Dear Friends & Family!
I hope this letter finds that you and your family are doing well. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Whether I am fortunate enough to see you often or our paths haven’t crossed for quite a while, I am encouraged by you and the source of support you have been in my life.
It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over and for the first time since I was five, I won’t be heading back to school in the fall. Although this reality was hard for me to accept a few months ago, I am increasingly excited about where this newfound freedom is leading me. I’m writing this letter to let you know about what I will be doing next year and to invite you to be a part of what I hope will be the most life-changing year of my life.
This past May I found myself in the hills of northern Georgia volunteering at the World Race Training Camp. The World Race is a journey to 11 countries in 11 months in which participants serve the “least of these,” while discovering the power of God to change lives. I knew very little about the training camp, only that we would be preparing meals, washing dishes, helping set up before certain activities, and possibly participating in a few worship services with future Racers. However, I quickly realized that God had more in store for me during my few days in Georgia than simply blessing me with a vacation away from work.
Through conversations I had with people at camp who had previously gone on the World Race, I began to hear stories of experiences that had changed their lives. People in Africa were accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior on a daily basis and the church was thriving. Children in Cambodia who never walked before were being healed. Prostitutes in Thailand who were trapped in the sex trade industry were being set free from a life of oppression and trained for other careers. Satan’s grip was being weakened as the Holy Spirit worked through ordinary people like YOU and ME. Everyone I talked to had a story from the World Race that changed them.
One of the driving forces behind the World Race is love: loving God and loving others. Although a constant theme, the way it is shown will look very different from day to day. Some days it may mean spending hours playing with orphans in Kenya, while others it could be sitting and talking with women suffering from AIDS in Rwanda. Perhaps it’s spending an evening talking to a prostitute in Thailand, praying with pastors of churches in India, painting a house for a family in Nicaragua, or simply playing cards with some of the locals in Honduras.
When I returned home from the training camp, I kept replaying the words of the pastor who spoke during the week. He asked if we had put God in a box, molding Him in a way that was convenient with our lives. I know that I am guilty of that. Since graduating college, one of my fears has been becoming stagnant, especially spiritually. Therefore, in order to keep moving forward in my faith, I believe the next step in my life is to embark on this journey that will probably completely wreck my life, but also allow me to discover a glimpse of how involved our God is all across the world. I have accepted how difficult many aspects of this trip will be. Thinking about living without the comforts I’ve come to depend on for my whole life can be overwhelmingly frightening at times. In addition, various forms of ministry such as praying boldly, preaching, teaching, and evangelizing do not come easy to me. But as Christians we are called to be obedient, and we don’t grow by only doing what is comfortable. So I’m trying to trust the Lord and be obedient.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
Even though I am confident that God is calling me this direction in my life right now, it has been a challenge to trust that he will provide everything I need in just five shorts months. But as one of my friends reminded me last week, “God’s timing is perfect – and where He calls, He provides.” This letter is the first step for me, and hopefully an incredibly encouraging process as my decision to choose a year of abandonment is affirmed by your generous support.
For those of you who have helped fund my trips in the past, I am forever grateful. Thank you for equipping me to serve in other countries, for it was those opportunities that have fueled my passion for traveling and serving overseas ever since. I am praying for each of you as you receive this letter, and thanking God for the blessing you’ve been in my life.
My team will leave in January (a little over 5 months away) and the trip costs $15,500. The countries we will be serving are Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Nepal, and India. I would like to ask that you keep our team in your prayers over the upcoming months and especially after we leave in January. Pray that God will receive the glory in everything we do and that the world will see Jesus in us.
I hope that you will all join with me in this experience, whether it’s through prayer or financial support. While on the race, I will be keeping a blog and updating it as often as I can. If you would like to hear about what our team is doing and experiencing (as well as see pictures), I hope you’ll check it out at sarashoup.theworldrace.org. I want you all to feel like you are a part of this! At the end of the day, it wouldn’t be possible without you. Thank you again!
Love,
Sara
~Psalm 105:1
“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.”
