April 2020 Missionary Focus

 Thank you for praying for France. We listened to President Emmanuel Macron speak to the nation broadcast from outdoors in Mulhouse tonight, where he thanked citizens for mobilizing in the fight against Covid-19. The east, north-east, and the region of Paris have been the hardest hit, where many hospitals are at saturation. The army has set up field hospitals in these locations.

Our family is well and following all the rules put in place by the French government and the local authorities. We are thankful for the way ReachGlobal has been in communication with us as well as our area leader and our colleagues in other cities of France. The EFCA has provided a link to helpful resources here on their COVID-19 webpage.

Our French Church has been keeping in touch via social media platforms or telephone, and we’ve been  worshiping via the Internet as are many of you – – in our case with a sister church in Grenoble. Last night our home group met together on skype – – a new experience! We’ve been sending encouragement along to some friends nearby; anxiety is high especially among those in the health care profession.  Click here for additional information on our blog.

Ten of our family members are living in northern Michigan, able to continue working and are safe and well. Nicolas is healthy and living in the Boston area, finding new ways to employ himself as his main occupations had been in café management following his college graduation last year, and these hours are severely     restricted at present. We thank the Lord for the health and protection he has blessed us with and pray the same for you.

Trip
One month ago, Debbie had flown out to Florida from Marseille to join her sister in moving their mother out of her home in the retirement community where she’s lived for fifteen years and into a two room apartment on the same grounds, following a mild sensory stroke. Mom is doing well, only numbness in her right hand persists. This move was a huge change for Mom to process, prepare for, and accomplish, but praise God, he gave us all the courage, stamina, and strength needed. In Debbie’s absence, Lonnie was    doing his usual work plus taking part in the training of Bethany students for Disciple Making Movements, and other new initiatives, as well as taking care of our two girls at home and keeping everything running smoothly here. That time now seems like a blur, but one thing is sure, our God will never fail; not one of his precious promises will ever fail us. We can trust him. We are so thankful for God’s timing in all this, and for his love and care during these challenging times.

Prayer and Praise

· Pray for our Mom as she settles into her new way of life, and for all of our elderly in the coming days.

·  Thank the Lord for opportunities we have had to speak into the lives of those around us during this  crisis. Pray the Lord would open new avenues for ministry in sharing the hope we have in Jesus Christ with others, and that we would be ready for whatever comes our way.

· Pray for those in the countries around the globe who all need to know the Savior.


Our prayers are with you today, with all our thanks! Let us know how we can be praying  for you –

Lonnie and Debbie Smith

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