Strange Days
Sarah and Japan. Japan and Sarah.I have never known one without the other.
Yet, now she is not here? It is a strange feeling!
Sarah has spent two and a half years here in Utsunomiya and has deeply loved, and impacted the lives, of so many students here.
She says it was nothing she did, it was all the Lord working in people's lives. She trusted the Lord and spent deep time with Him, listening for His voice and following His guiding. From that time with God; in prayer and reading the Bible, she was able to gain the strength necessary to love others with an open heart.
The picture above is of Sarah and her roommates Ai, E-Chan, and Miho. I love this picture of there graduation and the kimonos. These ladies are 100% Japanese! But they are also all 100% sisters in Christ!! They all have a deep faith that guides them each day and much of their growth came from lessons they learned by watching Sarah live her life trusting a big God.
Here is what Sarah's friend Shuko said at their last goodbye: "Please tell the people who sent you to Japan thank you from me. Thank them for praying. They haven't just impacted you and me, but because of them I can also share my faith with others. Many people can know Jesus because of them."
We will all miss Sarah here. Her smiling face! Her big beautiful blue eyes! Her angelic voice! But most of all we will miss that loving, caring heart!!
I will be honest, I don't see how I can touch peoples lives the way Sarah did! But then I remember those words from Sarah: "It wasn't me. It was Him working in me."
Yesterday as I was working through some fears and areas where my heart struggles to fully trust God I came across this passage. It reminded me of how Sarah lives her live and how I too desire to live my life.
Psalm 62:1-2, 5-7
Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and salvation
He is my defense
I shall not be greatly moved
My soul, waits silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.
Goodbye Sarah, I miss you already!!
Thank you for being a living example of the truth of these verses.
Please join me in praying for this faithful woman of God:
Dear Daddy, our loving father! Please draw near to Sarah and her precious open heart. She knows the time was right to leave but her heart still aches as she leaves friends that she held so dear. Take Sarah into Your arms and rest her in Your lap. As the sorrow and loneliness comes may she feel Your loving breath as You cry with her and Your hand on her face as you wipe her tears away. Help her cling to you during this difficult time of transition.
posted by Keith @ 4:27 PM
2 Comments:
Sarah is right. It's all God working through us. If He can use David (an adulter and murderer), Moses (a murderer), Samson (who broke all the rules), He can use us.
Just wanted you to know you were missed last night at the family dinner. Your youngest first cousin "J" has been promoted to your standing among the little kids.
Happy Easter!
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