Expressions of Hope

MAY 2021

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

—John 14:27

Remember the last time you had a day without disruptions or distractions? Neither do we. 🙂 Each day comes with its own joys and worries. No matter what happens, remind yourself of Jesus' promise in the book of John: he is with you and encourages you to not be troubled. Despite all that goes on around us, we have a Prince of Peace who loves us and gives us his peace. Praise the Lord!

Rejoice with us as you peruse the stories shared below that illustrate how God’s peace is given through his Word.

Modified image by Sergei Akulich from Pixabay.

Preparing a Delicious Meal
Drew Maust is, in some ways, a chef. As a translation consultant in Cameroon, he helps three Bible translation teams prepare life-sustaining “meals” for their people. For one of the teams he works with, help from JAARS-trained pilots in Cameroon was a vital ingredient in the process. Read the full story here.

What Are You Tied Into?
Our new CrossVenture|Coastal program, which teaches high-school-aged students about boating and missions, shares a story about the Motilon people of Colombia to illustrate the importance of tying into God’s love. Read more.

Impassable Mountains or Bountiful Blessings?

God recently turned mountainous challenges—storms, governmental restrictions, and other hardships—into blessings more beautiful than three mission partners could have dreamed. Don't miss this story!

Joseph and Brothers “Fare Well”

A day of reckoning came for Jacob’s sons after his death and the requisite 70 days of mourning (Genesis 49:33). Joseph’s brothers feared he would finally seek retribution now that their protector was gone. They even passed a note, as if from Jacob, begging for mercy and offering to serve Joseph for life (50:15–18). Would a bitter Joseph have the last word, exacting revenge? Or would a better Joseph, under God, prevail at last and extend grace? Read their (and our) last chapter together here.

JAARS Annual Report

How thankful we are for your partnership and involvement with JAARS! Your prayers and generous support throughout the past year truly made an impact. While we faced constraints, God enabled us to respond creatively, as you’ll read in this report. Thank you for making these ministry outcomes possible—but more important, thank you for being friends with us in God’s mission.

Museum, Tours, and Gift Shop Open

In alignment with the North Carolina Governor’s Executive Order 215, JAARS no longer requires masks or social distancing indoors or outdoors on our campus. Of course, you are welcome to continue wearing masks and/or maintaining social distancing if you’re more comfortable.

The Museum of the Alphabet is open! We invite you to stop by to see our new and updated exhibits. Guided and group tours will be available starting in July. We also have a new cell phone tour to guide you through the museum. The museum is sanitized frequently.

Campus tours are now available for groups of all sizes. Reservations are required. Please call 704.843.6130 and leave a message.

The JAARS Gift Shop is open Monday–Friday, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

As you go about your daily life, may you experience God’s peace as described in Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Did you know that a group of JAARS staff meets each weekday morning to pray for our partners? How may we pray for you? Encourage you? Please contact us at prayer@jaars.org or call 888.773.1178.

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

To read stories about the global impact JAARS and its partners are having on Bible translation, subscribe to our blog here.

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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.