JAARS Volunteers Speak

Gladis Lund recognized God’s leading when she moved into a furnished apartment near JAARS. Hanging on the wall was her “life verse”: Be still, and know that I am God. It is both understandable and ironic that Gladis desires to focus on this verse. An energetic, outgoing woman, her life is anything but still.

Bilingual in English and Spanish, and a member of the American Translators Association, Gladis interprets at meetings and translates documents. Certified in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language), she tutors people in English. Some days she substitute-teaches in local elementary schools. Evenings and weekends, she works at an office supply store. On top of all that, she volunteers at JAARS, giving tours about ten hours a week in the two museums (the Mexico-Cárdenas Museum and the Alphabet Museum) on campus.

Gladis’ interest in JAARS and Wycliffe began almost 20 years ago in Bible college. In 2002 she took the Total It Up! course to learn more about translation work with Wycliffe. Then in early 2004 she trained for three months in Vernacular Media Services acquiring skills such as dubbing the JESUS film. Gladis says, “I thought VMS would be the perfect place to work, but its technical demands were not for me. I’m a people person!”

Finally Gladis discovered the need for docents in the Mexico Cárdenas Museum and the Museum of the Alphabet. “Now I’ve found my niche,” she says. “I praise God because this is where my talents can blossom.” Gladis enjoys receiving visitors and school groups and showing them the early history of Wycliffe in Mexico and the development of alphabets around the world. She carries museum fliers in her purse and enthusiastically hands them out wherever she goes, spreading the word.

Gladis especially enjoyed an opportunity to talk about cultural sensitivity to a large group of elementary teachers who visited JAARS for a day.

A native of El Salvador, Gladis recently moved here to North Carolina. As more and more Spanish-speaking people come into the area, Gladis hopes to see churches reach out to them. She’s talked to several pastors, offering her help and experience as they plan for the future. In the fall, she will be teaching English at Forest Hill Church where she worships.

Gladis admits that right now her “plate is full.” Trusting God to order her steps as she settles here, she says, “God is establishing His plan for my life. In the midst of my activities, I seek to be still, know God, and follow His leading.”