Farewell South Africa

Hello Friends and Family,

We recently finished our first year working at the Lighthouse Children’s Shelter in South Africa. It was a year full of new experiences; a lot of fun, laughter and joy. We also had a lot of tears, frustrations, and sadness. It has been a pleasure to be part of rescuing children from the depths of poverty, sickness, and dysfunctional families. We’ve had the joy of being part of many adoptions. We’ve seen many children come to us on the verge of death as sickness and malnutrition take their toll on their little bodies. With the help of our doctor and exceptional caregivers the children have become healthy, joyful children. We’ve had some amazing experiences that we wouldn’t trade for the world.

As you probably know, we’ve made a two year commitment to serve here at the Lighthouse Children’s Shelter. Due to situations completely beyond our control we need to return to the U.S. early. As missionary associates with Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM), we are assigned to work alongside a full time missionary. In our case, we work with David and Janis Betzer, the founders of the Lighthouse Shelter. They have recently made the decision to resign as AGWM missionaries. They will continue to run the shelter independently of AGWM. Because they are no longer AGWM missionaries, the shelter is no longer an AGWM project. What this means for us is that we will not be able to finish out our two year commitment to the Lighthouse Shelter. We fully support and love the Betzers and are thankful for the time that we had with them as friends, surrogate family, mentors, and pastors. We are not leaving with any bad feelings and sincerely pray for God’s blessing on them and the Lighthouse Shelter.

While we are disappointed to leave the shelter before our time is finished, we are excited to see what God has next for us. During our time here, God has burned missions into our hearts. We came here with a desire to be God’s hands to those who need to see God’s love in a real and practical way. That desire has not changed. We are praying and seeking God’s will as we begin discussions with various ministries that are a fit with what God has called us to do. We definitely feel like God wants us to be involved in missions in some capacity. If you support us financially, we ask that you would prayerfully consider continuing to do so as we move into our next ministry. We will certainly update you when we know the ministry we are transitioning into. If you would be willing to continue supporting us during this transition time, you can send in your support checks as you always have to AGWM.

We will be arriving back in Denver on April 4th. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact us.

Thank you so much for all of your support over the last year. We cherish the support, prayers, and friendship of each one of you.

Serving Him,Lincoln, Jenny, Madison, Kyler, and Kendi Smith
Outreachsouthafrica.blogspot.com
lincolnandjennysmith@hotmail.com