Expressions of Hope

AUGUST 2021

Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.

—Genesis 18:14

When Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100 years old, the Lord told them she was going to have a son. Sarah laughed, but we wonder if maybe she wanted to cry as well, thinking it was impossible. And then the Lord asked her, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

We’ve all been in situations like Sarah’s. Where we didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. We wonder how the Lord can possibly work things out? When you’re discouraged, it’s easy to start wondering. But the Bible is filled with stories in which the Lord fulfills promises, answers prayers, and solves problems in impossible situations, humanly speaking. Remember Joshua and his battle for Jericho?

And at JAARS we see the Lord is still fulfilling promises and solving problems in impossible situations. The world is filled with people groups who live in difficult, hard-to-reach locations. Through JAARS and our partners, the Lord is working in the face of many difficulties to make his Word available to these groups in the languages they understand best.

We hope you’ll enjoy reading the stories featured in this issue that show how the Lord demonstrates that nothing is too hard for him.

Image by skalekar1992 from Pixabay

Our First Time

Stanley, a recording technician with the Papua New Guinea Islands’ Scripture Media Ministry, traveled from his home on the remote island, Lambom, to Sivauna village, where the Mamusi people live, to record the Mamusi translation of the JESUS film script. Read about his trip and the results.

God of Big Dreams

As a youth, Nard helped clear an airstrip for his village in the northern part of the Philippines. The airstrip brought a JAARS pilot and translators, whose work on the Isnag Gospel of Mark later brought Nard to belief in Christ. Read his amazing story.

Far-Flung People

Once travel restrictions were lifted, translation teams in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were hoping to use their new motorcycles, sent by JAARS, to reach remote locations where they could test and promote their translated Scripture. In the meantime, how would they get the training from JAARS Land Transportation that they needed to operate the motorcycles safely and efficiently? Find out here.

Nothing is Too Hard for the Lord

Check out these Scriptures: Genesis 18:14, Jeremiah 32:17, 32:27, Job 42:2, Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27, and Luke 1:37 where his Word reminds us that nothing is impossible or too hard for him. And along with Romans 8:28, we are assured that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay.

Every weekday morning, a group of JAARS staff meets to pray for our partners. How may we pray for you? Encourage you? Please write to us at prayer@jaars.org or call 888.773.1178.

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At JAARS, our mission is to make Bible translation and language development possible, especially in the most remote and difficult places on earth. We do that by enabling locally appropriate and sustainable solutions in transportation, technology, media, and training.