CCC México Mission Day 2

Today was the group's first day on the canal. Honestly, I don't know what to say about today. I am so proud of this group and they're passion for missions. They are open to what God has in store and I can't wait to hear stories from them throughout the week. They met a lot of kids and have already started making relationships with the people. We also got to meet the family we are building for. They made bracelets, played soccer, jumped on the trampoline, and spread the love of Jesus Christ! Here are some pictures! 

This is the family that we are building for! We can't wait to get to know them this week! 

This is their kitchen and below is where they sleep. This family is going to be so much more comfortable in their new house! 

Continue to pray for us as we begin construction tomorrow morning! Pray that we open our hearts to what God is asking us to do and that we be obedient! 

Dios te bendiga! 

CCC México Mission Day 1

For parents, church family, and anyone interested in our trip this week, I will be posting pictures with a short update from my phone every night! I am so excited about what God has in store for this amazing group of people.

The trip started out beautifully with Lisa leading us in a devotion and prayer. We actually left EARLY! 

We picked up Jonah along the way to complete our caravan of 5 vehicles headed to TX. I am so thankful for those who stepped up and helped us drive safely. We had a very smooth trip and made great time! Everyone was exhausted when we got here, but excited for their first time in Mexico! We had pizza for dinner, made sandwiches for the next day, and heard from the missionaries, Roy and Rebecca, some personal testimony about Mexico. Parents who were worried about accomidations, the kids are happy to have a bed and air conditioning! We have plenty of space and a great area for meals and meetings at night :) 

Thank you for your prayers for this group this week and for Jonah and I as we start a life here once the groups have returned home. This morning, we will head over to Mexico to introduce the team to families I have known for years and also for everyone to meet the sweet family we will be building for! I'll write again once we return back to Texas later today! 

Dios te bendiga! 

Articles, Videos, and So Much Love!

I have been overwhelmed lately with the love and support of friends and family in the time leading up to this coming Friday. The time has finally come and I couldn't be more excited, anxious, nervous, and just about every emotion you can think of! I want to share with you some articles and videos but first a few updates:

I gave my final scheduled talk yesterday in order to raise support, 

the lease to my apartment technically started a few days ago, so it is there waiting for me to move in,

Jonah completed his last day of work here in AL and  has begun the job and home search in Texas, and all that is left now is to pray and enjoy the week with friends and family! (and finish packing)

Please continue to pray for both of us as we say yes and act on God's call. I think the prayer Jonah prayed last night is one we will pray often and you can join us in praying as well. It went something like this:

"Dear God, be with Emily and I as we move to Texas and begin our life there. Continue to hold our hands every step of the way." 

Jonah is my rock. He has supported me every step of the way and his faith encourages me when I freak out and have doubt. While we have our peaks and valleys, I know that God gave me this man for a purpose and we remain strong in Him. Join us in praying that God continues to hold our hands in every step, in every peak and in every valley and that He remains the center of our relationship. 

I've shared a lot today on social media, so here it all is in one place: Two articles written by Kelli Dunagan and Harry Butler, a video made by yours truly, and me singing Oceans yesterday at FUMC. 

College Lifestyles: Classy Grad Emily Smith from Samford University, Kelli Dunagan

Gadsden Times: Music Mission, Harry Butler

Matthew 28:19 Youtube Link

Oceans- Emily Smith Youtube Link

Christ Central Church Prepares for Mexico!

As I mentioned in earlier posts, Christ Central Church will be making it's first solo trip to Mexico in about 2.5 weeks! Small groups have gone from the church before, but we have never had enough to make our own trip. I have been waiting for this moment for 4 years now: to get to share my heart with the church family and youth group I love so much! 

To prepare, they have done a Spaghetti Lunch, Paint Party and another spaghetti lunch which was just this past weekend! I also was given the opportunity to share with the church what I will be doing after the group returns home and they prayed a wonderful prayer over me. 

This week is youth service week and one of their projects was to pack backpacks with required school supplies and pray for the child that will be receiving it.  We have 24 ready to take to Mexico and give to students in order for them to be ready to start school in the fall. I am so impressed with this group of young people and their enthusiasm for Christ! 

Do you love Me? "Feed my Lambs"

Only days after college graduation, I'm realizing that my "occupation" is no longer "student." I will no longer be asked the questions, "What grade are you in?" "What year are you?" "What are you studying?" From now on it will be, "What do you do?" I will be identified by what I do, who I am, and that excites me so much. It also means that I am now an adult. There is no question about that. While in college you are still sometimes a kid, college student, almost there, kind of an adult but not really, etc. Now I am an adult, my occupation is missionary and teacher, and I am employed by God and who He has chosen to help me. I'm not gonna lie, that statement is super scary, but also really awesome. I couldn't have chosen a better person than our Lord and Savior to be my boss. He will never let me down, He will always come through for me, and with Him there is no set wage, He will provide what I need no questions asked. I know that if I have faith, this could be the most stress free, rewarding job in the world. 

The Lord tells us many times to not worry. 

He says Look at the birds! (yes God they are beautiful and carefree!) 

I feed them, and don't you think you are more valuable than them? (valid.) 

Do you think worrying will add an hour to your life? (absolutely not...) 

So, why do you worry? (good question!) 

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. 

Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

I have felt like some version of an adult for a long time now. From the first time a child said "yes ma'am" to me, to being in charge of middle-schoolers at camp, to teaching sunday school, to leading groups into Mexico, and on and on. 

That being said, I will always have people to look up to for advice and guidance: thank God for that. I would be lost without the people that have and continue to mentor me though life. I can be "in charge" when I need to be. 

At the same time: recently, I caught myself skipping down the halls, at Samford one day, I raced Cara up the hill just because, I get scared when there are storms, and I am a baby when it comes to shots. In those moments, I am a kid through and through. I like to think I always will have that in me until my last day on Earth. So what makes us adults? 

I've come to the conclusion that this conversation Jesus had with Simon Peter is the same one Jesus has with us. When we finally understand, when we finally take on the responsibility, is when we are adults: It takes place after Jesus helps the disciples from the shore catch fish in the Sea of Galilee. After they finished eating the fish they had caught:

"Jesus said to Simon Peter, 

“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

... Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” 

He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep."

John 21:15-17

Jesus commands us to feed his lambs, take care of his sheep, feed his sheep. If we love him,  we should be happy to do this! I think that's what it means to become an adult. When we finally realize our purpose in life. We have been the lambs for so long, being fed and cared for. Now it is our turn to care for the lambs. Care for the children of God. Share with them why we love the Lord so much and why they should love Him too! So I can assuredly say I am an adult, saying "yes" to God's command. I am a teacher and a missionary and am so excited to help take care of the lambs. I also know that I will always be the girl who skips and giggles and is scared of shots. I know that I will always be a lamb too, being fed by those who have answered God's calling. Guys, if you love Him, feed His lambs and take care of his sheep! It's the most rewarding thing you could ever decide to do. Don't worry, He will take care of you, others will help you along the way, but you must help others. It's a command! When you are ready, say yes! I promise you it will be the BEST decision you ever make! 

Some pictures from Graduation!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

Feliz Cinco de Mayo a todos mis amigos en Mexico!

Happy Cinco de Mayo to all my friends in Mexico!

The moving date is quickly approaching and I am getting more and more excited everyday!

 

I mentioned in an earlier post that my church from Gadsden, Christ Central United Methodist, will be making its first solo trip to Mexico! In preparation for the trip they have done a few fundraisers to buy building supplies for the house and other needs that arise while we are there in June! This past Saturday CCC hosted a paint party. Everyone got their own canvas to paint a beautiful painting and we were guided every step of the way. This fundraiser brought in $400 to add into previous fundraisers! God is so good! The painting we did was of a pear and had the words,

"²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control."  

Galatians 5:22-23a,  

written across it to remind us of how Jesus taught us to live. We were also able to paint one of them in Spanish and will present it to the family we build for in June at their house dedication!

 

The fruit of the Spirit is a wonderful reminder, not just to the team, but to all of us of how we can share the love of Jesus Christ. When we don't know the words to speak, or can't even speak the same language, we can ALWAYS exemplify these characteristics and live the way Jesus taught us to live.

 

Will we be able to all of the time? Of course not. We are human. Can we pray for God to: help us to love deeper, give us joy in our hearts, grant us peace, give us patience , help us to be kind in our actions and words, help us show goodness, help us to be faithful in the ups and downs, give us a gentle attitude when with others, and help us to have self-control in our angriest of times? YES! We most deffinately can. I challenge you to pray for those things and really try to go throughout this day living as Jesus taught us to live!

Please be praying for the team as they prepare their hearts and minds for this upcoming mission trip! If you would like to help support them in anyway you can contact me by facebook or e-mail! Enjoy the pictures below!