We have been at JAARS for 2 days and have met so many wonderful people with awesome
stories of their missionary careers. We have enjoyed working in many areas on the campus, but
the most meaningful part of our trip has been the missionaries and support staff we have met.
One such person that comes to mind is Grace. She is an elderly lady who has recently retired
from the mission field after serving in Colombia, South America and in Senegal, Africa. As we
talked with her, we realized that we should never give up asking what God wants us to do,
because Grace was called to Senegal, Africa at the age of 62 after a brief furlough. She
introduced a novel way to tell Bible stories by the use of flannel graphs to the children in
Senegal, which was a big hit and managed to share the gospel using the flannel graph stories to
over 5,000 children! As she recounted all those years overseas doing the missionary work, she
stated, “What has meant most to me is the realization that it is Christ in you, the hope of glory
that is important, not the works.” (Colossians 1:27). You can get caught up in Christian work
and miss the relationship aspect to the Lord Jesus.
Rick Swenness
Rick & Carla Howard
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