Little Ramblings: August Newsletter

 

    Starting is the hardest part of anything. That's what I say to myself whenever I sit down to do my newsletters. Sometimes, there is nothing in my brain but still so much to say. So, for this moment I'll just start with the tears I had this morning. I looked back on pictures of my little brothers 2 years ago & got really emotional. There is so much I am missing from being in missions. I think that part sometimes isn't talked about enough. Yes, I'm in a foreign country, obeying God, & seeing Him moving in incredible ways. But, some days are hard. Obeying God isn't easy. Out of nowhere, my heart aches almost more than I can bear. I know I am still in the arms of the Father, but I miss my earthly Dad too. Meeting new people is wonderful, but I miss the people who know me inside & out. This feels so strange but I know it's a part of life. 

    On a different topic, I am doing good. This season has been so filled with growth both spiritually & physically. I love my job being in charge of the gardens. Recently, realized that we have a whole grove of banana trees. There are now 3 bunches of bananas that I am proudly growing. I'll put pictures of them below. I also have a guava, guanabana, papaya, & napal plum plant. It is genuinely so fun to reap the literal fruits of my labor. 

    Also, I had the opportunity to teach original design in the internship classroom earlier this month. I shared how God has uniquely given us different gifts, strengths, & gifts to use for the work of His kingdom. Additionally, if we are continually being recharged by the Holy Spirit, we can more easily pour into other people with the overflow of His love & truth. It was such a sweet time to answer questions & affirm what God was doing in fellow missionaries' lives. I've also had the privilege of pouring into 10-15 students who have been working in my department. We get to pray together every day & clean the base unto the LORD. They are growing so much!

    As you read these updates, please pray for me. When you pray this month, please pray for boldness to share the gospel in all circumstances. I was recently reading Ephesians & chapter 6 verses 19-20 stood out to me. Paul is asking his community to pray for boldness to speak as he ought to. Paul, writer of much of the New Testament. Paul, the one who endured so much for the sake of the gospel. Paul, father of many early churches. He asked for boldness to share the mysteries of the gospel. In all that he did, he remained humble & asked for the simple strength of opening his mouth to give what he had. If we could only do the same, how much more would the life-giving gospel spread. 

    I know this newsletter was filled with ramblings but I want to end with gratitude. I am so thankful for all of you who pray for me & support me in more ways than you could imagine. I continually thank God for the community He has surrounded me with. Every one of you is a beautiful blessing. Thank you! Please enjoy these little glimpses of my life! 

beach picnic

my Annalese is back!

healthy meals

teaching 

my maz

roomies

Russian stuffed pepper

berry dessert

los estudiantes

bunch o' bananas

little grove

Minnesota

visiting my boyfriend

details

the conservatory

my buddies

😜

home 

Coming & Goings: July Newsletter

 

    What a good & gracious God we serve! This month was filled with travel & lots of adjustments, but also with such sweet times with family, friends, and the LORD. As y'all know, I went home to Flagstaff for the first 2 weeks of July for vacations, time of rest, & reconnnection. It was exactly what I needed! I had so many coffee dates to talk with dear friends about our lives & what God was doing through the good & the bad. Honestly, I learned so much from listening. God was showing me how to lay down my own agenda & let Him lead. As I was talking with my friends, they gently convicted me on many things. Even though this time was for rest, God continued His sanctification process in me. 

   Every time I go home, God reminds me of how much of a blessing my family is. I had sweet times connecting with each one of them. My mom is someone I can go to for wisdom, love, & understanding. My dad & I love connecting over theology & discussing different opinions on the Bible & the world. And, with each of my brothers, I went on a brother-sister date. Now that I live in a different country, I hold onto these precious moments even more. These memories of playing in the rain, getting pizza, going shopping, fishing, and just eating meals together are what sustain me until the next trip when life gets a little hard & I miss the ones I love most. 

    Now that I am back in Mazatlan, I hit the ground running. With the start of a new quarter, there were many leadership tasks I had to catch up on. I trained people, made orders for supplies, & game-planned for the upcoming season. To be honest, it was a lot at first & I overwhelmed myself pretty quickly in the first week. However, after processing with some wise people, I figured out how to help myself in many practical ways. This past week was a lot better & I was able to get into the rhythm once again. I have a wonderful team & I am so expectant for how the LORD is moving in the coming weeks. Please keep me in your prayers!

Prayer requests: 

• rest & refreshment throughout the day so that I can better serve the people around me

• comfort when I'm missing loved ones

• wisdom in how to lead different personalities like Jesus 

P.S. There are so many things I didn't include to save space, time, & mental energy lol. If you want to know more or have questions, please reach out!

Sabrina 

monkey man

clouds

golden rays

my sweet buddy

airport pick-ups

lunch break

grand canyon crew

fam

buddies

wow

painting by the lake

pizza date

fishing buddy

wow. again

see ya laters

yum

enchiladas from El Salvador

Mexican dip 

Peace & Rest: June Newsletter

 

  "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my (loving) eye." Palms 32:8

    This month I have been learning what it truly means to trust & obey the voice of God, even when it's something that I don't expect. For example, He has been telling me to rest. In my mind, that is definitely what I don't need to do. I just entered the mission field, Mexico is hungry for Jesus, and there are so many opportunities to live out the Great Commission. My expectation is to push & be busy. However, God is holding me back. He is preparing me & stabilizing me on a firm & strong foundation. I must learn to rest from the very beginning so that, in my journey of long-term missions, I am set up for success. 

    Also, that is how I give Him the most glory. It's not by doing the most, it's simply looking at the time of life I'm in & listening & obeying Him there. I want to encourage you with that simple truth. In Hosea 6:6, God says, "For I desire faithful love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." It's not about what you are doing right now, It's about how you are doing it. Are you doing it for His glory? Do you have a joyful heart? Is your mind focused on Jesus instead of yourself? These have been questions I've been pondering & I invite you to do the same. 

    That has been my personal process, but life here in Mazatlan is truly more than that because God's story is bigger than ours. As a base, we were fasting lunch every day for 40 days. There have been some budget cuts so we needed to save money, but we took it as an opportunity to seek the LORD. We had such beautiful times of worship & resting in His presence. We also had times when we were praying for change in Mexico, our lives, & people around the world. It was so precious to see my team coming before God each day just to know Him more. 

    Also, as the quarter is coming to a close, we are preparing the DTS to be the first-ever team on the Amazing Grace!!! They are going to travel around the Sea of Cortez & northern Mexico to bring the Gospel, medical help, & other mercy miniseries to the isolated communities. Some of the communities we have traveled to before so they'll be focused on deepening relationships & continuing discipleship. However, there are several places where we haven't been to, so they'll be preparing the way for others. One goal is to open the door for oral bible translation. Hopefully, we will send more teams into these indigenous regions to bring the Bible to everyone in their mother tongue. 

      Thank you all for your prayers and support it means the world to me. Please be praying for continued trust in God's plan & timing. There are so many exciting things that I am being prepared for that I don't even know about. Also, prayers for safe travels as I am coming home this Saturday the 29th till July 14th. 

    With that, I would love to get coffee, dinner, or just chat with y'all, I will be reaching out so be on the lookout for that. If you have something else in mind, feel free to reach out as well. 

    Please let me know if there are specific prayer requests you have. I am praying for you but let me know if there's anything in specific. Love you all!

picnic date

in az

my mountains

fam

peace

cutest date

making dough

bloom

city life

rainy season