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Quick Update

December 4, 2020 by Joel Potter

How are our kids doing?

At this moment, the kids are doing well. We’ve kept just enough semblance of sanity with Jack being at in-person student at his school (he only physically goes to class two days a week and does the rest of his classwork from home) and Owen and Kate both being virtual at the charter school they’ve been a part of their entire education. It’s been tougher for those two as they’re both social kids. But we’ve been able to keep Owen in Track and Field and that’s helped. We were really hoping all three kids could be “in-person” in January after the Christmas break but it’s not looking likely. You can pray for their spirits as it’ll be Owen’s final semester as an 8th grader and his time with those students at that school will soon be finished. 

Non-stop growth these past few months. Kate is almost a middle-schooler and Jack is almost a 16 year old driver…

How are we adults doing?

We’re doing OK as well. It’s been up and down for us just like it has been for you. It’s easy to normalize what seemed like crazy and out of the ordinary back in March and April, but it’s also easy to forget how much the pandemic and its effects still weigh on us in the background. And even though, without the Pandemic, I, Joel, would still be working from home with our new ministry role, the adjustment to that has had challenges. I’ve had a private office on a quiet floor at the Ethnos360 home office building/s for the last 8 years, so the adjustment has been a little bumpy. 

But, thanks to the ever-present grace from above, we’re doing OK. We have appreciated some of the activity dampening effects the pandemic has brought. It has also led to a more rapid decline in Lynn’s condition. She’s moved into more of the middle-stages of her walk with Alzheimer’s Disease and it’s quite hard at times as caregivers and of course, on her. But we’re still squarely in the stage where she’s able to live and function well at home without a lot of additional physical care. We covet your prayers as we give care. One big need that increases as time passes is for some respite care options to become available. 

Bethany had the chance to be present for her best friend’s adoption of a little guy, Sawyer, that they’ve been fostering. Owen just finished shortened versions of Cross Country and Track and Field seasons.

Well, this will wrap things up for now. But as we move into another stage of life in America and in this World amid an ages-long struggle with sin and it affects, we are more convinced of the need to know and experience the fulfillment of all promises in our God who sustains us through Jesus the Son and the Counselor who has come to us!

Click here to find out how to become a sustaining supporter.

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: Family, Kids, update

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The Potters…

are missionaries helping every people group around the world have the chance to understand the gospel and have access to a thriving church. We are serving with the International Ministries Office as it assists Ethnos360 and its Global Partners.

Keep up with us on Instagram…

joeldpotter

If the needs are greater there, should we stay her If the needs are greater there, should we stay here?⁠⁠
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[1-minute read]⁠⁠
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This one is about a church-planter who felt like the pond he was fishing in, was crowded and over-fished. ⁠⁠
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Imagine you’re the lead pastor of a numerically successful but also vibrant and mature church body. That body was not only those things but also responsible for starting new local churches and getting behind reaching unreached people groups. ⁠⁠
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The problem was that the body of water, the lake, the pond, the shoreline, was crowded with others like them or even aspiring to reach that same level of growth. The pastor also knew that there were other bodies of water full of “fish” that were hardly touched. Very little was being done to “fish for men and women” in those areas while on his shores, church-leaders seemed to be clamoring to try out new techniques in the same waters.⁠⁠
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That didn’t sit well with him. He felt a tug on his heart to leave the crowded shores. He knew his local body was in a healthy place and capable of leading itself. So, he moved his family to the other side of the world to begin to serve another community. ⁠⁠
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He left one crowded shore for an almost empty one.⁠⁠
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The lesson in this story is that we need to be careful to not focus our efforts on areas where much work is being done, when there are huge pockets of people, WHOLE people groups, millions of people in fact, who don’t have access to God’s Word, in their languages. ⁠⁠
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If the needs are greater there, should we continue to stay here? ⁠⁠
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The answer to that isn’t a foregone conclusion, just an honest challenge to answer for yourself.⁠⁠
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For more on who I’m referring to in this post, please send me a personal message.⁠⁠
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#thepottermission #equippingthechurch #trainingforministry #foundationalbibleteaching
Heading in the right direction⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ [4 min Heading in the right direction⁠⠀
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[4 minute read...it's worth it 😉]⁠⠀
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So, guess what?! We got some great news the other night.⁠⠀
When our six-month partnership and community development time finished in August, we knew that we probably wouldn’t reach the goal we set for 2020: to see an additional $2020 of monthly sustaining support committed. But, we were still SUPER encouraged with what God did on our behalf through you all, especially considering the insanely unexpected circumstances that we all faced this year.⁠⠀
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We just didn’t realize exactly how he had answered our prayer until we looked at our numbers for the whole year.⁠⠀
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Guys, the numbers are just numbers, but they represent for us the ability to continue serving full-time in this important ministry. At a quick glance, we are so happy to say that the numbers are going in the right direction! When it’s all averaged out (combining regular promised support with other one time gifts), here’s where we started the year: we were at 51% of what is recommended. Now, here’s where we are at as we finish out 2020: 64% of what is recommended! That’s a 13% increase and that is AMAZING!⁠⠀
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Overall, we’re really encouraged by the blessing behind these numbers. We had new families join our community of sustaining supporters and we’ve had others who have increased their support amounts.⁠⠀
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Now, because we need to be transparent, we’re still ending up this year at just 64% of what Ethnos360 asks us to raise, to do our ministry well, and take care of the needs of our family. And that’s why we’re going to keep working at this effort in 2021.⁠⠀
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God is ALWAYS FAITHFUL. So we won’t say the cliché “God’s been faithful”. We realize that by saying that, it makes it sound like that if we don’t have a certain amount of support, then He’s not being true to His Word and character. What is right to say is that whether in abundance or need, we’ve learned how to be content in His faithfulness.⁠⠀
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#thepottermission #equippingthechurch #trainingforministry #foundationalbibleteaching
[2-minute read]⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ I’m tired these day [2-minute read]⁠⠀
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I’m tired these days. You probably are too. But I think I know of some people who might be wearier than us both. The believers in Asia that Bethany and I have been helping to equip in the training program that started back in June are downright exhausted.⁠⠀
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These dear friends and fellow members of the Body of Christ are faithful in walking with God in, let’s just say, less than friendly circumstances when it comes to religious freedom. They live in economically depressed parts of their countries and everyday life carries much more challenge for them than it does for us.⁠⠀
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Add to that the ravaging effects of COVID-19 and you have people almost at a breaking point. But wait, they all embarked on a two-year training journey with us and have been completing college-level courses online in a language that’s not their first language.⁠⠀
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They’re tired. They have every reason to be.⁠⠀
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Fortunately, they have a long break right now. They’re a few weeks into what will be an 11-week break before the next class, a class on the sweetest book in scripture, the book of Romans.⁠⠀
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Honestly, many are weary and even contemplating stepping out due to the load. So, let’s band together to pray for these men and women. Let’s ask the Lord:⁠⠀
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* To give them rest during this break⁠⠀
* For clarity on whether it’s just tiredness suggesting they step out or really the Lord’s leading⁠⠀
*That they would continue to realize His sufficient grace in their circumstances⁠⠀
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These students are sweet folks, men and women, Dads, and Moms who we would love to see finish this program and get this training. They need our prayers right now!⁠⠀
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#thepottermission #equippingthechurch #trainingforministry #foundationalbibleteaching
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