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Pohl's Update September 2005 Dear Friends & Family!
We praise the Lord for His watch over us (and our belongings) as we moved from Guayaquil to Quito in early June. We arrived safely after a 9 hour trip with only one "hiccup" with our car as it drove over a high mountain pass (it seems to have a strong "allergy" to altitudes Now the boxes are unpacked and most of the pictures hung on the wall. We feel at home! Our apartment has an awesome view of northern and the surrounding mountains. On clear days, we can see 3 snow-capped volcanoes as well as several others (see below). Everyday we praise the Lord for this provision for us and pray that our home will be used for His kingdom work!
Not only are we settling into a new home, but into ministry as well. Recently we've had several great opportunities to serve and get our feet wet in some new ministries...
For many years, the ladies have told themselves "no puedo" (I can't do it), but now the words "sí puedo" (I can do it!) echo in their minds and hearts. Two years ago, on her own initiative, one of our national partners, Cecilia Balereso, saw the need, and began a holistic educational program for Quichua women at "Sembradores de Cristo" (Sowers for Christ) Church using the Christian education program Alfalit. Alfalit strives to give adults and older youth who never had access to an elementary education, the knowledge, life-skills and spiritual discipleship they need and desire. Teammates Darlene Helmly and Natalie Booth joined Cecilia in teaching these wonderful ladies, many of whom are Christians. Two weeks ago, Stacy met the women for the first time and was immediately received with warmth and appreciation. Please pray for these ladies that as they work towards their elementary education certificate: that God would fill them with His glory and grace, that they would realize that they are beautifully created in the image of God (they can do the work!), and would apply what they have learned to better their and their families' lives. Pray also for Stacy (and the other teachers) that she would love these ladies to Christ as she teaches basic math, helps with other classes and develops friendships with the ladies.
We spent the first week of August meeting as "Team Ecuador" to try to discern the ways in which God would have us serve during the coming upcoming months and years. As we planned and prayed, two themes became clear: First, everything we do must promote the healthy development and extension of local church! Second, as a mission team, we desperately need to increase our level of national partnership and interdependence with our Ecuadorian brothers and sisters in Christ. Symbolically, at least, a step toward improving in both areas was taken as we renamed our sub-teams (in Spanish!) as follows: "Ministerio a la Iglesia Hispana" (Ministry to the Hispanic Church), "Ministerio a la Iglesia Quichua" (Ministry to the Quichua Church), and "Ministerio de Desarollo y Misericordia" (Development and Mercy Ministries). Each of these ministry teams will now be composed of both missionaries and Ecuadorian Christians. Please pray that we will continue to grow as a team in both our church-centeredness and in our interdependence with our national partners! Team Ecuador - June 05
In addition to his responsibilities as team leader, Craig is also coordinating our team's ministry to Hispanic (Spanish-speaking) Ecuadorian churches. As a first practical step in serving the local church (in consultation with our team and the church's elders), we have decided to make our church home at "San Marcos" (St. Mark's) Presbyterian Church. It is a relatively large congregation which is going through a huge time of transition right now. Please pray for this congregation and its leaders during this time of change and also for our family that we would be sensitive to the Lord as He shows us how we may serve Him at San Marcos.
As mentioned above, one major focus of our team is on planting and strengthening Spanish-speaking congregations. Another focus of our team is toward strengthening and training leadership among Quichua-speaking churches. The Quichua (KEE-chu-a) people are the descendents of the Incas, and today form about 1/4 of Ecuador's population. Their language is completely unrelated to Spanish (except in pronunciation) and most say is significantly harder to learn. Some Quichua do speak Spanish, but many do not. Most importantly, the Quichua (as do we!) grasp deep truths better when communicated in their mother tongue. All that to say, we have just started a weekly class to learn the basics of Quichua. We also plan to practice weekly with a Quichua "language helper". With God's help, we trust that over the next few months we will learn enough to begin to have simple conversations in Quichua. Please, pray for our progress - so we will be able to relate to our Quichua brothers and sisters in their heart language.
Stacy - Since moving to Quito Stacy's health has improved dramatically! She has more energy and wakes up every morning so thankful that she can breathe clearly - even when having a sinus headache (which is very rare now). We thank God for answered prayers for Stacy's health!
Karis (three years old) loves our new home and likes to play in "her park" at the end of the street. She loves to visit teammates who live close by - the Booths and the Aschmanns (and their two-year-old daughter, Anne & 2-month-old son Nathan)! Karis, ever the extrovert, is thrilled when going to church and meeting new people, especially other children whom she calls "amigitos" or "little friends". Aimee (9
months old) just grins, giggles and squeals. She loves people and will smile
and wave at anyone who looks at her. She does, however, like the solitude of
her pack-n-play and will play quietly for an hour or so. We like to call her
"Aimee da gozo" or "Aimee gives joy". We prayed
that the Lord would use her to bring joy to people - and she does on a
daily basis! She's learning to pull-up, cruise and eat some
"big-people food" (of which she LOVES to do Many thanks for your love & support. Your partners in Christ's Service,
Serving in Ecuador with Mission to the World |
On the move: from the Pacific coast... to the Andes!
). Our belongings arrived a day later; nothing missing or even scratched. Thanks for your prayers!
