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Dear Family and Friends,
In these past four months, we have been involved in some exciting ministries! Please join with us in praising God for His work among the people of Ecuador…
Quichua Wedding: A Learning Curve and Celebration of God's Grace! In April, Craig was asked to be the officiating pastor of a Quichua wedding at Sowers of Christ Church (his first wedding to do “solo”). This was a huge cultural learning experience for both of us, from the initial meetings, to some basic pre-marital counseling (with a "small" crowd including the couple, family members, some of the church leadership and one or two of our national partners), to the wedding itself where we both were involved. Through the initial meetings, the church leadership grew in their understanding of baptism, weddings and Christian testimony. It was exciting to see them struggle with Biblical truth vs. what their culture says. They were under a great amount of cultural pressure to follow the “norm”, but the Holy Spirit intervened, and they stuck to what the Bible states over what their culture would have them do. The best of all was to see how the Lord used Ramiro, Cecilia and Stacy in the sharing of the gospel message in different ways to bring the bride to Christ three days before her wedding!!!
Craig leads the Bride in her marital vows. Karis trying (she had stage fright) to sing in Quichua a praise song to the couple.
The happy couple ready to celebrate. The guests waiting at the reception for the presentation of gifts and LUNCH!
Literacy and Discipleship: Hand-in-Hand On a Sunday in June, the ladies literacy program at Sembradores had its closing ceremony/graduation! Even though there was only one lady to graduate from elementary school, all the ladies that participated could read both in Spanish and Quichua. Cecilia and Stacy both gave charges to the ladies to continue their studies, but more importantly to study their Bibles. For Stacy, two things brought tears of joy: 1) When four of her first level ladies stood up and read from their Spanish or Quichua Bibles portions of Psalm 100 out loud and in front of everyone – a major accomplishment! 2) After the ceremony, the ladies basically begged Stacy and Cecilia to disciple them – they wanted to learn more from God’s Word, not to continue to get their elementary education (as we thought they might say)! By God’s grace, this has also served as a turning point to deepen the WHOLE church’s commitment to discipleship and even inspired the leadership to begin a pilot program of literacy in Quichua (their heart language) for both women and MEN! Four church leaders are currently training to be the teachers – look for more news on this later this Fall!
L: Stacy giving her encouragement to the ladies to read and study God’s Word daily. R: Cecilia praising Maria Mercedes on graduating from elementary school.
Paulina and Maria Juana read Psalm 100 from Spanish and Quichua Bibles, respectively, while Rosa and Juana wait their turns (these are the four precious ladies Stacy taught).
Summer Work Teams: A "jump-start" for ministry This summer we had three visiting work teams: Grace Presbyterian in Albertville, AL; Highlands Presbyterian in Ridgeland/Jackson, MS; and Faith Presbyterian in Birmingham, AL. The group from Grace Pres. worked with a Quichua church near Otavalo (2 hours north of Quito) helping them with a phase of construction on their church and with English clubs. The other two teams helped a family from San Marcos Presbyterian (our home church here in Quito) with a 13-year-old outreach to a poor neighborhood called Orsorio, near the church. They helped to build a community bakery that will give employment to its senior citizens as well as leading a VBS with over 140 kids from the community in attendance (Highlands team) and a well recieved youth English club (Faith team).
L: Quichua and English phrases flow (OK, maybe trickle) back and forth as Robin & Stacy and members of the Grace team share with new friends. C: Mary Leslie (Highlands team) and Rick Aschmann (MTW) lead VBS children in “making the waves” which Jesus calmed. R: Martin (Faith team) shares the Good News of Jesus at an English club with neighborhood youth.
Leadership Training & Discipleship: Key to healthy, growing congregations Multiple opportunities for Biblical training and discipleship have been a huge encouragement to both us and the churches.
You prayed for Craig's preparation of a new seminary-level seminar "Introduction to the Old Testament" - thank you! By God's grace, this new class was a significant contribution to the student's ability to interpret and apply God's O.T. revelation of Himself to the lives of Christians today. The course was taught at an under-graduate/graduate level to about 15 students enrolled in the MINTS (Miami International Theological Seminary) extention site here in Quito.
God has provided opportunities for Craig to lead "Personal Spiritual Renewal" workshops in three unique settings: · a weekend-retreat for 38 presbyterian leaders and spouses (July) · a Saturday conference at Sembradores Quichua Church (August) · as a mini-series in the San Marcos College & Carrer Single's Group (Fall Fridays in our home) We pray that God will use these teaching times and his Spirit to develop a renewed intimacy between Him and his people.
One resource which is being enthusiastically received here in Ecuador is the new Spanish translation of: Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship by Kenneth Boa. We recommend it highly as a way of allowing God to direct your prayers toward HIS purposes through meditating on scriptures carefully selected and translated for 90 days of prayer. (It is available for $8 from www.christianbook.com)
Craig teaching on “Our Identity in Christ” at the Presbytery’s leadership retreat. The cover of Ken Boa’s book on praying with scripture.
Every Friday night we lead the San Marcos’ College and Career group at our home. A group outing to waterfalls near Quito.
Family: Never a dull moment! Karis finished the 2006/7 school year with flying colors. This summer she began reading and cross stitching. She and Aimee “helped” with the summer mission teams - providing a lot humor and love. Now, we are on the verge of having an official 5 yr. old kindergartener! On Thursday, Aug. 30, Alliance Academy opens its doors for the 2007/8 school year. Karis (and the rest of the family J) is excited!! She has her new clothes, shoes and backpack and is ready to go! J
In mid-August, Stacy made a rapid trip back to the States to be with her parents, brother and other family members for the funeral of her grandmother - Lois Neal Baxter (Stacy’s father’s mother). Grandmother suffered with severe dementia for many years, and the Lord took her home to be with Him at the age of 92. She was a strong Christian and loved the Lord’s work, as did her husband. We all have a sense of joy and relief knowing that she is with the Lord for eternity singing His praises and not in her frail body and mind here on earth, though we will miss her! We also praise the Lord for the fact that all four of us were able to talk with her 3 weeks before she passed away. The Lord is so good!
L: Karis (in the red shirt) and her classmates on the last day of school (2006/7). R: Karis and Anne Aschmann are always making new friends- our MKs!
Grrrr!! Ahhh!! It is NEVER a dull moment in the Pohl house!
Home Ministry Assignment: Our time to visit with you! We are looking forward to spending time with family, friends and supporting churches. We’ll be sharing what the Lord is doing here in Ecuador and finding out how the Lord has been working in your lives/congregations, as well! Our time in the States will be December 18 to May 15. Home base this time will be in Memphis, TN (at the IPC mission house); and Stacy’s parents (who live in the Memphis area) are really looking forward to having “the kids” around! J
Praise, Praise, Praise! Late last year, we communicated with you regarding some significant one-time and monthly financial short-falls. We’ve thanked many of you individually, but allow us to thank one and all for your sacrificial giving! Craig made a 3-week trip to visit three NEW churches in February; by God’s provision, all three have partnered with us in both regular giving and prayer. In addition many churches and individuals INCREASED their support and/or gave GENEROUS one-time ministry gifts. Thanks to your cheerful obedience in providing for the Lord’s work, our ministry account is back solidly “in the black”, and we are slightly more than 100% supported on a monthly basis. Praise the Lord & thank you!
To quote a Bill Gaither chorus: “Let’s just lift our hands to heaven and praise the Lord” for… · God’s mighty work in the lives of leaders and members of Sowers of Christ Quichua Church · The successful completion of a three-year cycle of Quichua women’s literacy & discipleship · The Lord’s abundant supply (through you!) for our ministry’s on-going financial support · Three summer mission teams who developed meaningful relationships and significant in-roads to ministry for our team · Many opportunities to teach, preach & disciple – which in turn has enriched our own walk with the Lord
We cherish your prayers for… · God’s leading as Cecilia, Stacy and others plan a new pilot program for Quichua literacy and women’s discipleship · That God would enable our MTW team and Ecuadorian churches to follow-up on several new ministry opportunities opened up by our summer mission teams (outside of Otavalo and in the Quito neighborhood of Osorio) · Pray for a good year of growth and development for Karis (in K-5) and for our family as we readjust to the school year routine / schedule · That our lives, marriage, ministry and home would be increasingly centered on Christ and His gracious work in (and through) us
Many thanks for standing with us in prayer!
For His Glory! Craig, Stacy, Karis & Aimee
E-mail: cpohl@mtwsa.org Web: www.teamecuador.mtwla.org
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
Donation instructions: (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
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