Christmas Greetings 2017

December 2017

Warm Christmas Greetings from the Smiths!                                                                                          

It came without ribbons! It came without tags!

It came without packages, boxes or bags!”

… Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!

"Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.

Maybe Christmas…perhaps… means a little bit more!”

                                                                                                                  - Dr. Seuss

Things we love that ‘don’t come from a store:'

Rick: US food, homes of rest, time with Caleb, golf, well-placed books

Ann: renewed friendships, the six of us together, the Comforter, pictures

Katie: Costa Rica, sponsorship, ND Development (& football), Young Life

Julia: two home cultures, running friends, cousins, cheesecake, driving

Rachel: being alive, scholarships, college friends, Utah x 2, Passion Church

Caleb: 5000 shots, homeschool (well, maybe not…), shoes, 100 pounds!

As we’ve ended the year soaking up time in the U.S., we are so thankful for the many ways you have encouraged us and blessed us with your time, words, prayers, financial support, and friendship. May God’s blessings rest upon you!

Much Love –

Rick, Ann, Katie, Rachel, Julia, and Caleb

Rachel - Alive and Well

About three weeks into starting college at Liberty University, Rachel was hit by a car.  She was walking across a street in a crosswalk and several cars were preparing to turn left on the road in front of her.  It’s a long crosswalk so she went half way and one car turned in front of her.  She looked at the next car and thought the driver saw her so proceeded forward.  The driver didn't see her and accelerated into her, hitting her on her right side.  She slammed onto the hood of the car (thank God) and rolled off to the ground on the passenger side.  Adrenaline kept her feeling ok that night, but Saturday am she woke up feeling the weight of it.  

A friend at Liberty, who is an ER nurse, graciously went over to her dorm, took a look at her and recommended she be evaluated at a hospital.  We drove through the night to get to her and bring her to the hospital.  We were SO THANKFUL to be in the US...

She had a concussion and some deep tissue bruising but everything else checked out ok.  Some gracious friends in the area let us stay at their house while she hibernated in a dark room until she could tolerate light again. She had a hard time getting up and down the stairs because her left hip was bruised internally. 

During her recovery, the family we were staying with let their 'therapy baby' hang out with her!  This brought her SO much joy! She's missed having babies to hold in college! 

By the third day, she was able to tolerate some light and join us for meals!

Amazingly, she only missed four days of school and we were able to drop her off in her dorm to finish her semester.  She had to avoid church and chapel for a month because of the lights and noise, but she was able to go to classes and even work on her computer to finish homework.  

We are PRAISING GOD for sparing her life and for such a quick recovery.  Thank you to all of you who were praying so diligently for her!  We are thankful!

September Update

Greetings Friends! The Smith family is officially stateside for the next few months! Our primary goals for our stay is to find rest, renewal, and reconnection with family and friends.  So far, we've visited family... ...enrolled Julia at Vernon Hills High School... ...settled Katie at ND and Rachel at LU... ...returned to LU after Rachel was hit by a car. Thank God she's back on her feet again...

...and started home schooling Caleb.

We've also meet with our incredible Oasis team in the US and are excited about our future in Kenya!