Something crazy has happened. I went from a little girl going on international mission trips to a married woman leading a short term mission trip. Just to be honest: this scares me to death. But that's ok. I'm not doing it alone. For one thing it is obviously joint with Jonathan. But most importantly God is in control. If He so desires that this trip be taken then it will. We have tons of planning to do, and tons of money to raise. The greatest wall we seem to be hitting is a lack of faith. We have quite a few people willing to go, but say they cannot because they cannot afford it. Those of you who have read my blog before know that I have never paid a dime for the trips God has sent me on. I've lived my whole life on the grace of God, so for me it is second nature to not even concern myself about the funds. Nothing is impossible with God. He is the Creator of the whole universe, if He wants something done, He can get it done. None the less this is the wall people can't seem to see over.
This trip is going to be from May 24th to June 4th 2013, and we will be in Kampala, Uganda. We have made contact with a Ugandan pastor who we will be helping. Most of what we will be doing is evangelism discipleship. One of the issues in this area is that the pastors and church members do not know how to make disciples. Our desire is to have "classroom" time to teach these pastors how to make disciples and afterwards have a time in which we can go with them to evangelize and make contacts with them. Our goal is to have classes for pastors, deacons, and other church members, and also have classes for women (taught by women).
More posts will come as we continue to learn more about what we will be able to do, much of which depends on the talents of the team that we take with us. Please continue to pray for us! Thank you!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
The Coffee Shop Jesus
You know how we are always told to be a light wherever we go? Sometimes I'm not so great at that. More often than not, I just don't think to look around for opportunities to share the gospel when I'm out doing things. Some people are good at that... Me? Not so much. I tend to need someone to slap me in the face. Or maybe come running up to me screaming "Hey you! I need Jesus!" But that would make things easy, now wouldn't it? Jesus never said it would be easy. Actually he said it would be terribly hard (Matthew 24:9). So I started noticing when people came running up to me screaming their need for Jesus.
Obviously they didn't put it in so many words. But it turns out that coffee baristas have all kinds of people talk to them. Think about it: you walk into a nice warm room full of relaxed people, reading, chatting, studing, meeting, etc., and you walk up to the counter to order yourself a comfort drink. You are there searching for something, everyone is. That is why they go to the coffee shop. Look for a place to escape your reality for just a minute and drown in the comfort of a sweet cup of coffee.
Welcome to the coffee shop.
The first person who talks to you, usually, would be me. The barista who asks you how you are doing and what they can serve to you. It takes a minute to prepare your coffee so you chat while she does it. You've already stepped into a relaxed environment and you kinda start to feel like you can let yourself go. So you talk, at first it is about this and that, but soon you've just indulged all kinds of personal information to this random girl you've never met before.
This is the situation I find myself in all the time. It's like "Here you go, Sarah, have an opportunity today!" So what do I do? I talk back, sometimes they need comfort, sometimes just someone who will listen, other times they ligitimately need advice. And when that opportunity arrises, I would be a fool to ignor it. Now, no one want Jesus shoved down their throat (when something is shoved down your throat you tend to choke). So I introduce, usually to myself. After all, since Jesus has done such a wonderful work in my life they will see that, and want it themselves.
Rarely do they just come once either. Once they have opened themself up to someone they usually come back. Then you have another opportunity, after all they already know where you are going to take it so you may as well.
More often than not, you are introduced to their deep dark secrets, and that is ok. They are sinners, that doesn't mean run away. Jesus hung out with sinners (Matthew 9:12), why shouldn't I? I'm a sinner. I just have grace.
Why not share it?
Obviously they didn't put it in so many words. But it turns out that coffee baristas have all kinds of people talk to them. Think about it: you walk into a nice warm room full of relaxed people, reading, chatting, studing, meeting, etc., and you walk up to the counter to order yourself a comfort drink. You are there searching for something, everyone is. That is why they go to the coffee shop. Look for a place to escape your reality for just a minute and drown in the comfort of a sweet cup of coffee.
Welcome to the coffee shop.
The first person who talks to you, usually, would be me. The barista who asks you how you are doing and what they can serve to you. It takes a minute to prepare your coffee so you chat while she does it. You've already stepped into a relaxed environment and you kinda start to feel like you can let yourself go. So you talk, at first it is about this and that, but soon you've just indulged all kinds of personal information to this random girl you've never met before.
This is the situation I find myself in all the time. It's like "Here you go, Sarah, have an opportunity today!" So what do I do? I talk back, sometimes they need comfort, sometimes just someone who will listen, other times they ligitimately need advice. And when that opportunity arrises, I would be a fool to ignor it. Now, no one want Jesus shoved down their throat (when something is shoved down your throat you tend to choke). So I introduce, usually to myself. After all, since Jesus has done such a wonderful work in my life they will see that, and want it themselves.
Rarely do they just come once either. Once they have opened themself up to someone they usually come back. Then you have another opportunity, after all they already know where you are going to take it so you may as well.
More often than not, you are introduced to their deep dark secrets, and that is ok. They are sinners, that doesn't mean run away. Jesus hung out with sinners (Matthew 9:12), why shouldn't I? I'm a sinner. I just have grace.
Why not share it?
Sunday, September 30, 2012
A Very Long Month
Sometimes there are times that are joyful and other times when everything that can go wrong goes wrong. The month of September was one of the latter times for Jonathan and I. In August we found out that we were pregnant! We and both our families were very excited! I was dealing with quite a bit of morning sickness, but I had started a new (and better) job in Wake Forest and was able to keep going to school and work despite it. But then September started... The day before my birthday my grandfather (mother's father) passed away from lung cancer and COPD. We had to go to Tennessee for two days, which was difficult seeing I was constantly nauseated and the driving took it's toll on me. It hit my mom rather hard but we all tried to support her and the family during the time. The very next Monday I had my first pre-natal check up, there we found out that I had a abnormal pregnancy called a Molar Pregnancy. Basically there wasn't enough DNA to give the baby life but my body tried to compensate for it by taking nutrition from me and feeding it to the tissue that was growing in my womb making me very sick. At the end of the week I had a DNC, we will still be able to have kids but we will need to wait a few months till we are clear to try again. A week and a half afterwards Jonathan's grandfather (mother's father) passed away, also from COPD. We went to South Carolina for the funeral and visited his family.
It's been a hard month, but God has sustained us through the storm. With the support of our church, family, and friends we have been encouraged to continue on. And we know that not only must life continue on but we must trust that the events of the past month will be used by God for good (Romans 8:28). We look forward to the next month to see what God has in store or us.
It's been a hard month, but God has sustained us through the storm. With the support of our church, family, and friends we have been encouraged to continue on. And we know that not only must life continue on but we must trust that the events of the past month will be used by God for good (Romans 8:28). We look forward to the next month to see what God has in store or us.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Real Life Missions
So I realize that I haven't been on any mission trips recently, but that doesn't negate my responsibility as a Christian to live a "missional" life. Right now at the stage I'm in, I'm not able to go on many trips (I'm lucky to find time to visit my family). But I have been busy. There is alot going on at my local church that I have been able to be a part of. Just learning to play a different part at church has been a wonderful experience. Jonathan and I both have experienced what it is like to be a lay-person at a church without living in the shadow of being the "preacher's kid". We are teaching Sunday School, working with our youth, we go to youth camp and events as chaperons, and we teach at VBS in the summer. I've been able to do things with the women's ministry and in short just help serve others without being expected to.
One of the biggest ministry opportunity in my life right now is at my job. I work at an itty-bitty, one-room store in the mall. And every day I work with my manager. It is usually just the two of us and we get to spend alot of time together. We have since built a very good friendship. There is only one thing... she is Muslim. Knowing how to share the gospel with her in a way that she will be accepting is hard. She has a very poor view of American Christianity. I have continually tried to let her see my life and the way I live in hopes that she will realize that my "Christianity" is different from what she sees others living out.
One of the hardest points of sharing with her is getting to the gospel. It is very easy to talk to her about God, or even some of the patriarchs and biblical characters. She very often will strike up a conversation about a moral topic and ask me what I believe about this or that issue. But I don't know how to breach the subject of Jesus. I don't want to preach it to her, I already know she doesn't respond well to that. No one responds well to having something shoved down their throats. Right now I am just waiting on and praying for, I guess, a "Divine Moment" to present itself and allow me to talk to her about it.
One of the hardest things though is that sharing the gospel has gone from something I do with random strangers or kids to something alot more personal. This woman is my friend. Every time I listen to someone preach or teach on sharing the gospel, especially when they are talking about a Muslim context, I perk up and listen like my life depends on it. Well, mine doesn't, but her's does. And that fact breaks my heart. So many times I come home from work or from one of those missions lectures with a heavy heart. I know that I am sharing in the heart-brokenness of God for the lost at those moments. Missions has become real now. Before it was just a nice idea. Sometimes the hardest thing is when she walks out of the back room after praying to Allah and she looks miserable. Like someone just maliciously killed her cat or something. But I know that the reason for these expressions is that she has no hope.
Right now I continue to search for moments of opportunity. I daily pray for her. And right now I'm in the market for material to help me know what to do and say. I'm also looking for a Bible in Arabic, her heart language.
One of the biggest ministry opportunity in my life right now is at my job. I work at an itty-bitty, one-room store in the mall. And every day I work with my manager. It is usually just the two of us and we get to spend alot of time together. We have since built a very good friendship. There is only one thing... she is Muslim. Knowing how to share the gospel with her in a way that she will be accepting is hard. She has a very poor view of American Christianity. I have continually tried to let her see my life and the way I live in hopes that she will realize that my "Christianity" is different from what she sees others living out.
One of the hardest points of sharing with her is getting to the gospel. It is very easy to talk to her about God, or even some of the patriarchs and biblical characters. She very often will strike up a conversation about a moral topic and ask me what I believe about this or that issue. But I don't know how to breach the subject of Jesus. I don't want to preach it to her, I already know she doesn't respond well to that. No one responds well to having something shoved down their throats. Right now I am just waiting on and praying for, I guess, a "Divine Moment" to present itself and allow me to talk to her about it.
One of the hardest things though is that sharing the gospel has gone from something I do with random strangers or kids to something alot more personal. This woman is my friend. Every time I listen to someone preach or teach on sharing the gospel, especially when they are talking about a Muslim context, I perk up and listen like my life depends on it. Well, mine doesn't, but her's does. And that fact breaks my heart. So many times I come home from work or from one of those missions lectures with a heavy heart. I know that I am sharing in the heart-brokenness of God for the lost at those moments. Missions has become real now. Before it was just a nice idea. Sometimes the hardest thing is when she walks out of the back room after praying to Allah and she looks miserable. Like someone just maliciously killed her cat or something. But I know that the reason for these expressions is that she has no hope.
Right now I continue to search for moments of opportunity. I daily pray for her. And right now I'm in the market for material to help me know what to do and say. I'm also looking for a Bible in Arabic, her heart language.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Next Step In Life
One of the interesting things about following (and for me: reviewing) my blog posts and reading about the things that are going on is realizing that missions and ministry work happens not only when you're overseas or at a camp but rather noticing it happening during your every day life. Too many people believe that "ministry" is something you do in relation with a church or organization. Not enough people realize that real ministry happens when real Christian people impact real people. What also should be emphasized is that ministry is not just helping the lost but also their fellow Christian brothers and sisters. Most of the ministry that I have been able to be a part of since starting college have been of that sort. I have learned to be a real person and impact people during my every day life.
Last week, Jonathan and I were married. I am a wife. Which means that now my first ministry responsibility is Jonathan. I see him everyday. Everything I do, I must do with him in mind. If this doesn't teach one to serve I don't know what will. Our goal remains the same: to become international church planters. Our desire is to minister to the physical and educational needs of children in third world countries. How exactly that will play out, we don't know. That is still in the dreaming stage! But for right now while still pursuing our education we continue to actively minister in our local church, Grace, through doing basically anything we can get our hands into. We also both work secular jobs, he works as a manager at UPS and I am a sale's associate at a small store called Glitter. We continually endeavor to build relationships with those we work with praying that we will be a light for Christ through our influence.
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