Reggie and Ladye Love Long Smith

Reggie Smith, a very gifted singer joined me on a mission trip to Ukraine and a trip to Tanzania (before he was married) and then a trip to Tanzania after he and Ladye Love were married.  They are accomplished singers working with Larnetll and Friends and currently with Bill Gaithe'rs Vocal Band.  The photo to the right is at a concert Reggie sang at the University of Uzhgorod, Ukraine.  there were about 800 students in the auditorium that night and about half of them indicated they received Christ as their Savior at that concert and evangelistic meeting.

One of my favorite memories of that trip to Ukraine was one evening Mariya Zeikan (our original interpreter and advocate who was in charge of the English department at the University of Uzhgood) took Reggie and me to dinner at her mother-in-law's house.  Her mother in law did not speak any English but requested Reggie to sing a song before dinner.  Reggie agreed an sang a cappella "Amazing Grace" beautifully.  I watched as Mariya and her mother-in-law were just cleaning out their tear ducts as he sang!

When Ladye Love and Reggie went to Tanzania, they sang in several different villages and were real troupers the entire trip, and many people trusting Christ ad Savior and Lord.  The big event planned to happen in the Kambarage Stadium in Shinyanga Tanzania was canceled due to a politician taking over the stadium for his rally the day we were scheduled and had been promised the use of the stadium.  So Farid (our Muslim friend at the time - not yet a Christian) scrambled around and found a generator large enough to power the sound equipment the Smiths had brought with them and we were able to set up in a large open area just outside the stadium.  We had thousands gather for the concert and even many of the peope at the rally inside the stadium came ou to hear the concert and stayed to hear the gospel.  Praise the Lord we had nearly 3,000 people accept Christ that day!  It took weeks to follow up the new believers in the various villages from which they had come.... what a blessed work that was!