T-shirts

I am very excited to let everyone know that we have t-shirts available to buy.  A big thank you to TC Print Shop for donating the t-shirts and to Traci Rutledge for designing our t-shirt. The shirts are $20 for adults and $10 for youth. You can pick one up at Brother's Jewelers in Siloam Springs, Bank of Gravette in Bella Vista, or Glenn Duffy Elementary. If you are unable to make it to one of these places, then e-mail me and we will find a way to get you one. We will also sell them at Gravette Days and the Spaghetti Dinner. All proceeds go to the Smith Family. Please stop by and grab yours today.

I wanted to let everyone know of another way you can support the Smith Family. Brother's Jewelers are having a poker run.  Below is the information:

When: Saturday, July 26th
Where: Run will start at Brothers Jewelry 610 N. Mt. Olive St. Siloam Springs, AR
Time: Motorcycles out at 9:00 a.m. and Last Bike in at 2:00 p.m.
Cost: $20.00 Per Hand and $10.00 for Rider

If you are unable to ride in the event, but you would like to help, then we could use your help at a station in Gravette or Jay, OK. Please contact Angie Denver at angela.denver@gravetteschools.net for more details. 

Thank you again for your support and prayers.

Almost Home

We are hopefully coming home from Tulsa tomorrow, Monday.  It feels like we've been here for....forever!  :)  Actually, :( 

Despite the length of hospital stay (still coming in second to the initial 17 day stay in the beginning), we have found some great moments of joy here such as: the ice to water ratio in the water machine, the extra 30 second super charge session I perform on the air mattress to give it some oomf, Starbucks, fresh fruit, some great restaurants, Coltrane being hep-locked for some great playtime in the sun with his brother and us, hot showers, prayer time with the kids, some greatly needed quality time with Sonja (Netflix shows via Chromebook and a dual headphone adapter).  God has given us a great peace during all of this.  I know it's Him.  For one, He is the reason for every good and perfect gift.  Two, it surpasses my understanding completely.  Sometimes I wonder, "Why am I laughing this much and this hard?"  It's amazing what God is doing in our lives.  I am so thankful for His hand in all of this.  We have received a very generous amount of financial support this past weekend.  Sonja's co-workers set up a fundraising weekend for us.  She was trying to get 100 people to donate $20.  This would be the approximate amount of what Sonja would have been paid for her teaching this month, if she had been able to keep her job.  We received just short of double that amount!  God is so good and we appreciate every prayer, thought, and gift from everyone.  Thank you everyone for your support.  We truly are amazed at the generosity, thoughtfulness, and love from so many people within our church body, and outside of it.  Praise God, for He is good.  

Coltrane has lost his appetite a little bit, but overall he is doing very well.  He is smiling, laughing, playing, and is generally a happy little man.  He is courageous.  And I am so proud of my wife, and my sons.

Love,

Justin, 

Sonja, 

Jack,

and Coltrane the Loyal

Goodbye OKC, hello Tulsa

Coltrane had an awesome harvest!  They were looking for 25,000,000 cells and received 55,000,000.  We drove to Tulsa and are now there, where Coltrane will receive his third chemo treatment.  The chemo that he's going to get over the next few months (including this one) tends to be hard on the hearing, later on.  Please pray for God's protection over Coltrane's hearing as well as his organs that might be affected.  Thank you so much.  We appreciate your prayers.  We will be home this weekend hopefully.  I will not be afraid, for the Lord is with us.  He alone is our refuge.  And His grace is enough.

Love,

Justin,

Sonja,

Jackson,

and Coltrane the Kissable

News from Oklahoma City

Hello from Oklahoma City!  Coltrane was done with his surgery within 20 minutes.  It went super fast.  We are very thankful.  It went well.  The line went into a vein in his pelvis which wasn't the best option, but had to be done.  He is loving his cuddle time with mommy.  We might even get to go to Tulsa tonight!  We have been set up in a GREAT hotel/lodge for free thanks to the generous donors who made The Kids Korral possible.  What a beautiful place we have to stay; very comfortable.  Jackson is loving the new scenery/playgrounds and is doing very well.  Please pray for continued peace for our family, Coltrane's healing, for them to get a phenomenal harvest, and for us to be able to go to Tulsa ASAP.  Thanks so much for your prayers!

Love,

Justin,

Sonja,

Jackson,

and Coltrane the Jocund

$20 give-a-thon

Looking for a way to pay it forward? Then join us on July 18-20th. We are asking for 100 people to donate $20. Why $20?-because Sonja would have gotten paid on the 20th of the month. Why 100 people?- because 100 people giving $20 each will be about her paycheck. Starting July 18 at 8:00 a.m. we will begin collecting donations. Please visit the website csmith.us and click on the gofundme link or go to http://www.gofundme.com/a2wax0.  Every hour we will post the results and how many people we need to meet our goal on the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/293587754148259/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
Please join us to make this goal possible, but make sure to wait until July 18th.

Coltrane the Illustrative

We just wanted to update everyone.  We are home and everyone is doing great!  The doctors are very surprised at how Coltrane is acting.  He's running around, playing, and acting like his usual self.  What a great gift from the Lord.  Coltrane will have a minor surgery next Tuesday.  It's a catheter to harvest some of his bone marrow for the transplant later on.  Please pray for his recovery from being put to sleep, for the bone marrow to be an excellent harvest, for the doctors to be able to get what they need quickly, for the process to be the shortest possible length of time, for Coltrane to feel well, and for Coltrane to sit still while the harvest is being done.  Thank you all for your prayers and support.  We are so blessed to call you family.  We appreciate you!

In Christ's Love,

Justin,

Sonja,

Jackson,

and Coltrane the Illustrative