Thursday, January 23, 2014

Returning to Romania!

I hope you are having a beautiful and blessed first month of this new year; the prospects of a year yet to have stories written on it gives me a little bounce in my step that the end of a year just doesn't quite have. I am writing to tell you a bit about something I am praying and working toward doing this year:
    Many of you will remember that last year, a group of eight young men and women from our church (including me and my sister Rachel) and a friend's church traveled from Virginia to Arad, Romania. We visited various Romanian churches over a period of 12 days speaking and singing, helping Pastor Ioan Zaharia and his son Cristian with their ministry. We also spent time interacting with many young adults around our ages and were able to mutually encourage one another—far more than I had even hoped. God truly blessed our time and changed me through it, giving me a new love for God's people across the world, and inspiring me to live daily in the joy of the Gospel. We have been invited back this year to participate in this ministry to the Romanian people. This year the team will travel to some new locations as well as revisit some of the previous churches; I am excited at the prospect of getting to minister farther into the mountainous areas and to see again my sweet brothers and sisters in Christ with whom we left a promise to return. :)
       As always, I would ask that you pray for our team, that our hearts would be right as we prepare to go, that God would prepare each person we are going to meet as we go, and that all the details would work out according to His will. I'd also like to ask for prayer in regards to provision of funds for the 2014 trip. The cost for airfare, lodging, food, and travel expense while in Romania is $1, 625 per person for two weeks. If you feel led to contribute financially, to this years mission to Romania, you can mail in a check (in the memo box please write my name so they can keep donations organized) to 

Trinity Mennonite Church, P.O. Box 473,
 Prospect, VA, 23960. 

Or you can donate online by going to Trinity’s missions web site: www.tmcmissiontrips.blogspot.com . You can also keep up with planning, team members, and specific prayer requests from this site. (Trinity is the other church with whom we went last year and they are taking over the organization this year, so if you don't recognize the name it is because it isn't my church specifically.)  We are hoping to nail down the specific travel dates as soon as possible. We would like to be able to purchase the tickets by March 10, 2014. This will allow the Romanian pastors to make our church/speaking schedule, as well as other travel arrangements. 

Thank you for praying with us and I so look forward to telling you about how God worked when we return!
If you have any questions or would like more info, please leave a comment!!! :) 

Meet the Team!

Pictures from Romania 2013 Trip

In Christ,
Sarah

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

"Our little baby's growin' up and savin' China." {Fly Away Home Cover Reveal}

Hay-low Lovelies! This is the 15th of January and that means this is the day you officially get to see the cover of the book that I am independently publishing! The novel is not available for purchase just yet (gotta  wait till Valentine's Day for that!) but it will be in under a month and I will be certain to let you know when you may purchase a copy! This movement is quite premeditated (the whole publishing thing) and for the story of that, I shall refer you to my writing blog: The Inkpen Authoress. For now, business!

Fly Away Home, 1952 New York City:
Callie Harper is a woman set to make it big in the world of journalism. Liberated from all but her buried and troubled past, Callie craves glamour and the satisfaction she knows it will bring. When one of America's most celebrated journalists, Wade Barnett, calls on Callie to help him with a revolutionary project, Callie finds herself co-pilot to a Christian man whose life and ideas of true greatness run noisily counter to hers on every point. But when the secrets of Callie's past are hung over her head as a threat, there is space for only one love, one answer: betray Wade Barnett to save her reputation, or sacrifice everything for the sake of the man she loved and the God she fled. The consequences of either decision will define the rest of her life. 
Self-preservation has never looked more tempting.

Think you'd like to read it? Fly Away Home will be available in e-book and print formats on Amazon.com (or you may order print copies directly from me) in a little under a month. This book debuts February 14, 2014. I can't wait! As trite as it sounds, this really is a dream come true. :) If you would like to join the blog party, go on over to The Inkpen Authoress and enter for a chance to win this "Coziness Package" which includes a really lovely little character-themed mug I did by hand.


Toodles! Hope you're having a bang fine day!

Thursday, January 9, 2014

2013

Looking back on the huge year 2013 was, I thought I'd note the biggest events, the highest highs and lowest lows of each month.

Janurary-  the year started off with one blessed bang when we found a beautiful new van left in our driveway! The Lord just wanted to show us how He's our Provider, and can do things far beyond our imaginations.

February- I began to do classes with two special 6 year olds, and began fundraising for our upcoming trip to Romania.

March- God blessed Daniel with a job up with all the awesome GenJ crowd, which resulted in him relocating to NoVa.....that was a bittersweet time. Crazy last minute fundraising for said missions trip, in which the Lord provided all the necessary money!

April- Romania, Romanians, Romanian, Dominus. ;) Such a life changing, exhilarating, world-traveling two weeks. God worked in wondrous ways.  I also joined Facebook.

May- Well to start it off, a got a pretty major haircut....we also went on our first vacation in 6 years! Then Rach, Daniel and I were blessed to attend the Transfer conference down in FL. :)

June- I was very excited to finally go to an iGovern camp and had a fantastic week up in NoVa. Did a lot of volunteering with great people at AFP.

July- Went to the NCF Girls' Retreat with Anna and Leah. Also had lots of summer fun with friends.Gracie accepted the Lord as her personal Savior. <3

August- Helped pull of Maryanna's beautiful wedding. :)  I turned 19. Mom and Dad celebrated their 25th anniversary, and we kids made a musical.

September- Grieved with a family so near and dear to us, as the Lord took Jotham to be with Him. Continued my classes with the girls, but geared into 1st grade. County fair awesomeness with these people. Kept on AFP-ing and became a member of GenJ's Leadership Corp! Got addicted to Sharpie Therapy.

October- Led a whole bunch of great kids on Operation Shock and Awe, my first SAT as a leader. Went through the grief and confusion following a dear friend's death, and saw God's amazing grace and peace beyond our understanding. Directly after which, I spent a week in CIT training down in NC.

November- It started off with a week and a half of crazy, crazy, tiring, wonderful, time with VA Beach SAT and all those lovely people. Saw Thor 2 . A barn dance, driving hither and yon. Had a truly blessed Thanksgiving, enjoying a visit from some NoVa friends and finally seeing Frozen!!!

December- Bought a new and much needed DSLR, busy Christmas season prep, and midnight premier of the Hobbit movie! Long and enjoyable visit from Daniel, Saving Mr. Banks, and finally Christmas finished out the year!

Somewhere along the way I became a Fansie, fell in love with Cabin Pressure, made lots of new friends, got Instagram, became Hack5's number one fan ;), and saw many great films.

Well this has gone on long enough, but I thought it'd be good to recount all what 2013 held for me. God's mercy and grace were shown in countless ways, blessings and tragic losses grew and stretched me, and I come away from the year much changed. :)
-Sarah

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Auld Lang Interview. (Sir Laugh a Lot)


This New Year's Eve you get a treat! Abigail Taylor is here and she's interviewing me (Rachel) and right now we can't figure out whether it's going to end up as a sappy, emotional, weepy sort of post or a HAIL THE NEW YE LADS AND LASSES thing or maybe just a lot of nonsense. So this is for all of you who are struggling to stay awake till midnight and have logged onto your computers just for lack of something more interesting to do. ;)
last sunset of 2013!

A: Should I type?
R: Yes.
A: I hate your screen.
R: I'm sorry it offends you. "You offend reason, sir, but I should very much like to offend it with you!"
A: What's in your drink?
R: I can't see a bloody thing right now, but I think it's tea.
A: Could you see the sunset?
R: It looks like an abstract painting. No fault of the drink. I just have the wrong contact prescription.
A: How do you feel about the last sunset of 2013?
R: It's slightly nervousing thinking about it being the last one. But it's a very nice one. 2013 has been a good year for skies. I hope your typing is right, I can't read it.
A: Earlier we counted how many airplanes you'd been on this year. How many did we come up with?
R: 10 I think. After I forgot I'd gone to Orlando instead of Atlanta. That lessened the count.
A: Which was your favorite plane?
R: Even though it was a little awkward, probably Saint Louis to Denver because that's when I dropped Winnie the Pooh on that guy's feet. But that would be flight. Plane-wise I liked one of the trans-atlantic planes the best.
A: Favorite destination?
R: Romania. Although I didn't fly into Romania.
A: Did you have any near death experiences in 2013?
R: Yes actually.
A: Tell us?
R: I thought for sure we weren't going to make it on the drive from Hungary to Romania.
A: Why?
R: Because they'll do anything to avoid potholes. And there was the time dad was driving home at 2:30 in the morning. I also didn't think I'd survive that one. We saw one of every kind of animal on that drive. Unicorns and everything.
A: What was your favorite "first" of 2013?
R: Oh gosh. Probably an international travelling experience. It was a big year for firsts.
A: What happened in 2013 that you hope never happens again?
R: Hitting a friend's car with a friend's car.
A: There's a good reason I'm not a journalist. *thinking thinking thinking*
R: I thought you said "there's a good reason I'm not in pajamas."
A: What sorts of things made you cry in 2013?
R: Leaving people that we'd grown to love. Frustration. Unrequited love. Finances. "Saving Mr. Banks." The end of "The Return of the King." Andrew Peterson music. Hitting a friend's car with a friend's car. Watching friends go through painful seasons. Other friends dying. Laughter. Ok, that's enough things. Oh! Sophie Scholl.
A: What movie or novel character did you most relate to this year?
R: Probably Brother Tom in the "Hawk and Dove" series. And I feel like there was some girl, but I can't remember. Definitely Sophie Scholl... I identify with her because she was just my age. Oh!!!!  *bangs head violently* What's her name! In "While You Were Sleeping"!!!
A: Lucy.
R: Yeah. I'll fall in love just like her. Also Giselle, in a tiny weird way.
A: What tiny weird way?
R: I'm a little idealistic. Prone to break into song. And... I don't know. I always... I don't like the idea... welll... I don't know... I wish life was just like a fairy tale. I also really like "So Close"... that song, I feel like it describes my life really well. Well, my love life... which kind of doesn't exist.
A: When did you feel the most beautiful in 2013?
R: Hmmmm.... let's see. Well, when I was at the Gala at Bear Trap Ranch, I felt like people were surprised at how well I could clean up, after what I'd been wearing all week. HSLDA Christmas party was nice. I don't know if I was beautiful, but I was... suitable.
A: Favorite gallant act performed for you in 2013? I'm so glad you're answering these questions instead of me. I have such a terrible memory.
R: Oh this is a good question. I was rescued out of a Romanian creek but I didn't want that gallantry so it didn't really count. I'd have to say some of the small things that a lot of my guy friends did. The boys in my van on the SAT were always really attentive and I appreciated that. Friends remembering things I'd said I wanted to watch or read. Giving out compliments they didn't have to give. Things like that. Happy little things.
A: What did you do in 2013 that made you laugh the hardest at yourself?
R: Probably when I dropped the book on that guy's feet. It was such a Rachel thing to do. Also, I can really scare myself sometimes. Like, start imagining things in the woods and creeping myself out. And then I always laugh really hard. Or when I say something that just pops into my head and people laugh, and it makes me laugh because it was rather clever.
A: If I asked you about what scared you the worst, would that be the same as your near death experiences?
R: Well, it all depends on what you mean... I got kind of scared by the guy who was hitting on me in the grocery store, because he started following me all through the aisles! But I really was scared we were going to get hit head-on in Romania. Oh, it was creepy at the border between Hungary and Romania, when they took all our passports and took a really long time looking at them. It felt like "The Terminal."
A: What do you think is most different about you this year, than last?
R: I think I have a better concept of the different levels of relationships. And what a treasure a friendship is with the opposite sex, even if it never "becomes anything." It can be really encouraging and inspiring. Girl friendships too, but I already knew that before 2013.
A: Speaking of which, what do you most adore about me?
R: Your explosive goose-laugh. And your ability to say the right thing to quiet people.
A: Well. Should we end it there?
R: Sure. Merry New Year's everbody!
A: Parting words? Advice? Prophecies? Visions?
R: Okay. Ahem. First, "If it's half as good as the half we've known, here's hail to the rest of the road!" Second, never... *guffaws* Don't drink a lot before a road trip! And take social media breaks periodically. It's so much fun. And then, prophecies? Let's see. Umm. Some people who keep breaking up will continue breaking up but it won't be over yet. There will probably be 4 marriages in 2014.
Sarah breaks in: "Good grief! Who are you marrying off???"
R: I haven't done my visions yet. My visions. I see..... Sherlock Season 3 giving me an ulcer. Maybe another trip to Romania. I'll probably fall in love this year... mildly... I'm like Harriet Smith that way... just kidding... oh oh oh! I'm going to publish my book! I forgot to announce that here. And another vision!
Sarah: You have a lot of visions.
R: I see... salted caramel gelato!
A: It wasn't that good.
R: You had some??? *fighting for a few moments*
R: Well fine. One final vision. I see many more adventures and new friends. And exciting things. I'm making this all up on the fly. Don't hold your breath for any news. Toodles people. I love you.
A: *starts to say something*
R: And a lot of goat babies!


Wednesday, December 25, 2013

{{The Christmas Gospel}}

 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

unto YOU.

to you, personally.

 even if you were the only soul on earth.

regardless of your sin, your selfishness and your pride.

to save you from all the disaster, peril and devastation that you were born into.

HE came as a baby so that you could live forever.

GOD loved you enough to send HIS perfect, holy Child to die in your place.

 today marks a big stage of the Lord's rescue mission.

how amazing is that?

JESUS,
WELCOME TO OUR WORLD