Mission Work

As we develop more and more of what God intended for CMTS & follow the original vision of CMTS, we saw a need to train and build up leaders for mission trips. We are moving forward with more and more mission trips for the public and have felt God showing us that we needed to be more intentional with spiritual growth on these trips. We prayed and asked God to show us what He wants our leaders to know to guide others on these trips and the Mission Trip Leadership Training Class was created! So thankful for God’s wisdom & guidance in this and these people that were invited and they stepped up to be trained and discipled to then also go and disciple the next groups of mission trippers!

Evangelism Class was another thing we saw people were asking more and more about. We have a class on evangelism in our Equip program and we saw the impact it had on them. We felt God saying it was time to offer it to the public. Our goal is to help make it more comfortable sharing the gospel with strangers or just starting a conversation with them. The Holy Spirit is the One doing ALL the work, we just want to help stretch people and give them a little courage to help fight the darkness. We had a really great group! This class was part of the Mission Trip Leadership Training and we had a few others join us!

And Equip did their evangelism class the very last week of October. They all did so great!

The Staff Appreciation Dinner was this month! I really do LOVE our staff/team. They are my family and I love the way they care for each other and carry each other’s burdens as well as celebrate the victories together! We are blessed to be a part of this community and I love being able to show our CMTS family just how much it means to me that they are giving Jesus all they have and seeking Him like crazy.

This year coming up will hold a lot more changes. I know we have been changing and shifting a little each year for the past 6 years, but the awesome part is that we aren’t changing anything that wasn’t part of the original vision from 1982. It was so neat getting to read through the old bylaws from the founding of CMTS, what the whole purpose and vision of what CMTS was supposed to be. It was always meant to be a support ministry, to encourage and uplift others already serving Christ in their mission fields to help spread the Gospel message. We get to help spread that “Good News” by helping to build buildings, or get supplies like bed sheets, food, or soap to people. We also get to help spread the Gospel by equipping others to serve with their hands or give them opportunities to become more comfortable in talking to strangers about the “Good News” themselves!

So 2025 is “THE GREAT REBRANDING” year. Most people that have known us the past 40 years have thought of us as the car ministry. Well, that is our slogan this year, We are more than a car ministry! LOL We are a “Gospel spreading, people equipping, disciple training” ministry. We use trades and donations to accomplish this, but it is effective and impactful! It is so beautiful what God is doing through us.

We focus on:

• training & equipping
• short term mission trips
• work groups
• warehouse/distribution center
• auto mechanic shop
• auto body shop

There has been a lot of clean up, restructuring positions, and rebuilding going on for the past 6 years and that will not stop, but we are now at a point where we can start to really promote the ministry again and regain some enthusiasm and excitement about the ministry.

We are also introducing our NEW LOGO! We wanted to stay similar to the original logo, but also steer away from the wrench. The gear is fantastic as we are all gears in God’s engine, or body! LOL But the wrench brought up thoughts of a “car ministry”.

Going to Haiti was not a planned trip, but it also wasn’t an impulsive one. We work with an orphanage ministry in Les Cayes, Haiti. They are pretty far south, but also cut off from the international port in Port Au Prince. Daniel, the director, asked Joel to come down and see what they are doing and the needs they have. After much prayer, Joel went. We did not announce this trip or tell anyone, except in person, where Joel was going. It’s not that we were afraid of something happening to Joel, but we wanted to remain wise and vigilant. We didn’t promote and broadcast where he was going to keep things more quiet. He was completely safe and he did not go alone, the one board member of the ministry went down with him and he travels there a lot, so he knew how to get around the sketchy areas.

From Joel

What an experience meeting the beautiful, amazing people of Haiti! While the news depicts a dark, hard place (it certainly can be) I had a different experience there a few week ago. Part of what we do is travel to the places we serve to get to know the people and to better understand their needs and how they live.

From the moment we arrived at the orphanage we were welcomed with the 60 children singing a welcome song, how beautiful. I do not know Haitian Creole but what I do know is how to show the love of Christ. I was able to teach them thumb wrestling (many hours were spent, with both hands), we took a lid to a bucket and turned it into a frisbee, the delight on the children’s faces!! These children lost everything, their parents, homes, possessions, but they didn’t lose hope! One of my favorite parts of visiting the nations around the world is being asked to share at Chapel/Church. God laid it on my heart to share Ephesians Chapter 1 and to tell the children that God wants to adopt them into His family and that they will no longer be orphans but children of God! Being able to share the hope of a Savior and the Gospel message to these kids was a special moment in my life that I thank God for providing.

Home Life

I was not able to attend in person a conference I go to annually. It is the Christian Counseling & Education Foundation Conference. I have been going since we felt God calling us to start our Gap Year Program, Equip. I did not feel like I had the right tools to better handle the emotions and culture of these upcoming generations. I wanted to be able to understand God’s grace and faithfulness in how He knows each person on earth and then to co-work with Him to help Him come alongside our students, and staff, and guide them gently and truthfully to Jesus. I am so thankful for the conferences, books, and studies to help in these areas.

This year was on REST. Whew, Joel and I live pretty FULL lives, so I thought this would be so good for us. It was, but it was not what I expected! It was more about finding rest in my everyday life and not needing to escape to our next vacation or time off or weekend. Luckily, Joel and I LOVE our jobs so much that we feel energized most days to keep going, but on those really hard days, it is nice to have some tools and advice on how to rest in our Lord and Savior as He promises us rest.

This month holds the annual Noecker Cider Pressing. We love being a part of this festive time and we tend to stay a little late, but the Noeckers have kind of folded us into their family and I love it. They are such an amazing family and it is an honor to be an adopted child of theirs. And I am not just saying that because they give me free apple cider after all the apples are pressed! LOL But this time we get together is so great! We get to press some apples, eat food, and drink cider surrounded by great people!

Peyton did not waste much time after Devin’s things were moved out, he moved right in. We are currently working with Ace on his “apartment/room”. He is about to graduate in a month – 6 weeks and needs more of his own space to learn to do things more on his own, but also getting the opportunity to save for a down payment on a house in a few years.

Jett & Parker had their Jr High Retreat this month! Jett came back without much of a voice, he had a blast! They focused on trusting God and what to do about anxiety. Those are some pretty heavy topics and I am thankful that our youth group covers those things!

Devin’s Wedding was beautiful and we felt very loved by all the people that helped in any way. It was a gorgeous night and so much fun!

As a blessing to Devin & Cam, a bunch of the parents got together and helped move them into their apartment. They were on their honeymoon and as an appreciation gift of staying pure and fighting back against culture norms of moving in together before marriage, we moved all their stuff in. They are now currently organizing and going through things and making it their home. Very proud of them! And their first home is super cute! They were really frugal and bought things at garage sales or took hand me downs from family and friends to furnish their house. They had their things stuffed in 5 different homes and it took 3 different vehicles on one day and then 2 other vehicles another day to move all their belongings. We got our workout those days. Jett and Peyton were also a HUGE help in moving their things.

Homeschool Corner

Kylie’s class in co-op has been doing job shadowing and they shadowed everyone at CMTS. While she may live here, she doesn’t always know exactly what everyone does. LOL Well, she got to see it!

Parker has been doing Thursday afternoons with Hilda, our neighbor, and her granddaughter Nehea. they have been working on projects like to how to sew and this is what Nehea and Parker made! So neat!

Part of homeschooling is sometimes the extra bonding time of siblings. They were supposed to be doing their schoolwork, instead I caught them dancing in the kitchen! LOL I do love their bond and memories they are making.

Ace is done with his History & Geography class for the year. He only has Language Arts to finish and he is done……Forever. This is his last class! So weird saying that.

While I was out thrift store shopping in Myerstown for suits for the boys for the wedding, I found a cap & gown, brand new at C&S Outlet. It was amazing! and a quarter of the price and brand new. So so so amazing!!!

Upcoming Mission Trips

Texas, USA

November 14-18, 2024, Joel and I will be headed to southern Texas, again! Yes, again! WooHoo! While we were in Texas this past June we were praying to meet up with people that God wanted us to talk to and meet and make relationships with. While down there we met up with a local pastor in McAllen, TX and a leader from the congregation and they had researched us A LOT! We have formed a really good relationship with them and they want us to come back down to share about the ministry in his church and on his local radio show. The purpose of this visit is to share what we do, make more connections with this border city, and the possibility of getting supplies across the border. As well as the potential of another base nearby to set up a warehouse to prepare shipments to go across the border AND reach a whole other area with the impact of what God has done through CMTS Bernville. We are walking PRAYERFULLY and so intentionally seeking HIS guidance with this, we do not want to go where God has not prepared the way, we are praying for doors to be opened and God to make this possible if this is HIS will.

 

Mayreau, St. Vincent

December 8-14, 2024 We are taking a team of skilled and unskilled people to Mayreau. We will be helping to rebuild the base, community houses, and anything else that God leads us to. We will also be praying with the community and doing kids’ ministry. Joel and Peyton will the parts of the Smith Clan that will be going.

 

Prayer Requests

• Support: We are still not fully supported and are actively raising support.
• Homeschool: that is an ever going prayer
• Guidance, wisdom, and discernment as God leads us as we lead the ministry.

Ministry Prayer Requests

• Mission Trips: Prayer for getting connected with people to match needs for teams
• Shipping: We have many shipping containers going out soon full of supplies to help ministries share the gospel around the world!
• Staff: We are in need of another front office staff member and another mechanic to meet our growing needs in those areas.

 

Family Needs

Support

We are very grateful for the team of supporters we have. Thank you! We are currently at $2,500 monthly and where we need to be is $3,570. This covers what we need to live each month as this is our only income. It has been by the grace and provision of God that we are making it. We could really use your help. Prayers and awareness of this need to others is much appreciated!

 

Would you like to join our team? We need your help to continue to accomplish God’s vision for us at the ministry. Would you join us as a monthly supporter so we can continue the work God has started? We want to take you along for the journey and we would be honored to be able to share the experience with you. You would become part of the team and we would share how God is working and the impact it is having on His Kingdom. Please pray and ask God if you should join us.