Thursday, Sep 09, 2010

Urgent Prayer Request

Please would you pray for this urgent matter in Ukraine
 
We have been attempting to buy the ground floor of a building in Odessa, which for four years we’ve been renting and using as the Homeless Orphans Center.  We’ve done many renovations to this facility to make it habitable for these needy young people. This place has been a blessing and refuge for so many needy youngsters most of whom have come to the Lord and are serving Him with a passion.
 
The Odessa City Council has been standing in the way of us buying this place. They have hesitated to come to an agreement about a price which once stood at about $80,000 USD. They always said that after the “next election” the future city council would be better able to make a decision about selling the place to the charity we set up there. Two elections have come and gone with no decision being made by City Council.
 
Now the present mayor of Odessa has finally sent papers asking my Ukrainian trustees to come and see him to discuss the matter. Please pray that this visit (which could be this week or next) will be favorable and enable us to buy the place. Then we can fully renovate our own asset knowing that the investment will not be wasted if we lose the facility. When I visit there in April this year I trust that all this will be behind us and that the centre will be the asset of our Ukrainian charity.
 
In addition to this, our Ukrainian charity was given money towards buying this centre. We had it in a Ukraine bank account that wasn’t earning very much interest. So the charity bought an apartment in Odessa in a good area, to use for the counseling and accommodation of needy youngsters. Now is the time to sell this apartment and get the money released with profit, to buy the Homeless Orphans Centre. Please pray with us for a favorable sale of this apartment and that we’ll have all the funds to buy the center.
 
Thank you for your faithful prayers.
 
Dave

The Ministry of David and Margurita Smethurst

August 2009 Update

I trust you are well and enjoying God’s blessings at this time. Thank you so much for your wonderful gifts. What a huge blessing you are to so many needy orphans and a big encouragement to us as well.

The orphans’ camps in Latvia are going well at present with so many needy children coming to Jesus. The Chernobyl Orphans whose camps are being conducted right now, are experiencing a wonderful touch of God on their health. They battle with radiation diseases and tumors. We have seen some remarkable healings in the past 8 years at these youth camps.

I’ll be leaving for Latvia in Friday August 7th with a small team. We’ll be ministering in the Russian churches, youth groups, on the Radio, prisons and the orphanages. I’ll be checking on the orphans needs as well and blessing them with your gifts.

God bless you for your kindness. God reward you greatly for the "seeds" you have sown into God's harvest fields. I do appreciate your concern and compassion.

Love and blessings,

Dave Smethurst

July 2009 Update

The orphans’ camps in Latvia are going well at present with so many needy children coming to Jesus. I have trained my local manager, Sasha, and his youth group who run the summer camps to bring the children into a relationship with Jesus and then to pray for their health and wellbeing. The Chernobyl Orphans whose camps are being conducted right now, are experiencing a wonderful touch of God on their health. They battle with radiation diseases and tumors. We have seen some remarkable healings in the past 8 years we’ve bussed them to our Latvian camp from Belarus and Ukraine.

My manager, Sasha, writes this report –

From the first day of the camp his face stood out. He always had a smile on his little face. Early each morning, barely opening his eyes, his face would radiate joy – unusual, against the backdrop of their nervousness and suspicion.

We noticed him right a way, not only the smile but because he had never changed his clothes once. Not that he was a dirty boy, he was very, very clean - always folding his little belongings before his sleep. He had nothing else to wear.

Bogdan was his name. Never asked for anything; never complained. His happy face encouraged us through out the day. Yet, behind this happy smiling face was a story many of us would rather not know. Through all the pains and tears and anguish this little fellow had gone through in his short 9 years he radiated joy.

His life story would take a book to write, but what pierced my heart was his comment just before leaving to go back to southern Belarus. He said: “I am going back to the place I wish not to go. But no longer will I walk alone, I walk with Jesus – He will help me stand!” Hearing these words I thought of many voices throughout the years of ministry, whining and complaining for things that were not even close to the life he was going through. I prayed asking Christ to keep him and protect him.

As we were talking a teenage camp leader came up to him, holding a beautiful t-shirt. She simply said ‘Bogdan I got this for you?” His face registered shock. Almost stuttering he said: “For…me…but…why?” She looked at him and said “God wants to give you a gift and bless you”. What happen next I will never forget! Bogdan took a nicely folded t-shirt and looked at it and said “Is this for me? Has anybody used it before?” Uta looked at him and she said “No, Bogdan, I bought it for you and you are the first one to wear it. And I want you to put it on”. The he very gently put the t-shirt back on Uta’s hands and almost whispering he says “Hold on….” He ran a way and came with the plastic bag “Put it in here, please”. Uta looked at him said “I want you to try it”. He said “Oh no, no I will keep for a very special accession.” He wore his new shirt when the kids were loading the bus to travel back.

God bless you for your kindness. This is where your gift is bearing fruit. God reward you greatly for the "seeds" you have sown into God's harvest fields. We do appreciate your concern and compassion.


Love and blessings,

Dave Smethurst

Have a look at our website www.smethurstministries.org 

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