..365 days ago I was driving across the great state of Pennsylvania to meet up with a team that I would be spending two weeks with in the city of Berlin, Germany.
Only 365 days ago. One year does not seem so long ago...yet it has the ability to feel so very long ago. So much can change...so much can happen. And it has.
365 days ago I was preparing for a two week missions trip in a new country. I had never before been on a missions trip without my family...I had never before been in Europe...It was all so new and exciting. I prayed for God to change my heart in the ways He needed. He did. But not in the ways that I ever hoped or imagined.
Only 365 days ago. One year does not seem so long ago...yet it has the ability to feel so very long ago. So much can change...so much can happen. And it has.
365 days ago I was preparing for a two week missions trip in a new country. I had never before been on a missions trip without my family...I had never before been in Europe...It was all so new and exciting. I prayed for God to change my heart in the ways He needed. He did. But not in the ways that I ever hoped or imagined.
Long story short, God used those two weeks and further piqued my interest in missions. He opened my heart to the needs of other countries. I do not know where this interest and heart beat will take me in the future...for He has a plan that is not my own. BUT I do know that He is clearly opening the doors for me to spend a month in Berlin this summer.
After praying about this opportunity since last June, it seems surreal to be planning and preparing to leave in just over a month. Many things have transpired in the course of one year...Many prayers have been prayed and many prayers have been answered. I am not the same Sara that I was 365 days ago. I do not have the same hopes and dreams. But there is something that has been constant and one thing remains: God is faithful. His faithfulness in this particular prayer is one that I am so very thankful for.
He is already providing in ways that are overwhelming to me. He is showering me with His steadfast love through it all. He is working in my heart to show me how desperately I need Him for each step of this journey.
I will be spending the month of July 2017 in Berlin. During my time in Berlin, I will be doing a number of things that I do not yet know. However, I do know that I will be spending those weeks soaking in the fellowship and burdens of a culture that I am unfamiliar to. I also know that I will be able to use my experiences and abilities to serve the people in Berlin. I am most excited, however, that this trip will be an incredible learning experience for me.
I will be working alongside the missionary, Kristi, to glean as much knowledge from her in regards to youth and children's ministries within the church. I will also be learning about foreign missions and how God uses and works through missionaries He has placed all over our world.
As I tread the waters of this new adventure, I so covet your prayers. I do not covet your prayers for physical safety or financial provision...but for spiritual safety...for spiritual preparation and provision. I ask that you pray that God would put me through the fire so that I come out more like Him in order to be able to share Him in greater ways. I ask that you pray for God to reveal His grace through my weaknesses more and more...because I too easily rely on my own abilities. I ask that you pray that I will look to God for courage each time my fears and insecurities rise up to take over a situation or conversation. I ask that you pray that God will give me every opportunity to be bold in sharing the Gospel...because the salvation of others is far more important than my own comfort and safety.
I do not expect this trip to be easy, nor do I pray that it will be...because I want to become more like my Savior and that is not always easy. Please pray for God to sustain me and teach me endurance.
I covet your prayers that God would use me to further His kingdom and to make disciples above all else. Because that is what He has called us all to do and I cannot ignore how He is opening this opportunity for me to do that very mission in Berlin.
I leave for Berlin in less than two months. I have a long way to go before I am ready... but I am so excited to see how He leads me through the next couple months. Until then, please ask me how God is shaping my thoughts. Ask me how God is changing my heart. Ask me what fears and sins I am struggling with. Hold me accountable to all that I have requested in prayers. Because I cannot do this on my own. I am so grateful for all of you and your support and encouragement as I try to follow where He leads me.
After praying about this opportunity since last June, it seems surreal to be planning and preparing to leave in just over a month. Many things have transpired in the course of one year...Many prayers have been prayed and many prayers have been answered. I am not the same Sara that I was 365 days ago. I do not have the same hopes and dreams. But there is something that has been constant and one thing remains: God is faithful. His faithfulness in this particular prayer is one that I am so very thankful for.
He is already providing in ways that are overwhelming to me. He is showering me with His steadfast love through it all. He is working in my heart to show me how desperately I need Him for each step of this journey.
I will be spending the month of July 2017 in Berlin. During my time in Berlin, I will be doing a number of things that I do not yet know. However, I do know that I will be spending those weeks soaking in the fellowship and burdens of a culture that I am unfamiliar to. I also know that I will be able to use my experiences and abilities to serve the people in Berlin. I am most excited, however, that this trip will be an incredible learning experience for me.
I will be working alongside the missionary, Kristi, to glean as much knowledge from her in regards to youth and children's ministries within the church. I will also be learning about foreign missions and how God uses and works through missionaries He has placed all over our world.
As I tread the waters of this new adventure, I so covet your prayers. I do not covet your prayers for physical safety or financial provision...but for spiritual safety...for spiritual preparation and provision. I ask that you pray that God would put me through the fire so that I come out more like Him in order to be able to share Him in greater ways. I ask that you pray for God to reveal His grace through my weaknesses more and more...because I too easily rely on my own abilities. I ask that you pray that I will look to God for courage each time my fears and insecurities rise up to take over a situation or conversation. I ask that you pray that God will give me every opportunity to be bold in sharing the Gospel...because the salvation of others is far more important than my own comfort and safety.
I do not expect this trip to be easy, nor do I pray that it will be...because I want to become more like my Savior and that is not always easy. Please pray for God to sustain me and teach me endurance.
I covet your prayers that God would use me to further His kingdom and to make disciples above all else. Because that is what He has called us all to do and I cannot ignore how He is opening this opportunity for me to do that very mission in Berlin.
I leave for Berlin in less than two months. I have a long way to go before I am ready... but I am so excited to see how He leads me through the next couple months. Until then, please ask me how God is shaping my thoughts. Ask me how God is changing my heart. Ask me what fears and sins I am struggling with. Hold me accountable to all that I have requested in prayers. Because I cannot do this on my own. I am so grateful for all of you and your support and encouragement as I try to follow where He leads me.