It’s hard to believe we only have a week left in May. This quarter is going by fast, and I haven’t made a blog post about this quarter's ministry yet, so I wanted to take some time to share more about Todd and Kim Smith’s ministry in Zambia, Africa. They are doing great work for the Lord, and I am thankful God has allowed Joyhelpers to be a support to them in the second quarter of this year.
At the beginning of April, I knew it was time to choose a new ministry for the next quarter, but I didn’t have peace over what ministry God wanted Joyhelpers to support. I had been praying throughout the month of March and thought I knew the ministry I needed to choose. However, I just didn’t have peace. We were starting into the second week of April, and I knew I had to make a decision. I continued to pray and seek God. During this time, I came across a post Todd had made on Facebook about the famine the people of Zambia would be facing this year. He also mentioned a ministry called Feed Africa which was started to receive donations to help during the famine. It was then God began to show me who Joyehlpers needed to support this quarter. I took a few days to pray about it, but God gave me peace to know Todd and Kim Smith’s Feed Africa project would be the next ministry Joyhelpers would donate to. I reached out to them both and told them my heart, and we were able to announce it by the end of the week. I am very thankful Joyhelpers will be able to donate to them at the end of June.
I have known Todd and Kim Smith for many years. One memory that always stands out to me is when Todd would come to an annual Fishing Rodeo hosted by Waterville Baptist Church in Northwest GA. The church would have a fishing tournament to raise money for the rare skin disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa or EB for short. Every year they would ask Todd to come and give the devotion early in the morning before the fishing tournament would start. I remember he would always come dressed in fishing gear. He would have his bucket hat on and fishing pole in hand. He would talk about what it meant to be a fisher of men instead of a fisherman. He would also tell everyone it didn’t matter how many fish they were going to catch that day or if they caught the biggest fish, but what mattered was knowing Jesus as your personal Savior. I loved going to the fishing rodeo, and I loved hearing the devotions that Todd would bring. There is no telling how many people accepted Christ because of the seeds he planted with those early morning devotions.
Todd and Kim have been in ministry for many years. He pastored for many years before God called them to the mission field in Africa in 2015. During the last nine years, they have been able to go into many villages to share the gospel. They have been able to plant churches. Some of these churches don’t have a building, but they meet under trees. Other villages have been able to build a church building to meet in. God is also calling men in these villages to help lead the churches that have been established. They have seen many souls saved during their time in Zambia. They are also able to baptize when water is available. God is doing a tremendous work in Zambia.
I would also like to share how Todd and Kim made an impact in my life and helped me step out on faith to start Joyhelpers. The church I attend, Pennville First Baptist in Summerville, GA, supports Todd and Kim. In 2022, Todd and Kim came to our church to share what God is doing in Zambia. During this presentation, Todd was sharing about the different ministries and people who help support them. God had already been dealing with me about Joyhelpers, but I still didn’t know in what direction He was leading me. After Todd had told a story about a young girl who would raise money to purchase Bibles to send to them in Africa, God started to show me what Joyhelpers was meant to do. Honestly, God had already been showing me for some time that Joyhelpers was meant to raise money to help support other ministries, but it was in the service that night, that God confirmed it. I am thankful Todd and Kim came that night to share the burden God had placed upon their heart. It helped me to begin to see the path God was leading me down.
If you would like to support them, you can do so by purchasing a shirt through Joyhelpers until the end of June. 25% of each t-shirt sold will be donated to their Feed Africa fund. Click here to shop our collection of t-shirts.
If you would like to learn more about their ministry you can check out their website:
You can learn more about their heart for missions and the other opportunities you have to support them.
I also highly recommend following them on Facebook. They post updates all the time and share stories of what God is doing in Africa. They share salvation stories, as well as, some of the services they have in the different villages. I love it when they post the choirs singing during service. The singing is beautiful. I often think about one story, they posted a few years ago. Todd shared a picture of the offering plate that had been passed around the church that morning. It was full of ears of corn. The people gave what they had and what God had blessed them with. What a humbling story it is. It is a true lesson in giving. It's not about how rich or poor you are, but just that you want to give back to God because of how He has blessed you.
If you don’t have the money to give or to buy a t-shirt, you can still support them by praying for them. Pray souls will be saved. Pray doors will open. Pray for Todd and Kim. Pray for the people of Zambia.
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