So many things happening…

In the world of church planting, things change constantly. Sometimes in the ways we hope and other times, not. We’ve watched Pioneer Community Church experience some of the most amazing highs and heart-breaking lows, but we knew that the Lord was sovereign in all of it and we would continue to trust and follow Him regardless of the outcome. I wish we had been able to update you with blog posts more frequently so that you could’ve seen each stage as it has unfolded but life is busy and the more the church has grown, the less time there has been.

 

To that point, going forward, we will be sending out a monthly newsletter from the church with updates about what’s going on, personal updates, stories from the community, etc. We will add each of you to that list unless you ask to be removed. We are so thankful that many of you have loved on us through prayer and support over the past 7 years since we left Florida with our vehicles pointing West. We needed you more than you knew.

 

For a brief look at what’s been happening…

 

• As I sit here writing this, I can hear our youth group laughing as they play games in our backyard. After the games, they are beginning a new series, “Big Questions”. The kids that come to youth group are church kids, LDS kids, non-churched kids and a foreign exchange student. It is amazing to watch God grow this group of students!

• We have 3 separate small groups running every week out of the church. The small groups also have churched people, unchurched, ex-LDS, active LDS…all in attendance. It is exactly what we’ve been asking God to provide for years. He is so good!

• Even with COVID causing us to go to online only services for a few months, we are now back to in person services and are seeing God bring new people again. We’ve had new families coming the last 4 weeks in a row.

• The diaper and formula pantry is still serving the Utah County area. So far this year, we have given away more than $2,500 worth of diapers and formula. We generally see our biggest months of requests in the winter. As 2020 has been such a difficult year financially for so many, we anticipate our donation number doubling by the end of the year.

• We have a Celebrate Recovery group that meets every week. Barry & I were supposed to travel to Macon, GA for a training session in May & then again in September but both of those were cancelled due to COVID. We are hopeful that the training will now be offered online. Once we are certified as CR instructors, we can begin to advertise the class locally and offer it to more people that need the help it offers.

• AJ & Liz Myers have officially joined our leadership team and we couldn’t be more excited to have them. Liz helps to lead the youth group and the ladies Bible study. She is a wonderful extrovert who follows up with our members and takes care of those who need a ride to get groceries or need their medicine picked up, etc. AJ is our Associate Pastor and he is a great sounding board for Barry. He has also redone our website and works with the youth. As a team, we meet regularly to make decisions, plan events, plan next steps and all of the big and little things that go into ministry. God has truly blessed us with AJ & Liz.

• Of course, these things did not happen without catching the enemy’s attention. Spiritual warfare is real. Don’t doubt that. I don’t want to make a list of all the ways we’ve been attacked because #1 – I don’t want to give Satan the attention he craves and #2 – the Lord has done so many more and greater and amazing and wonderful things, I want to dwell on those. Just know that we still covet your prayers for protection against attack.

 

• With so much happening in the church and in the congregation, Barry needs to transition away from his full-time job. He still works a 40+ a week job that has no flexibility in it and then another 40+ hours go into preaching, leading classes, church activities, counseling, meetings, sermon prep, etc. He has been burning the candle at both ends for so long that there isn’t much left. We are going to start fundraising toward a goal of him being a full-time pastor by January 2022. There has been much prayer and discussion among our leadership put into this. Please join us in praying for continued guidance and provision.

I think that is the basic overview for now. Of course, there are more stories of God moving but there always will be. Be on the lookout for the new emails that will come from PCC as monthly newsletters. We will also be sending out our prospectus which I am really proud of. It is a digital booklet that explains who we are, why we’re here and what our goals are going forward.

 

We are so incredibly blown away for all that the Lord has accomplished here in Eagle Mountain at Pioneer Community church. We are so honored and humbled to be able to be used by Him to be a small part of it. To God be all the glory. He is worthy of all praise!

We love you guys!

Barry & Jen

 

New Beginnings

Sometimes taking a break to regroup is necessary, even when it isn’t what you want to do. Sometimes the Lord says He wants you to press pause even when you can’t see the reason why. Sometimes you need to heal during the pause and be reminded of what His original call was in the first place. Sometimes, He is giving you a break while the pieces He is lining up will make the puzzle so much clearer and more beautiful than you can imagine. Sometimes, once He tells you it’s time to go again, what He has set up is so amazing that you almost don’t believe it. Well as of yesterday, that’s where we were. At Go. Standing in a building that is so perfect for Pioneer Community Church to meet in, watching 22 people fill our first service in Eagle Mountain, listening to their stories of being forgotten on the fringe of a community that doesn’t value them. For the very first time since our move to Utah, we felt like we were doing exactly what God had called us here to do, in exactly the place He wanted us, for exactly these people. It was perhaps the single most incredible feeling of our entire lives!

(I wish I had more pictures, but I was busy teaching and playing with these cute kiddos)

Obviously, we don’t know what the Lord has in store for the future, but we pray that even more people will hear about PCC and will come wanting to know more about the God who saves. Our number one prayer is to see many come to a saving knowledge of Jesus and grow deep in their love for Him. We desire to be church that points them to Christ, disciples them in their growth and encourages them to share their faith with others.

You may be thinking that 22 people in a church service doesn’t seem like a lot but for Utah, that is outstanding. Especially in Utah County and for the first week. We praise the Lord for bringing everyone of those faces. He is moving! Several of the people that came also expressed an interest in attending our Bible study that meets on Friday nights. Praise God!  We were just so blown away by the response that we received yesterday and all the praise goes to the Lord. He has been so faithful to us. The road has been incredibly difficult sometimes. We have experienced some major spiritual battles and we are not expecting that to go away anytime soon. Still, no matter what the future holds for the Smith family or for PCC, we know who is in control and we will rest in that.

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” ~ Psalm 9:10

Thank you for being such a source of encouragement and prayer for us.

Barry & Jen

We Just Gotta Dance!

It has been a long time since we posted and I am really sorry about that. There have been so many ups and downs in the almost 6 months since our last post but the most exciting thing is that we can look back and see the Lord’s hand in all of it.

As soon as we stopped meeting corporately as Pioneer Community Church, we knew we needed to find another church plant to get involved in. We have church planting hearts and until we could regroup and figure out what the Lord wanted us to do next, we KNEW there were other plants that could use our help. We started attending The Way Church in West Valley, about 45 minutes north of us.  Brad and Lauren Dorman have become some of our very best friends and while I am sure that we have been a help to them, they have helped us to heal in ways we didn’t even know we needed. There is no way to express our gratitude and love for the Dorman family and The Way Church.

 

 

 

In fact, the only hard part about knowing that the Lord is calling us back to re-lauch PCC, is leaving The Way Church….Still, you did hear me right…we are re-launching Pioneer Community Church! (Insert Happy Dance Music Here!) Why doesn’t my laptop have emojis by the way?

So, in perfect segway form like the professional writer that I am (not); the Lord has provided us with the most amazing space in the middle of Eagle Mountain. It is a dance studio called Gotta Dance. Here are some pictures:

Isn’t it BEAUTIFUL?!?! It is being rented to us at an awesome price and the owners are spectacular to work with. I mean is God showing off this time or what? We could not be more excited. We are hosting an open house/meet and greet event on April 28th and we launch services on May 12th. There has NEVER been a church in city center in Eagle Mountain. Never. This is about 20 minutes from where we met before.

We are definitely meeting some major attacks from the enemy. Without going into too much detail, he is clearly trying to get us to pull up stakes and leave. We will not be going anywhere. We will not be moved. We stand on the Solid Rock. He only is our rock and our salvation, our fortress; we shall not be shaken. ~ Psalm 62:6.

And on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ~ Matthew 16:18

We have 3,000 door hangers to get up in the community before the 28th. We’ve done about 600 so far. We could really use some people to be the Hands and Feet of the Savior out here. I am hoping that is where you might be able to come in. Maybe you’ve never been on a mission trip because they seem scary or far or too much money or whatever reason. Maybe you’ve been on a thousand mission trips and you would like to do one more. We could use people who could come, stay at our house (guest room upstairs and full apartment in the basement available), and just hang door hangers for hours. It’s not a hard trip but it is time-consuming. Shelter and food are free. Only cost is flight. Rental car is covered. You could come for the weekend. A week. 2 days mid-week. Whatever. Come with a friend, a group, alone. Maybe you can afford the flight but not the time. Maybe you can afford the time but not the flight. Email us. We can get y’all together and work something out. We don’t care if y’all come from the same small group, church or even state. We just need people who love Jesus, who want to help a church plant to love on a lost community and are willing to work. We can use you anytime between now and 04/28.

Or maybe you’re looking for a summer mission trip. We can use help all summer. Summer event help, church start up, worship, children’s ministry, seat fillers, set-up and tear down. That is available anytime from May through August. We’d love to have you then as well. Call, text or email.

Barry – 385-630-1648 – barrysmith@pccutah.org

Jen – 385-630-1793 – jennifersmith@pccutah.org

We love you guys!

Utah Update

We are so grateful for each of you who know, love and support the Utah church pant, Pioneer Community Church. You’ve been an encouragement and prayer partner for our family and we are reaching out to you today to ask for prayer and support as we continue to seek God’s guidance.

It is with sad but rejuvenated hearts that we write these words. The family that moved to Utah to help us plant PCC, Hank and Lori Brain & their children Jason and Ella, have decided that God is telling them that He has a different plan for them away from church planting. They did not make the decision lightly and it has brought great sadness to them as well as to us. We love the Brain Family and that has not and will not change. The Lord is in control and we want to honor what He is telling them. Still, God is speaking to the Smith family as well and we feel very strongly that the Lord is telling us to stay the course.

As many of you know, PCC has not experienced growth in our year of existence. We have had some visitors and a handful of semi-consistent attenders. Church planting in Utah is difficult to say the least but we knew that going in. Utah County, where we live, is in fact the most difficult place in our beautiful state to exist as an evangelical church.

Looking back over this last year and talking to our NAMB church planting catalyst we could not find any major or even minor mistakes we’ve made. Not that we’ve done everything perfectly, but there aren’t any obvious decisions or actions that should’ve been different. It just seems that at this time God is not using us in the way that we had hoped and prayed for. However, there are some things that we could have improved on or factors & conditions that contributed to us not getting traction in the area.

When we first decided to plant in the Eagle Mountain/Saratoga Springs area there was only one very small church and they were not doing any outreach to the community. But just prior to our launch, two other teams planted in the area. Both of these churches are filling needs that we had hoped to fill. We thank God for them and have partnered with one of them for a youth event in the past. In our area there are approximately 60,000 people and only about 350 professing Christians. That means that there is a very limited number of people who are going to come to a new church initially & when you are as small as PCC, it makes it even harder. Which leads to another contributing factor, our team size.

When we started we knew the journey would be hard with only two families doing everything that needs to be done. What we underestimated was that no matter how friendly we were the room would still be 90% empty while the rest of us were serving in our different positions: hospitality, children’s, music and preaching. If you have ever been the first person to a party where you didn’t know anyone then you understand how our first-time guests feel.

We are not unaware of the shortcomings we went into this with. That being said, “God will build His Church and the gates of Hell will not overpower it”. The Lord loves Utah. He loves these people who have been so successfully swindled by a false gospel. The Lord is still on the throne and He is working even in Utah County and we want nothing more than to be a part of that.

Going forward we plan to restart a Bible Study in our home beginning the first week of November. We will also be meeting with some of the other Utah NAMB church planters to see if we can combine with the hope of relaunching as independent churches in a year or so. Our NAMB contacts have been incredibly supportive and they still believe, as we do, that God has called Barry to preach and shepherd a church in Utah.

Will you please pray with us?

Pray for the Brain family. This will be a new chapter for them as well as for us. Pray for the Lord’s direction for them to be clear. Pray for them to have peace and comfort knowing they are following His plan even when it’s hard.

Pray for the Smith family. We are trying to regroup and focus on what the Lord would have us to do next. We have a trip planned to Florida and Georgia in October. Barry will be preaching at our sending church, First Baptist Church of Windermere, in Florida on 10/21/18 and he will attend a church planters conference in GA the week after. Pray for a sweet time with our family back home and for renewal of spirit and purpose with our sending church family.

Pray for Utah. The darkness here is tangible. For those of you that have been here on mission, you know. For those that haven’t, come! The people are not willfully turning away from God. They are turning to a false God that they truly believe is real. Pray for the veil to be lifted and for the Lord to use us to reach those who can finally see.

In His grace,

The Smith Family

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You,for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; declare among the peoples His deeds.” ~ Psalm 9: 10-11

Mission Success

It’s been too long since we reached out and for that I am sorry. A lot of what we updated y’all on in the last blog post has remained the same. The church is still going. We participate in community events as often as we can and we’ve had some amazing moments being able to love on the people in our area. We still deliver diapers to families in need in Utah County and that is another thing that we love being able to do. God has been so good to us here in Utah but not in the way that a lot of people might consider blessings. Some times, we are the only people that show up to church on Sundays. So we aren’t always blessed with numbers but we are learning what perseverance for Christ’s sake looks like. Sometimes our kids are purposefully excluded from things because they are not LDS. So they aren’t blessed with inclusion, but they are learning how important true friendships based on the truth of the Gospel are. Sometimes the hardest part of being here is loneliness. So we aren’t blessed with large groups of friends, but we are learning what it really feels like to lean on Jesus.

One of our greatest blessings so far this year has been an amazing group of young adults that came here on mission in July. They came from Calvary Chapel Orlando. The Brains knew a few of them from previously attending that church but we had never met any of them. We fell in love right away. They were an incredible group of people. They were kind, loving and genuine and their hearts were focused on Christ.

Once they returned home, they led a testimonial Sunday to explain what they’re trip to Utah was like. This is a link to that video. We’d love for you to watch it. I can’t explain what it feels like to see people really “get it”. Man, did these kids get it!

**We would appreciate it if this video isn’t shared on social media out of respect for our neighbors and for the privacy of those attending Transition/Turning Point classes.**

We love y’all and are so grateful for all the prayers and love!

Jennifer

2017 – The good, the bad and the awesome!

2017 was a very full year for us.

Some of it was amazing – Barry was ordained and is officially Pastor Barry now, our foster daughter gave us our first grandbaby, Pioneer Community Church launched and Barry’s parents finished our basement and now live with us about 1/2 the year.

Some of it was good – We had multiple visits both personal and teams to come and help with the church, the kids are doing great in school and love being a part of the drama program there and we were able to take a few days away to go to Zion National park.

Some of it was not so good – Jennifer had to start a new infusion treatment and have a port put in (although the medicine does seem to be helping so that part is really good), we said goodbye to our wonderful Golden Retriever, Raleigh and our ministry partners and wonderful friends faced big and unexpected medical challenges.

2017 will definitely be remembered but we are so excited about what 2018 holds. Here are a few things you can be praying for:

Pioneer Community Church – As of right now, PCC has about 15-20 people that come on a pretty regular basis. I know that in most of the US that sounds like a small group but for Utah, and specifically the Eagle Mountain/Saratoga Springs area, it is fantastic. We have had other visitors as well and we pray that they will return. Will you please join us in praying for growth of the church and more importantly for the growth to come from people coming to know and love the Jesus of the Bible? The gospel is shared every single week and we know that the Word does not return empty. (Isaiah 55:11) If you would like to follow the PCC podcast and listen to the sermons each week, here is the link to do that: PCC Podcast

Bible Study – We are starting our small group back up in February. We are praying that this will be an opportunity for those that want to go deeper in the Word to learn and grow. We also pray that if there are any that are too intimidated to attend church on a Sunday morning, that they will feel open to the idea of coming to a more informal environment.

Outreach – We are so burdened for our neighbors. Less than 1% of our area are believers. Less than 1%! Almost everyone we pass on a daily basis is lost. What’s more, they are following a false gospel. The battle for the souls of Utahns is real and palpable. Will you please pray that God will open up doors and avenues to get to know those around us better so that we can be used to reach them with the truth of the Bible? Pray that we will be open and listening when He gives us an idea or opportunity.

Smiths and Brains – Will you please pray for our health and endurance as a team? Selfishly, I would like us to be well but for the church, we really need to keep this team of eight in fighting shape. Will you also pray for unity, peace and patience for us as we put our hearts into making PCC the church God wants it to be?

We cannot thank you enough for your constant support, love and prayers. We appreciate each of you so much more than you will ever know. Words really cannot fully express what it means to know you are there, you care and you go to the father on behalf of us and the people of Utah.

 

Circling the Blood

Can you imagine living in a country where less than one percent of the population are Christians? We’re talking about places like Afghanistan, Somalia, Turkey, Yemen and Iran. Imagine that at every store you walk into, every restaurant you eat in and every school your children attend…you are mot likely the only Christian in the building. Imagine how odd that would feel? Imagine how sad would it be to know that almost every face you look into belongs to a person that doesn’t know Jesus?

Well, I am not talking about Somalia or Turkey or Afghanistan. I am talking about Utah County. I’m talking about this specific area we live in, the very spot where Pioneer Community Church has just opened. Utah County is .84 percent Evangelical. To put that into perspective, both Pakistan and North Korea are TWICE as Evangelical as Utah County. To say that starting a church here is difficult would be an understatement. It is a dry and rocky soil both physically and spiritually. Not many Christians come and few of those that do stay. But how can you reach those no one is reaching without going where no one is going? God knew that PCC would be planted in soil that has received little attention. He knew who He would call to serve and exactly what that would look like. I do not now what lives ahead but I know the One who does and that is all I need to know.

So…PCC is officially open! We had our very first public service on 09/10/17. (That was also the 50th anniversary of our sending church, FBCW. What a perfect anniversary present…a baby church!) We are very excited about what the future holds for this little church. Our team is not made of professionals but it made of faith, prayer and a passion to tell people about Jesus.

Hank & I lead worship, Lori works with the children and Barry preaches. We also have our four amazing kids working too in the technical areas and in children’s. It is truly a team of eight. Barry’s parents live with us for part of the year and they are currently here and will help in big ways until they head back east.

We have a website, podcast (Search for us – Pioneer Community Church, Utah), Instagram and Facebook page. We still run the diaper and formula pantry as an outreach ministry and Barry & I have officially been approved to be a part of the NAMB family. We are even listed on their website. (Fancy!)

We’ve been incredibly blessed with prayer from all over the country. We also are incredibly thankful for our home church, FBCW, and all of the dedication and time they have spent on us personally, on this church campus and on praying for the Lord to move in a big way in Utah County. We’ve been blessed by multiple teams on short term mission trips that chose to spend their time here learning about, sharing the Gospel with and falling in love with the people of Utah. We’ve had an amazing intern here for the past two summers and we plan to have him more in the future. God has provided an amazing location for us to meet in each Sunday, multiple community events for us to participate in and plenty of sweet babies that we get the privilege of helping with diapers and formula. He has been so faithful!

Will the church growth here look like it would in Florida? Can you imagine it would in Afghanistan? It won’t here either unless God wants to give us a miracle. Still, I heard a story recently that has changed my mindset and I would like to share it with you. (If you are completely anti-hunting, feel free to skip this part…)

Another church planter was frustrated and discouraged because he had been preaching in the same place for 4 years and the church had not grown past 15 people in attendance. His friend and mentor asked him if he’d ever gone hunting. “When you shoot a deer or whatever game you are hunting, you have to go find where it ran to after being shot. In order to find the animal, you follow the blood. If you keep walking and no longer see any blood what do you do? You go back to the last place you KNOW you saw blood and circle that area until you see where that blood trail leads.” The mentor asked his friend, “Where is the last place you KNOW you saw God’s calling?” The pastor said it was in the church he was preaching in. His mentor then said, “Keep circling the blood until God leads the trail somewhere else.”

We KNOW we saw God’s call to this exact place and at this exact time. So regardless of what success might look like to us or to anyone else, we will keep circling the blood until He leads the trail elsewhere. I can’t think of anyplace I’d rather be.

Harvesters Needed in Utah

As you know, the Smiths and the Brains moved from Florida to start a church in Saratoga Springs, Utah.  Pioneer Community Church will have its first official service on September 10, 2017 but we’re already meeting for preview services.

As we move toward our launch date, we have an immediate need for workers. Worship – Can you play an instrument and/or sing? Childcare – Can you rock a baby or sing Jesus Loves Me? Greeters – Can you smile and talk? We’re looking for people who love the Lord, have a servant’s heart, and can use their gifts to share the love of Jesus with people who do not know Him.

We’re not asking anyone to drop everything and move out here permanently, although we wouldn’t turn that down, we’re just looking for people who are willing to come out here even if it’s for as little as one service to help us fill the gap until the Lord shows us who He has picked to fill these roles on a more permanent basis. So this is an open invitation for you and all of your friends to come out as soon as you can for as long as you can 🙂

We’re a completely unpaid team so we can’t offer an income, but we can offer room and board.  More than that, we can offer a vision for one of the least churched communities in the United States. Saratoga Springs and the city we live in, Eagle Mountain, are located in the most Mormon county in Utah.  Every single one of our neighbors are LDS. In an area of 60,000 people there are 2 churches that meet on a weekly basis with about 100 people total in attendance.  Pioneer Community Church will be the third. Less than 2% of our community would consider themselves an evangelical Christian. 80% are LDS.

We love having people come out so we can teach them about the LDS religion and expose them to how lost our state is.  Our prayer is that God will call more people to move to Utah and help us share the gospel of grace with our neighbors.  Perhaps you or some of your friends would like that opportunity.  If anyone would like to come for an extended period of time, we would help them look for work to help cover their expenses.  Again, free room and board.

As far as theology goes, Pioneer Community Church is being planted by First Baptist Church of Windermere.  We are currently going through the paperwork and interview process to be part of the NAMB family of church plants. Our main focus is to be a Bible only, Jesus is Enough preaching church.

Our website is a work in process: PCC Also, we’re on Facebook and Instagram if you would like to stalk us.

Despite its incomparable beauty Utah is a lost, dark place, but we know we have the Lord’s undivided attention.  We’re seeing Jesus move. Missionaries have come before us and spent decades sowing seeds in hard, hard ground and we believe the harvest is coming.  This is an ideal place to be right now.

Would you prayerfully consider coming out here for a week, 2 weeks, a month, forever (no pressure) to help us with worship, child care, greeting, youth? Would you also share this need with your friends?

If you have questions, please email us, call or text me or whatever.  Questions about Mormonism, our little church, what the plan is, anything!

Barry Smith – 385-630-1648

Jennifer Smith – 385-630-1793

Hank Brain – 385-267-0136

Lori Brain – 321-438-4019

God is good, He is on the throne, and He will provide.

Harvesters Needed in Utah

As you know, the Smiths and the Brains moved from Florida to start a church in Saratoga Springs, Utah.  Pioneer Community Church will have its first official service on September 10, 2017 but we’re already meeting for preview services.

As we move toward our launch date, we have an immediate need for workers. Worship – Can you play an instrument and/or sing? Childcare – Can you rock a baby or sing Jesus Loves Me? Greeters – Can you smile and talk? We’re looking for people who love the Lord, have a servant’s heart, and can use their gifts to share the love of Jesus with people who do not know Him.

We’re not asking anyone to drop everything and move out here permanently, although we wouldn’t turn that down, we’re just looking for people who are willing to come out here even if it’s for as little as one service to help us fill the gap until the Lord shows us who He has picked to fill these roles on a more permanent basis. So this is an open invitation for you and all of your friends to come out as soon as you can for as long as you can 🙂

We’re a completely unpaid team so we can’t offer an income, but we can offer room and board.  More than that, we can offer a vision for one of the least churched communities in the United States. Saratoga Springs and the city we live in, Eagle Mountain, are located in the most Mormon county in Utah.  Every single one of our neighbors are LDS. In an area of 60,000 people there are 2 churches that meet on a weekly basis with about 100 people total in attendance.  Pioneer Community Church will be the third. Less than 2% of our community would consider themselves an evangelical Christian. 80% are LDS.

We love having people come out so we can teach them about the LDS religion and expose them to how lost our state is.  Our prayer is that God will call more people to move to Utah and help us share the gospel of grace with our neighbors.  Perhaps you or some of your friends would like that opportunity.  If anyone would like to come for an extended period of time, we would help them look for work to help cover their expenses.  Again, free room and board.

As far as theology goes, Pioneer Community Church is being planted by First Baptist Church of Windermere.  We are currently going through the paperwork and interview process to be part of the NAMB family of church plants. Our main focus is to be a Bible only, Jesus is Enough preaching church.

Our website is a work in process: PCC Also, we’re on Facebook and Instagram if you would like to stalk us.

Despite its incomparable beauty Utah is a lost, dark place, but we know we have the Lord’s undivided attention.  We’re seeing Jesus move. Missionaries have come before us and spent decades sowing seeds in hard, hard ground and we believe the harvest is coming.  This is an ideal place to be right now.

Would you prayerfully consider coming out here for a week, 2 weeks, a month, forever (no pressure) to help us with worship, child care, greeting, youth? Would you also share this need with your friends?

If you have questions, please email us, call or text me or whatever.  Questions about Mormonism, our little church, what the plan is, anything!

Barry Smith – 385-630-1648

Jennifer Smith – 385-630-1793

Hank Brain – 385-267-0136

Lori Brain – 321-438-4019

God is good, He is on the throne, and He will provide.

2016 in Review – The best is yet to come

Happy Friday! It has been a long time since we were able to update the blog. Please know that is isn’t because we don’t want to or that nothing is really happening here. Blame it on my head and not my heart as my childhood pastor used to say.

This year has been AMAZING! Words just won’t do justice to describe to love we have felt but a picture says a 1,000 words so…

January – We had friends and family here.

February – The Brains moved to Utah to join us in ministry and my childhood best friend brought her family to visit.

March – The first ever Brain/Smith ski day, Lori’s parents come to Utah & our Easter lunch with our Bible Study group.

April – A weekend trip to Zion,  a terribly broken foot and the most amazing prayer team ever.

May – Some of our favorites come to visit and Christian music in the park.

June – Aquarium fun, Bobby come to Utah, diaper pantry stock up, Pony Express Days & VBS #1.

July – Barry’s parents in Utah, kayaking, a night at Snowbird, VBS #2, the most amazing mission team & camping in Yellowstone.

August – Lance & Lauren come to Utah, hiking and the Littles first year back in traditional school.

September – Enormous pumpkins and the fall guitar concert.

October – Fall is officially here, cupcake party, Halloween in Utah & adenoid/tonsillectomy.

November – Surprise visit from Thea, hiking and the first snow of the season.

December – Elf the Musical, the beginning of a new work at home job for Jen & so much more to come!

While 2016 has been amazing, we can’t wait for 2017! We will be heading back to Florida 02/15 – 02/21 to share about all God is doing in Utah and the exciting things we have coming in 2017. We would love to come to your church or small group and let you know what’s happening and how you can be a part of it. If you are interested in having us come speak, please let us know. (barryjensmith02@hotmail.com) We’d love to add you to our calendar! We will also have a couple coming with us that are ex-LDS and they have a great story to tell.

We love y’all and we are so grateful for the prayer and support you continue to shower us with. May God be glorified in 2017 like never before!