David Smethurst told Mark Tronson, the anchorman on the Australian Missionary News IPTV (Internet Protocol Television – television on the internet), that he was overwhelmed by the Spirit of God as to how many Scottish men responded to Jesus Christ.
In his view it has been the Christian prayers of mothers, wives, daughters and sweethearts for their men that has borne witness to this avalanche of 'conversions' to Christ.
The story of the David Smethurst Ministries began in South Africa and Zimbabwe when a colleague who was a Christian led David to a saving experience of Jesus Christ. At this time, David was in the international South African Olympic Swim Team and was also working as an accountant.
"This man did not preach to me," David Smethurst explained. "But his life was a testimony to Christ. This eventually led me into my own field of ministry, where over a twelve year period, I led many colleagues and business people to Christ."
A Johannesburg church later called him in 1976 and for the next 16 years he saw a phenomenal work of the Holy Spirit envelop that congregation until it became one of South Africa's largest churches. However, the work took its tool and by 1988 David was suffering from sheer exhaustion, so at the behest of his wife Marguerite, the family migrated to Australia.
While David Smethurst undertook numerous missions to both Western and Eastern Europe in those Johannesburg years, it wasn't until he relocated to Brisbane Australia that the flood gates of Mission opened to him as he developed his own ministry.
The Lord's hand was upon David Smethurst as he undertook faith mission trips to the Riverina, northern Victoria and South Australia where Lutheran congregations opened their hearts to his ministry and in turn found new impetus in Mission through his ministry.
An Eastern European Lutheran Archbishop visiting Australia heard so much about David Smethurst's ministries that he invited David to teach at the Lutheran Seminary at Riga in Latvia, and it was here that he set ministry foundations which have passed the test of time.
David Smethurst now says that what has happened could never have occurred had he not come to Australia, where doors for financial support and mission opened in so many areas.
On his third visit to Latvia, after the fall of Communism when the State imposed upon the Churches to run the orphanages because the restricted post cold war Health budget could not stretch that far, David was called upon to help.
The David Smethurst Ministries has now grown from fund raising for three orphanages in 1993 with 350 orphans, to coordinating the logistics for 46 orphanages with 5,500 orphans across four Eastern European countries.
His evangelical ministry covers the major denominations in Eastern Europe as he speaks six languages. He has led two generations of Eastern European young people to Christ through the Orphanages, Prison relief, Church ministry, Youth camps and Sports outreaches.
These Sports outreaches have been of particular interest to David because of his sporting background. He has been a chaplain at three Olympic Games, the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and the Rugby World Cup and is currently negotiating with South African World Cup of Soccer officials on a chaplaincy program.
The Smethurst family involvement in international Mission continues. At the Sydney Olympics for example, David Smethurst struck up a special relationship with the Lebanon Olympic team.
In Lebanon his eldest daughter was helping with three orphanages of Palestinian children. This developed into a unique ministry with the Lebanese Muslims and many Olympians and officials. .
This David Smethurst live television on the Internet can be viewed at
tv.bushorchestra.com and www.safeworlds.net