The Smith Connection

That's right!  Through a ministry of Camino Global called Hope Coffee.  Here's the cool thing: you get your good Honduran coffee, small scale coffee growers in Honduras get a fair price for their coffee beans, ministry projects in Honduras are funded, Camino Global as a mission is supported, and if you mention our name when you purchase the coffee we get a little support as well!

Check out the Hope Coffee website here:  http://www.hopecoffee.org/

Read their latest newsletter here: http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=8b6f270539ee03b020cebd2c5&id=6cbd183eaf&e=cca7bcc579

If you decide to purchase some coffee for yourself or for your church just fill in the part that says "I heard about Hope Coffee from:" with Bryan & Lori Smith.

Thanks!

Please click below to see our prayer update.  Thanks!
http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=dda64d1288d51a6819e6796ab&id=50d21989b9

Please praise God with us for His protection.  We were headed home from Puebla this afternoon after picking Tara and Ben up at the Puebla Christian School camp.  As we were coming into San Juan del Rio on the highway we were rear-ended by a 18 wheeler semi truck and by God's grace this is all we have to show for it.  We are a little shaken up as it is never fun to see a semi barreling towards you in you rear view mirror, but other than that we are all fine.  If you have a moment the rest of the story is below.

We were just coming out of a construction zone.  We were in the fast lane following a white midsize car (not even sure what type it was) and the semi trailer was following us.  All of a sudden there was one of those plastic barrier pieces in the road in front of the white car.  The white car slammed on its brakes and swerved, either just missing the barrier or hitting it a little and sending it back our way.  Of course I had to hit my brakes and swerve as well, and I think I just barely hit the white car's bumper as I have a little white paint on my front bumper, but what then took all of our attention at that point was the semi trailer behind us.  He was somehow able to lock his brakes and swerve left as we were swerving right, and he hit the plastic barrier head on.  It got stuck under his grill and front tires and got mangled.  Besides God obviously working it all out, that plastic barrier might have been what helped him stop so fast.  Not sure what all happened around us, but somehow we were able to avoid all the traffic that surrounded us and eventually made it to the shoulder.  The white car just kept going.  The truck couldn't keep going because he had the plastic barrier lodged under his front end, and we had part of our rear wheel well molding rubbing against our tire.  I honestly expected to see worse damage - I thought the whole drivers side rear end was smashed in.  The truck got the barrier dislodged and I got my wheel well molding pinned up.  Everybody around us was saying that we better move on down the road and talk about it if we wanted to before the police arrived and made things worse.  We took their advice and moved on down the highway a little ways.  We ended up agreeing to go our separate ways.  It was really neither of our faults - if anything it was the construction company for leaving the plastic barrier near the fast lane where it probably got clipped or blown into the highway.  We were just glad everyone was fine.  The truck driver said he doesn't even know how he got stopped, but all he could think about were the kids that he saw in the van ahead of him.  We know how he got stopped!  :-)  I told him that it was only by the grace of God.  We know many people pray for us as we serve here in Mexico.  It's not the first close call we have experienced, although undoubtedly the scariest for us.

You can view our February 2013 prayer update here:
http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=dda64d1288d51a6819e6796ab&id=cf74649c36

Here is a link to our prayer update about our Operation Christmas Child events:

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=dda64d1288d51a6819e6796ab&id=c98e4fd892

Dear Praying Friend,

Happy New Year! May God bless and guide you in 2013. We would ask you to be praying for our special Operation Christmas Child outreach happening tomorrow at 3:30 central time. Here are a few way you can pray for this community outreach program:

1. That God would prepare the hearts of the children that are going to attend and that many might be receptive to the Gospel and trust in Christ as their Savior
2. That we might have 150 children attend the event
3. That many of the children might be interested a a 12-week follow-up club starting on January 12
4. That we might have many church volunteers show up and help for both the event and the weekly club
5. That many families from the community might be impacted through these efforts for God's glory

We will send you an update and pictures next week.

Your Partners for the Sake of the Gospel in Central Mexico,
Bryan and Lori, Kendra, Tara, & Ben

Here are a few photos of the wonderful Coro Unido presentation we attended in Puebla:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4324477504621.164783.1067634870&type=1&l=ee87780b6f

Follow the link below to see a few photos from our church Christmas program and dinner:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4324454064035.164781.1067634870&type=1&l=5fb8df2b50