News at ABWE
Jewl Spoelhof with the Lord
With her loved ones at her side, Jewl Spoelhof went home last night, September 27, 2007, after a two-and-a-half year battle with cancer by God’s grace. Jewl always signed her prayer letters “Happy in the Harvest.” Joyful fruitful service distinguished her thirty years of service with ABWE. “The eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love” (Psalm 33:18).
Jewl Ann was born to Paul and Maxine Spoelhof on March 17, 1942. She was saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as a sophomore in high school. She later earned a Practical Nursing Diploma from Grand Rapids Junior College in 1961, a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Geneva College in 1967, and a Master of Arts degree in Elementary Education Guidance and Counseling from Westminster College in 1970. Her training in education, nursing, and counseling led to two years of short-term missionary service in South Asia. Through that cross-cultural experience, the Lord of the harvest called her into career missions in 1974.
She was appointed by ABWE to the Philippines on July 28, 1976, and her ministry with the ABWE Philippines team included serving as a church-planting assistant, teaching MKs, and traveling on annual ministry trips to join the work in Thailand. She served with four church-planting teams in Davao City and encouraged believers and Christian workers at other churches in the area. Most recently, she served with the Grace Baptist church-planting team together with Jim and Pam Leffew and Sam and Anna Pascual from 1996 to the present. This ministry targeted the Chinese and Filipino community in Davao City.
Jewl’s contributions to the churches included teaching, leading Bible studies, participating in music ministries, serving in student ministries, visiting, discipling, encouraging, and mentoring Filipino co-workers. She also greatly enjoyed basketball evangelism outreach ministries and the opportunity to work with Cedarville College Athletes-for-Christ, the Baptist Bible College Defender Five, and the basketball ministries through Grace Baptist Church that reached players in high school, college, and on the professional Davao Eagles team.
For much of her missionary career in the Philippines, Jewl divided her time between serving on church-planting teams and ministering at Faith Academy Davao in a variety of roles: as a teacher on both the elementary and middle school levels, as an administrator, and even as the acting Superintendent. She had a deep love for missionary kids and was highly respected by her educational colleagues for her ability, versatility, and flexibility to meet whatever needs arose from year to year.
Every year since 1986, Jewl looked forward to annual ministry alongside PABWE missionaries and national leaders in Thailand. She taught English in ESL centers and later at the annual LIFE Camp (Learning Intensive Free English) that was launched in 1993. She joined Charlie and Lourdes Holmes in prison ministries, and she assisted church plants in Bangkok, Chiang Rai, and among several tribal groups including the Akha, Lahu, Phalong tribes.
The first praise and prayer memo of 2005 that Jewl emailed to her supporters started with a quotation of Psalm 145:20 to begin the New Year: “The Lord watches over all who love Him.” Little did she know the depth of understanding she would soon have of the Lord’s watchful eye over His own. Jewl’s diagnosis with aggressive ovarian cancer on March 31, 2005, did not escape His sovereign vision.
God in His wonderful grace enabled Jewl to return to Thailand on October 9 to 21 for the 2006 LIFE Camp with clearance from her doctors and used her testimony to work in hearts. Over 500 children, teens, adults, and staff attended the annual LIFE Camp in Thailand in October; half of them were Buddhists or Muslims invited by Thai Christians. A total of 75 professed Christ as Savior during the weeklong camp, most of them adults.
Jewl’s parents, Paul and Maxine Spoelhof, have been very supportive missionary parents. They dedicated both a daughter and a son to the Lord's worldwide harvest. Jewl’s younger brother, Bill, was appointed by ABWE one year after her and serves in Brazil together with his wife, Sue. Now, after two and a half years of battling cancer, the Lord took Jewl home to be with Him, and she is where she has strived her whole life to be. We praise God for her life and ministry, and rejoice that she is in the presence of her Savior.
Visitation:
Saturday and Sunday, September 29 and 30 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Zaagman's Memorial Chapel
2800 Burton Street, SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
(616) 940-3022
Memorial Service:
Monday, October 1, at 2:00 p.m.
Wealthy Park Baptist Church
2233 Michigan Street, NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
(616) 456-8506.