2012-02-13

Cook's Short Order Update
Genesis 1:20 "Then God said, 'Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.'" Aren't you glad He made swarms of creatures in the water for us to catch and eat?

This update will center around a couple who has been a blessing to us and needs our prayers. Ben and Grace Smith direct the ministry at Camp David of the Ozarks, 30 minutes from Rolla, MO. We know them through our home school group, as missionaries of New Harmony Church, and Christian camp functions.

Ben and Grace invited us to accompany them to the Christian Camp and Conference Association Ozark Sectional in Roach, MO last week. Their desire was to provide an atmosphere of encouragement for us.  Through the small group prayer times, General Session messages, informal chats, God renewed our desire to serve in full-time ministry, and He provided a time of refreshment for our spirits.

But what also came from this time was a realization that the Smiths need our prayers. Camp David of the Ozarks is heading into their 9th summer session, and, until recently, Ben and Grace have been the staff. They have directed, recruited, planned, fund-raised, implemented, organized, cooked, facilitated most everything that happens at camp (of course, with the help of of many support staff, cooks, counselors, volunteers, and donors). Still, they have sacrificed much and God has honored their labor.

So we are not asking prayer for us in this update. We are asking prayer for Ben and Grace Smith. They need wisdom, discernment, and God's plan, but most of all they need God's provision of supernatural endurance.

So will you pray for this dear missionary family, that God will sustain them while He continues to grow His work at CDO? Also, on February 23 they will host their "Banquet for Hope". This is a fundraiser dinner that seeks to raise monies to provide scholarships for children of prison inmates to attend camp. Pray that God will provide much funding through this venue.

You can visit this ministry from your laptop at Camp David of the Ozarks.