Our teacher, Mrs. Poole, was a wonderful, godly woman. She and her husband came to teach our little church school of about 60 students. The building was drafty, and had no running water. Mr. Poole had to go to the school at 5:00 a.m. to build a fire in the basement furnace to warm the two classrooms. As soon as he had a good blaze he would return home to help pack lunches and get their sons ready for school. He taught grades 7 through 10, and Mrs. Poole taught 35 of us in grades 1 through 6.
I dreaded the opening of school that fall, as did my older brother Richard. Both of us read far below grade level. We dearly hoped that the new teacher could make school better for us. Tall and slender, Mrs. Poole, a beautiful person inside and out, taught both of us how to read. She instilled in us a love for books. We felt total acceptance—a priceless gift. She knew we could do our assignments, and we did. We became what she taught us we could be.
Each day began with singing songs like “Brighten the Corner Where You Are,” “Sunshine in My Soul,” and many others. These songs are with us today. I remember prayer bands and Mrs. Poole’s earnest prayers. . . . No wonder my parents believed in Christian education.
—”Joy,” Via e-mail
The Southern-Asia Pacific Division (SSD) includes the Southeast Asian countries of Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam, as well as Pakistan. The region has a population of more than 950 million; there are more than 1.1 million members, making it the sixth-largest division worldwide. The Philippines and Indonesia provide the majority of this division’s members.
—information gathered from www.adventist.org/world-church/
Here is part of an announcement that appeared in the church bulletin of the Eagle River Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church:
“There is an opportunity for those who are convicted to attend a prison ministry orientation as described below . . .”
There is a lot more to the announcement, but I doubt you need the rest!
—Ruth deGraaff, Eagle River, Alaska
Have a prayer need? Have a few free minutes? Each Wednesday morning at 8:15 EDT the Adventist Review staff meets to pray for people—children, parents, friends, coworkers. Send your prayer requests and, if possible, pray with us on Wednesday mornings. Send requests to: Let’s Pray, Adventist Review, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600; fax: 301-680-6638; e-mail: [email protected].
