Dear Friends and Family,

1)     PRAYER FOR THIS WEEK: As we write, we’re getting “braced” for a very exciting and packed week of ministry here in Quito!  If you get this e-mail in time, please print it out and pray with us through this week’s “line-up” of events!

·        Saturday Oct 28 – An all-day MINTS seminary course taught by our international director, Bill Yarbrough on the topic of “Christ-centered Preaching & Teaching”.

·        Sunday Oct 29 – Four churches will join together for a combined morning worship service.  Bill’s sermon is titled “The Triumph of Grace”.  (Reportedly there will also be some special and not-so-special music. In that latter category, this would include Craig dusting off his cello to accompany the other “San Marcos” musicians.)

·        Mon & Tues AM – Important team meetings to focus on strategic planning and the further development of a “Living in Grace” discipleship curriculum tailored for the needs of Latin America.

·        Mon & Tues PM – Reformation Day Conferences co-sponsored by our mission and the local presbytery.  Lord willing, Bill will challenge a city-wide audience from the Bible on the topics of “Surrender”, “Humility”, “The Holy Spirit” and “Prayer”.

·        Wed to Friday – Country-wide mini-retreat & planning meetings for all of Team Ecuador’s missionaries and national partners.  This is the first time that this particular group has ever gotten together.  Over 13 families will be attending.  Please pray that the Spirit would guide our time toward fruitful planning and a deeper love for each other!

2)     MANY PRAISES: We haven’t written in some time, so let us quickly share with you some items of praise!

·        Summer Teams – Praise God for the 1-week mission teams from five U.S. churches that partnered with our team and Ecuadorian churches during the months of July and August to assist with Vacation Bible Schools, small construction projects and English outreaches!  Pray for the lasting fruit, wisdom, boldness and energy as local churches follow-up with children and families that have been touched by these ministries.  You can see pictures of two these teams on Team Ecuador’s website: http://teamecuador.mtwla.org 

·        “Eternal Grace” Evangelism Campaign – Praise God for the very positive results of Eternal Grace church’s evangelism campaign!  Many new “home groups” were formed during the campaign with over 50 new people participating on a weekly basis during the campaign.  About 60 additional people (who could not attend groups) committed to reading Rick Warren’s book: The Purpose Driven Life.  There were some testimonies of those who came to new faith in Christ and many Christians who expressed that their faith had been deepened, challenged and enriched through the outreach.  Please pray for wisdom and enthusiastic faithfulness for the church and its pastor, Christian Troya, as they continue to reach out to the people of Guayaquil – Ecuador’s largest city!

·        McMahan’s Arrival – Praise God that after 2-years of support-raising and sharing their vision for ministry, the McMahan family arrived in Ecuador the last week of July!  Thank God with us for the smooth and effective transition He has been providing for Mike, Robin, Whitney & Waverly as they establish their new home and ministry base in Quito.  For a family picture and updates on their ministry, please see the team web-site and click on their names: http://teamecuador.mtwla.org  Pray for continued wisdom as they seek the Lord’s direction for the establishment of fruitful ministries in close partnership with key Hispanic and Quichua congregations in Ecuador.

·        New National Partner – Praise God for providing a new member to our team, Byron Saenz – his experience as an Ecuadorian accountant and his whole family’s enthusiasm for ministry have already been a huge blessing to our team!  (Especially when it comes to accounting and administration, Byron is helping to keep us all sane!)

·        “LEAD” Meetings – Craig praises God for five fruitful days of learning, prayer and meetings with other MTW team and regional leaders from around the world.  This is the first meeting of its kind in three years, and the first ever that Craig has attended.  He was also able to report to two supporting churches in Birmingham and visit with Stacy’s family during the brief trip.

·        Panama Retreat – We recently experienced an awesome week of spiritual, physical and emotional refreshment at MTW’s Latin America retreat!  The week included a full program for the girls(led by Children’s Ministry international), while we enjoyed times of great worship, Bible teaching and practical seminars with our fellow missionaries who had gathered from the Rio Grand to the southern tip of Chile for this once-every-four-year event. The daily schedule was light enough however, to allow for some great down times at the all-inclusive resort’s many swimming/wading pools, the beach and restaurants with the family and with old/new missionary friends. The Pohl family returned recharged/refreshed for ministry and life in Ecuador! J

3)     SUPPORT TEAM: We are so grateful to the Lord for you who support us so faithfully in prayer and also financially!  However, at this time there are two issues that we need to bring before you for your prayerful consideration:

·        Low Account Balance – Mission to the World has long had a policy requiring missionaries to maintain a support account balance of at least $8,000.  Although average giving has been sufficient to meet our monthly needs, over the last several months our balance has been hovering at a low level (fluctuating just over and just below zero, depending on the month).  We estimate that we will need one-time gifts totaling $8,000 to $10,000 to rebuild a healthy, sustainable balance in our account.  Would you pray with us that the Lord would provide for this one-time need by year end?

·       Additional Monthly Pledges – As we mentioned above, we praise God that on-average monthly giving has been faithful and strong.  And we thank you for your sacrifice and generosity in this Kingdom work!  However, we still need about $350 in monthly pledges to fulfill our monthly budget requirements.  These additional funds are essential to help offset educational expenses for Karis and support on-going field ministries in Ecuador.  Would you ask the Lord if he might be calling you or your church to join our financial support team (or perhaps increase your current commitment)?

Many thanks for standing with us in prayer!

Your partners in Christ’s service,

Craig, Stacy, Karis & Aimee

Personal correspondence (you may use either address):

   USA: Craig & Stacy Pohl ~ 1600 North Brown Rd. ~ Lawrenceville, GA 30043

   Ecuador: Craig & Stacy Pohl ~ Casilla 17-08-8403 ~ Quito, ECUADOR

Special U.S. phone numbers (that reach us in Quito!):  (901) 414-2354 or (314) 985-6725

E-mail: cpohl@mtwla.org   Web: www.mtwla.org/people/cpohl.htm

Donations Address: (Make checks to the underlined name.  Please note

that the donation is for Craig & Stacy Pohl Account # 16019)

USA: Mission to the World ~ PO Box 116284 ~ Atlanta, GA 30368-6284

Canada: Presbytery Agency Fund of Eastern Canada ~ c/o Mr. Sandy Mc Nabb, Treasurer

              P.O. Box 854 - Sydney, N.S. B1P 6J1