David Smethurst, Author at Smethurst Ministries

26 12, 2020

Training Young “Shepherds” to bring people to Jesus

December 26th, 2020|

It's been such a blessing to train and equip many people in personal evangelism, in the Odessa region over the last 3 years. This has paid off with these humble local people leading so many effectively to Christ over the past 10 months. We recorded a Christmas video with an encouraging Christmas message based on how God chooses to use people in His service those who are weak, lonely, broken and discarded, like the youngsters and leaders at the House of Hope. It’s to these valiant young people, and to you as well, that we dedicate this blessing. Please [...]

18 10, 2020

Odessa Rescue Mission #3 – October & November 2020

October 18th, 2020|

We want to thank you so much for your kindness and generosity to the Orphans we support in Ukraine. Over the last nine months we have been able to help so many orphans in Odessa survive a horrendous ordeal – being displaced from their Orphanage Boarding Schools with nowhere to live. It’s so precious to see these children full of joy at the thought that someone is looking out for them and their needs are being met in spite of impossible circumstances. We know that their own faith is growing when they hear that people from afar, whom they [...]

18 10, 2020

Andrey at the Berdichev Orphanage

October 18th, 2020|

We are reaching and helping a huge number of orphans, but here is a personal story of interest of the special needs of particularly needy children. In the winter of 2004 in Berdichev, a small town in north west Ukraine near the Chernobyl zone, an unknown young woman was pregnant with a child that was unwanted. This child would complicate her life more than she liked. She wanted to be “free” to get back to a life of alcohol, drugs, partying and stealing. Her birth pains brought her to a small hospital, where soon after arrival, she gave birth to [...]

1 10, 2020

Odessa Orphans Rescue – Back to School

October 1st, 2020|

Our Motivation ~ Deuteronomy 24:19“When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the poor, the orphan, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.”Deuteronomy 24:19 has an instruction from God that is followed by a blessing. You have been such a blessing to many hundreds of needy orphans, homeless children and destitute people in the Odessa province over the past 6 months. During this time of worldwide crisis, the temptation is to preserve ourselves at [...]

15 09, 2020

Start of the Poor Children’s New School Year in Odessa Ukraine

September 15th, 2020|

We trust you are well and enjoying God’s blessings and protection, at this time. We want to bring you up to date with special news about the Orphans and Destitute Children we support in Ukraine. With your wonderful help over the last few months we have been able to help the Orphans in Odessa survive a horrendous ordeal. Now starts the rebuilding process in these poor youngster’s lives. Just recently we were asked by the Child Protection Services in Odessa, to provide school requisites for 200 very poor children from destitute families, for when the schools reopen in September. The [...]

11 07, 2020

Overview report on the work in Odessa Oblast

July 11th, 2020|

Report from Sasha Kohen our manager in Europe: For many long months the attention of the world was focused on the plague named COVID-19. Country by country, like a falling domino house, went into the lockdown, sealing the borders, cancelling travel, closing schools and dramatically slowing down economies. No one could have imagined such drastic and sudden changes. As of today, almost 5 months into the “New World” over 525,000 people have died because of this unknown virus, leaving a bleeding wound that will take long time to heal. Probably the world we knew before [...]

27 06, 2020

Odessa Rescue Mission 2 – June, July & August 2020

June 27th, 2020|

Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity over the last three months. Our local Rescue Teams in Odessa have visited 145 country villages in the Odessa Province and reached over 4,675 needy children who were evicted from their Orphanage Boarding Schools in the Covid-19 quarantine lockdown. This was more than 4,000 orphans than we started searching for. Our teams have given out 1,400 picture Bibles and 1,620 Survival Packs of food, basic medicine and hygiene products to the children and 1,510 destitute families with needy children. I was stunned that they covered so [...]

23 05, 2020

House of Hope Building work continues during the Odessa Rescue Mission

May 23rd, 2020|

We’ve been sending spare funds to for the construction work on the House of Hope. In between the Rescue Missions every day, Valera, our strong-man and builder, and the older boys, have progressed wonderfully on meagre funds to get as far as the roof construction and pouring concrete (pumped up from the concrete mixer truck on the road) to seal the top and get ready for the roof trusses and tiles. Then we need to get the plumbing, lighting, and fittings in the rooms and bathrooms all completed – to accommodate more children who [...]

23 05, 2020

Thank you….

May 23rd, 2020|

Thank you... ...... all for your wonderful gifts and prayers for the Orphans and Homeless Children in Odessa at this critical time. You are such a blessing to hundreds of needy children and derelict families in their need. God bless you immensely. In 28 years of supporting Orphans in Eastern Europe I’ve never seen the level of gratitude that the orphans and homeless kids of Ukraine are showing. With a gift like yours, these orphans are realising that God notices them in their dire need – it’s a beautiful revelation to them. Giggling kids [...]

22 05, 2020

Homeless Kids Soccer Team & New Opportunity

May 22nd, 2020|

Odessa Homeless Kids Soccer Club In April 2017, Sasha, my Russian manager, and I were in Kiev doing outreach seminars to the Rugby Chaplains and the Ivan Bogun Military Academy for teenage orphans of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. Then we went to Odessa to do some Evangelism Equipping seminars in a small local church. At that time Peter E....., our Ukrainian manager, took me to meet the Homeless Kids Soccer Team who were working out at the Odessa Soccer Academy. I kicked a ball around with them for a while, gave them some some “ancient” soccer tips from my youth, [...]

Dave

About David Smethurst