Expressions of Hope

JANUARY 2021

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

—Proverbs 3:5–6

Raise your hand if you were ready for the hope and promise of a new year after 2020 was such a trying, difficult year. Well, although the calendar flipped to 2021 at midnight on January 1, COVID-19 is still affecting our lives, and you could probably fill in the blank with many other situations that you’re dealing with personally, situations carried over from last year.

Even though it seems some things have stayed the same, let’s focus on trusting the Lord in 2021 and not leaning on our own understanding, as Proverbs 3:5 reminds us.

That’s certainly what we’re striving to do at JAARS. Our partners still have obstacles standing in the way of their work, so we’re trusting in God to help us provide the best solutions for supporting their Bible translation, Scripture engagement, and language development work. We hope you’ll be encouraged as you read these stories and see how the Lord is working through JAARS and our partners to advance his kingdom in remote and difficult places around the world.

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

A New Way

Adding online learning to our Spring 2020 Pre-field Aviation Orientation couldn't have happened at a better time. The COVID-19 pandemic erupted in March 2020, after the course began. Social distancing and limits on group gatherings put a halt to traditional classroom instruction. But the ground school portion of orientation could continue, thanks to Google Classroom. Find out how online learning enhances our aviation training.

Stormy Weather

Thankfully no storms can stop what God is doing among the Ayri* people in Africa! Learn how Pastor Lucas and his teammates are working to share God's Word in this language community. *Name changed for security reasons

Sharpening the Axe
When Maria was accepted into JAARS Fellows, she asked her college discipleship leader for advice since she had several good post-graduation options. Her discipleship leader’s question challenged her: “Where do you think you will see Jesus more and grow the most?” Read about Maria’s experience so far as a JAARS Fellow.

Wrestling With Pandemic, Conscience, and Family

For survival purposes, our brain holds negative thoughts or hurtful memories three times longer than anything positive. We remember hurts from our family and others and gloss over any good times and family ties. Wired as we are, it’s hard to forgive and forget. Past wrongs haunt us and—if held onto—will harm others. Remember Joseph’s experience? In just one day, he lost parents, siblings, his Hebrew culture, food, and language. No family gatherings—not just for a year but for twenty. Did Joseph ponder what to do with his hurt of separation and betrayal? Did he wrestle with conscience about what to do if he ever saw his family again? What would you have done in Joseph’s shoes? Along with Joseph, we ponder: Am I one to hold onto grudges? Yes or no?

It’s a new year, and new things are already happening with more yet to come. As the prophet Isaiah said, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19). Trust the Lord and see where his path leads.

Please let us know how you are doing. How may we pray for you? Encourage you? Please contact us at info@jaars.org or call 888.773.1178.

Learn more about how you can partner in the mission of JAARS.

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Forward

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.