Thursday, December 24, 2015

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to take a few minutes to say thank you to everyone who supported our last project of love. The giving tree for the Smith family was a great success.  The main focus was to give items the family could do together and get out of the house and WOW did we do that!  Below I have listed some of the items the family received. I know it wasn't everything because many people mailed them items from across the country. I just again want to say from the bottom of my heart thank you for your generosity and kindness over these past months.  Sonja shared with me that not one time did they have to worry about finances or how they would make a house payment and they were able to focus on their son. To me that was the main goal, and God provided for them through you!  What amazing love you have shown. Coltrane has touched so many lives and I know his story will continue to touch people's lives. Thank you for giving and being apart of it.  I love what the pastor said at the funeral, and I am encouraging you to do this. Pick a date next year and put it on your calendar to call, send a letter, or visit the Smith family.  Again thank you for being apart of this chapter in the Smith's families lives.  I know they can never say it enough but thank you again and again. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Amber Sisemore

Gift Cards:
Massage x 2
Manicure x 2
Pedicure x 2
JC Penney
Chuck E. Cheese x 2
Café on Broadway x 2
Walmart x 4
Casey’s General Store
Fratelli’s Pizzeria
Zaxby’s
Siloam Springs movie theatre
Target x 2
Jump Zone x 2
Barnes & Noble x 2
Chick-fil-A
Pour Jon’s
28 Springs
Applebee’s
AMC Movie Card
Olive Garden
Fast Lanes
Restaurant Choice Card
Amazeum passes
Silver Dollar City tickets
Cash: $590
11 Sealed Envelopes
 

Thursday, December 17, 2015

One more day

Just want to remind everyone that tomorrow is your last day to bring your items and apples to Granny's Simple Blessings in Gravette and Creative Corner in Siloam Springs.  We will be delivering the items to the Smith family next week. Thank you to everyone for your wonderful generosity and support for the Smith family. 

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Celebration of Coltrane's Life

"If you have a free one hour of time, please watch Coltrane's celebration of life service. It meant the world to us to have so many friends and family attend his service. It feels like we poured our hearts and souls into planning it and want others to share it with. I was so proud of how it turned out and felt like it was a perfect celebration of Coltrane."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaB9Y-QFq_4&feature=share

Thank you!

Sonja

Friday, December 11, 2015

Giving Tree

I just want to remind everyone that we have one week left for the giving tree. We have 2 trees. One is located at Granny's simple blessings in Gravette and the other one is located at Creative Corner on Broadway in Siloam Springs.  The tree is just one more way to help us love and support the Smith family during this Holiday season. Please make sure to bring you gift back by Friday, December 18th. We will be collecting all the items and creating a wonderful Christmas care package for the Smith family. Thank you again for all your generosity and kindness.


Wednesday, December 2, 2015

The Smith Giving Tree

We are excited to tell you about one last project of love for the Smith family! As of today, the Smith Giving Trees are available at Creative Corner on Broadway in Siloam Springs and Granny's Simple Blessings in Gravette. On these trees, inspired by Shel Silverstein's book The Giving Tree, are apples with ideas for ways to show love to the Smith family during the Christmas season. If you would like to participate, simply go to one of these generous businesses and pick an apple from the tree, make your purchase or contribution, and take your apple and gift back to the business. The final day of contributions will be Friday, December 18. Please feel free to address any questions to hogwildamber@gmail.com.



If you live out of town and would like to give, here are some ideas: 

  • Gift Cards of any amount to: fast food restaurants, Malco Movie Theater, Target, Wal-Mart, Barnes and Nobel, etc....
  • Any family outings: Silver Dollar City, Chuck E Cheese, Zoo, etc..
  • Monetary donations of any amount to go towards bills
You can mail the gift to myself or the Smith family. Please email me for addresses. 



Monday, November 30, 2015

We feel nothing, but we feel everything

Dear friends and family,

I can't begin to describe what we are feeling.  I feel nothing.  But I feel everything.  We feel we live in the deepest of the deep.  Blackness, darkness, pit, despair, worn, sufferance.  Our life is lack.  Lack: the state of being without or not having enough of something.  This is a little taste of what it's like.  He's gone.  He's dead.  But his sweet knowledgeable spirit is with the one who made him.  We feel dead right now.  We still can't fathom what this means...the finality of it.  We wake everyday not wanting to.  During our day, we pour our hearts out through tears, laughter, the deepest sorrow, and spending time with Jackson and playing.  We are surrounded by the Church and our family and friends.  We are so thankful.  What a thanksgiving!  We are thankful for God giving us Coltrane, even if it wasn't right, not to say that God bringing him home was wrong.  He didn't go "before his time".  He went home at the right time.  For there is a time to be born and a time to die.  This is reality.  

Our visitation will be at Community Christian Fellowship on the corner of Main and Lincoln, our church home.  We will have an open casket at this time.  The time for this is 5-7PM.  We will show a slideshow sharing our most precious memories from his sweet life.  

The funeral service will be at the same location, on Wednesday December 2nd.  This will be a time of celebration and worship to our Lord.  During this time the casket will be closed.  Immediately after, there will be a grave side service at Oak Hill Cemetery in Siloam Springs.  Then, a lunch back at the church afterwards.  

So many thoughts come up as we grieve.  We are angry.  We are happy that Coltrane is not in pain anymore.  "No more pokes, Coltrane!"  I find artwork in God's design in this.  That Sonja brought Coltrane into this world, and I was holding his hand sweetly, as he breathed his last.  I don't think it was coincidence that Coltrane's ministry was as long as Jesus' was, three years.  I doubt I will be able to do what Coltrane did in three years, in my whole life time.  He made such an impact on so many, through the power of the Holy Spirit.  It's interesting to think about Coltrane and what his eyes held.  So much he knew we think.  He was always quick, as his brother.  He would answer you less than a second when you asked him a question.  His vocabulary was astounding for such a young man.  Wouldn't it be cool if Coltrane was a modern day prophet?  Maybe God gifted him with knowledge that surpassed our understanding, being adults.  That sounds nice.  

Thank you for your prayers.  Please pray for:

Our marriage to remain strong as it has
Our time of grieving
Jackson and his process of grieving
For everything to go well with the visitation and the funeral.
Complete peace and understanding
Comfort 
My studies at the College
Us to gain more and more faith in God, and to have an even stronger relationship with him

Love to you all in Christ,
Justin
Sonja
Jackson
and Coltrane Roy Smith

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Celebrate Coltrane's Miraculous Life

Please join us as we celebrate Coltrane's miraculous life on Wednesday, December 2 at 10 

am. The service will be at Community Christian Fellowship in Siloam Springs. There will be a 

graveside service afterward at Oak Hill Cemetery. Also, there will be a visitation on Tuesday, 

December 1 from 5-7 pm at Community Christian Fellowship in Siloam Springs.  The Smith 

Family is asking in Lieu of flowers to donate to one of the following amazing charities in 

memory of Coltrane: The Toby Keith Foundation, love like crazy foundation, or St. Baldrick's

http://lovelikecrazyfoundation.org

stbaldricks.org

https://www.tobykeithfoundation.org/

So many of us have been touched by the story of Coltrane, honesty of the Smith family, and their faith during these past 18 months. I have been humbled over and over again by the amount of support you have given to this family. When I think of God's love I think of all the generosity that has been shown over these past months. When somebody says how do we show God's love? I will point to these 18 months and say this is what it is.  Thank you to everyone who gave, prayed and supported this family. Because of your donations, the family was able to spend every moment with Coltrane, helped pay doctor bills, regular bills, put gas in their car, and food on their table. Because of your love and support you have brought peace, joy, and love to the Smiths.  Thank you for all you have done every step of the way.  We are going to have one more project of Love. Starting on December 4th we will have a giving tree up at Creative Corner in Siloam Springs and Granny's Simple Blessings in Gravette. On the tree are different donations and gift ideas that you can give to the Smith family during the Holiday Season.  All you have to do is visit the store, pick an apple with the gift you would like to give the Smith family, and return it to Creative Corner or Granny's Simple Blessings by December 18th. We will give all the wonderful gifts of love and support to the Smith family to enjoy during the Holidays.  Thank you again for all your amazing support and generosity.

Amber Sisemore