Vacation

I recently came back from a wonderful vacation in Florida. It was a great thing to get away for a week and spend time with my family and friends. I want to take advantage of every opportunity that I have down there, knowing that we will not be seeing them on a regular basis because of the distance. I thought I would let you know what went on while we were in Florida from June 12 to June 20.

Saturday, June 12

Our flight for Florida left at 6:00 A.M. (yes...A.M.), so we were in for a long day. My in-laws were already planning on dropping us off at the airport...and we are glad that they did. Instead of waking up to our alarms, we woke up to Chris's mom calling. We rushed to get ready so that we wouldn't miss the plane. Even though we were running about 15 minutes late, we still got to the airport on time and made our flight. My mom picked us up in Jacksonville with my grandma and Andrew. We then ate lunch there and made our way down to Orlando for the Southern Baptist Convention and Pastor's Conference. We met Dad at the hotel and had dinner. After dinner, Chris and I decided to take advantage of the pool and hot tub at the hotel. It was a great, relaxing end to a crazy day. That Saturday was also our six month anniversary, and we enjoyed the spending that peaceful evening with each other....though the double bed that we slept in was not enjoyable :)

Sunday, June 13

That morning we went to First Baptist Church of Sweetwater, just 25 minutes from Orlando. Dr. Hershel York and Dr. Albert Mohler were preaching there that morning. Dr. York is a preaching professor at Southern and Dr. Mohler is the president. We heard Dr. York's sermon on the Prodigal and it was fantastic. We then went to lunch and relaxed until the Pastor's Conference began. The Pastor's Conference is the Sunday evening and all-day Monday before the SBC where pastors can be encouraged by other preachers' sermons. We enjoyed that evening and prepared for a busy Monday.

Monday, June 14

Monday was a very LONG day. We heard some amazing sermons that day from Dr. Mohler, Dr. Moore (Dean of Theology at Southern), Matt Chandler, C. J. Mahaney, Dr. Danny Akin, and David Platt. We also witnessed a wonderful event. Dr. Moore spoke on adoption, both physical and spiritual (he says that he cannot separate the two, which I agree). Dr. Moore and his wife, Maria, adopted two boys from Russia several years ago. Since this happening, he has been passionate about speaking, preaching, and writing on adoption. After his sermon, a video showed the story of a pastor and his wife adopting twin boys and speaking about the Pastor's Conference starting an adoption fund for pastors. The couple then came in front of the conference. Dr. Kevin Ezell, the Pastor's Conference president, then told them that the donors of the conference had paid the rest of their adoption. When he said that, there was not a dry eye in the house. I was crying like a baby. Adoption is an issue to which my heart is drawn to. They then took an offering for the adoption fund, telling us later that they had raised $26,000! That was something that I will never forget.

The last sermon was by David Platt, pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham. Yet again, he preached with great passion and humility. If you haven't heard him, I encourage you to find a sermon of his and listen. After the sermon, Chris and I went to 9 Marks at 9:00. This is an event put on by 9 Marks Ministries as a way for pastors to ask questions to and hear the hearts of men like Mark Dever and others associated with that ministry. It is a great ministry to the local church and I would encourage you to read some of their resources.

Tuesday, June 15

The most important thing that happened on June 15 was my brother, Andrew, turned 19!! I was so glad to be with him on his birthday and I loved spending time with him while we were down there. Tuesday was also the beginning of the Southern Baptist Convention. There was some motions that were made in the morning, including one co-written by my dad to have Baptist Press as a separate entity of the SBC instead of being under the Executive Committee (long story.. :D ). In the afternoon session, the Great Commission Resurgence report was given. After much deliberation and an amendment to the report, the GCR passed overwhelmingly, probably by 75 to 80 percent. It was a great day to be a Southern Baptist.

I wasn't the only one excited about the passing of the GCR. That night, my family (minus my dad) and some messengers from St. Augustine had dinner together. As we were praying, Dr. Joslin and some friends came in to eat, as well. Before we had ended the prayer, Dr. Joslin came behind Chris and shook his back. When the prayer was done, Chris and I looked at each other then looked to Dr. Joslin. We all had a big laugh. He explained that he was really excited (and he was..like a school girl!). It is moments like this that make the SBC so fun. That evening, we went to the second 9 Marks at 9:00. This time, Dr. Akin, Dr. Mohler, and David Platt talked with Mark Dever about the passing of the GCR. We also caught up with some dear family friends. All in all, it was a great day!

Wednesday, June 16

Wednesday started later than the others did. We went to the Southern Seminary luncheon at noon. This luncheon was an opportunity for those who are associated with the school to come together and find out what has been going on at Southern for the past year since the last luncheon. We had some great food and were encouraged by Dr. Mohler as to where the school was going. I again realized how blessed I am to have been a part of this amazing institution. The Lord has done so much with so many people through Southern, and I am blessed to be among that company.

We watched some World Cup that afternoon and had room service for dinner with my family. That evening, Chris and I went to a local putt-putt course. We had so much fun....and I won!! It was great to get out and do something with just each other. We went back to the hotel for the evening and packed up to leave Orlando the next day.

Thursday, June 17

Chris, Andrew, and I spent most of the day at Universal Orlando. We went to both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. We payed out the wazoo for a fast pass to the rides, and it turned out to be a great investment. We would not have been able to get to all of the rides in both parks at a decent time. It was my first time at Islands of Adventure and I really enjoyed it. I loved the Spiderman ride. It was so much fun! I do not like roller coasters, so I would wait for the boys so they could have their fun. Though Chris really enjoyed himself, he was so upset the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter had not opened yet. In fact, we came the day before it opened. Hogwarts Castle was very visible and teasing Chris the whole time. Poor guy :(

We went to Universal City Walk to have dinner at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. We enjoyed a great dinner. Chris was happy to get some shrimp. After dinner, we made our way back to St. Augustine, about a 2 hour drive from Orlando. When we got there, I was greeted by the sweet family beagle, Buddy. I love that do so much and I was so glad to see him!

Friday, June 18

We enjoyed a quiet Friday at the Smith house. We watched the USA/Slovenia game, cheering on ferociously for the red, white, and blue. That evening, we ate dinner at Sonny's with our friends Ethan and Anna Crowder. They were at Boyce the first semester that we were there. They went back to Florida to save some money so that they could start married life wisely. We have kept in contact for the past year and a half, and we loved having dinner with them. They were such an encouragement to us. It was great hearing from a couple who go through very similar things that we do. They will be coming up to Southern in a few years and we can't wait to spend more time with them when they are back in Louisville.

Saturday, June 19

Saturday was so much fun. Chris and I went to the beach for a couple of hours for lunch. The sun felt wonderful and I loved hearing the sound of the ocean again. When Chris lived in North Carolina, he went to the beach all of the time. It was great to see him loving being there. After we got back from the beach, we went to the outlet mall down the street from the house. Chris had to get a few things and we walked around for a little bit. I used to work in the Banana Republic Factory Store and my brother works at the Brooks Brother's Outlet. For dinner, my mom made ham, mashed potatoes, and green beans. It was super delicious. After dinner, my family (minus Andrew) went to see "Toy Story 3". Oh my goodness!! I love that movie!! It met and exceeded my expectations, making me love the Toy Story franchise even more.

Sunday, June 20

That morning, we went to my home church, GracePointe Baptist Church. It was great seeing some familiar faces and being with that sweet fellowship. The interm pastor asked one of our faithful members to pray for Chris and I. It meant so much to us, knowing that there are people who think of us and pray for us. We went out to lunch then went back to the house to pack. We then went to Jacksonville to catch our flight. Our connection in Atlanta was supposed to be 40 minutes after we would land. However, our flight from Jacksonville was delayed. We were prepared to find a new flight once we got there. When we landed, we found out from one of the passengers that our flight had not left yet and we had about 30 minutes to get there, going from Terminal A to Terminal E. We ran to the terminal and made it just in time for the final boarding call. We were so glad to be home after a crazy evening.

Even though I love being with my family, I am continually reminded that I have my own home. Chris and I are a family, and we value each other above anyone else besides Christ. We have made ourselves a place to find rest. I am continually challenged to make my home a place where my husband can relax from a busy day. I am also working at my attitude, so that the aroma of my home is pleasant and pleasing to my husband and to the Lord. I cannot wait for the future with Chris and to see how our home will grow.

Beyond my physical home, I am not really home yet. I am continually sojourning right now until the day when I meet my Savior and see the home that he has prepared for me to live in for eternity. I must remember always to hold things lose and to regard people more than temporal things. I cannot wait for the day when I will praise Jesus for giving me an eternal home.