Posted in Gainesville, GA by Sara Hansen on 5/9/2012
My suitcase rests up against my bedroom wall, still
packed with warm weather clothes. I don't mind packing, it's the putting away
that I find laborious. Maybe it's because it means it's time to come back to
reality. My neck hurts pretty badly anyways; whiplash. We hit the concrete
barrier at 80 miles an hour. I don't know why it wasn't worse than it was, but
I do know why I don't have burn marks on my face from it meeting an airbag at
an obscene rate of speed. Jesus.
We started reading Atlas
Shrugged on the drive down to St. Augustine. Ayn Rand sure has a way
with descriptions, vocabulary, etc. That's probably why I was still holding the
paperback tightly in my clutch as we spun 360's across I-75,  this jaunt on the
way back up to North Georgia from a relaxing weekend in one of my favorite
places. Reading aloud, I was working my way through to the end of an intense
chapter. I just wanted to finish reading so I could take a drink of diet Dr.
Pepper, stretch my legs from the awkward position I had them resting in on the
dashboard, and ask Adam what CD he wanted to
listen to next. But, I started to become increasingly more uncomfortable with
each new vocabulary word that found its way springing from my mouth. The sound
of rain pelting us from outside my humble four-door had grown so loud I had to
noticeably raise my voice so Adam could keep up with the characters I had found
myself so absorbed within.
Suddenly, smack in the middle of a sentence, I have vision
of white. I see us spinning, hitting the concrete divider in the middle of the
interstate, airbags deploying: my absolute. worst. nightmare. I don't know what
it is, but I have a freakishly intense fear of being in a bad car accident.
Having only experienced one early on in my life, that I happened to walk away
from, it seems irrational. I find myself thinking about this at the most random
times - in the shower, driving down the road, at work. So, I didn't actually
pay too much attention to the strange vision that vividly interrupted my
reading. I did however pay enough attention to immediately pray silently,
'Jesus, please don't let the airbags go off'.
Spinning. Out of control. The whole world is spinning and
I'm more than terrified, bracing for some sort of control. I wait for impact.
***CRASH*** I wait for airbags to rudely greet my face. I am clenched, eyes
shut tight, the only words I hear are me methodically chanting, 'Jesus, Jesus,
Oh Jesus...' and Adam, calmly, 'It's fine. It's going to be okay. We are going to
be fine.'
The spinning stops and we are facing oncoming traffic. Oh,
Jesus. Adam expertly guides my car off the shoulder of the highway. Holy shit.
What just happened?! Impossibly, the rain we had just encountered is coming
down harder. Oh, how convenient - hail starts to ricochet off the miraculously still
intact windshield. I am in shock. Adam is looking at my distressed profile,
continuing to ask, 'Are you okay? Are you hurt?'.
I am having a hard time not being doubly traumatized by the
fact that a mili-second before our accident, I saw it happen. I can't find any
words to communicate. For the most part, my little Hyundai is still intact.
Thank Jesus the blasted airbags did not deploy. Blood. The only marks of injury
are three toes on my left foot. I became so randomly uncomfortable before I had
time to finish the chapter I was reading aloud, I pulled my legs down from the
dash to a normal seated position (Thank you, God!), and my toes got jammed
under the dash during impact.
I am trying to make sense of how we are okay.
Why didn't we flip? Why are we talking? Why didn't the
airbags go off? Why is Adam walking around outside the car surveying the
damage? If you hydroplaned into cotton candy at 80mph wouldn't your car be more jacked up than this? Why hasn't anyone stopped to help us?
Why does my God go before me in all
situations, even when I don't know to pray that I need Him?
Within twenty minutes we are standing in front of my car,
taking in the scene with a mechanic...at 5:40 p.m. On a Sunday evening. In
the-middle-of-nowhere-Georgia. Really, Jesus? Thank you. We still had four
hours to drive to make it back to Gainesville, and by this point, I was mentally
preparing myself to have my car towed to God-knows-where, and stay the night in
a roadside motel that I'm sure has the soundtrack to Deliverance playing on repeat.
Kenneth, our new best friend, just so happened to be the
roadside repair mechanic for a truck stop we were only half a mile from.  He
gave us the amazing news that, even with a front impact, the radiator was not
damaged enough to keep us from driving the rest of the way home. Upon closer
inspection, Kenneth pointed out that the way the metal just so happened to bend
around the point of impact, it formed a sort of barrier around the airbag
sensor. 'If the impact hit just even an inch over this way, the airbags would
have gone off', Kenneth reported to us while kneeling near the driver's side
fender.
Thank. You. Jesus.
I don't know why I had the opportunity to pray, again - a
mili-second before the crash, that the airbags would not go off, but I do know if
they had:
a)
I would have been in full-fledged shock and likely inconsolable
b)
there would have been much greater whiplash than
what Adam and I have been experiencing
c)
my car would easily have been totaled for more
than it's worth
d)
we would not have been able to make the
additional four-hour drive back to Gainesville we still had
in front of us
This is not a blog bashing airbags. This is a blog
proclaiming that our God has our best interests in mind, even when we can't see
or make sense of them. The morning of the crash, I randomly became captivated by
Exodus 33 when the Lord commands Moses to lead his people of out
Sinai. The verse I spent the most time fixated on was verse 19:
'I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will
proclaim the name of the Lord before you.'
Amen. Amen. Amen.
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Posted in Gainesville, GA by Sara Hansen on 12/17/2011
I have only been a
Tim Tebow fan for about a week now. I know. It's ghastly. Sometimes I wondered
if I was the only 20-something, single, Christian female in America that did
not want to marry him. And well, now that's hindsight. (Timmy & Co. - if
you happen to be reading this, and your name is trademarked, please don't sue me for infringement or some other
scary legal word - marry me instead. Doesn't that just sound like more fun?)
I lived in his
hometown before and throughout the inception of Tebow-mania. I couldn't stand
the sound of his name, or the fact that most of the guys I knew had bigger
crushes on him than me. I also found my mother's persistent statements of,
'Sara, do you know Tim Tebow? He does mission work. You should marry him,'
pathetic.
Last Saturday night
I read an article in The Washington Post
that, for lack of a better word, converted me. Can I get an AMEN for a positive
male role model in the professional sports industry?! I found myself proud of a
man I don't even know, and just happy to see a young male who has swept our
nation by storm that remains standing on a sound, biblical platform. Fast-forward
to Sunday evening; the end of a long, successful ministry scouting trip for
Adventures Youth throughout Philadelphia and Western Pennsylvania. What better
way to celebrate than breaking in my newfound fandom of Tebow at a wings joint
with flat-screens bigger than my bed?
I locate an empty
spot at the bar smack in front a TV airing the Broncos game. Situating myself,
I begin to make small talk with the man next to me. I think he asked if I was a
Tebow fan. I remember reprogramming myself from my previous general response of
eye rolling, to enthusiastically going on a rant about the article I read the
night before, and how I made it out that night just to cheer Timmy on. It's
clear that this gentleman appreciates Tebow for similar reasons - we are both
stoked to see a young male in the spotlight that gives glory to the Lord.
Soon we find
ourselves in a conversation about mission work...and how we both have served in
missions on the same island in the Philippines. Next we begin discussing this
man's passion for the underserved and his heart to reach out and do more. He
tells me about the 11 different children he sponsors all over the world, and
his desire to be more involved in missions. I ventured out for some wings and Tebow-gazing,
and ended up in one of the most encouraging, life-breathing conversations with
a complete stranger I've had since the Race. This is something I like to call a
divine appointment. I have struggled with the second part of this tale going in
many different directions because of the paths the Lord directed me on during
this particular trip.
Bill is just one
story. There is also the contact I had in South Africa during month seven of my
Race. I deemed him a saint for dealing with the issues my team was navigating
at the time. What do you know, I had the chance to spend time with him not only
seeking reconciliation for the burden I had carried off the field regarding his
perception of the World Race, but really getting to know him as a person, on
several different occasions while I was in Philadelphia. He is no longer in
South Africa, but is pursuing a graduate degree at Eastern University in
Philadelphia.
Or - I could really
dish about the roommate I had in college right before I became a Christian. I
could tell you the juicy, scandalous, heart-wrenching tale about how we parted
ways six years ago, certain I would never speak to her again because of how
betrayed I felt at the end our friendship, and how horrible I treated her in
return. I spent last Saturday night reuniting with her and meeting her beautiful,
young family. My hotel room just happened to be in her hometown in Western
Pennsylvania.
Wait - there is more. The fascinating young man I met
my last day in Philadelphia while I was swinging by a small pub off the beaten
track for a late lunch. Chris. A self-proclaimed atheist born and bred in
Philly, he told me some amazing tales about growing up there, and I heard about
some dark things that are currently a part of his life. A good hour of
listening and vulnerability from both ends brought us to a point where Chris
told me, 'I hope you're not offended - I don't believe in God, but I believe in
people like you that actually give a shit about the world and are out there
doing something about it. That's what it should be like, there shouldn't be
pretense of religion or a set of rules, it should be about everyone loving
their neighbor, serving the greater good, and giving glory to the one who
watches over us all.'
Chris didn't know it
at the time, but he just shared the gospel with me.
God's favor showed
up big time for me on this trip in the form of relationships. We don't always
experience favor in our relationships. Sometimes, the second half of the Greatest Commandment can feel like the
biggest hurdle to overcome. I am so thankful for new chances, second chances, and
finding God's favor through relationship.
Julio, Bill,
Clynton, Michelle, Chris - I saw God in each of you last week. Thank you for
giving me a chance to experience more of His favor in my life.
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Posted in Gainesville, GA by Sara Hansen on 12/12/2011
I'm sitting on the front steps of an old church. The cold
from the marble seeping through my business slacks is not helping the
shivering. The sun hasn't yet made an appearance this morning, but at least
it's not raining. My boots, business slacks, pea coat and scarf will have to do
for now.
'I'm just around the corner' - a text message from Reverend
Adan pops up on my phone. Not cut out for the cold, I eagerly bound towards the
black SUV that has just stopped short in front of the church. A tan-skinned arm
shoots out of the driver window and quickly waves me over.
The fact that we are even able to make this meeting happen
is a small miracle. It just so happened my first meeting of the morning had just
gotten moved back a few hours, and Rev. Adan has only one hour to meet with me
before he has to preach at a memorial service. At the moment, all I know about
Rev. Adan is that he is a Latino preacher in an at-risk area of Philadelphia, a
stones throw away from Kensington Avenue. We could equate Kensington Ave. to
San Fran's Tenderloin District, Dallas' Southside, New Orleans' 9th
Ward (pre-Katrina). Get the picture?
I hop in the front seat of the nice SUV and slam the cold
out behind me. Rev. Adan is on his cell phone continuing a conversation in
Spanish. 'He must be figuring out the rest of the details for his memorial
service,' I think as I continue to reply to text messages on my phone. About a
minute passes. I also notice that Reverend Adan smells amazing. Like gay
gingerbread men. And then I realize how odd that thought was. I turn and look
at the large Latino man in the driver's seat, now off his cell phone.
(My thoughts as I extend a hand for a quick, firm shake) **OHSH**!!**
My face must have
said it just as well, because about the same time I realize I could very well
become the next Lifetime movie
feature (young missionary disappears off of Philly's notorious Kensington
Ave....), Julio says, 'Cleary, I am not who you thought I was.'
'No!', I manage to
squeal. 'I thought you were the pastor I'm supposed to meet at the church!'
Julio chuckles while repeating what I've just said. I'm starting to take in the
scene and realize a few things. Again, Julio smells like a shiny gingerbread
dream. He is big. Very big. Attractive, and has a long scar across his left
cheekbone.
Still chuckling,
Julio responds, 'No. I am not a pastor. I am a pharmacist.'
Awesome. I have now
officially, voluntarily just hopped
into a drug dealer's SUV. In one of the roughest 'burbs in America.
'Who are
you?', Julio wants to know. 'I'm a missionary!', I squeak back. Here comes
Julio's chuckle again - mixed with a note of confusion - 'Oh. I thought you
were a prostitute.'
'No! I'm a
missionary!', I squeal again.
If flight or fight hadn't have already kicked in,
I may have been more amused at the pitch of my voice by this time. It took me
less than an hour to find a lot of humor from this encounter, but this
introduction I will never forget:
'I thought you were
a pastor.'
'No. I'm a drug dealer.
I thought you were prostitute.'
'No. I'm a
missionary.'
The power of
perception and the AMAZING HAND OF GOD'S PROTECTION AND MERCY!!! The best part
of this story came right after Julio and I established our professions, and
right before I catapulted myself out his car and back to the church, where the
real Reverend Adan was standing on the corner waiting for me.
When I told Julio I
was a missionary, he looked me dead in the eyes and asked me to pray for him.
Again, I had already arrived at fight or flight mode and came to the conclusion
that closing my eyes and laying hands on a man who had just mistaken me for a prostitute
was probably not the best next step. I held his gaze for moment, assured him I
would, then ran like hell to Reverend Adan.
I thought about
Julio a lot that day. I thought about the value of my life, the power of perception,
and I thought about God's hand over me as I continue to pursue a life of
bringing Kingdom here in the United States. This could have ended so, so bad -
but this experience has further increased my faith in a God that watches me
closely, and blesses me in doing His work. I am still praying for Julio. For
strongholds to be broken in his life, and that one day he'll be doing ministry
alongside me on Kensington Avenue.
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Posted in Gainesville, GA by Sara Hansen on 12/2/2011
I fly down the staircase and burst through the doors like
the building is on fire. It's not. I'm just beside myself with excitement and
moving too quickly for composure. This is a momentous occasion. An occurrence
I've heard much about, seen in movies, tried to imagine, but have never seen
with my own eyes.
The first snow flurries of a winter season.
 I faintly remember one of my coworkers calling after me as I
bound down the stairs to take my coat, but I don't even notice the cold. I look
probably every bit like your 5 year-old daughter when she laid eyes on
Cinderella's castle at Disney World for the first time. With the flood of
missionaries piling out of the offices, curious to take in the first flurries,
comes also a flood of tears from my widened eyes.
(not exactly what it looked like, at all. I can't wait to see this though!)
My hands are stretched out in front of me feeling for the
first time this white substance falling from the sky. I am giddy, giggling and
crying at the same time, kind of spinning in half circles as well. I turn and
come face to face with a confused and hesitant DHL man walking up the stairs to
deliver the afternoon mail. Poor guy. I glance above me and see the entire
Logistics Department from AIM crammed into the small space of an upstairs
window, pointing down at me and laughing. I really must look like a lunatic.
But this common thing they call 'snow' looks so absolutely beautiful falling
from the sky amongst a backdrop of bare forest and gray sky.
This experience was a pure form of excitement and abandonment
that I have not felt since I was under the double-digit age. I can't help but make
the correlation between being brought back to a child-like state in this
experience and wondering if this is some of what Jesus was talking about when
he mentions child-like faith in the gospel?
- the J-Man.
What if we reacted to more of God's blessings with the
reverence of a child?
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Posted in Gainesville, GA by Sara Hansen on 10/25/2011
I'm in the middle of the road. There are severed power lines
hanging from leaning posts, houses with broken boards over the windows, and
empty lots where such houses once stood. It's quiet for a neighborhood - not
many people are here anymore. I'm looking directly in front of me at a concrete
barrier. "That's the spot where the levee broke," Pastor Johnson tells me when
he sees my eyes staring directly ahead.
I'm one of four in an Escalade, riding around a neighborhood
I wouldn't dare navigate on foot. As we drive by city commissioned parks and
public schools sprayed with graffiti, I listen to stories from one of the
ex-drug dealers in the back seat who is telling me that more people come to
this square mile of South Dallas to buy drugs than 'any other hood in the city
because you can find anything under the sun here'.
Pastor Johnson and I have left the site of the new house the
Lord has blessed him with. Exactly two blocks from where the first levee in the
Ninth Ward broke. He has a vision to use this new home the Lord has blessed him
with, in an area that's been known for nothing other than devastation, to house
missionaries coming to continue the rejuvenation of New Orleans. After we
finish a lunch of Po'boys and Cajun shrimp at a local spot under an overpass,
he tells me one of the most profound things I have heard in a while...
"At the end of the day, it's not about Katrina. It's not about Obama- or Bush for
that matter. It's not about black or white - it's about bringing the Kingdom of
God here to earth. Do you know what color that looks like?"
Two of the men in the Escalade I was riding around South
Dallas with were addicted to crack, heroin, and homeless less than eight
years ago. Today, they are two of the lead pastors at a church in Dallas that
is bearing phenomenal fruit. If you have kept up with recent blogs of mine you
have become familiar with the gap I have been called to stand in. On one side lie communities with a variety of devastating problems that cities all over the world face, on the other are thousands of anxious youth whose lives are about to be changed by stepping up to the plate to answer a call to serve others above themselves.
In the summer of 2012 youth from all over the U.S. are going to have the opportunity to meet people like Pastor Johnson and some of the
amazing pastors from South Dallas, and hear the life-changing, paradigm-shifting
testimonies God's redemption stories have to tell. These are just two brief
excerpts of who the Lord has brought along my path as I continue to set up
several of the 13 ministry sites Adventures
Youth will be sending nearly 5,000 teens to this coming summer.
Please continue to join me in prayer as the Lord uses
myself, and my team to form connections with the right ministry partners at our
13 different locations. Your prayers for financial support as we enter an
incredibly busy year of setting up 13 different sites, recruiting and training
staff, and managing all 13 sites when summer comes are so appreciated. We
believe that the Lord has called us here for such a time as this. It has proven to be a wild couple of months so far, and I know we are nowhere near slowing down.
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Posted in Gainesville, GA by Sara Hansen on 10/3/2011
God's taken me around the world four times in
the last five years. Not such a bad score. For one occasionally prone to wanderlust,
this is one of my favorite ways the Lord shows his love for me. Providing
avenues and opportunities for me to share his love trans-continentally to many
different tribes, nations and tongues. I have smelled smells, seen sights,
eaten oddities, experienced adrenaline rushes and had my heart captured by a
rainbow of children I daydream about daily. In my new position at Adventures in
Missions, the Lord is pulling back a whole new curtain that is growing my heart
for a place you have also visited. The good ole' U S of A.
In Clarkston, Georgia, an area ten minutes from downtown
Atlanta, I was experiencing culture shock. In America. African women walking
down paved, black- top roads wearing shetenges (colorful pieces of fabric used
as 'modesty skirts'), some even carrying babies on their backs in them,
balancing large bundles of items on top of their heads - just like the norm in
Malawi. Laundry being done outside, hanging from trees... Asians, Indians,
Middle-Easterners, Africans - 80% of Clarkston is made up of refugees. I could
not believe there was a place like this a stone's throw away from one of the
bigger, busier cities in America. And I know this doesn't even compare to some of the other immigrant
communities in America.
scouting ministry sites here last week. Another eye-opening experience of what is
going on in one of America's at-risk communities.
I have entered the logistics and set-up phase for my
position in Adventures Youth. Scouting several of the 13 different ministry
sites we are offering for high school-age students to serve at during summer
2012 is where the majority of my efforts and energies have been and will be
focused through the New Year. Just returning from a trip to the West Coast late
last night, I am now preparing to travel to Dallas and New Orleans in two weeks
to begin researching areas of need and ways to connect the next generation to
meet those needs. It was the trip to Clarkston, and my recent stint in San
Francisco when God began to pull back this new curtain of my perception.
The sights I saw, the languages I heard spoken, the smells
that I smelled, the children that stared back up at me...in our own
backyard...are just like the ones I experienced overseas.
One of the biggest resistances I have received from my fellow
Americans in my pursuit as a missionary is, "Why do you have to travel all the
way around the world to help the needy? We have plenty of that here." I'll save
the explanation of a 'calling' for another blog, but I want you to know I hear
you. Now, more than ever. I am utterly fascinated by some of the people I have met and
the stories I have heard since becoming a domestic missionary. I have
always known there are needs to be met here in America, but the recent
glimpses I've
experienced throughout the past month have melted my heart for my
homeland.
If you would
like to make an impact in your own backyard, please consider making a 100% tax
deductible donation by clicking on the 'Support Me' tab. Your donation will enable me to continue digging into places of need across America, as well as four international ministry sites that are a part of Adventures Youth. You will also be raising up a new generation of leaders from across the U.S. through the participants who will be serving at these locations. Blessings to you, I can not wait to share with you what curtain the Lord pulls back next!
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Posted in Gainesville, GA by Sara Hansen on 9/9/2011
This is an exciting time for Adventures Youth. We are brand new and have about eight months to
prepare for the vision God has cast: mobilizing nearly 5,000 teenagers to bring
light and life to 13 sites throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guatemala, the
Dominican Republic and Jamaica during Summer 2012. In two weeks I fly to San
Francisco to begin scouting ministry partners who will utilize youth from our
backyards to contribute to the works already in play in their communities.
Shortly after a jaunt to the West Coast, it's Atlanta, Dallas and New Orleans
next on my line-up. We also have Chicago, Wisconsin Dells, Western
Pennsylvania, Appalachia and St. Louis to scope out before the New Year.
I've spent my first weeks at AIM becoming best friends with Google Maps through researching
at-risk areas in these cities and what is already being done to assist those in
need. Today is one of those days I just can't believe this is my job. Not only
do I get to spend my time researching
the amazing ways God is using people to live out the gospel here in the U.S., I
was called to do this! Sure, there
are hurdles to overcome finding places for teens to stay and ministries that
are able to accommodate the numbers we hope to mobilize, but I'm already seeing
reward in what God has set in place in these 13 locations.
I ask for your prayers that we would be linked with the ministries God
is calling us to partner with, as well as the right accommodations for those we
are going to send. It is so exciting to be a part of something that is new.
I've found myself spending the majority of my days in conversation with my best
friend (not Google Maps, God) asking,
seeking, knocking, and the best part are the testimonies that follow of
churches and non-profits calling me asking for teens to partner with them in
ministries that we feel God told us to link to Adventures Youth.
We have developed a sort of ministry protocol for our sites
we believe all teenagers are equipped for. It is our heart to see teens
empowered in these roles: LEADING children in ministry, COACHING children/peers
in sports, and SERVING alongside local ministries in the communities they are
visiting. Though we are not able to guarantee all three elements at each site,
this is the vision we are following to enable teens to develop trusted,
meaningful relationships in order to bring Kingdom.
If you are in any of the areas I have mentioned, let me
know! I'd love to connect with you as we continue add shape to the vision the
Lord has cast for Adventures Youth.
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Posted in New Beginnings by Sara Hansen on 8/11/2011
I'm sitting at a desk. In a cubicle.
It's cold in the office but my body doesn't realize it because I've
been battling nervous sweats every now and again through the day. I
think back to the other professional jobs I had 'Pre-Race' (P.R.) and
wonder how this is going to compare/contrast.
I wish I would have kept my red
stapler.
And I wish I had updated pictures of my family printed out
so I could frame them in one of the umpteenth number of driftwood and
seashell frames I unwrapped during the weekend of unpacking in my new
condo. I miss them so much already. 
the Siblings.
And then Sami Moor walks by my
cubicle and hands me a trading card with Zach Morris ('Saved by the
Bell') on the front. She tells me he is my new boyfriend. In the same
moment I look up to see a rubber chicken Scotch-taped to a plastic
horse on someone's desk, and I then receive confirmation that yes,
I've come to the right place. These people are in fact my people. For
this next season, Gainesville, Georgia is home.
Monday began my first day on the job as
a full-time staff member for Adventures in Missions, home to the World Race. Working under Jimmy McCarty, I am the first fresh face to
help build Adventures Youth, a new division of AIM's short-term
mission programs. I. Love. My. Job. We have quite a load to
accomplish to prepare for next summer's season of youth mission
trips, but I am ready for the challenge. Before I even left for the
World Race I remember sharing with supporters that I one day wanted
to be seated on the other side of missions, to be the one doing the
sending instead of the doing.
And here I am...
The atmosphere in the office is
everything I could have hoped for. Relaxed yet business,
reverberating with the Holy Spirit, yet there are some inappropriate
jokes that slip out. Some people are clothed in starched dresses with
pretty flats. Some are in cut off's with greasy hair. It. doesn't.
matter. Throughout this past week every time I pull my head up from
trying to wrap my mind around the task ahead I see beautiful, radiant
lovers of Christ surrounding me, working at very different tasks
alongside me, encouraging me, asking me to lunch, have I got
everything settled in my new place?, do I need anything? - and this
is the body. Working together to build, encourage, and bring Kingdom.
And I am blessed and honored to be called to be a part of it.
So, to communicate to you what this
phase of re-entry looks like, I could tell you how awkward it was for
fellow P-Squader, Juliette and I to be in our OWN place the first few
days. Walking around on carpeted floors, with central A.C. (Thank
you, God), staring at the blank white walls and plenty of space with
no furniture to fill it. But, what I would rather tell you about is
the community I've rejoined, and how excited I am to continue a life
of accountability and pressing in to what the Lord has called me to
next. I look forward to keeping you updated with new developments and
more of how His works are advancing.
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Posted in Oh the places we'll go! by Sara Hansen on 7/30/2011
Last night, my Dad showed me a letter I wrote him shortly after becoming a Christian and graduating college. I remember the nerves I had writing it,
and have thought of it often over the years.
I never would have thought I'd be
standing on a street corner in Hong Kong eating hot noodles &
soup. I also never thought I'd be walking around New York City the
day before, or praying over a Pagan temple in an 800 year old
village.
This is my life! This is
what I've just done! And this is just the beginning of my second
mission trip. God is so, so amazing. He has blessed me with these
experiences while I've sought to glorify Him. And I really want to do
this more in my life. People say that if you take the first step and
just make yourself available to Him, God will provide the rest. I'd
say that's true - considering my first free moments from college were
spent traveling around the world for His glory.
These are places you may
never see. No one in our immediate family, for that matter, may ever
get to experience what I've just been through. I am so happy to have
a support like you that makes this possible for me. I know God has a
plan for everyone and His is the ultimate because it is perfect.
I am confused about what I
will be doing after China. My junior year of college, when I became a
Christian, my constant prayer since then has been for direction and
purpose, what path I should be on. I like very much where He has
guided me. All of my trust is within Him now, and please know that
while maybe the future I choose is not what you want or expect of me
- it will be good because it is from Him.
You mean the world to me Dad. I love you.
Visiting the Black Zhuang Village in China, July 2007
Since writing this letter, God has taken me to share the Gospel in 13 other countries. His plan for me continues to unfold. In six days I move to Gainesville, Georgia to serve full-time for Adventures in Missions at their headquarters. My family has also grown closer to the Lord and are starting to develop personal relationships with Him.
It is amazing what He does in our lives when we allow Him to move.
I am continuing to raise support for the journey that is ahead. If you are interested in continuing along the path with me, please contact me at: sarasherree@gmail.com, or click on the 'Support Me' tab to make a tax-deductible donation. God bless, and I look forward to keeping you updated with what God has in store for me!
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