“Grandma” Shary in Cambodia: An inspiring journey of faith and purpose

At 59 years of age, George and Shary Frahm went to Indonesia. George, an engineer, was offered a job teaching at a university while both George and Shary served as dorm parents. There, they felt the Lord calling them to be missionaries in Asia.

When Indonesia did not renew their work visas, the Frahms accepted a call by LCMS World Mission as missionaries in Cambodia, serving as consultants for a construction project. Focused on their ministry in Cambodia, they were unaware of the tensions boiling beneath the surface between the LCMS and the project leaders. After 20 months on the job, the LCMS decided to no longer support the project and terminated the Frahm’s missionary call.

Heartbroken, George and Shary returned to the USA, determined to find another way to serve as missionaries in Cambodia. They knocked on every door, chasing down leads to return to the country and the people that they loved. Nothing worked. They felt defeated. They began to question their call – was the Lord really calling them to serve as missionaries?

They didn’t know it, but in their darkest hour, God was working. GLO director Jim Tino was invited to speak at a church in Palatine, Illinois, where the Frahms were living with family. By divine appointment, they attended the same church that Sunday and learned about the ministry of Global Lutheran Outreach. Could this be the answer they were looking for? 

The Frahms invited Jim to meet with them the next day. They learned that GLO removes the roadblocks so that missionaries can follow God’s call on their lives, wherever it may lead. Finally, an organization that would allow them to be who God wanted them to be! Six months later, they were back in Cambodia serving as missionaries!

Returning to Cambodia

After 7 years, God called George home to heaven. Without her lifelong partner, Shary wondered what God had in store for her. She could not imagine returning to Cambodia without George, but neither could she stop thinking about the country and the people that she loved. When pastor Ravy from Cambodia called her and asked her to return, she knew her answer. Three years ago, at age 73 and with full confidence in the Lord’s provision and care for her, Shary returned to Cambodia as a GLO missionary! 

Today, Shary serves alongside pastor Ravy in Siem Reap, Cambodia six months out of the year, and spends the rest of the year living in the USA with her children and grandchildren. She is helping to plant Taros Village Hope Lutheran Church by serving people in their needs and teaching English, and she loves it! Everyone calls her “mama” or “grandma”. Recently, a volunteer team from Poland visited Siem Reap and was so impressed by the service of such a “senior” missionary that they made videos of her! 

Thank you for helping Shary follow her call. Your faithful support makes it possible for Global Lutheran Outreach to help people like Shary pursue their calling as missionaries, walking alongside them, and providing the essential tools, training, and support missionaries need to step into their calling with confidence.

Original story by James Tino’s newsletter