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)

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 ...

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

Healing Meals!

Dear Ones,

Just a quick note to see if anyone would have time to put together a few meals each for the Smiths, the Paddocks, and/or the Haverkoses. Without question, the overwhelming job of just keeping up with the day to day tasks and activities of daily living is taking a toll on the Smith / Paddock / Haverkos families. It would be a great measure of God's healing touch to be able to give this small gift to these families at this time.

Many of you have offered this service of Love already, for which all are exceedingly grateful. For example, to quote Nellie today,

"Meals are always welcomed ... Barb Hine brought casseroles for Charity and I. I can't tell you how much I appreciated it."

Nellie heads to the farm every weekend and can take any food that people can offer. She also takes a cooler with Graeter's vanilla ice cream and double chocolate chip, which Tom enjoys immensely.

If you can help, please send a note to Barb Hine (Cincinnati area) or LovingDebSmith@gmail.com to make arrangements for delivering meals.

I will rejoice in hope, persevere in affliction, and continue steadfastly in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

Love and prayers are flowing like a huge river from many small streams!

What follows is a paraphrase of a comment left by Suzie Cain at Shared Notes to Deb & Tom and the Family on Loving Deb Smith. The sentiment and affection is a blessed memory and encouragement to pray for Deb and Tom and their whole family. Please do.

How fast time has flown. Many have known you as the wonderful couple who "put on Jesus" for all the rest of us as Fellowship was being birthed. We loved how you guys loved each other!

Deb, our hearts are breaking over your pain, but we rejoice in the love that surrounds you. Love and prayers are flowing like small streams from hundreds of people, forming a huge river that will bear you up to Jesus's throne in a huge swell of supplication and thanksgiving. We pray for relief from your pain, Deb. We pray for cool, sunlit days to enjoy this fall, and wish we could be there to give you a hug and thank you for the example you are to all women everywhere. Know that we pray for you every time you come to mind, and we pray for your family. Blessings to you with love and hugs.

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

Praise God for cream of wheat!

Tom reports that Deb is better today.

A new med yesterday is helping with the nausea. Nellie fixed Deb cream of wheat for breakfast this morning, and it stayed down. First food to stay down in over a month.

Praise the Lord for the small things, especially cream of wheat.

Blessings,
tom

Israel I would feed with the finest wheat, satisfy them with honey from the rock.
(Psalm 81:17)

You will cry for help, and he will say, "Here am I." (Isaiah 58)

In a recent comment on Loving Deb Smith, Deb Patten offered the following for consideration:

Dear Deb, Tom, and beloved ones,

Don (Poody) and I pray with perseverance for you. Our heavy and prayerful hearts join all of the family of Christ for you. I thought of you in this verse:

..."Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear ; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say, Here am I."
(Isaiah 58:8)

Dear Family of Believers,

This scripture is preceded by instructions on fasting. In the freedom of the Holy Spirit ... those of you who would like to, fast for Deb ... many already have ... Feel free to fast as you wish since there are many ways it can be done. It will be a wonderful time of giving glory to the Father on behalf of our dear sister Deb, and for Tom, and their beloved family.

Much Love,
Poody and Deb

Thank You, LORD, for the honor of having such a special friend

This post is from Tami Thurston, Deb's very close friend for 30 years. It is rich in Love and understanding, and will help many to focus their prayers and deep emotions about Deb and her family during this most difficult time.

To the friends and family of Deb,

Deb has been my best friend for the best part of 30 years now. There are no words to describe the depth of the pain I feel in my heart because of the suffering of my friend. I have stayed in close touch almost daily and have watched my dear friend's body deteriorate. However, I want to tell you all how I have seen her "heart" strengthening. When she is able to talk she always wants me to read her the notes on the blog. The words of love and encouragement have blessed her greatly. She has cried many times at the outpouring of love and amidst her pain has expressed how blessed she has been to have such wonderful friends. She has marveled at the fact that so many people are praying and care enough to talk to the Lord on her behalf.

I wish I had the faith to believe that her body will be healed here on earth, but I am finding my faith is not that strong right now. Lord, please forgive me. What I do know though, without a moment of doubt, is that Deb is anxious to some day dance with Jesus and be held in His arms. She longs to rest in the Father. I also know however that she doesn't want to leave her family. Her love for Tom and her kids and grandkids is deeper than any I have ever seen. The last year has been very difficult and yet all she has ever asked me to pray is for her family to be comforted and strengthened. My prayer right now is that Deb will find a peace deep inside and will feel the love of the Father in a way that she has never felt before. I pray for her family to feel the comfort that God can give in a way man can't. I also pray that they will know deep inside that God's plan is, and will be, the perfect one for them and for Deb. I also pray for a strengthening of their family. I know one of Deb's greatest desires is for the strength of her family to continue to grow no matter what the circumstances. Lord please touch each one of her children and Tom. Allow them to feel your hand guiding them through the days to come. Send them the Comforter. Give them strength beyond what they have ever known as they are called on to care for her physical needs. Lord I ask these things in the name of Jesus.

I'm not sure what our Lord has planned for Deb's body but I do know His plan for her soul. Deb and I have talked many times about heaven, and eternity. Let me assure you all that she is so excited and anxious for the day she will receive her new body and be in His presence. (We have always been sure that's a nice thin body with good hair!)

I pray right now for the pain to subside and peace to overwhelm her. I thank you, Jesus, that Deb knows You and has taught so many of us how to live with You deep in our hearts. I thank you that she has shown me what unconditional Love is and that she has been You to me so many times. I ask You, Lord, to help those of us who love her so very much to not be angry about what's happening to her and trust that Your plan is perfect. I ask You, Lord, to remind her spirit of that and to draw her close and help her to feel You. Heal her body Lord , if that is you will. If not here on earth, then thank You for the promise that she will be healed in heaven. Lord Jesus, come quickly! Thank you for the honor of having such a special friend.

Tami

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

So, you don't drive a tractor, but you have a paint brush...

The following is parts of an e-mail Tom Smith wrote to Loving Deb Smith after an inquiry from Iris Lachey and Lisa Galbreath whether there was any "non-tractor driving" stuff do on the farms that might be helpful to Deb and Tom. [Commentary or paraphrases are brackets]

Re: Iris and Lisa's offer. . .others are also reaching out to us wanting to serve in some way on the farm. I believe what Jesus has up His sleeve is just a way to get folks over here to minister to Deb, in a way she can accept. I think the secondary purpose will be to paint a half mile fence (both sides) .

[If the primary reason folks are coming is to paint the fence, perhaps Deb would be able to handle the hub-bub more easily]

And of course everyone will have the opportunity to show up at our home each evening to eat, fellowship, pray hug on both of us, then we will smear a little paint during the day. Bring your own brush and work clothes. I'm thinkin early Sept. I've taken a new job as Farm Manager of a large farm 1300 acres, 250 cows, 11 bulls, with a mandate from the owners to not only turn her around financially, but to also restore her to her past beauty and dignity. One owner asked, "Please fix the fence and restore this old farm."

So you might pass this on, I mentioned it to Dave [Rice] and he was up for it. Hopefully others can too. Just being with folks will bless us. But Deb will need to do so in short increments. Her energy is low. George and Connie Lueking drove over and blessed us two weeks ago [all the way from Cincinnati with dinner for Tom and Deb]. We enjoyed a short dinner and then Deb thanked them and headed back to bed.

Deb has been in St. John's in St. Louis the last ten days. Nellie is here with us since yesterday. Staying in a hotel in St. Louis so she can be with her mom during the day. There is a chance she may be able to come home this weekend. Zach is planning to come over too.

We are seeking to be Christ Followers and live life one day at a time.

Thanks again ...

Hoping,

Tom

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

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. I am happy because you have joined me in spreading the good news. You have done so from the first day until now. I am sure that the One who began a good work in you will carry it on until it is completed. That will be on the day Christ Jesus returns. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you. I love you with all my heart. I may be held by chains, or I may be standing up for the truth of the good news. Either way, all of you share in God's grace together with me. God can give witness that I long for all of you. I love you with the love that Christ Jesus gives.

I pray that your love will grow more and more. And let it be based on knowledge and understanding. Then you will be able to know what is best.
(Phil 1:2-10, NIV)

May God Always be Glorified!

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)

Online merchants @ iGive.com now support Deb Smith.

Now you can help Deb and Tom with the overwhelming cost of uncovered medical and ancillary services by signing up to do some online shopping at iGive.com. There are over 680 well-known online stores ready to donate up to 26% of the purchase price to Loving Deb Smith. And you will receive free deals and coupons just by being an iGive.com member. Also, if you join iGive.com using this link and make a purchase within 45 days from one of the participating stores, iGive.com itself will donate $5 FREE to Loving Deb Smith!

Here is how it works:
1. Join to Support Loving Deb Smith. It's FREE, private, & easy.

2. Shop the Mall at iGive.com. You'll see familiar stores like Lands' End, Office Depot, JCPenney, Expedia, Barnes & Noble, and eBay, etc.

3. Up to 26% of each purchase gets donated to Loving Deb Smith!

Remember, shop within 45 days of joining, and get an extra $5 donation, FREE.

If you use this link to join for FREE, Loving Deb Smith will be selected as the cause you'll support.

Please forgive the sales pitchy tone of this post. This opportunity has been a while in coming, and now that the details are worked out, it is worth a bit of a promotion if it helps Deb & Tom. You will note that there are many specialty merchants involved, including ones you may have dealt with in the past. Using iGive.com makes the shopping experience more meaningful.

P.S. iGive.com would like you to know that all the causes at iGive.com have been listed by members for their own and others' benefit. They don't endorse the causes, and the causes don't endorse them.

Can you drive a tractor?

The next few weeks will be hectic around the Smith family farm, and Tom could use some help, if you can drive a tractor. This is especially so since Tom is also managing another farm under contract. So ... if you can drive a tractor and are itching to be a farmer-in-the-dell, as God so leads, please give Tom a call at 618-735-2966. He is very busy with the farms, so you may have to leave a message. This would be a major blessing to both Tom and Deb, as it may give them some time to be together, which is hard to come by right now.

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.

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.

Doctor's visits and fashion plates!

Thank you all so much for all you have done and continue to do for Deb and Tom and the family. I took Deb to Dr. Fisher today. We both looked at the scans of her bones. Attempting to find an area to radiate to alleviate some of her pain. One can tell that this Dr. really "gets" Deb and likes her, and she him. Tom and Deb go to St Louis tomorrow for chemo. Hopefully this will assist her vision. She looks so cool with her head shaved. I mean it...if anyone can pull off that look, it is Deb. Very artsy! She and Tami (her life long friend) have had a wonderful visit.

Darla

Please pray that Deb will experience some pain relief and that God will use the chemo treatment to help her vision.

May God Always be Praised and Glorified!

Blogosphere = Loving Deb Smithosphere

Who'd have thunk it? As you know by now, Googling "Loving Deb Smith" is gratifying in itself. You see many links back to this site or parts of it. Loving Deb Smith is also getting some recognition from other search sites, including Technorati, Ice Rocket, and Google's Blog Search.

Now, in addition to fostering blog entries about Deb's illness and the family's incredible needs at this time on blogs like Brave Heart and Community, the Loving Deb Smith blog has encouraged Randy Moody to write at length on his family's web site: Randy and Rosie Moody and Family. Here is an excerpt:

It was 1971. I was living back at home, for the time being. I got a call from someone named "Tom Smith" who claimed to be a "campus minister" at the University of Cincinnati. He claimed to be a friend of Gary Sweeten. Said he had a "campus house" near the university and wanted to find a core of committed college-age brothers to live there and minister. At first I thought he was joking. "Tom Smith"? Come on. You can do better than that. Who is this really?

But I called my friend (since 5th grade) Poody (Don Patten) and told him about it. We prayed about it, and decided to move in together. For both of us, the effects of that decision were life-changing. Tom baptized me in a swimming pool in French Lick, Indiana. Under Tom's mentoring and influence, I came to have a ministry. And Poody came to have a wife. It doesn't get more life-changing than that!

Tom met and married a sweet sister named Deb, and their ministry has effected the lives of countless people, young and old, throughout the US and the world. They both have impacted me deeply.

...

I am praying that the Spirit of Life, the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, will give life to Deb's mortal body through his Spirit who lives in her (Romans 8:11). I am praying that that dark and evil cancer will wither and fade away in the blazing light of the presence of His Spirit in her. I am praying for total freedom from pain and discomfort for her, and complete restoration of health. There is nothing too hard for Him!

As I pray for Deb, I am also praying the same thing for two other friends, both of whom are also battling cancer — Mary Lafleur and Dave Perkins. Please join me in praying for these precious folks.

If you have a blog or web site on which is would be appropriate to mention Loving Deb Smith, and God leads, would you kindly do so and let us know at LovingDebSmith@gmail.com ?

The pain of insurance woes

Also, yesterday was quite a drain on Deb. After traveling all the way to Creve Coeur, MO, for a chemo treatment, Deb and Tom learned that their health insurance would now not cover the administration of the treatment in an outpatient setting. Imagine the round trip in pain, and now having to repeat the trip on July 6 at an alternative location nearby which should be covered by their insurance.

On the plus side, through very hard work on the part of Darla and her team, a very expensive nausea medication will now be available (if it can be found in rural Illinois) for 70 times less than it was costing last week. This is one example of the heroic stewardship Deb and her family are following with regard to the financial gifts they have received from all of you very special friends.

Praise be to God Who does not forsake us!