Hi ladies,
How blessed we are to be surrounded by
so many sisters in Christ at SGC! Please have a seat with something warm to
drink, (I even have blankets if you’d like to borrow one), :) and let me introduce you to Sarah Smith…
Sarah and her husband Adam have been
attending SGC for about two-and-a-half years. They were looking for a youth
group where their oldest daughter Mariah could plug in, and once they stepped
foot in the building they immediately felt at home! Everyone was so warm,
friendly, and inviting. The Next Steps program helped them to get plugged in
and to find a Connect Group. They are now leading their own Connect Group, are
part of the team of ushers, and Sarah is co-leading in the WOW Bible Studies.
Sarah was born in, and has spent most
of her life in, Elkhart, IN, briefly moving to Illinois/Iowa as a child. She met
Adam when they were both eighteen years of age and freshmen at Bethel College.
They attended the same Speech class and kept running into each other outside of
class. Shortly after they met, they began dating and were married eighteen
months later. Ten years married now, they have three wonderful children: Mariah
(12), Isabella (8), and their awesome little surprise, Joseph (6).
Adam has influenced Sarah’s life
greatly, and she admires him so much! “We met when we were just kids and have
truly grown up together. He has taught me how to persevere, trust, and praise
God with my whole heart. Not just in the rough and scary times when the future
is so unsure and you feel there is nothing to cling to, but to thank, praise,
and trust Him in the good times, too. It is so easy to just go to God when the
going gets rough, and forget to go to Him when things are going well! Adam
models Jesus’ love for the church everyday with his interactions with our
children and me. A great sense of humor, lots of laughter, and plenty of date
nights keep our marriage going strong. My husband makes me laugh. He is the
funniest person I have ever known.”
Sarah is a stay-at-home mom and
homemaker. She hasn’t been employed in the working world in ten years and
absolutely loves being at home with her kids! “Ever since I was teeny-tiny,
I’ve wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. In Kindergarten they had a Career Day
where you were to dress up as what you would like to be when you grew up and I
dressed up like my mom and carried a baby doll around.”
It was as a child that
Sarah also accepted Jesus to be her Savior. When she was five years old she
knelt in her bedroom with her father at her side and they prayed together. She
feels blessed to have been brought up in a Christian home and in spite of a few
bumps along the way in her spiritual journey, God has been good and His mercies
are new every morning! Sarah’s all time favorite verse is Philippians 1:23-24.
“I am hard-pressed between the two, for it is my desire to depart and be with
Christ, for that is far better, but to remain in the flesh is necessary on your
account."
"This verse reminds me of my son and how much God has used him to teach
me and to bring me closer to Him. My little guy used to cry and beg to go to
Heaven. He wanted to be with Jesus so bad, and finally my grandma told him he
needed to stay here for right now to do God’s work. I found this verse during
my Bible reading and it really brought me comfort and keeps me remembering that
this earth is not our home and we shouldn’t get too comfortable with it. I
desire to be as homesick for Heaven as my little guy is and Paul (the author of
this verse) was."
Romans 15: 5-6 are another set of verse that mean much to
Sarah. “I love this verse because it gives me comfort and reminds me of how we
need to come together (not quarrel) to honor God with what we say and do, and
to praise Him no matter what is going on in our lives.”
“I also need to add
more…it’s impossible to pick just one! Proverbs 3:24.” Her parents posted this
verse on her door when she was an infant and prayed it over her often. She now
does the same with her own children. “I have such a passion for scripture
memorization and teaching my children to hide God’s Word in their hearts. I
think it is one of the most important things for a person to do. It brings you
closer to knowing God and His heart, and you call upon the scriptures in any
circumstances and are reassured we serve a living God who loves us so much.”
When I asked Sarah what her hobbies and
passions were she responded, “Oh goodness! I love to craft, craft, craft! I
just love to create and make things, especially with my kids!” She is now
learning to knit from Maggie, who is an amazing instructor! She also loves to
read anything and everything, including reading with her kids. Shopping is also
something she loves to do as well as baking in the kitchen with her children.
“A good mess in the kitchen means wonderful memories are being made!” (Something people may not know about Sarah is
that she is vegetarian!)
Sarah is happiest in the summer season when she can get a healthy dose of sunshine and vitamin D. The kids being at
home with her is an added bonus! But, her favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. All
of the tradition that comes along with it, a focus on all of the blessings in
our lives, reaching out to others, time with family, and just simply the fact
that it is a cozy holiday, make it an extra special time of the year for her.
In regards to being a woman, and
relating to other women, Sarah said it well: “The best thing about being a
woman is the makeup and the variety of clothes we get to wear! Guys just have a
very limited selection.
Seriously though, we have such an awesome responsibility to nurture and care
for the people in our lives. God created us as relational beings and it’s very
important for us to connect and reach out to others. Time goes so fast – too
fast – and as a young mom it’s easy to get overwhelmed, over-commited, and soon
you feel you can’t keep up. A good mentor and friend of mine told me when I
first became a mom, 'There will never be a shortage of good things to
volunteer for or get involved with, but you only have a short time with your
children.' I try to remember that, and when I get overwhelmed, I take a step
back and see if I’m over-committed to things outside of my family. If I am, I
cut out some of the extras, because I want to make the most of the limited time
I have with my children before they spread their wings and go off on their
own.” Well said!
Thank you for sharing a part of your
life and heart with us, Sarah!
Three words that describe you: Shy,
empathetic, and happy.
Outgoing or introverted? Introverted
Tomboy or princess?
Princess…definitely!
Mountainside or Oceanside? Oceanside…
(Let me put my toes in the sand and feel the warmth of the sun on my face, and
I am one happy girl!)
The perfect meal: Kiran’s in Houston,
TX – they have the best Indian food.
Worst food ever: Oysters. (Need I say
more) J
Morning person or night owl? Night owl.
(Do not wake me up! It’s not pretty!) J
I’d love to travel to: Ireland. I love
the accents, the green, the castles…what’s not to love?
Listen, read, or watch to learn?
Listening to a speaker or reading silently.
Favorite Bible character? David is my
favorite. He was so human, with flaws and all, yet was a man after God’s own heart.
That gives me hope! He went through it all, the good, bad, highs, and lows, and
making poor choices by letting his flesh get the better of him. He was king but
also had to hide in caves because others wanted him dead. His friendship with
Jonathon was out of the world and I pray we can all experience a friendship
like that. I could go on and on, but I guess to sum it up: he was a a real
human, and weak human, and God still used him for His glory.
3 Things that help you to relax and/or
bring peace to your life: Reading my Bible and poring through the scriptures
bring peace. Crafting relaxes me. And, going on walks with my family is a
perfect way to end my day.
May you all truly receive His rich
gifts during this holiday season: peace that passes understanding, His amazing
love felt deep within your hearts, and much joy in your life from the unending
hope that He has brought to us!
No comments:
Post a Comment