desert song.

This is my prayer in the desert
And all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

Chorus:
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it’s way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I’ll stand

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be empited again
The seed I’ve recieved I will sow

sabrina dress + bolinas shoes.

There is just something beautiful about simplicity.  Simple is elegant, pure, and even plain.

I came across this lovely linen dress and these darling leather shoes on Sundance, and just loved them…

“A princess-seamed bodice co-stars with a full-flared skirt in a mid-century-meets-the-millennium production that just begs for summer reruns.  Linen.  Fully lined.  Machine wash.  Imported.”

“Elegant, beautiful and durable, linen is the refined luxury fabric.  It is also the strongest of the vegetable fibers and has 2 to 3 times the strength of cotton.  Not only is the linen fiber strong, it is smooth and lint free.  The more it is used and washed, the softer and stronger it becomes.  Table cloths and napkins made of linen have long been cherished heirlooms, handed down from generation to generation.

Linen is from flax, a bast fiber taken from the stalk of the plant.  The luster comes from its natural wax content.  Creamy white to light tan, the natural fiber can be easily dyed, and the color does not fade when washed.  Linen does wrinkle easily but also presses easily.  Modern finishing techniques have somewhat lessened linen’s propensity for wrinkling.  Linen, like cotton, can also be boiled without damaging the fiber.

Linen can absorb up to 20% of its weight in moisture before it feels damp, and easily releases moisture to the air to remain cool and dry to the touch.”

gobie’s birthday.

Happy 29th birthday to my husband…the sweetest of them all.  It may seem like our blog layout is changing everyday — this is because we can’t seem to find one that works for us; but gobie ended up liking this theme best, so there you go.

his surplus.

Wowzers.  It feels like ages since I last updated.  I think about this blog pretty much everyday.  The internship, in a very good way, has consumed most of my free time…and when I do have free time, most of me enjoys spending it with Greg, others, and cleaning/organizing!  But part of me longs to blog and write about the various adventures and projects we’ve been on since moving to this little town in Southern Illinois.  Today, I promised myself that I will blog at lease once a week…so hopefully, I will keep this promise to myself.  

Yesterday in church, Pastor Dale spoke about a very practical area in our lives.  He is full of very practical advise and revelation from God — you name it, he’s encountered it and has godly insight about it.  So the practical area he spoke about:  A girl in our fellowship was going through financial difficulty, and God immediately gave Pastor Dale a word of knowledge:  

The moment you have a need, resist the fatal flaw of thinking of your lack; instead, think of God’s surplus and God’s character.  His surplus being that His economy is not our economy — His storehouses are full and overflowing in riches.  His character being His Father’s heart toward us, His compassion that never fails, His enduring love.  Just think about your own parents and how much they would do for you and already have done for you – God’s character far exceeds our very own parents.    

So when the devil attempts to sow thoughts in your mind about your lack, whatever the lack may be (financial, emotional, physical, etc.), capture that thought and give it to Jesus.  He knows exactly where you are, and will rescue you in your time of need.  

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.  Trust in the Lord forver, for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock.”  Isaiah 26:3-4  

It is a promise.  

pastor dale’s birthday.

surprise!

kudzai. elder alex. elder keith. pastor bruce. pastor dale.

angel. amma. beth. edith.

jan.

chow-hung + husband.

enoch.

kudzai + greg + todd.

ho-chung

lisa + anita.

cynthia + beth.

lacey + eileen + norma.

myra + edith.

amma + angel.

ashely.

pastor dale + jan.

kayleen.

leanne.

ife + shavonne.

tina + enoch.

more than a friend.

In the quiet of my soul
In the stillness I hear Your voice call
And I am overwhelmed
I am lost for words to describe You

Jesus, You’re more than a friend
Jesus, You’re more than my heart could ever express
Your love and your grace never fail me
Your merciful touch always heals me
You bring joy to my soul

My heart longs to worship You my King
And I long to bring You a pleasing offering
And I am overwhelmed
I am so lost for words to describe You

-by Rita Springer, Worship Leader

My quiet time today was spent listening to this song over and over again, and crying and crying. The state of my heart is desperately wicked, yet Jesus is more than a friend to me…to us. I tried finding you all the powerful Rita Springer version I was listening to; however came across this version by Jeremy Riddle. It’s really good too.

a month later.

It’s been one month since we packed our eco-green Suburu to the brim and moved ourselves to southern Illinois — land of beautiful lakes, hippies, and a fiery church/campus ministry in little town Carbondale. We live in the Hundley House — an old brick mansion built in 1915 by Mayor J. C. Hundley and his wife Luella. The inside of the house is split into three apartments. If you are interested in the history of the house, look it up, because it is QUITE interesting (murder, suspense, etc.). The kitchen, with it’s original white cabinetry, is my sanctuary — I love being in it! Our landlord is an interesting character — a chiropractor who takes apart old pianos and refinishes them piece by piece in the mansion’s garage.

We moved into our apartment only to find that the fellowship we’ll be working with here (Calvary Campus Church/Chi Alpha) had already provided us with some furniture (bed, futon) and important items we’d need (coffee machine, microwave). The staff here is so awesome — Pastor Dale, Jan, Pastor Juan, Pastor Bruce, Juanjiku, Angel, Amma, Beth, Kudzai, and Todd. Met some really wonderful people like Tina & Enoch, Eileen, Kayleen, Stephanie, Lacey and Aprille. It makes it really great when people are just so darn nice!

Moving to a new place has allowed me to form new and good habits, such as, extended daily devotions, helping people voluntarily (church chores), speaking in tongues out loud, immediately washing dishes after I use them, eating more healthy, and exercise (swimming, wall climbing, running, biking), and being more myself-myself. There’s so much un-training required in my life. More to come on what I’m learning here…

In the meantime, below is a photo journal of our time here thus far. My family came down with Greg and I…we had a grand time on our road trip, and stopping in Ohio to see our dear extended family. Fun times. Last month Chi Alpha [XA] took a group of internationals to St. Louis to visit the zoo, and to attend the Festival of Nations — an awesome awesome festival with a myriad of nations represented…it really was a lovely sight to see.

beautiful midwest flatlands.

we arrived!

bridges have a special place in my heart.

my mom and my brazilian-soccor-player-looking brother, Josh.

the three monkeys [josh, bec and greg] could only take so much time on the road, so we took a breather at a truck stop.

the famous st. louis arch.

nikeel. vj. greg. aaron. pastor juan.

students, chow-ri [china] and stephanie [switzerland] sitting on the lawn watching various cultural groups perform on forest stage.

folkloric group columbia [festival of nations].

vj.

djerdan bosnian folkloric group [festival of nations].

japanese student. [shoes -- me too!]

pastor bruce & family & angel baby.

japanese students.

daniel romano, myths & tales of ireland [festival of nations].

daniel romano up close.

our tasty bosnian lunch! there were sooo many options from around the world!

a handsome old greek man from the st. nicholas greek dancers. he looks like he has a neat story.

viva flamenco!

bon odori group.

kidsmex dance group.

going home after a long day!

[be sure to check out www.goodelephantphotography.com for a photo project I did at the zoo.]

chi alpha internship.

So the time has come. We will quit our jobs this Thursday.

We’re leaving in 3 days for Carbondale, Illinois for a 10 month XA campus ministry internship with Pastor Dale at Southern Illinois University (SIU). This is something Greg and I have been praying about for a year now. We weren’t sure how everything was going to fall into place, but it did. 1) A neat place to live right on main street and within walking distance to SIU and Pastor Dale’s church. 2) A miracle job for Greg to work at home in Carbondale (with all the perks!!!). 3) Family and friends who 100% support our decision to go into campus ministry.

I am so excited to take on this challenge and grow deeper in my relationship with Christ.

We are so amazed at God’s hand in all of this — especially since we had no clue how it would all come together. I continue to hold onto my life verse: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18-19

Thank you all for your prayers and thanks to all our wonderful peeps who visited us in Baltimore. We hope to be back in Baltimore in 10 months — ready to take on some college students for the Kingdom of God!

God is so awesome.

happy bethday.

Happy 30th Birthday Beth!

A wise person once said, “In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips.” author unknown

Some people have very little to be thankful for when April 15th (tax day) rolls around, but we are very blessed to have a super wonderful sister.  She’s so cool because she has a dog that can fly.  Really.  She does.

post number one.

It feels good to commission our joint blog together on this Easter Sunday at our parents’ place in Bethany Beach, Delaware.

Welcome to the blog of Greg and Susan Smith.

We recently got married on a blustery November day on the shores of the east coast, surrounded by our wonderful family and friends and God, of whom we cherish.  It is our desire to share our life with yours.  Here, at this very spot, you will find many more posts to come surrounding our ins, outs, comings, goings and matters of note or far-reaching non-import.  Our adventures are plentiful and many in between.

We recently moved to downtown Baltimore to the eclectic district of Mount Vernon.  We love people, the art of writing and photojournalism; but moreover, we love Jesus and hope that our lives are a sweet incense to Him.