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Dear Praying Friends and Supporting Churches,
1Sa 23:16 And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.
Yet another month has passed as we have been looking for that blessed hope and trying to stay busy in the work. The Lord showed me this passage in 1 Sam where David has been running from Saul, and then Jonathan went and strengthened his hand in the Lord. What a blessing it is to have a true friend like Jonathan to strengthen you when you are weary. Though we have not been weary this month, I still count it a blessing to have each one of you taking our family before the throne!
This month we were quite scattered out with meetings ranging from Virginia, West Virginia, Louisiana, and Florida. We put on a lot of miles, but with deputation winding down for us, I have tried to only book meetings looking for new missionaries. Thus I am very thankful to say that after the end of this month we are at 89% of our needed income. With several promising churches, that, Lord willing, shall put us into the 90% soon! We have applied for Tobias' passport, and that should come any day now. We have found some dates and have made contact with the German embassy in Chicago. Things are seemingly going smoothly for departure this summer.
We are continuing to work on the printing of the new convert's course for my home church, as well as the John and Galatians booklets of the old Luther 1545 text, to take with us to Germany. Please keep both of these in your prayers as details still need to be worked out. Also this month on our way to Louisiana we were able to stop and street preach in Alexandria, LA. It was a blessing to still see folks wave and yell out a “God Bless” as they drove by. One lady got out and thanked me for putting the word of God out and took a picture. Our country is in bad shape, but thank God, that we still have some saved, born again Christians who appreciate Bible preaching!
We were able to do a little visiting in Louisiana and visited with a German lady. It was a blessing to talk a little German, and witness to her out of the Luther bible. She was a Lutheran. Her and her husband both seemingly lost, and hardened by old age and war. Both were in their eighties and skeptical to bible truths. After much talk we were able at least to show the lady her sin and her need to be born again. Please pray for her as I sent her some German tracts and a German Bible, as well as a preaching CD in German, by a missionary, that I entitled “wilt thou be made whole.”
As we rap up things here in the states with booked meetings through June, please continue to pray for our support to be raised in full. The printing projects, bible study and church history that I am teaching, and please be much in prayer about our departure and Visa preparations. May the Lord Bless and keep you on the potter's wheel.
Mark, Kacie, Naomi, and Tobias Smith
Your Missionaries to Germany