Why is a Raven like a Writing Desk?

Exciting news! Psalm 67 has an opportunity to get a $1,000 scholarship for our next trip to Mission! Kurt Warner's First Things First foundation gives out these scholarships every year, and I barely meet the maximum age limit to apply (phew!). Unfortunately, while I'm eligible to apply with the group for the scholarship, that also meant I had to write an essay. It may be the worst essay I've written since high school, but I think it's tolerable. Since I have no fear of someone plagiarizing this one-of-a-kind essay, I thought I might torture you by giving you the opportunity to read it. :)

The goals of the essay were to give my reasons for wanting to go on the mission trip, and what I hoped to learn while on the mission trip. Enjoy!

This January God gave me the opportunity to serve at Iglesia Bautista Cristo El Rey. He gave me a love for the church and the kids I worked with, and I left with many questions. In March I hope to return, answer some of these questions, and continue to work with the children.

During our time leading VBS, God gave our five-membered team almost fifty children to work with each evening. With a little more time and a much bigger group, that number could’ve easily swelled to one hundred or more. Mission, Texas is filled with children who are desperate for love and attention. They need someone who they know cares for them. While down there, I was blessed to partially fill that role, but going home felt like abandoning them. I long to return and show them that I love and care for them. More importantly, I want to show them that God loves and cares for them. Ultimately, they do not need me to be their temporary sister; they need God to be their Eternal Father. 

While January’s trip gave me a love for the church and children, it also led to many questions for my future that a second trip would help answer. Should I move to Mission and attend Spanish language school? How can I continue to influence the children’s lives from Missouri? I hope to answer these and many other questions during a return trip.

God began 2012 by putting a love in my heart for a little Hispanic church and a bunch of crazy kids. I don’t know what He has in store for the rest of this year, but I pray that it includes returning to that church this March to find answers and to continue sharing God’s love with the children.

And there you have it! It really is a miracle that I was able to cut it down to 300 words. What kind of crazy small word limit is that??? Please pray that ours would be one of the groups selected to receive a scholarship (or two)! And if that is not the Lord's will, pray that He will provide the funds some other way.

Special thanks to my mother and Billy Jackson for helping me make it better!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Sarah

Another post hijacked by talk of Mission, TX!

Two weeks since the beach, a week since we started the drive home... time really does fly by! I can't even begin to comprehend what it must be like to be outside of time like God. I mean, besides incredibly awesome.

Yesterday was my first Sunday back at my dearly-loved church home. It was so wonderful to see so many sisters and brothers that I am very close to! But at the same time, I kept thinking about our little church in Mission, and churches (and non-existent churches) around the world that don't have the incredible church family I do. I can't imagine living without it. I'm praying for missions like never before.

I didn't really plan on blogging about the trip again. I was mixing up a post about death and Judgement Day and vegetarianism in my mind when I logged on. But for some reason my fingers only want to talk about Texas, so I guess that's the direction this post is going to take!

The fact is, I didn't expect too much from the trip. I was interested in the language school, and if I went to the language school, I would be going to Cristo El Rey, so I thought it would behoove me to go help with VBS and get a feel for the area. I didn't think I'd fall in love with the people. Actually, until two weeks ago, I hated Texas. With a passion. My parents used to talk about moving down there, and I would cry myself to sleep. There are no trees, no hills, no snow. It's truly a supernatural work of God that I want to go back.

The trip has brought me to the end of myself in many ways. Emotionally, I'm having to turn everything over to God repeatedly. Financially, I'm totally broke - broke like I haven't been since... I can't remember when. I always knew I had "no" money, but I did have some, just none I could spend. Now I really have none. I didn't realize what an idol I'd made of that tiny bit of security. I'm thankful that the Lord has taken it away, but at the same time, it's rough learning to trust Him in a whole new way - especially when I thought I already did!

It seems like some answers are beginning to come together. At this point, I really think that I will go to the language school. It's dependent on many things falling into place, but for now I plan to cautiously move in that direction. Whatever the Lord has planned for me, knowing Spanish could only help.
Beyond that, I don't know. At this point I need to work on wrapping up my current responsibilities by August. I'm thinking I should try to get a job again. I'd like to go to the Valley again before school, but I don't know when. And then there are a few other opportunities that I'm prayerfully considering. I don't know how it all is going to mesh together in the end. But God does!

I feel like this post as a very somber tone. Don't get me wrong; I am joyful and excited! But at the same time, there is a weightiness to these decisions. Please continue to pray for me, and for the rest of our group! I know that everyone else appreciates your prayers as much as I do. We serve a beautiful, powerful, caring God; how could (and why do) we hesitate to bring everything to Him in prayer?

May His Name be praised and glorified in my life and yours!

Peace,
Sarah

Now far away the road has gone... and I must follow... if I can...

Well, what to say? This is my second full day at home, and I thought I should give some sort of final update. I miss the Valley and the whole trip so very much. But I'm also very thankful to be seeing my family again. I wish I could just take them all back down with me.

So here I am at another opportunity to trust God. I have a lot of questions for the future right now. Should I go to language school? Should I get a job? If so, where? Should I go on an entirely different sort of mission trip? When can I go back to Mission?  With my future so volatile, how much can I commit to?

I'm eager for answers and action, but I know that everything will come together in God's perfect time. I just have to trust that yes, He will continue to provide all I need, and He will show me which way I should go. There are ways that I very much hope He will lead, but everything is in His hands, and I can rest in the trust that He will take care of everything perfectly.

On the way home, Billy shared a verse with us that has given me a lot of comfort as I consider these questions, and I'd like to end with it. I'm also tempted to steal one of his amazing pictures, but since he's not here to give me permission, I guess you'll just have to hunt one down yourself.

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
   which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

Proverbs 4:18

Peace,

Sarah

El es bueno! (a summary of the final four days of the VBS mission trip to Mission, Texas)

I'm sorry that my updates on this trip have been so sporadic! Hopefully you've been following our adventure through Billy's blog, but if not, I'll try to summarize these past few days here and now.

When we last left this thrilling tale, the Bible school was off to a rocky start - and by "rocky" I mean "mass chaos". Everything was out of control, but there was hope for the morning. There's always hope for the morning.

The next night (Thursday) was incredible. Had the first night gone better, we may not have been so impressed with the second, but in context it was absolutely amazing! The kids listened, they participated, they learned, they had fun - it was shockingly wonderful. The change was so dramatic that, even though we had changed the schedule and tried to organize everything better, it was obviously the Lord. We went to bed encouraged and joyful (well, all all but poor Rachel, whose "Flying Chanclas" - the littlest kids - never did shape up completely).

God is amazing. He works things as He so wills, and though it may not seem good to us, it is all working toward the greatest good possible. I'm not skilled in thought, and I'm not very good at expressing what thoughts I have, but it does seem to me that when Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for good for those who are called, it's saying something amazing. The Standard and Creator of goodness Himself has so worked out every second of a believer's life to work together for good!

That being said, let's move on to Friday. On Wednesday, it seemed as though Pandora's Box had been opened. On Thursday, it seemed like it had been closed. On Friday, it was like someone knocked the lid off by accident, and hurriedly replaced it. It started off difficult. We were lacking in volunteers, and the kids didn't listen well for the first activities (Recreation and Snack). When we moved on to the Crafts/Music/Bible Study part, things went a little more smoothly - sometimes. The church was covered in little grains of rice, and filled to the brim with the shouts of unruly young people. But they came from Music singing and from Bible Study eager to tell about the parable they'd learned. All in all, the night was a relative success, but one we prayed we wouldn't have to repeat.

Saturday morning, Billy, Rachel, and I woke up ridiculously early to go see the sunrise at the beach. We loaded up, backed out of the driveway, and realized that we hadn't asked the groundskeeper to open the gate early. He was asleep, and we were locked in until 7AM - by which time the sun was rather high in the sky. Disappointed but laughing, we went back to bed.

Saturday evening Bible School was good. Sure, it wasn't at Thursday levels of perfection, but it was a great improvement on the night before. Throughout this week it really seems like the Lord has been teaching us that nothing is in our control. Using the toughest situations, He blessed us abundantly, and has continued to do so.

Today the kids were great. All we had was Recreation and Bible Study, but they participated admirably. The atmosphere had lost much of its wildness, I think partially due to our upcoming departure. I'm really, really going to miss these people, and I think many of them feel the same way.

And that's about it! Right now we're all packing up so that we can leave by 4AM to try one more time to see the sunrise.

Continue to pray for our team. There are a lot of questions that need answering regarding what to do from here. And I can't wait to come back! I wish I could just take Mission home with me. God is good. He's amazing! He's blessed me beyond my imagination on this trip, and I trust that the decisions we each need to make will be made in His perfect time and way.

To God be the glory!

Sarah

Bumbles Bounce! Right?

Wow.

I don't even know what to say about today. I think VBS should be renamed VHS - Very Humbling School (although people who still watch movies on cassette may not appreciate that much). Goodbye, silly notions of yore that thought I could actually handle a craft class. Good grief!

I'm not complaining, just stating the facts: this evening was utter chaos. Comfortingly, it was utter chaos in EVERY area, not just crafts. We're not really sure if anything we said got across to any of the kids.

AND YET!

Our God is sovereign! He is good! Every second of our lives is working together for His glory and our good! This insane evening is the most perfect thing that could've possibly happened. I truly believe that. And somehow, I can rejoice in it. How great is our God!

However, we do need to change some things, and no change seems up to the daunting task it faces. Pray for us!!!