My name is Sarah. I am 23 years old, and I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in December 2018 with a degree in Civil Engineering and Psychology. I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and I’m grateful for my small hometown and the fact that my entire family was never farther than a 25 minute drive from me. I’ve played soccer my whole life and I was lucky enough to play for Carnegie Mellon, which is where I’ve met some of my best friends in college. Sports have pretty much shaped and defined me and although I’m now officially retired from competitive soccer (my body is certainly not happy with me) you can find me running or doing something else active.
Things I’m all about: cats, running, investing in quality friendships (quantity is overrated), hiking, traveling, coffee shops (but someone please help hold me back because I am hypersensitive to caffeine), sarcasm, vulnerable and real conversations, Fiona (the cutest baby hippo to ever exist), and my endless list of binge-worthy shows.
Time for a shortened version of why I’m here doing this radical thing of leaving every ounce of comfort behind for 11 months while I serve and seek Jesus’ heart. I’d be lying if I said college was the best four (and a half) years of my life. I’ve struggled a lot with anxiety and depression and was so busy with soccer and academics that I feel like I wasn’t committing as much time as I wish I could to my faith. Of course God is so good that He never let me go no matter how many times I put Him at the back of my mind. Truly I’m afraid of where I’d be if it wasn’t for His pursuit of my undeserving heart. So here I am at the end of my college career and I’m tired. I’ve taken all the right steps of going to college right out of high school, working relentlessly to be a collegiate athlete while still maintaining good grades, and getting the internships and jobs I’ve wanted. And now I’m burned out. Spiritually and mentally I know I need to realign my life and fix my eyes on God before I become stuck in society’s expectations for the rest of my life.
So now I’m forgoing my own plan for God’s much greater plan. I’m not going straight into my engineering career and I’m not going straight into graduate school. Instead I’m putting my life on pause and doing something that I should’ve done a long time ago, giving God every aspect of my life and following Him. Throughout my years in college, I’ve felt like God has given me a bold heart no matter how terrified or unsure I was of myself. I wouldn’t say I was called to do this. Rather I know now that God has consistently been whispering to me to step out of my half-in, lukewarm faith to a place where I can’t make any excuses. Instead, God has given me this courage to go all in and boldly follow Christ while letting Him use me to proclaim his goodness and steadfast pursuit of His sons and daughters across the nations.
I’m not going to lie, I’ve had this “About Me” section written for nearly two months and while I was telling myself that I was just too busy finishing my degree to get this started, I think mostly I’ve been hesitant to officially put this out there because this is the most daunting thing I’ve ever done. So I ask that you all show me grace because my writing and blogging will certainly be subpar. But I will do my best to be honest and transparent throughout my whole journey. I also ask for prayer. Prayer that I will find peace in God’s promises that He will take care of me, financially, health-wise, spiritually, and in my new relationships. I’m truly excited to step out into the world and humbly engage in and learn about other cultures and people with the sole purpose of loving them. I will be traveling to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. During my time, I will be teaching English, building churches, helping in orphanages, discipling middle and high school students, partnering with local churches, as well as other service work and local engagement.
I’m excited to have you guys follow along with me in this season of my life. I’m trusting God will use me to further His kingdom and learn to love others better. If you have any questions or just want to talk please reach out! 🙂
