You are Invited to an Open House!

Charity and Nellie have extended the following invitation:

You are invited to come to an Open House to purchase our mom's clothing. We are raising funds to purchase a headstone for our mom at Arlington here in Cincinnati. We'll be selling her blazers, skirts, comfortable suits, sweaters, and jackets, many from Coldwater Creek.

The Open House is in Loveland, OH
Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008,
10:00 am - 12:00 noon

Please email Charity at paddockfamily@fuse.net for directions if you can come.

Thanks!
Nellie and Charity

Glory to God in the Highest!

On this first Christmas since our sister Deb is home with the Lord, please continue, as always, to pray for Tom and Charity, Nellie, Jordan, and their families. Many have offered words of encouragement and blessing. Your kindness in remembering them in this season of Joy is quite a Gift.

The Prince of Peace!
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing,
as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as people make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.
For every boot that tramped in battle,
every cloak rolled in blood,
will be burned as fuel for flames.
For a child is born to us, a son is given us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.
His dominion is vast
and forever peaceful,
from David’s throne, and over his kingdom,
which he confirms and sustains
by judgment and justice,
both now and forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!
(Isaiah 9:1-6)



Be Not Afraid!

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment,
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth
to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and family of David,
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there,
the time came for her to have her child,
and she gave birth to her firstborn son.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields
and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
(Luke 2:1-14)

My Mom: A brief biography from Charity Ann Smith

My mom was born in Cincinnati and lived here until she was 41, when she and my dad moved back to the farm where he had grown up in southern Illinois.

Born and raised in Cincinnati, she graduated from Princeton High School. She attended Cincinnati Bible College, then took time off to raise two daughters and a son. As her daughter, I can say that she always gave the gift of her time and the gift of her self. She was a person who enjoyed "being," not simply doing.

All her life, my mom created art. She worked with paint, clay, fabrics, stained glass, pastels and all types of found objects.

Later in life, she took the role of a nontraditional student and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Miami University-Oxford with a degree in Fine Arts. She then earned a Master of Fine Arts from Eastern Illinois University. After this, she taught painting, art appreciation, drawing and sculpture at Frontier Community College in Fairfield, Illinois. She was also a sought-after Judge of fine art for several Illinois art shows and competitions. My dad said that at art shows, she "always found something good about each contestant." He also called her a "woman of accomplishment."

My mom was wholly devoted to her faith. She and my dad co-pastored for 35 years at both Fellowship Christian Church in Monfort Heights and Grace Community Church in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. She brought her artistic gifts to serve people in and out of the church her whole life.

As a team, my parents also operated Smith Family Farms, where they raised and sold beef cattle. My mom was active in all areas of the farm, from bottle-feeding orphaned calves to feeding the team of farmers to even naming some of the cows.

She was a woman who was loved by so many people in her short time on Earth.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other online stories about Deb include:
Mt Vernon Register-News
Cincinnati Enquirer

Home! What Joy and Sorrow!

Dear Ones,

Our sister, Deborah Ann Smith, is home with Jesus, from early this morning, October, 12, 2007. Tom and Jordan were with Deb at the time. Here is a message from Charity:

Dear friends,

It is with immeasurable sadness that we write. Our mom passed away early this morning. She passed in her sleep. Please keep us in your prayers as we plan for the future.

All our thanks, the Smith family."

Please bring Tom and the whole Smith family before the Throne of Grace.

Please watch Loving Deb Smith for details on memorials, etc., as they become available.

Hebrews 12:22-24a
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous ones made perfect, to Jesus ...

My strength and my courage is the LORD (Update on Deb for Monday, October 8, 2007)

Dear Ones,

Tonight, Charity has provided the following update, knowing how much the Lovers of Deb Smith are lifting Deb and the whole family up to God in prayer and thanksgiving:

First, I haven't had to make a meal in about two weeks, thanks to the meals from friends. What a gift!

Nellie, Zach and I returned home from Ashley later last week. We spent several days at our mom's bedside, and were relieved to see her temperature go down.

She is still sleeping most of the day and night. She is getting great care from family and her nurses. Her situation still remains critical.

As of last Thursday, her main hospice nurse said that her life expectancy, based on the symptoms she sees, is a few days or a week.

Love,
Charity

------------------------------------

God, indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
(Isaiah 12:2)

We have gathered at our parents' home ...

Charity has provided the following update, this evening:

I'm writing from my parents' house. Nellie, Zach and I came over late last night.

To all friends who are reading today's entry, our family sends out a thank you and a genuine appreciation for all the manifestations of love you have shown us.

We have gathered at our parents' home because the hospice nurses say that our mom's situation has become extremely critical. They are concerned that she does not have much time left because she has had a 103 degree fever, low blood pressure and terminal dehydration. She sleeps 20 hours a day. The nurses have recommended that we all be here with her now.

Please pray for us as we spend this time with our mom.... And as we attempt to plan for the future. She has expressed that she wants to be buried in Cincinnati, so we anticipate a great reunion with all our friends at a memorial service there, in addition to a memorial service in Mt. Vernon. We will blog about plans as we learn what they are.

With love, Charity

Deb's Family at home and around the world: A tireless service of Love and devotion!

Reports from those who have had the privilege to speak with Deb and serve her up close recently have reported some marvelous things.

Deb continues to be encouraged by the love and support folks are sharing, even to the point of breaking out in song/worship (singing the hymn Marla McNabb recalled in her recent comment.

Jordan has started a new fashion craze to support his mom by shaving his head (anyone want to join him?)

Tom and the kids and the grands encourage Deb tirelessly, and offer their service of Love and prayers without ceasing -- what a witness of the Love of God! Deb has often made it well known to friends lately how much she loves her family and how much Joy their times together bring her!

Tom's Aunt Vera, his mom, Louise, and his sister Darla have been taking turns with day time visits and helping Deb with here physical needs. Please lift them up in prayer.

Deb enjoyed the Grands this past weekend ... photos, too!

Hal, the kids and I spent last weekend with mom. We had all been looking forward to it since the kids hadn't seen 'Grandma' since June. As you can see from the photos, they spent most of their time sitting on Grandma's lap, coloring with her, or watching TV with her (Spongebob is a favorite).




Mom's medicines have enabled her to move around the first floor of her house slowly for a few hours a day, although she still deals with nausea. Her Hospice nurses take care of medical details and Dad continues to take good care of her while working his farm and managing Farraway Farms.

She truly appreciates the love and support from her friends across the globe.

Thanks again, Charity

Deb is quite critical and all are in need of desperate prayer!

At dusk, dawn, and noon I sigh deep sighs ~~ He hears, He rescues
(Psalm 55:17)

Dearest Brothers and Sisters,

Your fervent and constant prayers are a continued blessing to Deb and Tom and their family. They are needed now most desperately; please take some time to go before the Lord right now. Deb is still hospitalized, and word comes tonight, from Nellie that,

My mom has gone downhill since Wednesday of this week ... By Saturday she could barely open her eyes and barely speak to Zach and me. She is unable to eat on her own and is unable to hold food down ... Charity drove over this afternoon. I just got back to Cincinnati to take care of some things here then I am headed back in the next few days. I've been there for a week and I am exhausted. My poor dad is exhausted. We are all very afraid. My mom needs prayer and so do we. Also the people caring for her in the hospital need prayer as well ...We need a renewed strength and hope desperately.

Nellie

Deb is still at Mercy St. John's with bodily pain

Charity sent the following update on Deb this afternoon. Her note about Tom was in response to a question whether Tom has heard from anyone about helping on the farm(s) in the next couple of weeks.

Mom is still at Mercy St. John's as I write this. I talked with my dad last night and he said that her left eye is still really bothering her and her left leg is giving her pain. She's had breakthrough pain as well all over her body.

He didn't mention any offers about farm help but we didn't talk about that.

Charity

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
(Isaiah 41:10)

Happy Birthday to Charity!

Hello, again, Friends of Deb!

I hope this post finds you all well, and enjoying a pleasant reprieve from the summer heat.

Here's a simple way you can shed a little sunlight into the life of a woman who's had way too much on her plate, lately. :)

Charity, Deb's oldest daughter, is having a Birthday, tomorrow, Thursday, July 26. Please drop her an email or whatever you feel is appropriate. I just know this would make her feel good, and she certainly deserves to feel good during this difficult time, don't you think? :)

Deb is back in the hospital again as of early on July 23, 2007

Charity reported at about 10:00 PM that

"Early this morning, my dad took my mom back to St. John's. Her nausea and pain level were unbearable. She asks for prayer for her left eye again. And now there is new pain in her left leg. She'll be seeing her oncologist, Dr. Needles at 6AM tomorrow."

Your fervent and unceasing prayers for our sister are much appreciated. And for her family.

Deb is home

Nellie reported today that our dear sister Deb is home from the hospital. But it seems the morphine drip line came out or got pinched sometime Tuesday night. A visiting nurse had to stop by today to get things straightened out.

Thank you to all who are offering advice and information on nausea relief during cancer treatments.

Nellie has been trying to help Charity with the kids. With the 4 kids and Charity running back & forth to the hospital they could use some meals and other assistance. If live in the Cincinnati area and you are able to help with meals, please e-mail Loving Deb Smith, or let Charity or Nellie know directly (see the left side bar for their contact information).

In fact, if you like to do the meal thing and you would like to help Deb and Tom in this way, surely that would be great as well. Their contact information is also in the left side bar.

Please continue to keep them all in your prayers, expecting God to Love.

Recent news -- Deb has asked for specific prayer

I just spoke with my mom and she asked me (for the first time!) to blog about her recent situation.

On Saturday, she was readmitted to Mercy St. John's Hospital in St. Louis. Her nausea was completely out of control. She asks for prayer for her vision again. She doesn't want to go blind. She's not sure when she will be back home again.

Thanks, Charity
-----------------------

Dear Ones,

Deb's nearly constant nausea at this time appears to be related to a change (increase) in the morphine dosage she is receiving through the morphine pump. Please pray without ceasing (1Thess 5:16) that God will relieve her discomfort and draw Deb very close to Him, assuring her of His Boundless Love and Mercy.

If any readers of Loving Deb Smith are able to offer practical help on the morphine related nausea, please e-mail a note to Loving Deb Smith. Thank you.

As noted elsewhere in Loving Deb Smith, Deb's vision is under attack by cancer effecting her retina. Your fervent prayers that God will restore her vision are most needed at this time.

Be Thou my Vision
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul's Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven's joys, O bright Heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Words: At­trib­ut­ed to Dal­lan For­gaill, 8th Cen­tu­ry (Rob tu mo bhoile, a Com­di cri­de );
trans­lat­ed from an­cient Ir­ish to Eng­lish by Ma­ry E. Byrne, in
"Eriú," Jour­nal of the School of Ir­ish Learn­ing, 1905, and versed by El­ea­nor H. Hull, 1912, alt.

US Bank deposit account to benefit Deb Smith

Dear Ones,

Elsewhere on this blog there has been significant mention of the by no means trivial financial dimension of Deb's illness. There also has been mention of several opportunities for brothers and sisters to gift Deb and Tom directly or with help like food, gas cards, Amazon.com purchases, etc. For those who feel led to make a direct monetary gift, please note that there is now a deposit account set up at US Bank to help defray Deb's uncovered medical expenses . Visit any US Bank branch office to make a deposit in cash or by check for "Deborah Smith", and they will deposit it into Deb's account. Nellie and Charity are the custodians of the account and will be sure that the funds are used solely for Deb's care.

More Blogs Reaching Out in Prayer for Deb

In these times it seems God uses the blogosphere to bring the Body of Christ together, to provide the opportunities for believers to bind themselves to one another in Love such that the world can see the Truth of the Gospel. You already know about several from recent posts here. Some more recent examples:

• over on 1LoveFellowship a sister named mebeth has posted this entry which she followed up with a link to Loving Deb Smith

Please pray for an old friend's mother

When I was little, in the 70's, my parents were in The Jesus Movement in Cincinnati, OH. Probably my first close playmate was a girl named Charity. Her mom and dad were the pastors at the Church my parents belonged to. Her mom is named Deb Smith. It's thirty years later, and she is in a desperate struggle with cancer. Please pray for her healing, her financial well-being, and, most importantly, the peace of the Holy Spirit to permeate every fiber of her and her family's hearts. Thanks!

• on the new blog CONVERSATIONS Paula Clouse has put up a slide show dedicated to Deb and her artistic gifts. The show features photos taken recently in the Colorado Rockies.

• Angie Shope notes, "I also have linked to lovingdebsmith on my blog at http://www.freewebs.com/msangies/. I have also posted a request for deb along with the link to many groups that I belong to as well.

Lyrics of serenity from The Innocence Mission

Jill Klinehamer, Charity's first year college roommate and long-time friend posted this note on Sunday, July, 8, 2007.

Hello, All...

I recently received Innocence Mission's new CD, We Walked in Song (thanks to my cousin, Michele, in Seattle) as well as an earlier record of theirs called Christ Is My Hope. For those of you not familiar with Innocence Mission, they are a husband-wife Christian folk-rock duo. I have liked them since high school (oh way back when) and I am so pleased they're still making great music. I found the hymns and songs on Christ Is My Hope especially beautiful, and I wanted to share some lyrics with you, in honor of Deb.

Many of you probably know the hymn It Is Well With My Soul, which is one of my all-time favorites. If I knew Karen Peris, the singer for The Innocence Mission personally, I would beg her to play an acoustic set for Deb and her friends and family. For now, instead, here are some lyrics from three songs: It Is Well With My Soul, Beautiful Saviour and Morning Star. I have found them very comforting and lovely, and I hope you will too.

Love,
jill :)

It Is Well With My Soul

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast tought me to say:
It is well, it is well with my soul...
(Lyrics by Horatio G. Spafford, 1873)

Beautiful Saviour

Beautiful Saviour, King of Creation;
Son of God, and Son of Man,
You will we cherish,
You will we honor
Light of our souls, their joy and crown.

Fair are the meadows,
Fair are the woodlands,
Robed in the flowers of blooming spring;

Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer,
He makes our sorrowing spirit sing.

Fair is the sunshine,
Fair is the moonlight,
Bright the sparkling stars on high;

Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels in the sky.
(Unknown author, back in 1677)

Morning Star

Morning star so radiant and holy
Shine on me in my great hour of need.
Jesus Christ so beautiful and lovely,
Shine over me...
(Don Peris, ca 2000)

Abundant Thanks and Update from tom and deb

Dear Friends in Christ,

Charity told us about the blog, and said "you've got to get ready to be loved". Wow, what an understatement. I logged on last weekend while Deb was in the hospital. But since our computer is on the second floor, and Deb can't do steps now, we had to wait until last Thursday when Darla brought her lap top out. You gave us not only an immense agape hug, but also fresh faith.

And faith is what we need. The last three months have been the most vicious warfare we have ever been in. The Enemy blindsided us. The first two Drs. we went to, and the first three MRIs, CAT scans and other tests couldn't discern what was really going on. It wasn't until a Physician's Assistant recommended a bone scan that we discovered the tragic truth that Deb had at least a dozen tumors on all her long bones.

Dr. Needles of the Pratt Cancer Institute in St. Louis did another round of tests including a biopsy and concluded Deb's cancer began as lung cancer and quickly spread to her lymph nodes and bones. Once the cancer gets to the bones it becomes very aggressive.

Need of the hour? A miracle. We still believe in miracles.

Thanks for continuing to pray alongside us.

Believing,

tom and deb

p.s. Your cards, gifts, and emails have brought us to our knees. Someone on the blog said the costs are staggering. This is true. In the past seven weeks we have spent just over $6000 at the pharmacy. Our health insurance has included several surprises. The big one being our pharmacy card is only a "discount card" which means they don't really pay anything, just negotiates a little off the price of the pills. Like 5 to 15 %. If you dear friends had not responded to the Spirit's prompting, I don't know where we would be. Thank you so much. Ephesians 2:10

Everybody's gotta eat Cincinnati's favorites!

Often, caregivers of seriously ill people have little time or energy to care for themselves -- little sleep, a bite to eat on the run, etc. You can help Deb and Tom concretely by providing homemade food for the family. But if you live in Cincinnati, or North Carolina, or Colorado, or Michigan, home cooking might be out of the question. Perhaps you would consider sending along some Skyline Chili, Montgomery Inn ribs, Graeter's ice cream, Busken's baked goods, or LaRosa's pasta sauce and all the fixins. Check out Cincinnati Favorites.com or Best of Cincinnati.com if you feel led to help in this way. You can find Deb & Tom's address in the left side-bar, along with those of Nellie and Charity.

The latest word from Nellie and Charity today (6/25/2007) is that Deb is back in the hospital

The latest word from Nellie and Charity today (6/25/2007) is that Deb is back in the hospital. Deb enjoyed a weekend with family at home. But her pain increased greatly on Sunday night. By Monday morning, she was admitted back to St. John's Mercy in St. Louis. Her oncologist met with her this morning and he put her back on a morphine pump. His plan is to try to send her home sometime in the future with a morphine pump at home. Your prayer support is needed and greatly appreciated right now!

Among other news:

Darla reports that Deb's pain is "manageable" now but the cost of pain medication is very high. The financial contributions, including those coming from readers of Loving Deb Smith, are making a real difference, and the family is very grateful. Praise be to God.

The medication is hard to take and often makes Deb sick; please pray for relief from this additional discomfort.

Darla and others are working to get free meds from pharma companies. A medical social worker is helping the family and they exploring every way to get support and insight. If you can help, let her know.

When Deb returns home again, a visiting nurse will come to the home twice weekly to check medications, pain, vital signs, etc.

They are trying to keep her eye problems to a minimum so she can see the grand kids.

Darla is trying to for arrange friends to come out to the farm and be with Deb so Tom can work. If anyone reading Loving Deb Smith can offer this kind of support, please contact Darla.

As many of you know, it is sometimes difficult to ask for or accept assistance. Please continue to
pray for Tom and Deb that they will be able to accept and embrace the Boundless Love and Grace of God offered by the Body of Christ in the form or critical emotional and financial support.(John 13-17, 1Cor 12-14). Darla, Nellie, Charity, and Jordan are doing their best to provide emotional and physical support, but it is a long drive to Illinois and back.

Praise be to God that Loving Deb Smith is blessing them. Deb is receiving a lot of love and affirmation from all of you brothers and sisters, and you should continue in every possible way.

Thanks for all you are doing on their behalf.