about Terry Eugene Smith. And while he IS wonderful and I AM grateful I am now sending out an email to beg you to please lift our adoption to the Father. I am asking you to pray for us at 11:11 of every day. A.M. and P.M.! A long time ago I heard a man ask for prayer for the Jews to come to Christ at 11:11 of every day. I don't remember the reason only that it has been over 20 years ago that I heard it and it has STUCK still to this day. At 11:11, if I notice the time, I think to myself "pray for the Jews". My kids even know the story and will announce "11:11 pray for the Jews". Ok I am stealing the prayers meant for the Jews but are you really praying for the Jews and can't you, if you are praying, add us to the prayer? Any who....I covet your prayers in these specific areas
1) Pray that God will be with our child/ children's safety. May they know we are coming. That they would be protected from predators, human trafficking, enslavement, and sex trade.
2) That God would be in the midst of the family connected to this child/ children. That they would know God is real and loves them because a family so moved by God's love and His rescuing redeeming power wants to show love to an orphan on the other side of the world.....And I'm crying now. I cry every.single.time.I.think.this.thought.
3) Pray for Ethiopia. The orphanages. The precious people. The government.
4) Pray....and this is bold....Pray God would get us to them. ASAP. That our papers (dossier) would get in the right hands....quickly. The governments offices there shut down from around July/August to October!!!!! Meaning our paperwork will be sitting there!!!! Our children too! This part grieves me so. Seemingly dead time is hard to swallow! If you have ever missed someone so much and longed to be with them again this is how we feel. Special moments come and we all feel as if someone is missing. The kids every birthday or occasion say maybe this is the last time we do this without them mom.
5) Pray that we will make the most of the waiting. That we will be excellent students of His word. That all 5 of us would grow where we need to grow and change what needs to be changed. That God would deepen our love for each other as we prepare to make room for more. OH HOW PRECIOUS!!!
6) And finally please ask God to open your heart. How does He want to use you in the cause for the orphan. Over and over in His word, Old Testament to New, He instructs His people to care for the orphan, the widow and the sojourner. Is He asking you to open up your heart, your extra bedroom, your extra bed? Is He asking you to give to another family who is called to adopt like He moved so graciously on others for us?
We covet your prayers. I beg you to pray. I pray that God would cause you to notice 11:11 like never before. Pray big for us. Pray we would hear news, see their faces. Hold them. Pray that as a lost world searches for real Christianity that our little, loud, crazy, imperfect family would show Christ. Thank you in advance, and as the psalmist says "I pray and then watch for you to move" I love you all. Happy Fathers Day. Hug your dad and tell him all the things he did right. And tell your Heavenly Father how you love Him and all the things He has done on your behalf.
Pressing On,
Carrie Smith
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