Sara's Story

"All this is for You, Jesus.  Adventure awaits."

These are the words I wrote at the top of my board before school began this past summer. I have yet to erase them.  I read them daily as a reminder that my whole life finds its purpose in Him and that as I live it, adventures really are waiting for me. 

 It began with fear, if I have to be honest. My journey to Jesus, that is.  My nine-year-old self was living in South America at the time, the daughter of an oilman, with golden frizzy ringlets.  I was, like all of the other expats, a prime target for kidnapping by the Cartel.  Our three year stint in Colombia still feels surreal after all these years- the car bombs, the security measures, the sudden evacuation. 

It was here that I began to ponder life after death.  I remember a group of faithful moms (including my own) who taught Sunday school classes at a local missionary’s home – a little “house church” for expats.  I still can recall one of the moms, a passionate Baptist woman, crying as she told us the Easter story and how Jesus went through so much pain because of His love for us.  That night, my felt board Jesus became real – Jesus was someone you could cry over, someone you could love, and who could love you back.  Suddenly in the midst of all my fear, I had a very close Friend, whose ear I would talk off before I went to bed, and who began to take the fear away as I enjoyed His nearness.

Years passed, and although I still spent time praying to God before bed, I didn’t do much else to get to know God better.  I have Hollywood to thank for piquing my interest in the Bible, believe it or not. For my birthday one year I requested to go see Prince of Egypt, an animated adaptation of the story of Moses.  While watching the movie I was so overwhelmed by this God I had been talking to, leading a mass of people to freedom, that I went home that night and began reading the book of Exodus.  I remember praying that if God was still into such things (like parting the Red Sea and leading people with clouds of fire), that someday I would see something great like Moses saw. I began to think that maybe God was more than a chit-chat buddy. Maybe He could lead me on great adventures, like He did with Moses. 

Years have passed and though I have yet to see a body of water split in two, I have seen some incredible moves of God in His displays of love and provision for His people - debts paid off in a day, people healed after prayer, people coming to know Jesus as their friend and savior.  Like the gospels, I haven't enough room to write about all I've seen Jesus do in my life (John 21:25).  And delightfully He keeps upping the ante.  Just when I think I've seen Him move in the most incredible way - in the quietness of my heart or the open air, He goes right ahead and does something new, something more than I could hope or imagine - and my understanding of who He is and what He is capable of expands. 

Are you ready for a great adventure?  

I know a great guide.