Smith Family

Smithy news of late!!

2011-12-19T12:01:00.000-08:00

Wonderful and exciting times around here!! Our family is getting larger :) And more families are being added!

About 3 weeks ago Danny L. asked me to be his wife!

Awww, this just makes me smile everytime I see it!

Of course, first time I saw it this was about my reaction :)

Danny and I have known each other for a little over 3 years. The Lords hands have been in this from the beginning, it's just amazes me as I sit and think of our story!
I met his sisters at a local homeschool meeting. We had not even planned to go to the meeting, but the leaders called us up and asked us to, even offering us a free booth!There, I saw three sweet girls that I just had to go talk to! Turns out they lived right down the road from me, just 5 mins. How could we live that close to each other for 12 years and not have met before?! But the Lords timing is just perfect! They were currently looking for a family oriented church, and we had one!
I gave them one of our DVD's with information about us and our church, thinking this would be like any other family I met, and that I would probably never see them again. They went home and gave their father the DVD and I went home and forgot about them. Then, about a month later they showed up at our house for church!

We started spending a lot of time together as families! We helped each other out with parties and got together and ate or played games. Most Sundays they would stay all day! I really began to notice how similar our two families are.

About a year ago Danny talked with my father about getting to know me better with the intention of marriage. He came over a lot and spent a great deal of time with my father.
About a month ago my father asked me if I would be interested in getting to know Danny. I was very interested :)
After a couple of weeks of getting to each others beliefs and thoughts on different subjects Danny called me up and asked me if I wanted to go flying. I thought it was pretty cool that he had friends who would randomly take him flying and I rode over to the little airport just as unsuspecting as could be, little knowing that it would change my life forever!

I feel so blessed to have such an amazing, Godly young man for my future husband!!

Rejoicing and Praising the Lord,
Bethany

Alabama Conference

2011-07-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

Part of our family went to Alabama, shortly after the tornado, to a conference to vidoe tape!

Kevin Swanson, deffinatly our new favorite speaker!

Our dear Hostess!

Katie and Amy-J, sweet friends :) Turns out I had met Katie (on the right) a couple of years ago at the Father/Daughter Retreat! Small world! It was such a joy to see her again and meet her friends!

These shoes kinda creep me out. I can't figure out what to think of them!

Mr. Joel McDurmon, a very interesting speaker!

This gentleman was from Bulgaria, and he had some very inspiring things to say about taking care of your elderly, instead of having the government do it for you!

Mrs. Maddox and her precious little girl

2011-07-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

Miss Scarlette and my self!

Saying goodbye to our dear hostess and her son!

Picking up all our gear

This was the cutest little church ever!

Beauty Queen and Hams

This is probably my favorite picture from the whole weekend, so I shall leave you with it!
-Bethany

2011-06-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone!

It has dawned on me that I have neglected this poor little blog terribly! I have so many pictures, but so little time to post ;)
So, here is a hogesmogin of my fav. pictures from when I stayed with M&K when Isa was born!

Mama reading to all her munchies

Gorgeousness :)

What a handsome little bunch!

What a face! Esther your such a good big cousin!

Why I can't I hold her?

2011-06-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

In which Carlos locks his cousin in 'Jail' :)

Johnny gives the sweetest kisses!!!

One of my fav. pictures

Having fun with pinks and frills!!!

"We're gonna take walk outside today........" (Milo and Otis, the 'new' movie of the month! ;)

2011-06-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

Mike and Kressy's house!!

I love Rachy's new lights on her porch!

So does Joey :)

She is NOT crying! She's yawning, or talking, or maybe she's trying to eat me!

William loving on Johnny

"I stand with Adam"................

"Well don't stand to close" (seven brides for seven bros)

Have a blessed day!

Bethany

2011-06-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

Sign Up Now for the Daughters of Sarah Father-Daughter Retreat!

Daughters in this country are immersed in a culture that promotes an unbiblical view of the roles and expectations of unmarried young women.

Rather than the biblical model of a young woman remaining under the spiritual and physical covering of her father until she comes under the covering of a husband, a young woman is expected to leave her home and become independent. Rather than building the knowledge and skillsets she will need to become a wife, mother, and household manager, she is expected to pursue a career and learn to “take care of herself.” Rather than learning how to become the kind of helper her husband will need by learning to be a good helper to her father, she is expected to get a job and become the helper of some other man totally unrelated to the family, and quite likely not even a believer. Rather than trusting her father to guide her through the negotiations for her marriage, she is expected to enter into one unbiblical romantic relationship after another through dating.

Even homeschooling families are succumbing to the influences of this culture. Thousands of Christian women who left the workplace and came home in the 90s and 00s to homeschool their children are now training their daughters to leave home and move into the workplace.

To provide inspiration, encouragement, and vision to fathers and daughters seeking a more biblical approach to life, the Homeschool Advantage is planning a Daughters of Sarah Father-Daughter Retreat for September 9-10, 2011.

Keynote Speakers David and Elysse Barrett of Biblical Worldview Learning Center

Authors of the powerful book "Fathers and Daughters: Raising Polished Cornerstones," father-daughter team David & Elysse Barrett will be bringing messages designed to inform and inspire.

Special accommodations are available onsite at the conference center for those who register early. Early Bird registration pricing ends July 31st. Visit the website for more information.

www.E6-4.com

La Nina Isabella!!!

2011-05-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

My dear sister Kressant had her first little girl, Isabella Grace, on Easter Sunday!

Here's the first picture we got of the little darling!

Meeting U. Andrew!

Excited Cousin ;)And Big Brother!

What a little blue eyed beauty she is!

Maybe she'll be a thumb sucker?

What'cha think Willum?

Yes, he asked if he could 'Pet her'. I guess he's been hanging out with Britt. L. to much ;)

2011-05-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

Going on her first outing in her new carseat!

awww..... ;)

I've been with my dear sister and brother for a week now, and I'm just soaking up all the delightful auntie time I'm getting! I have so many beautiful pictures I can't wait to do another blog post of the little cutie ;)
-Beth

Cutest Nephews EVER!!

2011-04-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

"You make my sad heart jump with joy!..... I say Oh Johnny, oh Johnny OH!!!!" ;)

With love to them all,
Auntie Beth

FEW Conferance -- Part 2

2011-04-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

We stayed for church. It was at this cute little country building with guitars and banjos everywhere!

Miss Sami!

The Long, long table ;)
The cute, cute child!

Our trip home was very long ;) there was a terrible accident and we were in dead stopped traffic
for HOURS!!! Cars started turning around, we had our beast and the Travel Trailer so we couldn't turn around!LOL!

HA! It's the A's up ahead!

Our patient driver

Traffic art ;)

2011-03-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

Mama reading to us
Meeting Nana and Grandaddy for supper!!

Have a blessed day y'all!
Bethany

The FEW Conference -- Part 1

2011-03-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

Here we are heading out to N.C. for the Family Encouragement Weekend!

It was jolly fun traveling with the A's!

La Familia SmithMy buds and I
The Pepperocini brigade!

My gorgeous mother!
He has such a cute little profile ;)

I really enjoyed meeting the Neely family!

Mr. Staddon drew this as we all sat and watched!

It was so gorgeous, and behind it, when you turn off the lights there is a cross! But alas, my camera couldn't capture the wondrous beauty of the cross!

The Wilkes, Neely and Staddon families singing farewell to us all!

I just love meeting new people!

Daddy talking with Mr. Wilkes

Las Padres y Madres a la Restuarante Monte Alban

Mrs. A and sweet Levi
My Fellow Blogger! You can visit her blog at www.antsonafarm.blogspot.com
Charming Wally ;)
"I love my lips!" (Veggie Tales ;)

Cheeri-O Y'all!
Bethany

A bunch of Random pics from our year so far :)

2011-03-14T09:29:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure what we thought we were trying to make, but it was fun!!!

I am SO grateful for the wonderful parents the Lord has given me!

And for the precious brothers that bring such hilarious joy and fun into all our lives!

:)

Celebrating our dear Nana's birthday was a very bright part of our month!

One of our little sheep born his year.

Our last snow

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good success
in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

(ESV)
Proverbs 3:3-6

Christmas!!!!!

2011-01-28T19:04:00.000-08:00

Spring is almost here!!!YAY! We had WAY to much snow this winter and I think we're all ready to get outdoors and get our vitamin D! Considering the before mentioned thought, I figured it was about time I posted our pictures from Christmas day! It was such a lovely day, and even snowed that evening:) Our very first White Christmas! But those pictures will have to wait till later ;)

All the Smithy Chillen's with our gifts from dear Grandpa Charles and Nanny-O!

-Bethany

Madi's Birthday trip to Stone Mountain

2010-12-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

-Bethany

The Pre-ball at the Sanders

2010-12-03T17:29:00.000-08:00

I had the wonderful pleasure of going with Brit and Rockey L. to the Sanders to teach/learn some new dances for this years New Years ball!

I finally got to see Darth's beautiful house!

Rachy, our welcoming committee (Actually, Mr. Tim and Mrs. Wendi met us on the driveway but I didn't get any pics of them ;)

The music committee

And they're critiquer ;)

Holy cow! Girls EVERYWHERE!

And they're BOOTS! They're so much fun ;)

Our lovely hostess

"Aunt Beth, you've got to see what's downstairs!"..................;)

two large porkers hanging in the freezer!!!

Preparing to serve the meal

2010-12-03T17:01:00.000-08:00

"Inconceivable!!!"

While Joey manned the fort we gather in the barn to.....

Dance!!!!And dance............

and dance some more........

What is going through everyone's minds at this particular moment? :)
Over under, over under, under, no over, under, under over, no it's over then under UGH!! Now I'm all confused!

So, let's just play cards, it's alot easier ;)

2010-11-21T13:46:00.000-08:00

All matchin' for the final dance! Y'all are so cute ;)

Waiting for the two princesses to appear!

Princess #1
And #2

Thank y'all so much for such a delightful dance!
Bethany

La Familia Smith

2010-11-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

An Overview of October

2010-11-19T17:08:00.000-08:00

Here's some little tidbits from last month ;)

Daddy turned 50!

We visited St. Mountain SEVERAL times

Tried to till our garden up and found this cement post!

How did we miss that last year?

Enjoyed the pretty perfect weather

Remilled soap

And made shampoo!

Sent a dear friend of ours a quilt we made

And, last but not least the Dear A. family came for a visit and fixed our bus!!
Thank y'all so much!
Bethany

Trip to Texas

2010-11-11T15:15:00.000-08:00

Last week Daddy, Catherine C. and I were so blessed to attend Vision Forums Christian Film Festival in San Antonio! Unfortunately (and I'm so sorry Kressy;) I didn't actually get any pics. of the festival, just before and after. I guess I was to busy talking with all the wonderful people there and watching all the amazing movies! And there were so many friends to catch up with and one film I particularly loved: Ace Wonder, by Huemoore Productions.

Our first stop for lunch, a gas station ;) A sure sign of how the rest of our food adventures would end up

Of course on our way out we had to stop at the little alligator place!

And have a photo shoot

"Welcome to the Davis bed and breakfast! We have the best Cajun food, comfy beds, AND
a baby grand piano!"

Inwardly she is jumping up and down with ecstasy!

I think I actually did jump up and down but no one caught it on camera ;)

Thank y'all so much for ya'lls wonderful hospitality!

Finally in Texas!!!! First stop, the River walk!!!

I thought this was a pretty cool looking place to take a pic ;)

Till the next day when I discovered it's usually covered in water :)

We ate this cute little place called The Rain forest Cafe

Our little dinner companion

2010-11-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

We got this really yummy raspberry drinks!

Yeah, REALLY yummy ;)

Daddy wondering what he's going to do with us!

A creepy little fish who stared us down the whole time we were there!

Some of the men from the Alamo (I'm not sure where the pictures of the Alamo ended up at!)

The perfect place to take pictures!

2010-11-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

On the trip home we got little car fever!

So we had camera wars!!!

Trying for an 'artsy' picture

That's as close as we got!

Desperately wanting to get out of the car I decided we really did needed a pic of daddy ordering our food!

It was such a refreshing and super fun trip! Thank you so much daddy for taking me!

This little girl seriously loves shoes ;)

2010-11-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

Family Vacation

2010-11-04T15:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, a WHOLE weekend with just my wonderful family, on the prettiest beach ever! It was such a relaxing and fun trip!

I can't decide which I think is more beautiful : the beach view or the 3 cuties posing in front of it!

2010-11-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

Cleaning service! (and yes that was the ONLY broom we had!)

2010-11-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

A&K had the cutest little floaty boat! Not to mention the cutest little blondies in the pool to fill it ;)

What a face!

2010-11-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

Aww, the wittle boys enjoying the swings ;)

Over at Juana's

Ave playing the all to famous "Ring game"

"Bravo! You tossed a ring on a hook!"

It's actually harder then it looks!

Our last sunrise on the beach

2010-11-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

My traveling buddy

Of course we had to stop and visit the rest of the family!
Rach, your house looks SO beautiful! I wish I had more pics of it to put up :(

I loved watching these two eat ;)

I think he liked the food!

I leave you with my fav. pic of the the whole trip!
A&K I'm so glad y'all came with us!
-Bethany

Wallace Johnson Smith

2010-08-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

This past Monday, August 16, my sister-in-law Katie had her 3 little boy!! She had such a fast delivery that we hadn't packed the car to get down there when she had him! Praise the Lord for this 10 pound 5 ounce blessing!

We arrived around 1ish and all rushed into to see mother and child! What a cutie he is!

Happy parents :)

"Yay John-John! you have a new cousin!"

"Hmm, I wonder if he's my new play toy?"

Meeting Uncle Armani

Wallace and Wallace, two precious boys!!

"This is Jallace Wonson!" ;)

Your such a good big brother Bretski!

Gettin my turn!! I love Bret's little protective look here ;)

"I wonder if I can hold him now?!"

We're all so happy Charlie and Kate and can't wait to come back down to see y'all and all your kiddo's!!

Auntie (for the 9th time!!!!!) Bethy

Stone Mountain with Cousins

2010-07-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

Heading out in the "Beast" to spend some time with our dear cousins from LA! I'm so glad y'all came out for a visit!!!

Fellow seat companion and camera taker

Our faithful Chiefs

Wow, now that's grilling out!!

While the men cook away we play cards ;)

My lousy hand;(

Hands-on science-Dissecting bugs!

Girlies#1

Girlies#2

Picture perfect!!

On our return home we found an interesting situation!LOL!
I guess desperate times call for desperate measures;)

I'll leave you with our poor kitty (which we DO feed everyday!!)

Harvesting Honey

2010-06-16T16:39:00.000-07:00

The other Sunday our dear friends from church brought their honey extractor and we were able to harvest our first batch of honey! We only did 5 frames and got 3 and half quart jars full of the prettiest, sweetest honey ever!

Proverbs 24:13-14
Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Psalms 19:9-10

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

A visit from Grandpa and Nany-O!

2010-06-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Nanny's 70th Birthday Party

2010-06-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

My dear Grandmother, Scarlett turned 70 this year! It was so amazing to get together with all of her family and friends from way back and share memories and blessings of this Godly lady!

Auntie Di's pretty decos

Sweet Brianna with her family

Baby corner;)

2010-06-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

Cousin James sharing some fond memories!

"AH, I don't remember that!"

2010-06-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

Loved what you said Christina!

Future Blogger;)

"And the lighting on this one is like, really great" ;)

2010-06-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

The newest addition to Daniel's family, Daylee! What a cutie she is!

Cousin Missy and Auntie Loretta. It was so good to see both of y'all!

2010-06-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

Story telling with Auntie Poog!
A happy end to a happy day!

2010-06-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all the sweet server girls that made this party possible!

Taking our girl hiking!

2010-05-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago we went to St. Mountain again, this time with our precious Sitara! What a cutie she is, she loved it and never got tired!

THis was so funny! We were eating lunch and this man comes up and asked if Walle would help him shoot a commercial with him! Daddy said it was ok and the man put a whig on walle and they ran around for a while, skipping and laughing!LOL!
So, Walle's had his first debut as an actor! He did pretty good;)

Hope y'all enjoyed the pictures!
Bethany

Our trip to LA

2010-05-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from our trip from when we went to LA to pick up our new little girl!!
Here we are, think we could pack anything else in there?!

Stopping for a snack lunch

Look!!!!
They were so cute;)

And they're cute too!!!
Ham #1

Ham #2

And Ham #3!

Team work

The long trip starts to take its toll on us!LOL!

Praise the Lord that we finally have our sweet Sitara home!
A very happy sissy,
Bethany

A Response to the Failure of an Adoption from a Russian Orphanage

2010-05-10T06:28:00.000-07:00

Bret & Jacqueline Smith, April 2010

As the parents of eight adopted children, seven of which came from Soviet-bloc orphanages, we find ourselves very interested in the story which has recently hit the news about a 7 year old boy adopted from Russia, Artyom Savelyev, whose grandmother sent him back to Russia unescorted.

Our hearts still ache for the children we left behind in the four orphanages from whence our children came, as well as the hundreds of little boys in yet another orphanage that Jacqueline visited in Romania in 1993. The Romanian orphanage haunted her dreams for many years, until we were able to go to Kazakhstan, and later to Latvia to bring home children. The Romanian orphanage housed many deformed little boys who longed to touch her as she passed through their midst. Her hands still long to once again reach out and show love to those boys who looked longingly at her to see if she noticed them. As Christians, we believe God has called us to provide a home for children who have been orphaned. Because of the strong religious bias among US Children’s Service Agencies, international adoption was the least onerous way for us to make orphaned children a part of our family. It is our desire to advocate, constantly, for the thousands of other children who need homes.

Arman: Kazakhstan

Various people have often said to us, “You can’t save them all.” This reflects the same attitude that was taken by Christ’s critics. When he told them to love their neighbors as themselves, they asked him, “And who is my neighbor?” His response was the parable of the Good Samaritan, and it shows us what our response should be as well. God is not asking us to save them all. He just wants us to save one!

Nevertheless, even though we encourage successful, experienced, Christian parents to reach out and save a child, we also want to be upfront and realistic about the difficulties that must be faced. As we go to the uttermost parts of the world and seek to bring home and make a disciple of a child in a foreign orphanage, we must consider why he is there, and what damage those circumstances may have caused him. Were his parents alcoholics or drug addicts? Was his mother a prostitute? Did he have a deformity or some kind of impairment that caused the mother to be either unable or unwilling to handle him? What kind of malnourishment or other deprivations did he suffer before being taken into state care? After being taken into state care, under what constraints were his caregivers working?

Yerik: Kazakhstan

Due to extensive use of the E6_4 homeschool curriculum, our adopted children (for whom English is their second language) can quote more Bible than any other children we know. If you were to spend a day at church with our family, you would likely not even notice that these children have any significant problems. But these results come after years of sweat and tears, multiple surgeries and medical treatments, and an abundant supply of God’s mercy and grace! Every one of our adopted children have problems that our 4 birth children never faced. Cleft lip/palate, hydroencephaly, autism, fetal alchohol syndrome, drug positivity at birth, eyes that don’t track together, persistent intestinal infections and infestations – these are just some of the physical problems. We are sure that if we had taken them to the modern shamans of psychology for evaluation, they would have come out with a whole host of labels, including reactive attachment disorder (RAD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), ad nauseum. We had successfully reared our 4 birth children into their teen years before we took on our first adoption, and we can tell you that we needed every bit of the experience we had acquired to that point to be able to achieve the results we have seen.

Madara: Latvia

So what about people who have no children and are looking to adopt? There seems to be a relatively high failure rate among these. Should we encourage these people in this endeavor?

First of all, we need to look at some basic biblical truth which our culture ignores. The Bible has a lot to say about orphans, and how important it is for people to help them. But in the more than 30 scripture passages of which we are familiar, they all describe an orphan the same way – FATHERLESS. The Bible makes it clear that children need fathers; Ephesians 6 tells us that it is the responsibility of FATHERS to train and instruct their children, and Malachi 6 tells us that the only way to avoid the curse of God on the land is for FATHERS to turn their hearts to their children. From a Biblical perspective, a child living with a mother and no father is considered an ORPHAN. What is the advantage of taking a child out of one situation where he is an orphan and putting him into a different situation where he is an orphan? People who do not acknowledge the authority of the Bible as God’s Word would argue, “Surely it’s better for a child to live here in America with a single mom than to stay in a foreign orphanage where there are few resources?” But that same argument could be made concerning 2 homosexual men living together who want to adopt, or a practicing child molester who wants to adopt, or a pimp who wants to adopt, etc. How far do you have to deviate from God’s pattern for families before it’s wrong?

If widows want to help orphans, there are things they can do besides adopt them. The situation is even worse for divorced women; God speaks plainly in Malachi chapter 2 when he says “I hate divorce,” and 1 Corinthians 7:14 has serious implications for the children of divorced parents. The bad fruit of this unbiblical practice of single women adopting children affirms the truth of God’s Word.

Wallace: Latvia

But what about the Christian couple for whom God has chosen not to open the womb? Are these good candidates for adoption? We believe so; but if a couple has no experience whatsoever with training a child, they would do well to consider adopting a child who is as healthy as possible. If they feel called to adopt a special needs child, then we would urge them to prepare themselves thoroughly, by acquiring and arranging the very best of resources, developing relationships with mentors, and seeking out and building solid friendships with godly families who are eager to support, help and encourage them when the going gets tough.

The third season of life, the season of a godly elder, is marked by an emphasis on providing hospitality, and we believe this is the best time for a family to take responsibility for one or more orphans. The godly elder is a man who “manages his own family well;” he has a robust and stable marriage with “a wife of noble character,” in whom “he has full confidence,” and “her children arise and call her blessed;” his “children obey him with proper respect,” and they “believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.” This man’s household is now equipped to take on the daunting task of snatching a child from the fire.

Madeks: Latvia

Make no mistake about it – these children are in great danger. Many of the children in eastern European and Asian orphanages will not survive to leave the orphanage. Those who do are typically significantly immature for their age, poorly trained, and ill-equipped to succeed in the world. Statistics indicate that 1 out of 10 who leave the orphanage at age 16-18 will commit suicide in the first year of being on their own. The girls will have a strong inducement to turn to prostitution, and the young men often turn to a life of crime and die young. And the most tragic outcome of all is the real possibility that they will never receive a true witness of Christ’s love and grace.

But while the need is great, a couple must not let that blind them to the dangers that they must be prepared to face when they undertake to adopt these children. We live in a culture which has rejected God’s commandments for dealing with the folly that “is bound up in the heart of a child,” and of which these orphans have a double or triple portion. We believe the main reason for the dismal success rates of discipling these orphans stems from the promotion of unbiblical techniques for dealing with these children’s numerous problems. These techniques, developed with public and private grant monies by pagan psychologists who are almost never in the process of rearing children of their own, are venerated and extolled in the media, by the children’s services departments of our government, and even by church pastors. And so even though it leads to the kind of failure that causes a grandmother to send a Russian child back to the country from whence he came, adoptive parents are expected to use these worthless methods, and are vilified if they choose to use biblical methods. We are working with several families who have experienced varying levels of religious persecution because of their commitment to biblical principles. A couple should take advantage of the hospitality that seasoned adoptive parents are usually pleased to offer, and visit with those who are in the very midst of the struggle to bring the process of American adoption under the sway of Christ’s dominion.

Madisen: Latvia

James 1:27 says “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.” We should all care about the fatherless; we should thrill at the thought of helping these little ones become normal, happy, well-developed and well-educated adults. Most likely, this is also what little Artyom’s adoptive mother wanted for him as well. But she was misinformed. She thought it was a good thing for a single woman to adopt a child. She thought that if the child she was seeking to adopt had severe problems, someone would tell her -- or perhaps they did tell her and she just ignored it in her eagerness to adopt a child. She was ignorant of the help available to her when things began to deteriorate. She could have called her agency up and asked for a rehoming of the child. She could have contacted Chask, a Christian organization that helps families when problems arise, and that when all fails, will try to help find a suitable home for a child whose needs are too great to be met in their current home. And the grandmother made a foolish decision which jeopardized the futures of orphans all over the world, some of whom undoubtedly will never get adopted due to the aftermath of the media frenzy she created.

Gavido: Latvia

Before you consider adopting a child from similar circumstances, we would urge you to consider several things:

1. The difficulties in rearing such a child are better handled by a biblical family with a father and a mother.

2. Experience with children and a great support system are extremely important.

3. If God has called you to this, then He will help you through whatever difficulties you face, but you will most certainly find yourself needing to humble yourself before him and seek his wisdom and guidance.

4. No one can guarantee that the child you adopt is not emotionally disturbed; in fact, there is a very high likelihood that he will be emotionally disturbed. Even a child who is overwhelmed with happiness to leave behind a past that he despises, can find it difficult to adjust to a new home and new expectations.

5. You should carefully study the problems you are likely to face, determine beforehand what kinds of disabilities you believe you can handle, and develop realistic expectations of what you will have to do to succeed.

6. Worldly therapeutic methods of dealing with FAS, FAE, PTSD and other behavioral problems are debated intensely and constantly changing. Popular opinion about adoption issues, such as government regulation or the best practice for dealing with past events and birth parentage, are “blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men.” You will find your greatest success will come from developing a high level of skepticism concerning anything coming from the “experts” of our culture, and rather acknowledging that “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” Search the scriptures, and talk to others who have searched the scriptures, for enlightenment concerning how to deal with your child’s problems.
7. Love will not quite be enough, but it is the starting point; it is the foundation on which we build a relationship with our adopted children. You will need to be prepared to give it, over and over again, even when your child has no understanding of it, and no apparent desire to receive it -- even when you are exhausted and do not want to give any more. Your adopted child may love you the minute he first sees you, or he may never come to truly love you -- this is a risk we adoptive parents share with our Heavenly Father, who also loves and gives to those who reciprocate and to those who do not. You are the adult, and the child is, well, the child! Act like the adult.

8. Know that time heals many things, but it does not heal all. Some of your child’s disadvantages you can help him overcome, some you cannot. You must come to learn to discern between the two.

9. Well-meaning people will tell you that the risks are too great, that you should never consider adopting a child from a foreign orphanage. Don’t believe them. It is a risky business, and the outcome is uncertain; but if we can draw at least some of these children to the throne of Christ, show them how to receive forgiveness for sins, and love the Lord their God with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength, then we are doing the will of the Father.

Sitara: Texas

Help us pray that churches will see that one of the greatest ways they can fulfill the Great Commission is to help their own families go to the nations and make disciples of the children. Help us pray that God will grant our authorities a true and proper understanding of the issues dealing with international adoption. And finally, help us pray that Christian men and women across this land will step up to the enormous task of caring for these little ones. “For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.”

Bret & Jacqueline Smith

www.FellowshipOfTheFather.org

www.E6-4.com

Introducing Sitara Grace!

2010-05-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

Our adorable daughter Sitara Grace, age 7, has just joined the family! Jacqueline

Oh the Joys of Spring!

2010-04-22T17:45:00.001-07:00

-Bethany

Herb of the month: Plantain

2010-04-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody!
A couple of weeks ago I started an herb class, that I am absolutely loving, that teaches you how to identify different herbs in the wild, how to harvest them and then (this is the fun part) how to use them for medicinal purposes, so that if your out in the woods and you fall and scrape your self up, or perhaps you get bit by a snake (hey, it could happen to you!) or maybe your allergic to something, I'll know how to cure you! (Hypothetically speaking) Sounds like fun, right?!
But I'm afraid it has turned me into quite a strange person, (I was peculiar to start with but now I'm officially 'strange') stopping on the side of the road to pick this, or making bitter soups out of that and yelling "Don't step on that!" "It's just a weed" says my poor sibling, to which I reply "How dare you! That's rumex and it's quite good for you, here, pick some and we'll cook with it";) To which they groan and declare they aren't hungry for lunch anymore!
Despite the apparent difficulties of finding good ways to get the herbs inside my family we have had some wonderful results with a particular herb I'd like to share with you called, Plantain. We have used it as a poultice on scraps and as a tea for allergies. For both it has worked like a charm! Plus, it grows absolutely everywhere around here!

Here is the lanced leaf Plantain plant, right in our own back yard!

I have found it growing along the road side, by the sidewalks and in every ones yard I walk into!

For poultices I simply chop up the leaf a bit, add some hot water to it on a paper towel and slather it on the bite, cut or bruise! For more information visit my teachers website. She's absolutely brilliant! I have been so blessed to learn from this inspiring woman.
Well, I hope the Lord blesses with these herbs, as he has blessed me!

Praising his awesome creation,
Bethany

Bethany Lynn

2010-04-17T15:29:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of Bethany, as there aren't very many on this blog of her. She is such a dear sister to me!

~Rachel Morton

Wesley and Rachel came for a visit...

2010-04-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

Wesley, Rachel and mini-Wes

"I love my Abita."

Yon tree monkey (or chain monkey)

Fish impersonations. (William not Mom).

2010-04-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

"That's right, get up a little more speed and let go Auntie!"

Of course we have to have Kress in on the fun via phone, lol!

He so looks like he knows he's cute.

"If only someone would bring me some lemonade..."

A very staged nephew pix.

2010-04-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

"I can't believe I forgot my shades."

The "I don't have time for this" stare.

Some folks are just 'Baby People'. Babies all love Madi!

"Hurry, get it before I drop him!"

2010-04-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Climbing the big Rock

2010-04-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

Heading out to Stone Mountain with Alan and Katie!

My dear parents
A quick save!

The three Smith warriors view the others struggling up;)

Even Essi made it half way up! She's so cute with her new little habit of biting her lip!

Kate and Esther stopping at the half way point

Got enough to carry Charlie? ;)

The first to make it up!
This picture is so neat, it looks like Maud just came from a drop off!

The stragglers join us!

The Ham pauses for a photo;)

The happy climbers #1

Happy climbers #2

Smithy men (ya'll are all so handsome!)

The next generation coming over the ridge!

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who finds great delight in his commands.
His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Psalm 112:1-2

Looking at the town below

Daddy-O grilling our sheep burgers;)

Mr. Hat Hair, charming;)

Daddy serenading us! It was so pretty and perfect for the mood.

The seasoned warrior, contemplating great thoughts

The results of our long, tiring but very fun day! Thank you Daddy for such a delightful trip!
Bethany