April Newsletter

Next Year
            “I’m tired of not knowing what I am doing next year,” I shared with the team in a fellowship meeting. “It’s like I have to feel both the excitement and sadness of possibly STINTing and the excitement and sadness of possibly not. It’s exhausting.”
            God had consistently met me as I waited. He reminded me that He championed my cause. Whatever decision CRU made about my application for an exception to STINT a third year (internships can only last two years), it would be God’s best for me and not a person’s random decision. I had been encouraged by God, but it was still hard to wait. I emailed Cayla, who coordinated my application, asking where they were in the process. She replied that the procedure was challenging and changes had to be made to my application, but I might have an answer in a week.
            I finally hit a point where it seemed God asked me to start hoping about Japan. I felt like I should look forward even though it risked disappointment if I could not go. Again God grew my heart for Japan: its people and culture.
            At the end of the week I got an email from Cayla. Before reading it I knew it was good news just by the number of exclamation marks; she said, “SARAH!!!!!! WE GOT IT!!!!! After the battle of our lives, we got you approved for a third stint!!!!!! Wohoooooo!!!!!  And, we would love for you to lead the Tokyo stint team with Albert, officially!!”
            So next year I will go to Tokyo and lead a STINT team that will include six people from this year’s team (Amanda, Christine, Amy, Albert, Kylan, and me) along with three or four new people.
            Next letter I will include some great stories from the end of this year, but on the back of this letter you can read some things students said this month. Their words encouraged all of us here, and I hope you feel their thankfulness as well. Thank you for the prayer and financial support that is changing Hawaii.

                                    -Sarah

Prayer Needs:
            Pray for us and students as we say goodbye. We’re viewing goodbyes as an opportunity to share the gospel with everyone we leave.
            Praise the Lord that our visit to the CRU movement on Oahu resulted in a strengthening of ties between the islands. We participated in a fundraising dinner raising over $30,000 for continued ministry in Honolulu and Hilo.
            June 2-6 we go to Maui to debrief the year and say goodbye to the team. Pray that God blesses our time together.
            Finally, praise the Lord that He has brought everyone on my team to consider or commit to another year of full time ministry.

March Newsletter

“Thank you so much for these good friends and a chance to rest from school and have fun together,” one student finished her prayer. She had joined us at a friend’s house in Waikoloa for our spring break retreat. She now sat on the couch sandwiched between Amanda and Kimiyo, but she was a student most of us had met only once.

Early in the semester my team set spring break aside to train students who wanted to lead. We planned seminars that would challenge them to share their faith and lead Bible studies. Originally eight students planned to come, but by the time we arrived in Waikoloa that number had dwindled to two. Hearing this one student’s thankful prayer I realized I had the wrong perspective about the few students, but I still wondered what God had planned for the week.

The next day I went to the beach with this student to ask people if they wanted to hear the gospel. As she began initiating conversations she would ask me questions afterward. Should I ask what they believe? What do I say if they say they already know the gospel? I was surprised at her eagerness.

It was near the end of the week that I finally heard from this girl why she had come on our spring break trip. Circumstances in her life had left her needing Christian community. From her first conversation when she met Nikki on campus, we were an answer to prayer.

Returning from the spring break trip I realized that God had truly blessed us through it. God answered the student's prayer, and all of us were given time to rest and be encouraged by each other before a busy end to the semester.

Thank you for your help in reaching students and equipping them to fulfill the great commission.

                                    -Sarah

February Newsletter

                This morning I sat on the black futon in the girl’s house. Around me the team discussed how we could best use the money we have budgeted for retreats. I looked again at the list of things it was essential we cover in this team meeting. Fly over to Oahu for a fellowship dinner? We were talking about it because we need to buy tickets as soon as possible. Challenge students to spring break, check in on 1000 cranes to Tohoku, speaker for next week’s meeting, evaluate discipleship curriculum, hand off worship during Easter week. I sighed after reading the first half of the list. Emailing the budget information would have saved a lot of time. This looked to be another business meeting ending twenty minutes late.

                Almost every day I see that God’s good work and my failure walk hand in hand. I never expected to lose so many details, struggle in planning ahead, and leave my house so little. I didn’t expect God to use me more toward my team than toward the people we came to reach. On the other hand, stepping into leadership I didn’t expect to know my team so clearly, to hear God telling me how to challenge them forward, and to take such joy in their successes.

                The fruit I see around me confirms that God is at work. The need I see around me says that there is work still to be done. God has not told me to change my work, so I plan to continue working with CRU unless He directs otherwise. There are a few different positions open to me, and I am weighing those, but all of them involve Japan where I feel God is still challenging me to go. Your prayers over my ministry and this decision are so appreciated. Thank you for partnering with me.
                                                                                -Sarah