Skip to content
Pam Schmoll
Menu
  • Blog
  • Contact
Menu

Off to Biel We Go

Posted on November 25, 2022November 25, 2022 by Pam

Monday will begin the first outreach from Wiler (Vee-lar) in Switzerland. This is a bi-lingual city of German & French speaking people. Many of the 104 people groups are out of West Africa. One of three in the city are immigrants and one of four are on government relief. These are some of the poorest in, what the world considers, one of the wealthiest countries in the world. It is about practicing the Golden rule of treating others the way you want to be treated. If you are fallen on hard times it can be temporary as in the case of someone who does not speak the language. I am not a German-speaker but in Switzerland, English language study is usual. When I speak to someone on the street who is mature I may not get cooperation in the exchange because not being able to communicate makes me feel stupid but I am not. The Swiss are a friendly helpful people but I can identify with these 104 people groups who have a great disadvantage in language. There are three programs involving service in an after-school care program, a young mother’s group, some food bank or cooking program, tutoring, a Santa event, a choir event (us), and any of the things that help others. I may have photos next week. Making a difference is being a good neighbor. Working hard with a smile will make a difference. Connecting with someone by providing some help and encouragement invites relationship. That is what Jesus did. He left the synagogue and began his ministry at the home of Peter’s mother-in-law. He healed. He went lot’s of places but always seemed to land in someone’s home like Matthew the tax-collector, a notorious bad guy. They had a party/dinner there and the religious rulers thought hanging with bad guys pollutes people but it is just the opposite. People change when you treat them the way you want to be treated. Then he would be on a boat calming the water. He taught and discipled some very ordinary people but never called a meeting nor invited people to show up in an amphitheater to hear his vision for a new order of love and grace. He did not own a home but he sure visited many. He traveled and mentored for three years and then they killed Him. It was/is indisputable that He was always doing good but He did it in a new way…forgiveness without sacrifice. Radical. I cannot do big stuff like change the world but I can change a day for one person. So can you.

Snow view in the foothills of Wiler

"Thoughts from a genuinely evaluative mind."

Pam writes so that must make her a writer. Recently retired, she can now fill days with family, friends, missions, writing, creating, and showing up for whomever needs her. Pam loves the Lord and people. The Bible is God’s love letter to us (and who does not need more love) so she studies and writes some more.

Pam lives in the Pacific Northwest but was home-grown in Southern California. She attended San Jose Bible College and finished a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry at UCLA. She became a teacher, then a Research and Development Chemist, then she built two successful real estate businesses in two states. Pam also pursued study at Fuller Theological Seminary and just completed six months serving in missions abroad.

Pam has two amazing children, married to two precious in-laws, and five sweet grandchildren. Pam is a gifted connector and communicator and the Northwest has the perfect climate for staying inside and writing – or baking! She has been writing since a wee one and is currently converting many years of blogging, by topic, into ten books. The first is a collection from 2011 titled, Beautiful Enough. The second is a yearly day-timer titled, Weekly Planner - Lessons in Life, Glory, and Grace. Number three is in progress with the working title, Christmas Today.

Ten facts about Pam in no particular order:

  1. On the team that developed an insulation for the Alaskan oil pipeline.
  2. Loves looking at homes, decorating, and has flipped five homes.
  3. Likes being tall.
  4. Films have helped define her vocabulary.
  5. Comes from Colorado tenement farmers with history traced to Wales.
  6. Was lost but now is found.
  7. Baking makes her happy – as does eating sweets with coffee, of course.
  8. She thinks mission work is the most important work in the world.
  9. The church started in Rome so she is learning Italian.
  10. Pam is a work in progress!

“I will be your God throughout your lifetime - until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” Isaiah 46:4

© 2025 Pam Schmoll | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme