Cornerstone Church of Knoxville

Hannah Poschel came to the University of Tennessee in 2004 where she connected with Volunteers for Christ (VFC) for the first time. After being faithfully involved as a student, Hannah became a VFC intern following graduation where she spent three years sharing Christ with young ladies on campus and building them into the local church.  It was in the midst of her internship that God opened her eyes to the 2.3 billion people in the world who have no access to the Gospel.  Hannah felt compelled by God to take the Gospel to these people who have never heard the name of Jesus.

In August, Hannah moved to south Texas to begin missionary training with To Every Tribe.  The vision of To Every Tribe is “to bring about the worship of Jesus among people who have no access to the gospel.” Currently, To Every Tribe is engaged in planting churches among unreached people groups in Mexico and Papua New Guinea (PNG). They are also beginning to expand their field to other countries including India where Hannah feels most compelled to serve at the moment.

Hannah was able to travel to India this summer for a short term mission project with her parent’s church. “There was definitely a lot that was very sobering about the trip to India.  I found many of the experiences exciting but overwhelming at the same time.  I definitely had moments of wondering if I could ever really live in a place like India, but at the same time God gave me so much faith to just keep stepping forward. I believe He has my future planned out and secure in His hands. I am excited to see God continue to unfold his plan for me day by day.  Many people have asked if God confirmed my calling to India on this trip. I still have a passion to work among unreached people groups in India; but I think God is teaching me to not make huge assumptions about what the entire rest of my life will look like since of course only He knows the specifics. I’m really looking forward to being able to process these thoughts with the people at To Every Tribe. I think it will be really helpful to be living and learning alongside people who share a similar heart and passion and who most likely have similar fears about the future. We’ll be able to wrestle through things together and hopefully be an encouragement to each other.”

Effectively reaching those who have never heard the Gospel is the aim of every aspect of training with To Every Tribe.  The two-year training is unique in that forty percent of the training is hands-on in the field with experienced church planters.  Field training will consist of short-term trips throughout Mexico and one trip each year to PNG or India, building relationships with known tribes as well as seeking out unreached tribes.  Among other topics, training in class will include theology, cross-cultural issues, team building, dental training, first aid, and sharing the complete biblical account in a story-telling format.

“Isaiah 61:1-3 has been burned into my soul and I believe it is to be the theme of my life.  What an awesome privilege to be a vessel that God uses to carry on His ministry of redemption.  “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit.””

Please pray for Hannah as she seeks to follow God’s plan for her at To Every Tribe. You can contact Hannah at .