Back in Town

After graduation, I had an amazing three weeks with my parents and Erkai in Iowa!

Making pizza with my mom

It was so fun to meet some of Erkai's friends from Nicaragua.

My parents also hosted a dessert reception so that I could share more about my ministry with friends and family. I felt so blessed by all of the people that attended and helped out.

Now, I'm back in Cedarville and working to get unpacked and settled in my house for the summer with some sweet MK girls. Next week I start my summer job working at the agency where I did my internship this past school year. I'm thankful to have this job and am looking forward to working with teenagers this summer--good preparation for being an RA! :)

Support raising update: I'm at about 65% of my monthly support pledged! YAY! :) If you want to be a part of God's provision for the next 35% please click here and mail to the TeachBeyond address on the form. I'm hoping to buy my plane ticket in about 3 weeks, and I need 90% of my support to make that possible. God has been SO FAITHFUL. Thanks for your prayers! :)

Love, Sarah

New Things

One step closer to Germany!!

Last Saturday I GRADUATED from Cedarville University. So excited. :D

With my roommie Brandi...lol :)

Katie! She held a million things and took a million pictures for me! :)

Best friends.

With my boyfriend Erkai

My parents and I traveled back to Iowa, where we're spending time together, I'm working on support raising things, and packing/repacking for Germany. I'm looking forward to visiting my brother David in Kansas City, and seeing both of my cousins graduate from high school. I'm also looking forward to Erkai coming in a week and a half to spend time with me and my parents.

My crazy awesome family who came hundreds and thousands of miles for my graduation!

Support raising... God has surprised and blessed me so much!!! He's brought in 52% of my monthly support needed!!!!!!! Yes, that's right. The last blog post was 23%. Crazy!

I'm so thankful! However, I know there's still far to go. Please continue to pray for the next 48%, and as always, you can get involved if God puts it on your heart. :) Click here and mail the form to the TeachBeyond address at PO Box 6248/Bloomingdale, IL 60108. Thank you to everyone who has prayed, encouraged, or joined my support team. :)

Thankful

Graduation is May 4...which is in less than one week!

I have so many mixed feelings about that! We've finished our last chapel (I was ecstatic to discover that our class song is Be Thou My Vision...my favorite song and prayer for Germany), last Saturday brunches, last coffee dates...

Overall, I'm mostly thankful for:

• Dear friends... I'm pretty sure no one else has friends this amazing. ;o)
• Finished my senior social work internship
• House for the summer and fantastic girls to live with! Also, I hopefully will have a job!
• My parents are here! And my extended family's coming all the way to Ohio for my graduation
• My car worked this entire year, and I never missed a day of internship
• That I can look forward to BFA and get excited about the ministry God has for me there. It makes it easier to leave when I'm excited for the next step
• God has brought in 23% of my monthly support needs!! I can hardly believe it. BFA seems more and more real.

I'm so so excited and grateful for all of the friends who have joined my support team! If you would like to join my support team, please click here and fill out the form and mail it to:

TeachBeyond

PO Box 6248

Bloomingdale, IL 60108

I've been blessed by so many encouraging emails! Thanks to everyone for your prayers. :)

Still making new fun memories to close out the year:

Dressing up as Dutch Blitz cards for Elliv

Senior Reception at our president Dr. Brown's house

Double date with our friends Katie and Byamba at John Bryan State Park

Junior Senior Banquet

Faith

When I was in 7th grade, I told God I wanted a life of faith--seeing Him provide when I had no other option. When I was in 12th grade, He asked me if I was sure. I said "yes." He told me I would regret that decision sometimes. :) But would know Him better in the process.

I might be regretting it a little this week... I feel like I'm at the bottom of a mountain looking UP and wondering how in the world God is going to find enough support to get me to Germany. And how I'm going to survive the process.

But... God is SO encouraging. 

• When I started "support raising efforts" on Saturday there was an encouraging email waiting from my uncle
• Encouragement through my pastor at my church in Springfield
• An anonymous gift from a friend
• Long letters filled with encouragement from my mom and "support raising coach" Aunt Helen (and Aunt Mary!)
• My boyfriend, who spent 2 1/2 hours helping me organize an Excel spreadsheet so that my poor friends don't receive haphazard correspondence from me

So, here are my "by faiths" for the week:

• Learning German! I've been listening to Hillsong's Global project and looking at note cards my friend Sarah made for me
• Turned down an interview at a job I would have loved that could have been a "back up" just in case

Please pray with me! :) Let me know if you want to be on my newsletter list! 

sarahangelicawilson@cedarville.edu or swilson@teachbeyond.org

Memory verses in German! I know one of these words! :)

Team

Wow, time is flying by. I can't believe it's APRIL! My biggest project to get to Germany right now is discovering the support that God has for me! (My dad's words.)

My need:

• $1,760 monthly support for a two year commitment.
• $1,000 for start-up expenses.

If God lays it on your heart to support me, pray for me, or receive my newsletter, please email me at swilson@teachbeyond.org.

I would love to have you on my team! Thank you. :)

Easter is a touching reminder of why I want to go to Germany. I definitely want to serve and love MKs! And  my ministry encourages the MKs' parents to have a fulfilling ministry in Europe and around the world. Parents cannot be missionaries if their children are not in a safe and enriching environment. Tonight some of my friends and I read the crucifixion story in John and prayed for a while. I realized how many people are not living in light of the reality of Jesus' sacrifice, and I realized that being an RA in Germany can indirectly contribute to more people knowing about Jesus.

I've been very stressed about support raising, general uncertainty about the summer, and classes. I sort of had a mini-melt down last Tuesday and Wednesday. Since then, God has encouraged me through Scripture, Elisabeth Elliot's Passion and Purity, and Easter break. I'm so grateful for Easter, and for remembering that I have SO MUCH to be thankful for... please pray that God will continue to renew my relationship with Him and keep my focus where it ought to be...on Jesus!

People have been asking me where Kandern is...my answer has been, "I really don't know."  Maps aren't my thing. But I got really excited when I saw a map tonight! Kandern is very close to Switzerland and France.

Introduction

Hey friends!

Welcome to my new blog! :) This is to keep my friends and family updated on my life as I prepare for and work on raising support to move to Black Forest Academy (BFA) in Kandern, Germany next year! 

I've been accepted to serve as an Resident Assistant (RA) in one of the dorms at BFA. This means that I will live in a dorm with middle or high school students and assist the dorm parents in taking care of the students. I will be going as a missionary with TeachBeyond.

First, my journey so far...

• I went to a boarding school for high school at Dakar Academy, in Senegal. I had wonderful dorm parents and dorm sisters who made the experience a huge blessing in my life.
• My sophomore year at Cedarville University I served as a RA for my hall. During that year, Black Forest Academy sent an informational email to all of the RAs at Cedarville to tell them about the RA positions at BFA. I remember thinking what a cool job that would be. :)
• Last summer, I met a missionary who has served as an RA at Black Forest Academy last summer. She highly recommended it.
• In December of 2012, I filled out my application for BFA.
• I applied for TeachBeyond in January after meeting TeachBeyond missionaries at Cedarville's missions conference.
• TeachBeyond and BFA representatives interviewed me in early February.
• I was accepted at BFA on February 28, 2013, and TeachBeyond finalized their acceptance at that time as well!! :) ...I may have had a mini dance party in my room. =P
• Now... I need to raise support!! :) More on that later.

Thank you so much for your prayer and support. I feel very fortunate to have you all in my life!

Love, Sarah

 This is one of the dorms at BFA.