Eddie and Martha Marie Smith

This is a poem I wrote for Brayden and read at his dedication that was held the same day as his adoption.  It sums up the past year and a half for us and we give all the glory and praise to God!

 

Dear Brayden,

 

I have a story that’s on my heart

February 11, 2008 is the very start

You see on that day we picked up a little boy

He had blonde hair, brown eyes, and not much joy.

 

But he smiled at us as we came through the door

Although we knew that physically he was very sore

He had bruises all over from head to toe

I wish I could say it wasn’t so

 

It broke my heart to hear of his past

But praise the Lord it did not last

He found his way in our home you see

From the abuse and neglect He was finally free

 

The first few weeks were an adjustment for all

Every scream at night made my heart completely fall

He wasn’t sure whether he could trust us or not

We covered him with love and prayed a lot

 

The constant throwing up finally went away

And the meds went from 5 to just 1 a day

Before our eyes we saw God answer prayer

He loved our little guy, God truly did care

 

We were finally getting settled in this great new life

But we then received news that cut like a knife

On March 28^th the dreaded phone call came

It shocked us; we knew we’d never be the same

 

An aneurysm had been found on my brain

There were many tears and so much pain

But the God we serve is amazing you see

So we asked for healing on bended knee

 

Peace was given through this horrible storm

God was great and our faith transformed

The surgery was set for the 6^th of May

Dr Barrow and staff operated that emotional day 

 

God answered prayer and I was healed

The grace He had given us was completely revealed

Friends and family had encircled us with love

Which had been sent directly from the God above

 

We thought it was over until July arrived

When gall stones were found and again I cried

But recovery was quick and we were back on our feet

Our story of healing was now complete

 

We were licensed to adopt we were soon told

The dream of you as our son began to take hold

In October is when the court case would fall

Not sure whether the parents would contest at all

 

We arrived at the courthouse early that day

To find out parents rights had been signed away!

What a huge blessing this turned out to be

One more miracle God did for us to see

 

Through this journey God opened our eyes

We decided to help others understand orphans cries

So we started Caroline’s Promise here in our state

We want to reclaim hope and set the problem straight

 

This all brings us now to the 9^th of June

When you officially became our son at noon

You little man now have a brand new name

Brayden Elijah Smith you’ll never be the same!

 

This story that started 16 months ago

Has been such a time of amazing growth

It has stretched our faith in countless ways

We truly give our God all the praise!

 

So to our little Brayden we want to say

How blessed we are that God made a way

For you to be part of our family in full

We love you so much and are so thankful!

 

We pray daily that you our little guy

Will decide to give our God a try

Because He’s amazing and a wonderful friend

He loves you so much and that will never end.

 

Love, Mommy, Daddy, and your sissy

We had a potluck meal at church today and many asked for the recipe.  Enjoy!

 

Pineapple Cheese Bake

·         2 20 oz cans unsweetened pineapple chunks, drained (reserve the juice) ·         2 cups sharp grated cheddar cheese ·         6 tbsp flour ·         ¾ cup sugar ·         1 stick butter ·         1 cup crushed Ritz crackers (or any buttery crackers

 

1. Toss pineapple and cheese.
2. Mix flour and sugar and stir into pineapple mixture with 6 tbsp juice.
3. Pour into greased 2 quart casserole dish.
4. Top with crumbs mixed with butter.
5. Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes or till brown.

Caroline’s Promise

 

James 1:27 says “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.”

 

There are 143 million orphans across the globe and as the Body of Christ it’s time we come together and take the responsibility God has given us. 

   

My heart breaks over the need of orphans and because of this I have agreed to head up and direct a ministry here in South Carolina called Caroline’s Promise.  Caroline’s Promise has been an established non-profit ministry in North Carolina for five years, and we have felt the Lord place it on our hearts to expand into South Carolina. 

 

Our vision is to see many children find forever homes, but most importantly our prayer is that they will find everlasting hope by accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.  In order to accomplish this, we want to help churches, families, and individuals all get involved and do their part in making a difference in the lives of orphans across the globe.  Caroline’s Promise not only wants to educate people about the need of orphans but wants to provide financial support to families who are in the adoption process in South Carolina and offer prayer and encouragement along the way.  Churches also have a great opportunity to partner with orphan projects in their community as well as around the world.  Getting involved with mission trips that Caroline’s Promise leads every year to the countries of Guyana, Guatemala, and Uganda is one example of the many opportunities that exist.

 

There are plenty of opportunities for volunteers, prayer intercessors, and financial giving in this ministry. I invite you to join me in taking part in this grassroots movement and consider getting involved in the 1st Annual Seeds of Hope Banquet to be held April 14, 2009 at The University Dining Commons on the campus of Southern Wesleyan University in Central, SC.  For more information go to www.carolinespromise.net or contact marthamariesmith@carolinespromise.net

March 28……exactly one year ago today I received a phone call telling me that I had two brain aneuryms…..talk about a call changing your life, it definitely did! 

I woke up this morning thinking about this past year….what I’ve learned…what God has taken our family though….the amazing grace that He has shown every step of the way…and I have to admit I was extremely thankful.  Thankful that I am alive….thankful that He did miracle after miracle in our lives this past year….thankful that He taught me to never take a day for granted.  I’ve learned that we are only here for a very short time….we’ve got to make it count!  Do we realize how much is at stake?!?   Do we as Christians truly get it?  I’m sure most of know exactly what the Great Commission is, but does knowing what it says affect our actions in any way!??!   I guess for me I had to come to the point where I thought there was a chance I might be going to Heaven sooner than I thought in order for me to cherish life and cherish the purpose God put me on this earth for….we’re here to make disciples and to gloify God…..at least that’s the nutshell I put it in…so how am I doing that every day?  

Right before I had brain surgery last May I felt God gave me an overwhelming peace that I was going to be completely fine.  That peace was amazing, but it also made me begin to think about life after brain surgery….what did God want me to do?   What was His reason for keeping me on earth longer?  What did He want me to accomplish?  I felt very strongly that one thing I needed to do was finally learn how to play the guitar….I had felt for awhile that I was supposed to and I had played around with it, but I had never been really committed…until after brain surgery…I’ve been taking lessons from a friend who has been so gererous in giving me free lessons for the last 9 months.  Tomorrow at church I will lead worship and play the guitar…..I didn’t really try to time it to this exact week-end…it just worked out that way.  Honestly I never thought I would get to this point.  To the point that I was willing to step out of my comfort zone and do what I felt called to do…..I had been completely satisfied in playing in front of my kids stuffed animals.  They seemed to enjoy it and so did I…it was a win/win….why play in front of actual people?!   Especially when it scares me to death!??!  Because God wants me to….I don’t even have to understand anything beyond that…I just need to step out of my comfort zone because that’s what God wants and I don’t need a better reason than that.  Am I slightly crazy?  YES!  Everyone who is a Christian and follows Christ is seen as crazy at times, because we do things that sometimes just don’t make sense…but God’s ways are higher…they are better…and they ALWAYS make perfect sense…

The other thing I’m doing is directing a ministry here in SC called Caroline’s Promise….it is so beyond my comfort zone that it is almost funny!  I am WAY in over my head, but that’s ok….this is God’s thing…I’m just along for the ride….he’s teaching me a lot in and through it…definitely stretching me and it’s not very comfortable, but I know without a doubt that He’s going to do great things through this ministry…He already has in NC and now He’s going to blow us away with what He has ahead for SC!  Lives will be saved….children will be loved…we are reclaiming Hope for orphans!   What’s really funny is that what gave me such a heart for this ministry is from going through foster care this past year with our little guy that we are in the final stages of adopting….and I remember how deciding to do foster care was such a HUGE step for us, but now look where we are because God gave us the strength to say yes and go for it!! 

So I sum up this past year with this verse….”For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.  “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you…plans to bring you hope and a future.”

And I end with this question…what has God been challenging you to do…how does He want you to step out of your comfort zone?!!?  Whatever it is, DO IT!!!  There is sooooo much joy, peace, and hope ahead for you and your family if you do it!!  Trust me…I speak from experience

We have some big news….and no, we are not pregnant!  

We felt over a year and a half ago to pursue foster care.  From there we felt led to pursue adoption and as many of you know we are about to finalize our adoption of our little boy in the next couple of months.  Through the whole process God has messed up our hearts in such a huge (but good) way!  I feel like God has given us a small glimpse of just how much His heart breaks over orphans. 

Eddie and I have been praying what our next step should be…we want to make a difference for orphans so badly…should we continue to do foster care?  Do we need to adopt 20 more kids?  Seriously we did have that thought briefly but considering that our house, car, and wallet would not be able to add an additional 20 kids at the moment we decided that might not be the way to go   As we’ve continued to pray, God has worked in His own way to show us exactly what He wants our next step to be….and that is to start Caroline’s Promise in South Carolina!

Some of you may be familiar with Caroline’s Promise, but for those of our friends and family who are not, let me catch up you.  Caroline’s Promise was founded five years ago in North Carolina by David and Lisa Holbrook.  They have an amazing story of how God orchastrated several events together to not only bring a little orphan girl (Caroline) from Guatemala into their family but as well bring hope to orphans all over the world through a ministry that they felt God led them to start, Caroline’s Promise.   Please check out www.carolinaspromise4u.org if you’d like to see what the mission of this ministry is all about.  Since Caroline’s Promise began in North Carolina over five years ago, God has exceeded all of their expectations and many orphans have found hope!!

Lisa and I got together last November to attend an adoption conference and she mentioned to me that maybe I should start praying about beginning Caroline’s Promise in South Carolina.  Honestly I thought she was crazy at first   But..I felt that God just kept bringing it to my mind in the weeks following the conference.   Less than two months later, I called Lisa and told her yes…I feel called to do this.  What’s scary is that I am in over my head and have absolutely no idea what I’m doing   but I know that “wherein I’m weak, His strength is made perfect!”  Praise the Lord!

 We have planned a fundraising banquet that will be held Tuesday, April 14 at Southern Wesleyan University.  This banquet will allow us to begin reclaiming hope for orphans in South Carolina and the outermost parts of the world!   Feel free to e-mail  marthamarie@hotmail.com if you would like to get involved in this ministry….anybody anywhere can a play a huge part in this!  I truly believe God has incredible things ahead!   God is going to do big things through Caroline’s Promise because we know that this is His idea….His heart!

Happy New Year!!!  It was an interesting new year’s this time around….my mind was full of questions…what will this year hold?  If 2008 taught us anything it’s that we truly don’t know what each day will hold, but we KNOW who is in control…we KNOW who holds everything in the palm of His hands….we KNOW who is faithful!!!

So…what are my resolutions for this year?  Honestly it’s one thing….to draw as close as I can to Jesus Christ….because the closer I get to Him, the better EVERYTHING will be!  Do I mean that things will just be wonderful all the time?  No…but I do mean that no matter what I’m facing I will have God’s hope, His peace, His joy even….He is faithful!  I want to shout that all over because He took us through some amazing things last year…and as tough as they were, I hope we came out stronger…I know that we’re different from this time last year…we’ve grown a lot….I hope this time next year we can say the same thing.

I had a friend several weeks ago share something with me, and as she talked, the lack of hope she had broke my heart.  I realized that she was just one of millions of people who have no hope, no peace, nothing.  Why?  Because they don’t have Christ in their lives….so who is going to tell them?  Who is going to be Jesus to them this year of 2009?   So…do you have anyone that comes to mind that fits the description of my friend?  What part are you going to play in their lives this year?  Even if if you are someone that has a hard time verbally telling someone about Christ, remember that it is your life that will speak the loudest to them.  Pray that they will see Christ in you…who knows what seeds that God will plant because of your life this year?  Something to think about….

A miracle happened today!  There’s no other way to describe it….God has moved mountains big and small in our lives, especially in the last eight months, and He did it again today!  I wish I could give all the details, but since I can’t, I’ll just say that this day surpassed everything we were hoping for!!!  I am such a huge believer in prayer….prayer works, it is powerful, and it changes things!!!  I have no doubt that it’s only because the huge amount of prayer that has gone up that we got our miracle today! 

THANK YOU for every single prayer that all of you prayed…..we are just so full of praise for our Heavenly Father!  When I found out the good news this morning I literally wanted to sing, cry, and dance all at the same time for the incredible thing that the Lord has done…maybe I caught a glimpse of how David felt at times throughout the Bible. 

We serve a mighty God….we give Him ALL the glory and praise for the wonders He has done, is doing, and continues to do in our lives….it’s an amazing adventure, and I’m sure He has a lot more GREAT things in store!

It’s been awhile since I last blogged….not because I haven’t had anything to say, but maybe just trying to get myself and family normalized again after the last crazy eight months or so of our life…..let’s just say that a new addition to our family, brain surgery, and gall bladder surgery in the same year might make a familya little…umm..well crazy!  You feel like you’re losing your mind at times..no pun intended

We are now at another big event happening in our lives….somewhat like a crossroads except for the fact that it’s not our choice which path we take…God pretty much has the say on this one…like He always does!  I would go into detail about this, but I can’t.  I will say though that our family once again covets your prayers in a big way!  My biggest prayer request is that we will be able to “trust in the Lord with ALL our heart”…do you know how hard that really is to do?  I discovered during the whole brain surgery ordeal that without God helping me, I cannot trust Him completely… not 100%.  Maybe for some people that is one of the easier things to do….I wish it was for me.  How do you put something in God’s hands that you love and care so much about and not worry at all or ever try to take it back?  That’s impossible, right?  Thank goodness that God knows how to work with the impossible!  

I ask that you cover us in prayer on the 30th of October…pray that God will work miracles, Satan will be defeated, and through it all, God will be glorified in a magnificent way!!

Thank you already for the prayers that I know will be prayed on our behalf….prayer changes things….boy, have I seen that firsthand over and over again!

And may I just say one last thing…..I am so THANKFUL for these crazy months we’ve had….I can truly say that God IS who He says He is!!!!  There is a God, and He loves us like crazy……Eddie and I would not have made it through this season without Him, and you know what?  Hard times DO make you stronger in Christ!  So…as we have an election coming up, as our economy continues to nosedive, as we are fearful as to the unknown that’s ahead, may I just say that God is still the King of Kings, and He’s still in control, and He’s still faithful, and merciful, and loving, and still our complete HOPE!  Praise the Lord that I’m the daughter of such an amazing King!!!!

Ok, God tells us not to worry, right?  So why do we??? 

I have asked myself this question so many times in the past few months.  As many of you know God just took Eddie and I through the biggest test of faith in our lives…..we cried, we prayed, we trusted…somehow God gave us that trust in Him that gave us such a peace to walk the journey of brain surgey…so if somehow we can go through brain surgery with trust in God, why can’t we do that in every situation?

Today I was in a situation that was pretty tough for me…I won’t go in to a lot of detail, but let’s just say that it’s a situation that I’ve put into God’s hands countless times and I’ve taken it right back every time.  Does anyone else ever do that?  Then I find myself worrying about what’s ahead regarding this specific situation, and so many times I completely ignore the fact that I have an incredible Father who wants to give me peace and trust, but I’m too focused on worrying about the situation that I forget all about Him and try to figure it out myself.

So I came home today and put the kids down for their nap and got out a study I’ve been doing of Beth Moore’s.  It was about David during the time he was running from Saul…..David was running for his life, leaving his new wife, his best friend, everything….in Psalm 142 we see David crying out to God about his situation….David was really hurting and God was right there to hear David’s cry and give him the comfort and peace that David needed……reading that chapter made me wonder why do I turn to so many other things before going straight to God with my hurts and my frustrations?  Today I first tried to figure the situtaion out in my mind….when that didn’t work I called a couple people for a pep talk….still feeling discouarged I finally decided to pray about it.  That did it…prayer has a way of bringing us into God’s presence, which is completely transforming!!!

I feel ashamed of the way I’ve handled myself in this whole situation….what kind of example am I being to those involved that don’t know Christ?  Do they see much difference in me?  Probably not, at least not lately.  So…once again I have put this into His hands, and this time I’m praying that God will help me keep it in His hands!  God knows absolute best in all areas…I need to trust Him with this situation and leave it on His shoulders….He wants to carry my burdens….He knows how tough this has been for me, and He wants to help me through it…..it’s time I let Him! 

Lord….I’m sorry that I represent you so poorly at times….thank you for never giving up on me…..may I put all things into your big, capable hands and trust you with the outcome.  No matter what happens you know best….thanks for always being there for me Jesus….I love you so much and am so thankful that you continue to open my eyes to see as you see…..   

Ok so it’s been awhile since I’ve written…..life has begun to look somewhat normal again and I can not tell you what a blessing that has been!  I feel like a miracle because there are several days…in a row….when I feel full of energy and I don’t have a single pain anywhere!  Keep in mind that it’s only been 12 weeks since I had the brain surgery and 4 weeks since the gallbladder surgery….can we say miraculous?!?!?  God is amazing! 

This past season of our lives has been tough…I mean honestly it is not the most fun to have brain surgery, BUT I have to say that Eddie and I have been blessed to go through it….what an awesome opportunity…I realize some of you at this point may be thinking that the medications from the surgery might still be affecting me since I’m saying this stuff but I truly mean it!  I have learned things, understood things, that I never would have learned or understood unless going through something like this.  I think the main reason Eddie and I went through this is because God loves me.  I believe that with all my heart….God takes us through hard difficult times because He loves us.  He loves us so much that He will put us in impossible situations because He wants us to learn, see, understand more of Him….because He knows the more of Him we see and understand the better our lives will be, the better people we will be, the better future we will have…..the more we will be able to do for His kingdom. 

There were a few songs that I listened to very often during this past season that really helped and encouraged me.  One of them was In Christ Alone, but my all-time favorite was by Mandisa and is called “God Speaking.”  The message of the song is that God will use or do anything to not only get our attention but to show us just how much He loves us…..it was the song I continuously played on my ipod the morning I was walking into the hopsital for the brain surgery.  It gave me such a peace because I felt God’s message loud and clear:  “Martha Marie I love you.  I’m taking you through this for a reason.  Trust me….I will never let go of you.  I will always be with you no matter what!”

We will always face difficult times on this Earth.  There is no question about it.   When you’re going through those tough times it is sometimes so hard to hold on to hope and faith that everything is going to be ok.  The verse that was such a comfort but also the absolute toughest for me was Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”  It was so hard for me to “trust Him with all my heart”  in fact, I couldn’t do it on my own.  I prayed that God would give me that trust in Him.   And He did.  Nothing is impossible with Him.  Nothing.  So as Satan continues to try to discourage, and steal, kill, and destroy our hopes, and dreams, our joy…remember that no matter what we can trust God with all things.  No matter the situation God can take care of it….we just have to let Him. 

Lord, thank you with all my heart.  I get to get up every morning and enjoy my family, my friends, a brand new day, a new adventure.  All because of you.  I love you so much.  Thank you for working a miracle in my life.   I will be eternally grateful.