What do you do when things don’t turn out the way you hoped? This was a question that Warren and Brenda Pfohl, a married missionary couple to Poland, had to ask when Brenda came down with a sickness and they felt their world flip upside down.
Through personal bouts with illness, the Pfohls trusted God. Then He led them to an exciting adventure with Jesus Film Project.
Take a moment to watch Warren and Brenda’s story to learn how God used their surrendered hearts to bring the gospel to the world. Discover the rest of the Pfohl’s powerful story of obedience and growing in generosity––even in the midst of tragedy––in the blog post below.
Unraveling
This story originally appeared in our Annual Review; written by Sam Hunt.
Poland 1991. Brenda and Warren Pfohl arrived as a missionary family with their two sons. It was the fulfillment of a dream, and they planned to stay for decades.
“We thought we’d do it together for the rest of our lives,” Warren said. Suddenly, after the birth of their third son, Brenda became ill. They tried to endure it, but her condition worsened.
“It was a very hard thing to leave Poland,” Brenda said, emphasizing her struggle. “I was so exhausted I could barely lift my head after two in the afternoon, and I had three little kids to take care of.”
They cried, prayed and sought godly counsel together—and in the end, they knew they had to move back to the U.S. after only six years in Poland. With only boxes of books and toys to their name, their church set them up in a little apartment with mismatched furniture: an orange couch, a green chair, one lamp, six plates.
Through the generosity of 25 different families, they experienced God’s provision.
They struggled to make sense of it and see what was next. God soon opened the door for Warren to join the church leadership—ultimately as missions director and an assistant pastor—and they settled in.
Almost immediately, they noticed their second son, David, was having vision trouble. After trying eyeglasses and even larger print text, they saw a specialist. Eventually, David was diagnosed with a rare genetic mutation called Batten disease. The fatal degeneration typically begins with vision loss and then causes other neurological damage.
God took care of the Pfohls—from money for doctor visits to joy amid the sadness. And their church community rallied around them to encourage and support them. Looking back on that time, Brenda remarked how many of her journal entries were “little glimpses of awareness of God’s incredible goodness.”
Sorting the Threads
About six months after moving back to the States, when Brenda and Warren had begun to tire from the attentive care David required, their head pastor offered them a free couple’s trip. They jumped at the chance for respite and reconnection. As God would have it, the pastor sent them to Branson, Missouri, for a Jesus Film Project® donor briefing—Warren attending as the church’s missions director.
Donor briefings are an opportunity for believers to learn more about Jesus Film Project and how they can participate in our mission.
“It was eye-opening,” said Brenda. “It was the first time we really heard what God was doing through Jesus Film Project. And that’s when we made a little prayer: God, if ever in our lifetime we could fund a translation of the JESUS film, we would be so thankful.”
They knew it was a wild prayer because they didn’t have that kind of money. They had been missionaries, supported by the financial partnership of other believers, and now Warren was a pastor. Warren likes to joke that Branson became the most expensive free vacation they’ve ever taken.
God, if ever in our lifetime we could fund a translation of the JESUS film, we would be so thankful.”
“Never in a million years did we imagine we would give like we’ve been able to give to God’s kingdom. Why didn’t we do this before?”
The Pfohls admit that giving beyond their standard tithe was not normal for a long time after that briefing, even after they came into some money unexpectedly. Over the years, the Holy Spirit has used a few key experiences to develop their hearts for generosity.
One was from their time in Poland, when the Pfohls had a financial supporter who increased his giving year after year. When they asked him how he could do that, he simply told them that he had enough to live and decided to give more away. His example has stayed with them.
A Looming Tragedy
Even as those tangible expressions of God’s care continued back in the States, Warren and Brenda struggled with the reality of David’s impending death. They processed the grief differently and had to wrestle with God through it in prayer.
“One night, Brenda was just weeping,” Warren recalled from a particularly painful memory. “I had nothing in me to help her, so I just covered my ears. Horrible”—the regret choked his speech—“it was horrible, but I just didn’t have anything to give her.”
Their hearts ached as they watched their son lose physical abilities and independence. A decade of slow degeneration took a toll on their family. Amid this muck of life, they were introduced to books by Randy Alcorn that they said helped them see earthly situations from a heavenly perspective. By God’s grace, the fatal situation became an opportunity to look forward to David’s eternal life and their eventual reunion with him in the arms of Christ.
David died 13 years after they left Poland, just before his 21st birthday.
These days, the Pfohls spend their summers coordinating a local ministry to international students who are around the same age David was when he died. Warren and Brenda spend time with the students, provide American cultural experiences and share the hope they have in Christ.
“God weaves everything together,” Warren said.
In view of eternity, their impulse to live for this temporal life has faded more and more.
God Weaves Everything Together for His Glory
Brenda and Warren focus on stewarding five things for the Lord: “time, talent, treasure, truth and relationships.” They believe God is glorified when they bear good fruit in these areas.
Inside Brenda’s wedding ring from 38 years ago is their life verse: “Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together! (Psalm 34:3).”
Prayer is a big way the Pfohls love to invest their time, truth and relationships. They have a binder full of monthly letters from each ministry and missionary they support. It’s divided into seven parts, so each day they can focus their prayers on one ministry.
Jesus Film Project’s day is Tuesday. Warren and Brenda begin their morning quiet time praying together for their partners. Afterward they will often send an email or text to the missionaries or ministry leaders to encourage them.
“I don’t ever want to be seen as the cow that you get milk from,” Warren smirked, “and I realize part of that is my responsibility.” For the Pfohls, partnership involves more than writing a check.
“We love Jesus Film Project because it is something we can do as a couple together,” Brenda said. “You feel like you’re part of the whole ministry. … We feel very engaged and involved.”
One way the Pfohls have given of their treasure is through a three-year financial commitment to Jesus Film Project that was relatively large for their household. The commitment was bigger than they originally planned, but they followed God’s leading.
During that time period, they were having trouble selling a house. None of their tactics worked. That was when someone from Cru Foundation helped them understand how giving from the sale of the home would have tax benefits.
“It made so much sense,” Warren said. It reminded the Pfohls that God owns it all anyway, and they are just stewards. “So why worry how much money we’re going to get [from the sale]?”
They gladly utilize a Donor Advised Fund with Cru Foundation, which provides up-front tax benefits and time to consider where to direct funds—whether to Jesus Film Project or an unaffiliated ministry.
God provided a buyer, and the Pfohls were able to say goodbye to the house and give what they had purposed together.
They haven’t been missionaries overseas since the mid-’90s, but their commitment to the Great Commission has not waned. The Pfohls have been faithful ministry partners with Jesus Film Project since 1999, at first giving a little, and then more as God has provided and directed.
“We are literally partnering with a person who is in some country right now setting up a screen and getting the projector to work,” Warren said from their home in Wisconsin.
It’s a picture of a spiritual reality: We are the one body of Christ, spread across the earth, making use of the time, talent, treasure, truth and relationships God’s given us. We are sharing the powerful truth of the story of Jesus with everyone, everywhere, and God is weaving the threads together for the glory of His name. Your generosity helps weave the beautiful tapestry of eternity.
What Will Be Your Story?
As they give, the Pfohl’s believe they live out their calling to go and make disciples, and to help every person in the world know who Jesus is.
This can be part of your story too.
When you give, you make it possible for believers everywhere to use films translated into heart languages for evangelism and discipleship. This gives communities around them a chance to hear about Jesus in their own language—to meet the One they can place their trust in.
Would you prayerfully personally consider a journey of generosity in your own life? Discuss the possibility with your spouse or family members. If you feel ready to begin the journey, visit our Give page.