Pictures

I wanted to share a couple of pictures. The top 2 are the first day of school pictures of Isaac and Gabriel. Can you see Isaac's braces? Doesn't he look great?! He doesn't think so but I think he carries them well!

The photo of Elijah was taken on his 3 month birthday! He is such a chunk - a very solid boy! But he is such a joy and smiles and talks with us all the time now. I can't believe how much he is growing!

The last picture of our family was on Elijah's dedication. Isaac was being a goof and wouldn't show his braces. Luckily when I took the top photo he "forgot" about them and smiled without thinking about it! :)

Kids Against Hunger - Exciting Opportunity

I am so proud to be able to share this exciting opportunity with all of you and I am hoping that you will prayerfully consider how you might be able to join with us in helping to feed families. Whether it is financially or in prayer we need your support!

My dad has been working extremely hard to bring an organization to Sioux Falls that is dear to his heart and things have fallen into place and it is finally a go. The organization is called Kids Against Hunger and my dad has worked to bring a packaging site to Sioux Falls!

What is Kids Against Hunger? It is a nonprofit organization with the mission to significantly reduce the number of hungry children in the USA and to feed starving children throughout the world. This is being achieved by getting volunteers involved, and by setting up food packaging satellites in the USA, and through partnerships with humanitarian organizations worldwide - enabling Kids Against Hunger to deliver its specially formulated rice-soy casserole to starving children and their families in more than 40 countries. The Kids Against Hunger network currently includes over 50 food packaging satellites across the United States and one in Canada.

The new Kids Against Hunger Sioux Falls packing site is located at the Avera Living Well Center at 2400 So. Minnesota Ave in Sioux Falls and we will be having a Kick-Off event on Saturday August 22nd at 10:00AM.

Come and help Kids Against Hunger Sioux Falls package meals to feed hungry children around the United States and starving children around the world.

In 2008, volunteers all across the USA packaged 40 million meals for starving children and their families abroad and for hungry people right here in the USA. And a portion of the meals packaged will stay in the local community.

For just 23¢ per serving you can feed a starving child! Just think about that for a moment. Less than $1 a day would feed a child for the entire day! At the Sioux Falls site groups or individuals can come in on a specified day and package meals. The process so simple that even children are encouraged to participate. What a great way to get our youth involved in outreach! If you have a group or orginazation that would like to get involved please contact me through the comment page on this blog or e-mail me at kasmith03@gmail.com and I will get you in touch with my dad!

I can't say it all so please check out the Kids Against Hunger website for more information. And remember to join us on Saturday August 22nd for our Kick-Off packing event!

You Are Invited!!

I wanted to share with all of my 5 :) readers about a special day that is coming up for our family and invite you to come if you are able.

On Sunday August 16th Dominic and I will be “officially” dedicating Elijah at our Sunday morning church service.

For some of you a dedication might be foreign and I wanted to share our thoughts on why we do this for/with our children. Dominic and I both believe that Elijah is God’s child first, given to us as a gift to parent as long as God allows. In a dedication ceremony the parents make a dedication to God in front of a fellowship of believers that they will bring the child to church, teach him the truth of the bible and lead him on a path where he can one day make a personal choice to ask Jesus to be his Savior. In addition the church then dedicates that they too will be active participants in the raising of the child in the church.

This is so important to us as parents. Dominic and I want to be a living example of Christ in our lives to our children. Do we do this perfectly? Absolutely not!! But the point is that we are seeking to know what God’s will in our lives is on a DAILY basis.

This means that we are asking God to be a part of every aspect of our lives…not just the big “important” things but all things regardless of their importance. We pray together as a family each morning that God would give us knowledge of His will in our lives and then the power (through Him) to carry that will – His perfect will – out.

As we dedicate our child to God we are really dedicating that as parents we will train up our children in the way that He would have them go. This is something that we can’t do without prayer, faithfully attending church and being an active participant in a Christ filled life. It is our hope and desire that our children will make that choice to ask Jesus into their hearts. For we believe that trusting in Jesus, repenting from sin and seeking to follow His will is the only path to eternal life. But we can’t “force” them to believe what we believe. Hopefully through our example they will want to seek the freedom in Christ that we have.

Some may say that this puts pressure on parents to be perfect and please don’t get the impression that we are holier than most! We know first hand the redeeming grace of a God that loves us, imperfections and all. Dominic and I have made and continue to make our share of mistakes. We don’t always mirror Christ’s image in our lives. We argue, say things we shouldn’t, aren’t quick to forgive, get frustrated with our kids, and are selfish and immature.

We know that we desperately need a power greater than ourselves to be that guiding force in our lives. When we pull and try to take the reigns back, taking control back of our lives we fall deeper into those “human” patterns that cause us so much trouble. When we open up our hands and give back control to a God who has our best interests at heart is when we find true contentment and peace in our lives.

So on Sunday August 16th if you are available, we would love for you to come and celebrate with us God’s gift in Elijah and to commit with us as believers to help us train him up in the way that God will have him go. The service is at 10am at First Baptist Church in Parker, SD. We will be having a lunch with our family and friends following the service and hope that you can join us in that also. If you need directions to get to the church please send me an e-mail at kasmith03@gmailcom and I will get those to you!
Have a blessed week!