Blog Posts

Potholes

By Matt and Cara Smithson | August 4, 2017

I remember when we first moved to Haiti going on a long road trip with more potholes than most could imagine. With me being prone to carsickness even on good roads I vowed to never make that trip again. Marriages problems are like potholes and on the mission field the roads are filled with them.…

The Transition(s)

By Matt and Cara Smithson | July 24, 2017

This morning I was almost overcome with tears as I was sitting in church before the service began. It caught me completely by surprise because I am not normally an emotional person. The cause of the tears was our daughter Kaylea. She was walking up on the stage to lead worship for the first time…

What just happened?

By Matt and Cara Smithson | August 26, 2016

Last night at around 4:30 our Hope Rising family grew by 7. I wasn't excited. I was torn. What was wrong with me? Orphan care is not at all what one would imagine it to be and even what the books tell you it is. Trust me, I've read the books. I couldn't sleep last…

Death

By Matt and Cara Smithson | May 23, 2016

Over the past few weeks death has affected many people and organizations in our little area of Haiti but it happens every second of everyday all over the world. I guess what bothers me most are those deaths that could have easily been prevented with medical care. Like asthma, infected cut, malaria, and the list…

Reality

By Matt and Cara Smithson | April 5, 2016

It’s been awhile since I have blogged. It always seems to take me awhile to process and gather my thoughts enough to be able to put them into words and in all honesty I am not sure I am there yet so if this blog seems like random thoughts it’s because they are J.  Over…

No Regrets

By Matt and Cara Smithson | February 1, 2016

A little over 9 months ago our lives changed. Let me go back and explain a little history about how all these changes came about.  About 3 years ago we met and began a friendship with Matt and Jessica Bush. They were in a similar situation as we were working with a specific group of…

Don’t miss out!

By Matt and Cara Smithson | April 14, 2015

It’s hard to believe we have already had 8 teams this year and preparing for a busy summer as well. As special as each team was I want to focus for a minute on these last two teams. During those weeks God refreshed my eyes to His vision for Hope Rising. It’s almost been a…

All Things!

By Matt and Cara Smithson | February 12, 2015

Well, this is a long overdue blog and I don’t know why it has taken me so long to sit down and write it, but here it is. As many of you know our daughter, Kaylea, was recently diagnosed having Type 1 Diabetes.  For those of you that don’t know the difference between types 2…

From Missionary to Wedding Coordinator

By Matt and Cara Smithson | November 11, 2014

When we first moved here Matt and I both began to wear many hats but never did I imagine wedding coordinator would have been one of those hats. We had our first wedding in Haiti this past weekend and to say it was interesting would be an understatement. Let me first start by explaining why…

Cultural Differences.

By Matt and Cara Smithson | September 30, 2014

So, I was recently asked to answer a few questions for a friend’s college project.  I decided to answer them in a blog because I figured there might be some other people interested as well.  I have to admit, putting these thoughts into words did not come easy for me. How do I perceive differences…