The Pooles Update Letter

Hello Church Family!

It has been a very full last couple of ministry months here in South Africa. It’s been a time of settling further into the ministry that we were previously involved with as well as adding some new opportunities to our weekly schedule. While there have been too many ministry events and opportunities to fit into one email, please find below the major areas where we have been seeing so far this year.

Prison Ministry

You may remember from one of our previous updates that Caleb has been waiting patiently to conduct Bible studies at a local prison. Well, God is always working in wonderful ways. About 6 weeks ago we got a call asking if Amie was available as their urgent need was for help running Bible programs in the woman’s prison, specifically in a unit that houses mothers with their children.

This unit is in a lower-security wing that accommodates mothers with babies under the age of 2. Currently there are 9 women residing there with their babies. All of these women were pregnant when arrested, giving birth while behind bars.Every Wednesday morning, Amie joins an experienced coworker to lead the ladies through a time of worship, Bible study, encouragement and discussions about life challenges.

This has been a phenomenal time to build into ladies who are in a challenging spot in life. It is also an ideal time to speak God’s truth into their lives as they are all sober and free of street/gang influences.

Hospital Babies

Amie’s work at the hospital continues to positively impact both mothers and newborns. So far this year she has been privileged to encourage and bless 49 mothers with their newborns!

This past season she was also able to be present for 2 births, being a hand to hold and encouragement for mothers with no support network as they welcome their baby. Following the birth, making sure the mothers are connected with the right resources in their community so they don’t feel alone.

It has been such a great ministry to “settle into” and regularly attend. Due to our close proximity to the hospital, Amie is often a substitute for when someone is sick or running late. This is fun because it allows for some extra mornings at the hospital in addition to her scheduled ones.

Teaching

The last few months have been busy for Caleb as he continues teaching the Old Testament here in South Africa, rotating teaching responsibilities with a number of other missionaries. He recently finished up Jonah and Nahum and will teach Ezekiel in a few weeks time.

He also had the opportunity to lead a group in Uganda through the book of Psalms via Zoom. It was a wonderful group to spend time with, having students from: Uganda, Kenya, Liberia and the Congo. Teaching to audiences that are exclusively African and predominantly rural always presents unique challenges. One must really examine the examples they use as many of the things we take for granted might not be universally understood. For instance, using sports metaphors or illustrations referencing most movies can often lead to confusion. Despite these challenges, the teaching went well and we are working to schedule Caleb’s next Zoom time with them.

Teacher Preparedness Program

In July, Caleb will help run a teacher preparedness seminar name “The Titus Project.” The goal of the program is to take recent graduates from different YWAM Bible training programs and equip them to communicate the full story of the scriptures. We will begin by providing a prepared Bible- overview teaching, followed by sessions dedicated to help them develop their own teachings, sermons and teaching style. The seminar features much practical instruction in addition to numerous opportunities to practice teaching and receive coaching.

It is a relatively short 3-week intense seminar before participants head out on outreach. The program is designed to send students out to remote, rural and underserved locations. This year, the focus will be on rural areas of Madagascar. Partnering with local churches to provide training for pastors and small-group leaders in areas that are critically under-resourced.

In addition to classroom teaching, we also try to do teachings at different locations in the community. Currently, Caleb and a colleague are midway through a 6-week Bible Overview teaching at the local homeless shelter. This shelter runs a transition program to help get people off the street. As part of this program they have invited us in to provide some Bible teaching. We are praying that this partnership would grow and continue after the initially planned 6 weeks.

Discipleship

In addition to these ministry areas above, we are able to continue discipling one-on-one regularly. Often working with men in their mid-30’s who have spent significant portions of their lives incarcerated. With many of these men having first gone to jail in their early teenage years, we do much to help make up for lost time. Sometimes that involves applying for ID documents or working towards a driver’s license. While others are striving to find a job and the skills necessary to help provide for a family. The work is never finished but it is a privilege that God chose us to walk with these brothers in Christ.

Family

April was a busy month for us with Abby turning 3 and Maverick turning 1! We did find it challenging not having family and friends from home with us to celebrate these milestones. However, God is faithful and Abby’s personality made sure that there are were plenty of little people excited to share her birthday with her. Abby has also passed another childhood milestone, starting swimming lessons! In South Africa you must wear a swim cap to your lessons, which was new for us. We laugh a little bit every time she puts it on, as it almost makes her look like a different person.

Thank You!

We want to truly thank you for your dedication to being a faithful prayer partner, uplifting our family and ministry. Without your prayers and encouragement it would not be possible to have the reach that we do.

Getting in Touch

We have much more to share and would love to hear how you are doing! You can get in touch with us by sending us an email and we hopefully we can arrange a FaceTime or Zoom call to talk further. 

Prayer Requests

1. Health. We seem to be catching a flu every 4 weeks routinely as a family.
2. Continued blessing in these ministry areas.
3. Safety