A Missionary At 70

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.” – 1 Timothy 1:12

Gef Smock - Missionary at 70

In 2001, on his 33rd wedding anniversary, Don Smock, a U.S. diplomat passed away. His widow, Gef, was a bit lost as to what to do after Don’s death. 

"Someone told me to go to a missions conference, that it would make me feel better," she said. "I listened to the missionaries tell stories, and I knew I needed to go. So when they gave the invitation, I walked down."

She continued: “I knew this was exactly what I was supposed to be doing. All those years of traveling with my husband had prepared me for this, for what God was going to do with me at this age. I was going to go wherever the Lord led." 

So at age 70, Gef began a three-year tour serving as a high school English teacher for missionary kids in Thailand.

Then she got a surprise when the Lord led her to become a missionary in Macedonia for six years. Both of Gef’s parents had emigrated from Macedonia and she was fluent in the language.  

She said was "the obvious work of God's hand," she ended up in Macedonia. She retired from missionary service at age 79, knowing that the Lord gives strength to all who faithfully serve Him.

Jesus loves you and has a plan for your life. It is a plan to bring your Heavenly Father glory. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He will give you strength if you faithfully serve Him.

"The measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but how many men he serves." - D.L. Moody

God’s Word: “I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness” – Colossians 1:25

By Peter Kennedy