A well-deserved retirement for Laureine and Francis

Francis and Laureine Aschbacher have been active partners of FPC since 1978. We asked them what major lessons they have learned during these 43 years of faithful and persevering service.

New stage: retirement! The years have passed very quickly. We would first like to express our gratitude for God’s faithfulness. We also want to thank everyone who gave and prayed, which allowed us to serve the Lord as full-time missionaries all these years. God remains faithful and good. He wants to teach us to look to him constantly, to depend on him and not on our strengths, means or strategies. Relationships with non-believers are essential. We want to serve them as if serving the Lord and thus manifest the life of Christ in us. And to do this, whatever our status!

Our plans? We aim to move closer to family in Alsace. God has his plan. We are already adapting to another lifestyle. Our relationship with God remains the priority.

The burden of FPC’s work remains on our hearts and prompts us to pray. May the example of Epaphras inspire us! “Epaphras who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured (1)”. He prayed that believers would remain subject to the will of God. Missionary work needs Epaphras. Day by day, each servant must understand what God expects of him, without allowing himself to be distracted by multiple occupations, and discern how to conduct the work with the Christians where he is. The salvation of those who do not yet know Jesus Christ is the top priority for everyone and therefore for our churches. Epaphras fought in this way by praying!