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Couple uses retirement as opportunity to serve in missions
by | 22 Mar 2019
Some people might picture retired life as an opportunity for relaxation, but for Larry and Becky Haight, retirement was an opportunity to serve the Lord.
Larry served as the director of library services at Simpson University for more than 20 years, and Becky served as a public school teacher throughout her entire professional life. Although they loved their work, retirement was unavoidable.
In 2017, when they heard that Chapman International College (formerly known as Southeast Asia Nazarene Bible College) was looking for a volunteer librarian, they were thrilled but they were also unsure about the opportunity since Southeast Asia was halfway across the world.
After much prayer, they answered, “Yes, Lord, wherever you send me, I will go.” Larry and Becky took a trip to Southeast Asia in 2018 and described it as the best three weeks of retirement they had.
In 2019, they returned to Southeast Asia to continue their work, and they made the trips by using their retirement savings. They spent thousands of dollars on each trip but felt that this was indeed the call of the Lord.
The gifts and expertise that they had in library services and education was crucial to rebuilding the libraries of many campuses of CIC in Myanmar and Thailand. After their trips, CIC had over 2,000 books cataloged in four languages at multiple campuses.
Larry and Becky were not only working to organize the libraries but were also training local teachers and librarians to hone their skills. Their efforts reflect CIC’s motto, which was inspired by 2 Timothy 2:2, Entrusted to Entrust.
“It’s hard to imagine what a retired librarian and a school teacher could do missions work on the other side of the world, in countries where they spoke different languages,” said Bill Kwon, CIC chancellor. “We believe that the Lord calls each one of us with a unique gift and calling for the greater Kingdom. If we entrust our everything to Him, Jesus can lead us in His works in the most unexpected ways, just as He did for Larry and Becky.”
Larry and Becky have returned to the United States, but CIC Library work continues in Southeast Asia.
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