Paul & Kathleen Smith: Hope that Heals

Peru 2011

2012-02-07T22:37:00.006-06:00

Way up in the Andes Mountains, we ministered in Pacobamba, Peru. We had no English-to-Quechua interpreters so I had to speak my best Spanish to these Quechua-speaking people whose 2nd language was also Spanish. It was a challenge!

Guinea pig was the speciality food served at the last dinner as above, and is served with the head and tail still on.

This trip marked my last as a missionary associate with Health Care Ministries, so it is sad in some ways.

But on the bright side, being home for our kids now means a new puppy! And we have both found jobs, so we're staying in Springfield MO for now. And are able to afford to buy our son Zach braces and allow Josiah to compete in soccer for a change. So we are putting our family first priority and missions a little lower now.

At this time, there is still money in our missions account for us to go on trips on a less official and less frequent basis. Here are some examples: if a disaster occurs and a response team is formed, or if a project is being planned that needs a medical professional to accompany the team, or to fill in the gap where a medical missionary is on leave.

We are praying right now about whether we will be allowed to have access to those funds for future service. We will have a meeting about it in February, so please pray that God's will is done. Thank you.

End of missionary term Feb 1, 2012

2012-02-07T22:31:00.002-06:00

We have come to the end of our missionary term. At this time, there is still enough money in our missions account for us to go on trips, but on a less official and less frequent basis. Here are some examples: if a disaster occurs somewhere and a response team is formed, or if a project is being planned that needs a medical professional to accompany the team, or to fill in the gap where a medical missionary is on leave.

We are praying right now about whether we will be allowed to have access to those funds for future service. I expect we will have a meeting about it in February, so please pray that God's will is done. Thank you.

Haiti update

2011-03-02T00:36:00.005-06:00

Greetings prayer partners and supporters. I just had a very successful trip to Las Cayes, Haiti. We spent a week ministering to Haitians on the southern coast of the island through prayer and by providing medical care. Our team of five (one MD and his wife, one Pharmacist, one RN and me) joined the local missionaries to run the clinic. We saw about 700 patients and I saw almost 400 people wanting glasses. We had one Haitian that knew English come to translate for us. He had just been released from prison and was trying to get his life back. After serving with us a couple of days he spoke to Dr Jim and was led in the sinner's prayer. We are praying that God will radically transform this man so that through his testimony many will come to know Christ. In addition to running the medical clinic we were priviledged to help James and Rachael (the missionaries) run a childrens outreach. 350 children from the community came to worship, play games, and hear an evangelist speak. Every child was also given a bag of rice and other food to take home. It was fun to feed the children both spiritually and physically. Thank you for your prayers and support. We couldn't do what God has called us to do without your help. God bless you.

Aguascalientes, Mexico

2010-10-05T17:56:00.003-05:00

What a terrific ministry week in Aguascalientes! Thanks so much to the 1st timers from Milwaukee and Giddings, TX! They were good workers, flexible, ready to jump in. Photos are on my facebook page and photobucket under mamapajamasmith. Of about 800 patients, 500 and some prayed with us to receive Christ. Only God knows their hearts but we know that means some good things happened. I saw people really being ministered to spiritually and many healings were reported for pain, insomnia, etc. I will keep praying that the 13 year old girl in the wheelchair receives healing though it didn't happen before my eyes.

path to the boys' home

2010-09-21T00:59:00.002-05:00

I liked watching them go back to their rooms, bringing their dish back after breakfast, ready to start the day:) You have to wait a minute before anything happens on this video though.

worshipping in the evening at the orphanage

2010-09-21T00:57:00.001-05:00

This is a great video because they sing this one in English!

orphanage video

2010-09-21T00:54:00.004-05:00

This video is of the littlest boys in the orphanage performing a song with actions for us, the medical team. The boys range from age 6 to 16 but these are the young ones, 6 and 7 years old.

Good news!

2010-08-30T21:39:00.004-05:00

Paul has been offered a job with St.John's Hospital in Springfield. He will be working in the home medical supply department. They have assured him that he can continue to take 3 mission trips per year. He starts Tuesday September 7th. We appreciate your prayers in this matter! Now please pray that his hours will be flexible enough for time to go into Health Care Ministries (HCM) and continue to prepare the supplies for each team that goes out.

I (Kathleen) have quit my 2nd job (yay!) and will continue to take 3 mission trips per year. I help at HCM with teaching, writing, and brainstorming ways to improve the physical and spiritual care we give. I leave for Aguascaliente, Mexico in late September.

We have been renewed as Missionary Associates but will be supporting our own living expenses, so that means we will only need financial support to pay trip expenses (which has been about $20,000 per year the past 2 years). We'll send out a newsletter next week to report on our 2 year term and suggest how our financial supporters can adjust the amount they send to our account.

Zach, Josiah, and Jesse have all had a good first week of school. On a side note, we found a little critter in the river and have been keeping it as a pet, observing it. Then when the boys took it to school for show and tell, we were informed it is a LEECH! Yuck! It's really too bad because we were all rather attached to him :)

Link to article on our Nepal trip

2010-06-22T18:59:00.001-05:00

Go to http://healthcareministries.org/news/eternal-impact-report-southern-asia to read an article about its impact.

Our next term

2010-05-20T22:19:00.003-05:00

Please pardon the lack of trip reports and photos this spring. We are evaluating our first term and considering prayerfully how our next term should look. We will post our plans then and you can be praying for us in the meantime - thanks for your prayers!

Entry June 22nd: Looking back at our past 2 years, we are evaluating what we did right and what we did wrong and what can be better. We have been on 16 missions. While they have been great opportunities for kingdom advancement, it will be better for family life to take fewer trips next term. We are supported by many caring Iowa churches and families. We would ask all of you to pray now for Paul to find a paid position in Springfield with flexibility to allow him to make 3 overseas trips per year and still go into Health Care Ministries' building to assist in their warehouse. A tall order? An usual job? Yes, but we believe God can do anything!!

Kolkata, India trip

2010-03-27T10:33:00.006-05:00

This was a very challenging but rewarding trip to India. It was difficult because many of the team members, including myself, got sick. However It was at the end of the trip and we didn't miss any of the clinic days. It was very rewarding because we were able to minister to the very poor. We spent two days at slum schools where many of the children get a break from working in the dumps. They spend their time looking for items that their families can use. The girl pictured above in glasses is thirteen years old and was extremely near sighted. Her life will be radically changed because she can now see further than a just a few inches in front of her. She is also being ministered to in a Christian school where she is learning about Christ. The young girl pictured above was found abandoned on the street just three weeks before we arrived . She is now living in one of the schools and becoming healthy and happy. Thanks again for keeping me in your prayers and allowing me to serve the needy all over the world. Your prayers and support are very much appreciated. God bless you. Paul

Calcutta

2010-03-04T11:46:00.005-06:00

This trip will be a little different for me because we are taking twelve Evangel University students with us. The students are either pre-nursing or pre-med and we are hoping that a medical missions trip will show them how to use their education to serve the Lord. Please remember us in your prayers. Blessings, Paul.

Update: I received these photos of the clinic on the day they served the "slum school". Paul says one doctor has already witnessed to and prayed with a person the first day. - Kathleen

Nepal January 2010

2010-01-31T19:20:00.016-06:00

We were in a very remote and ancient village cut into the Annapurna mountain range in the Himalayas (in the top 10 tallest mountains in the world). The people call themselves Buddhist but have adopted many Hindu gods and culture. It takes them about 2 hours to retrieve water from the nearest stream each day and hours more to cut rice from the rice paddy. There is no electricity or running water. We slept in a family's home just feet from their water buffaloes and goats. The outhouse was clean and we had a good view of the mountains, but it was cold. It ranged from 40 at night to 60 in the afternoon sun. With the help of 2 local doctors and 6 local nurses to translate, we saw 1900 patients in 6 days of clinic. At the end, the only Christian who is from this Gurung village (he was raised in a Christian orphanage and now returns to share his faith) was able to meet and explain the love of the God of the Bible in a small group. There was a lot of positive feedback and one woman said she already had started praying to Jesus and stopped offering sacrifices to her idols. This is truly an answer to prayer!
Feb 19th: Since our translators were hired from the city a few hours away, they did not speak the dialect and were not Christians. Also, the Buddhists do not believe in sin. That made witnessing our faith nearly impossible. But we were able to build relationships with them as we worked alongside them. And I had many opportunities to witness to the 3 nurses who took turns translating for me. They were surprised to learn that our God did not require us to fast on holidays or sacrifice any animals or our food/crops. They were not familiar with a God of love, especially not a God who sacrificed for us. We were able to pray for our patients, but often they would not translate it. One time I prayed for a patient was when a mother brought in her 4week old infant who had no appetite and had a fever. I diagnosed him with pneumonia and explained how dangerous it was. I asked the mother to walk (2 1/2 hours) to our clinic every day so we could give injections of antibiotics until he was well. I prayed for the child. After 2 days, he was much better and the mother and I were both greatly relieved. She is pictured at the top.

Hope for Egyptian orphans

2009-12-07T23:09:00.003-06:00

At the Lillian Trasher Orphanage live 175 orphans and 125 adults widows, blind women, and staff. We performed physicals on the kids and treated the adults for whatever various problems that they had. We had one case of Rickets and many cases of Failure to Thrive. One baby had been brought to the orphanage at age one and weighed only 7 pounds, but after just 3 months there she had doubled in weight. We instructed the staff in how to feed her (her teeth had not erupted since she was so starved/malnourished) and play with her, moving her arms and legs to speed her progress. Some of the kids were feeling bitter towards God for allowing their parents to die, others felt hopeless since the options for Christians after graduation from school are slim in this Muslim country. Each and every person seen received one-on-one medical care, spiritual counseling, and prayer.
Thank you for supporting us in prayer and with your finances, without either we could not minister!
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. " James 1:27

Ethiopia - October 2009

2009-12-06T21:30:00.005-06:00

Greetings dear friends and prayer partners. Just a quick note to tell you all about the trip I took to Mekele, Ethiopia in late October. A team of 20 Americans joined forces with some Ethiopian dentists to take care of a couple thousand poor and needy people. We were able to provide medical, dental and optical care in addition to sharing the love of Jesus and praying with everyone that came to the clinic. I have taken six trips in the last 18 months and the people of Mekele had, by far, the worse eye damage and disease that I have seen. The majority of the eye disease is caused by a combination of altitude, proximity to the equator, and the dry desert climate. In addition to the dry climate we had to deal with the dry hearts and spirits of many of the people. Most of the people we saw were part of the Orthodox church and were resistant to evangelism. But God worked through miracles and the Holy Spirit to bring many into the kingdom. Thanks again for your prayers and support. Paul

India trip

2009-10-06T21:06:00.002-05:00

Greetings prayer partners and supporters. I have recently returned from a trip to northern India where I was able to minister in three different areas. I spent the first two days visiting two different villages near Jaipur. There I was able to provide eye glasses to the needy. In the second village I had the opportunity to minister to the local Buddist priest. This allowed the local missionary to develop a relationship which will allow future visits to the village to be more fruitful. The other two locations we visited were children's homes. We were able provide optical and dental care to the boys and girls that live and attend school there. In Rupaidiha we had the opportunity to minister to several women who are allowed to seek refuge in the mission. They are taught how to weave and sew which gives them an alternative source of income and provides them an excape from their slavery in human trafficking. Thank you again for your prayers and financial support that makes our ministry possible. I will be leaving again in two weeks for Ethiopia. Please pray that God will use our team to touch many people for His kingdom. God bless. Paul

Stay tuned for stories from India

2009-09-24T21:38:00.003-05:00

Paul emailed today to say that he and the team have completed all the goals for this medical mission trip to India and are traveling back to Delhi now. He returns Sunday, so check back for updates from him on his experiences in Jaipur working with local medical professionals and in Nawabganj in the boys' orphanage.

Please mark your calendars to pray for us again October 23rd through November 1st as he will be gone to/in Ethiopia to a rural primitive area. It is tough for the boys to have Dad gone twice close together, and then 10days later I leave for Egypt. Thanks for your prayers!

The photo is of us exploring a hiking trail near our campsite Labor Day weekend. We hiked it even though others said they saw rattlesnakes on the trail as they passed by!

Upcoming Trips

2009-08-14T21:11:00.002-05:00

This summer we have enjoyed a break from traveling. Kathleen provided free medical care to the missionaries home on furlough. Paul prepared the teams going to Kenya, Benin, and Brazil. Our sons start school next week. Then we start traveling again.

Upcoming trips: Paul - India Sept 16-27 & Ethiopia Oct 23-Nov1, Kathleen - Egypt Nov 12-23, both of us - Nepal late January.

Tanna Island, Vanuatu

2009-06-22T18:32:00.003-05:00

Greetings. I returned from a mission trip to Vanuatu a few weeks ago and want give everyone an update on how God used the team to encourage believers there and lead many people to the Lord. We were on Tanna Island which has a total population of 20,000. We stayed in Isaka village which is in the middle of a valley that the missionary and the local pastors are working to evangelize. Many people had to walk for hours to reach the clinic. We had a steady flow of patients most of the time but it wasn't overly busy. This allowed us to share Christ with everyone that came to the clinic and pray for their needs. Our host missionary Bryan Webb said, "Two previously resistant villages opened their doors for church planters to work amont them. The team accomplished their purpose!"

Trip Stats:

Patients seen - 679

Prayed sinners prayer - 105

Water Baptisms - 9

Asia Update

2009-05-13T17:09:00.005-05:00

Hi everybody! I returned from Asia late last night. Our host in the country requested that no pictures be posted so that their position there would not be compromised. I can mail photos to you, though.

I ate sea urchin (It's like eating rubber bands), pig liver, rice, and dumplings. They don't use toilets so we learned to use squatty potties.

We did face some challenges. There were used needles all over the floors of the hospital we worked in and people smoking throughout. Translating was challenging because no one knew the words (i.e. bronchitis, infection, hepatitis, etc.) for Western medicine, since it is not practiced there.

There were 4 government officials who walked around, smoking, watching and listening while we conducted clinic. So we were very careful with what we said. We stuck to just discussing physical health. But on the last day of clinic only 2 of the government officials came, which freed us a little to talk more openly with patients about the hope we have in Christ. I was able to share my faith with one of my last patients, who was very happy to hear it and told us she felt her pain leave after I prayed for her.

5 of our team members were students from Evangel University who are majoring in nursing or premed. They worked tirelessly and cheerfully despite many having gastrointestinal illnesses related to our travel, and I was very impressed by them and was honored to serve alongside them! Kathleen

Back from Philippines!

2009-04-30T21:25:00.003-05:00

Greetings supporters and prayer partners. I have just returned from 10 days serving the people of the Philippines. I led a team of 12 people who conducted medical clinics in two different locations. We were in Paracale for two days and then in Camalig for two days. We were able to see around 1,900 people and just under 1,100 prayed the sinner's prayer. This was my first time leading a team and I was amazed at how God provided wisdom and strength. Thank you for your continued prayers. Paul

2009-03-20T19:43:00.005-05:00

Ready to go! This spring will be challenging. Just when one of us gets back, the other leaves. Trips are: Philippines April 13-23 (Paul), North Asia May 3-12 (Kathleen), Vanuatu May 16-29 (Paul). In the fall it will happen again with India, Egypt (Lillian Trasher orphanage), and more.

Please pray for Health Care Ministries. They have been under attack with trips being cancelled, loss of donors, and being severely short staffed. We know God has so much planned and covet your prayers.

On a side note, Zach, Josiah, and Jesse are doing well in school and have made some good friends. We are doing well :) Thank you for your prayers!

Providing spiritual and physical sight in Quito, Ecuador

2008-11-19T20:57:00.010-06:00

It was a great privilege to serve God by serving the people of Quito, Ecuador. The team optometrist did a thorough exam in a dark room. Then I dispensed their glasses, tweaked their glasses prescriptions in some cases, and I had the privilege of witnessing and praying with the patients!

We were able to provide physical sight to both young and elderly people through the distribution of eye glasses. Many elderly patients were able to resume their Bible reading or sewing after they were given reading glasses. We were also able to restore the spiritual sight of many individuals by leading them to the saving knowledge of Jesus.

I enjoyed this trip because I felt that the Holy Spirit gave me more boldness than I'd ever had before. I witnessed freely and saw people tearfully receive forgiveness over and over. Thank you for enabling me to be a part of this!

Back from Ethiopia!

2008-11-11T22:43:00.000-06:00

This picture is of me holding an orphan who was discovered and cared for by a woman. She brought him in to find out why he doesn't turn his neck. I had the unfortunate task of examining, determining the problems, and telling her that he is deaf in one ear and has cerebral palsy. Take just a minute to pray for her please, that she will continue to care for him as her own although the task ahead will be challenging. We treated 1,600 patients with medical or dental care in this Muslim community. We prayed with almost all the patients, and some chose to become Christians. One young woman told me she plans to pray for forgiveness and become a Christian in 3 years. Why 3 years, I asked? Because as a teenager, her Muslim parents would disown her and kick her out. She didn't want to live on the street and starve. I told her we would pray for her parents to become Christians shortly after she does and to accept her.

Snake charmer

2008-09-25T23:24:00.005-05:00

Sir McCabe (he has been knighted by the queen for 50 years of serving orphans in India) kept asking if we wanted the snake charmer to come so we could watch him charm cobras. I kept saying NO! He also suggested that we not use the restroom during the night unless we shine a light on the floor and check for snakes before getting out of bed. (I can hold it a long time when I have to beware of poisonous snakes between me and the bathroom.)
But the last day he hired the snake charmer anyway to come. He was not coming to entertain the Americans - No, he came to remove some of the deadly vipers from the orphange. In just a few minutes, he lured out 3 cobras from the garden outside our bedroom!
Sir McCabe said he specifically asked that they not drink alcohol before charming the snakes because a few years ago, while all the orphans were watching, an inebriated charmer was bitten by a Krite (sp?)and died right there at the orphanage.

more pictures from the orphanage in India and video

2008-09-25T23:15:00.005-05:00

Face painting

2008-09-12T22:16:00.002-05:00

I got to learn a few words in Hindi as they told me what they wanted me to paint on their faces - lots of tigers and flags were the favorites.
One helpful hint: when you sign up for a mission trip and they tell you what the temperature is in Centigrade, look up the Fahrenheit equivalent! I saw it said it would be 41C, but I didn't think about that equalling 106 F!

2008-09-12T21:58:00.001-05:00

Joy in the Orphanage in India

2008-09-12T08:23:00.004-05:00

August 29- Sept 7 I was at this boys' orphanage in Nawabganj, India.

What's so amazing is that of all the 165 boys that we tested for Tuberculosis, HIV, and did physicals on, none were sad or sorry to be at the orphanage. They were all grateful to be cared for by the staff, taught at the school, and well-fed (by their standards). One by one, they told me of becoming orphaned or being brought to the orphanage by a parent due to lack of food. They also shared with me what they liked to do for fun, what they would like to be when they grow up, and their hope for their future. At least four boys told me they wanted to become a pastor and share Christ in the villages they came from. What's remarkable about that is that it is a dangerous place to be a Christian. 18 pastors were martyred and 61 churches were burned down just during the last 3 weeks in India. And also, a few boys at the orphanage now are from an unreached people group, the Taurus. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see these boys learn about Christ at the orphage and return to witness in that village!

You may have read or heard of the flooding in India. That's in the Bihar region and another "M" from Iowa, Jonathan was helping with flood relief while we were there.

BIG NEWS!

2008-08-04T21:22:00.002-05:00

No more wondering "Will the house sell?" "Did we miss God's direction?" "Why is this taking so long?" Our house did not sell. Well, actually we had an offer on it but for $20,000 less than the assessed value.
So it came down to crunch time. The boys needed enrolled in school either in Des Moines or Springfield. We absolutely did not want to move them during the school year with Zach entering junior high! So we took a step of faith and made an offer on a house, contacted the principal of the school that we're coming, and signed them up for soccer in Springfield without a buyer for our house. We listed the house for rent and had only days to get a renter to respond to our craigslist ad, view the house, apply, get credit checked, and sign a lease.
We knew that God would have to make things happen that were a long shot. And they did tonight. We have promising renters moving in 18 days! Not that the enemy is through attacking us. I'm sure any day you ask me, I'll tell you how something almost fell through. But God has come through for us! So rejoice with us! And please pray for me as I head to northern India to an orphanage in 3 weeks (Kathleen).

2008-07-15T13:22:00.002-05:00

Corumba, Brazil June 20-30
Over 1700 patients seen in the clinic - many heard about it from local news and TV coverage! 700 of those patients expressed their desire to know Jesus Christ as Saviour and 16 were healed.
See these pictures of the beautiful people as they came for eyeglasses, dental care, or medical care and received oh so much more:

2008-06-24T19:56:00.002-05:00

Isn't Bosnia (B.H.) beautiful? Yeah, some of the buildings are still demolished, but the city is surrounded by mountains and has streams and trees everywhere. There is still hope for the people! The Lord has plans for you, hope for your future! (See Jeremiah 29:11-13)

2008-06-24T19:50:00.002-05:00

We didn't see many kids in Bosnia-Herzegovina, so we asked if there are parks where they play. Ivan told us all the parks were turned into cemeteries during the war. It must be hard to think about the future when they are constantly reminded of the past wherever they look.

Ciao from Bosnia-Herzegovina

2008-06-05T14:43:00.003-05:00

We have ministered 4 days now to all people groups in the area: Muslim Bosniaks, Orthodox Serbians, Catholic Croatians, and gypsies. I have prayed for spiritual growth and for healing for everyone who has allowed me to.
During the day we held a free clinic and offer medical care, eye exams and eyeglasses, counseling by psychologists for depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. At night we gave teaching sessions which people could come to and learn about diet, exercise, smoking, drugs, and also about common health problems.

Reach people by every means possible!

2008-05-22T00:08:00.005-05:00

Please pray for anointing and effectiveness of our ministry. Thanks!
Also, check out the new puppets Carol in Davenport made for us to use overseas! Kath

3 months and counting!

2008-02-09T18:04:00.000-06:00

The plan is to move in May, so please pray that our house will sell quickly for a fair price. If there is anything that God would lay on your heart to help us with, please contact us. We are in need of a Queen or double bed, commuter car (can have very high miles on it but need good gas mileage) for the next 3 months, a realtor to help us sell our home, and buyer for our fold-down Coleman camper (14 years old, sleeps 5).

2007-12-12T17:51:00.002-06:00

2007-12-12T17:28:00.001-06:00