| SarahAnne |
Hello my friends!
Isn't it just crazy how fast this year has gone? I look back and am amazed at all that the Lord has been doing in my life! One of
the most exciting things for me is coming up in about three and a half weeks. On January twentieth I will be flying out of Helena
with two friends. We will embark on an exciting adventure to.....Nigeria, Africa!!!!! We will be working at an orphanage in a small
village called Otutulu for three months. I am left breathless at the number of doors which have been opened to allow us to go on
this trip! I have learned so many lessons in faith over the past few months, and I am excited to learn many more in the months to
come!
I greatly desire your prayer for the people we will be working with, my teammates and myself. I will send an email every once in
awhile while we are there to let anyone who is interested know more specific details and prayer requests. I don't want to put
anyone on a list against their will, so if you are interested, please let me know!
I hope you all had a very merry Christmas!
Love,
Your sister in Christ,
Sarahanne
"The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in
His love. He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy." ~Zephaniah 3:17~
Isn't it just crazy how fast this year has gone? I look back and am amazed at all that the Lord has been doing in my life! One of
the most exciting things for me is coming up in about three and a half weeks. On January twentieth I will be flying out of Helena
with two friends. We will embark on an exciting adventure to.....Nigeria, Africa!!!!! We will be working at an orphanage in a small
village called Otutulu for three months. I am left breathless at the number of doors which have been opened to allow us to go on
this trip! I have learned so many lessons in faith over the past few months, and I am excited to learn many more in the months to
come!
I greatly desire your prayer for the people we will be working with, my teammates and myself. I will send an email every once in
awhile while we are there to let anyone who is interested know more specific details and prayer requests. I don't want to put
anyone on a list against their will, so if you are interested, please let me know!
I hope you all had a very merry Christmas!
Love,
Your sister in Christ,
Sarahanne
"The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in
His love. He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy." ~Zephaniah 3:17~
===========================================================================================================================================
Hello my friends!!!
Exactly one week ago, we rolled into Ministry of Mercy orphanage in Otutulu, Nigeria. This last week has been quite the exciting
adventure! There are almost 300 kids in the orphanage, and just about every single one of them loves to be held, tickled, talked
to, played with, and just loved. They speak English (somewhat) so it has been fun to be able to communicate to some degree
with mostly everyone.
On Monday morning I received some lesson plans for a fourth grade class. There was a girl from the US that was teaching it, and
she went back for a month. I'll be teaching her class for her until she gets back. It is quite a challenge, but I enjoy it immensely!
Every morning at 8:00, I walk up to my little classroom with 13 kids packed in. I am actually very thankful for the small size,
because it is easier to keep the kids in their seats!!! Please pray especially for Joseph Alin, he is the main troublemaker and he
really has a tough time being obedient. On that note, please pray for wisdom for me on how to handle disciplinary problems!!!
Some of my kids are not saved, so I would appreciate if you would pray for me that I would take advantage of every opportunity
to witness to them that I can. One more thing you could pray for is that I would be able to get enough sleep at night so that I can
teach effectively during the day.
Well, thank you all so much for your prayers! Let me know how I can be praying for you, too.
Blessings!!!
Sarahanne :)
"Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your
speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity" ~1 Timothy 4:12~
Exactly one week ago, we rolled into Ministry of Mercy orphanage in Otutulu, Nigeria. This last week has been quite the exciting
adventure! There are almost 300 kids in the orphanage, and just about every single one of them loves to be held, tickled, talked
to, played with, and just loved. They speak English (somewhat) so it has been fun to be able to communicate to some degree
with mostly everyone.
On Monday morning I received some lesson plans for a fourth grade class. There was a girl from the US that was teaching it, and
she went back for a month. I'll be teaching her class for her until she gets back. It is quite a challenge, but I enjoy it immensely!
Every morning at 8:00, I walk up to my little classroom with 13 kids packed in. I am actually very thankful for the small size,
because it is easier to keep the kids in their seats!!! Please pray especially for Joseph Alin, he is the main troublemaker and he
really has a tough time being obedient. On that note, please pray for wisdom for me on how to handle disciplinary problems!!!
Some of my kids are not saved, so I would appreciate if you would pray for me that I would take advantage of every opportunity
to witness to them that I can. One more thing you could pray for is that I would be able to get enough sleep at night so that I can
teach effectively during the day.
Well, thank you all so much for your prayers! Let me know how I can be praying for you, too.
Blessings!!!
Sarahanne :)
"Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your
speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity" ~1 Timothy 4:12~
===========================================================================================================================================
Hello friends!!!
Well, another crazy week has passed! I have settled into more of a routine as a teacher, and the kids are more used to me and my
strange accent! Two of my students who are way behind in reading and math have been transferred to the class that Shana and
Nathan have just started. Joseph was one of them, so now you can pray for Shana and Nathan as they have to deal with him
every day now! Please continue to pray for each of my kids, not only for their academic growth, but their spiritual growth as well.
In Bible this week, I am teaching them about being kind to others. A lesson which they could all use! They are learning about the
story of David and Mephibosheth in correlation with that. Please pray that they would comprehend what I am trying to
communicate to them and that the Lord would use these lessons to draw each of them closer to Him.
I was down for a couple days last week with a stomach sickness, but praise the Lord I am better now!!!! I am very thankful that
Shana was able to take my class for me on Thursday and Friday so that I could give my body a chance to get better!!
A couple more prayer requests this week:
- Strength for teaching, planning, grading etc
-Wisdom for discipline in and out of the classroom
- Creativity in helping kids learn and remember what they learned
- Patience!!! And more patience!!!!
Thank you so much for your prayer!!!
Love,
Sarahanne :)
"Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love,
faithfulness, and purity" ~1 Timothy 4:12~
"The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love. He will
rejoice over you with shouts of joy."
Well, another crazy week has passed! I have settled into more of a routine as a teacher, and the kids are more used to me and my
strange accent! Two of my students who are way behind in reading and math have been transferred to the class that Shana and
Nathan have just started. Joseph was one of them, so now you can pray for Shana and Nathan as they have to deal with him
every day now! Please continue to pray for each of my kids, not only for their academic growth, but their spiritual growth as well.
In Bible this week, I am teaching them about being kind to others. A lesson which they could all use! They are learning about the
story of David and Mephibosheth in correlation with that. Please pray that they would comprehend what I am trying to
communicate to them and that the Lord would use these lessons to draw each of them closer to Him.
I was down for a couple days last week with a stomach sickness, but praise the Lord I am better now!!!! I am very thankful that
Shana was able to take my class for me on Thursday and Friday so that I could give my body a chance to get better!!
A couple more prayer requests this week:
- Strength for teaching, planning, grading etc
-Wisdom for discipline in and out of the classroom
- Creativity in helping kids learn and remember what they learned
- Patience!!! And more patience!!!!
Thank you so much for your prayer!!!
Love,
Sarahanne :)
"Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love,
faithfulness, and purity" ~1 Timothy 4:12~
"The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love. He will
rejoice over you with shouts of joy."
===========================================================================================================================================
Wow, it’s hard to believe that it has already been a whole week since I last wrote! Time is just flying!
This last week started out a little rough. While the kids do speak English, it is very different from “American”! When I am trying to
explain the process of pollination and get no response other than blank stares, I know that it is time to bring in some flowers and
demonstrate! The creative section of my brain has been in very high demand lately.
As the week went on, it certainly got better. I have figured out some more effective ways of discipline, so that helps a lot!! As long
as I remember to let them jump up and down and run around every so often, they really aren't too bad.
Teaching this class has certainly stretched me and made me grow in many ways. The Lord has really used the kids to teach me
many lessons! Mostly in patience.
Thank you so much for your prayer!! I really need it. I am so thankful for the strength the Lord gives me every day to get
everything done! Chelsea will be getting back on Friday evening, so this is my last week with this class. Next week I’ll be starting
to help with the kids who have learning disabilities or are way behind their peers. So, some prayer
Requests:
1) Strength and wisdom for this last week of teaching class 4.
2) A smooth transition in the changing of teachers and classes next week.
3) Continued health and safety.
Thank you all so much for your prayer! Let me know how you are doing and ho= w I can be praying for you as well!
Love, Sarahanne
"Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love,
faithfulness, and purity"
~1 Timothy 4:12~
"The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love. He will
rejoice over you with shouts of joy." ~Zephaniah 3:17~
This last week started out a little rough. While the kids do speak English, it is very different from “American”! When I am trying to
explain the process of pollination and get no response other than blank stares, I know that it is time to bring in some flowers and
demonstrate! The creative section of my brain has been in very high demand lately.
As the week went on, it certainly got better. I have figured out some more effective ways of discipline, so that helps a lot!! As long
as I remember to let them jump up and down and run around every so often, they really aren't too bad.
Teaching this class has certainly stretched me and made me grow in many ways. The Lord has really used the kids to teach me
many lessons! Mostly in patience.
Thank you so much for your prayer!! I really need it. I am so thankful for the strength the Lord gives me every day to get
everything done! Chelsea will be getting back on Friday evening, so this is my last week with this class. Next week I’ll be starting
to help with the kids who have learning disabilities or are way behind their peers. So, some prayer
Requests:
1) Strength and wisdom for this last week of teaching class 4.
2) A smooth transition in the changing of teachers and classes next week.
3) Continued health and safety.
Thank you all so much for your prayer! Let me know how you are doing and ho= w I can be praying for you as well!
Love, Sarahanne
"Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love,
faithfulness, and purity"
~1 Timothy 4:12~
"The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love. He will
rejoice over you with shouts of joy." ~Zephaniah 3:17~
===========================================================================================================================================
===========================================================================================================================================
Hey friends!!
This past week and a half has been crazy and fun as usual :) A lot of you already know that I cut up my foot last Monday. Well, it
is doing much better, so thank you for all of your prayers!!! It has been pretty overwhelming to hear of how many people, many
of whom I don't know personally, are praying for me!
As of today I have another student in my class. His name is Hassan and he is in a wheelchair. He is around the same level as my
students, but he is around 11 or 12, so a bit older than them. He has a refreshingly sweet personality, so that has been nice :) I
have been trying to keep the kids active while they learn as that seems to help cut back on boredom, so now I am trying to come
up with ways to help Hassan as he can't exactly do jumping jacks! While frustrating at times, my kids sure do keep me laughing
:) I need to start writing down the funny things they say!!End of term exams are coming up next week, so I am supposed to be
writing up some tests. I think I am more nervous than the kids!!
So, please pray for
-My students, that they would be able to understand what I am trying to teach them.
-Myself, as I continually need heavy doses of the Lord's patience and wisdom!!!
-My testimony to all around me. In spite of my sinfulness, the Lord still chooses to use me...I just don't want to get in the way of
His work!!!
Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement!
Love, Sarahanne :)
This past week and a half has been crazy and fun as usual :) A lot of you already know that I cut up my foot last Monday. Well, it
is doing much better, so thank you for all of your prayers!!! It has been pretty overwhelming to hear of how many people, many
of whom I don't know personally, are praying for me!
As of today I have another student in my class. His name is Hassan and he is in a wheelchair. He is around the same level as my
students, but he is around 11 or 12, so a bit older than them. He has a refreshingly sweet personality, so that has been nice :) I
have been trying to keep the kids active while they learn as that seems to help cut back on boredom, so now I am trying to come
up with ways to help Hassan as he can't exactly do jumping jacks! While frustrating at times, my kids sure do keep me laughing
:) I need to start writing down the funny things they say!!End of term exams are coming up next week, so I am supposed to be
writing up some tests. I think I am more nervous than the kids!!
So, please pray for
-My students, that they would be able to understand what I am trying to teach them.
-Myself, as I continually need heavy doses of the Lord's patience and wisdom!!!
-My testimony to all around me. In spite of my sinfulness, the Lord still chooses to use me...I just don't want to get in the way of
His work!!!
Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement!
Love, Sarahanne :)
===========================================================================================================================================
Hello praying friends!!!
I have survived exam week! I don’t know if I can say the same for my students J They all did their best, and I did my best teaching
them, so that is that! It would be great if you could pray for them as they go back to a regular class next term. The whole dynamic
of a classroom is very different between a class of 4 kids and a class of 24 kids! I can’t believe our time of teaching is already
finished, it feels like we just started! I am very thankful for this experience. It hasn’t always been easy, but boy did I learn a lot
about kids, teaching, and even myself! Please pray for my students and their next teacher. Pray that their teachers would have
patience with them and truly try to help them go farther in their studies. I thought I would just write a little bit about each one of
them so that you can know something other than a list of names J
Hassan is 12 years old. He is in a wheelchair, as he had polio when he was younger. I only had Hassan for a couple weeks, but
he was already showing signs of improvement in math and reading. He is very willing to try his best, he just has a hard time
grasping concepts. His constant good attitude was so refreshing! Please pray for his spiritual growth. We can never know the
condition of someone’s heart, but he showed signs of being saved. He was always more than willing to be the one to pray at the
beginning and end of every day, and seemed to take spiritual matters seriously. Please pray that he would be able to set a good
example for the other kids.
Heidi is around 8 years old. She is a very unique little girl! She loves hugs and holding hands. She seems to think that life is a big
joke, and is constantly falling off of her chair from laughing so hard! Heidi is just starting to pick up reading. She isn’t the fastest
learner, but she tries! I had trouble with her and Ruth because they don’t understand very much English. Please pray that she
won’t lose what she has learned, but that her next teacher would be able to help her really learn how to read.
Moses is 9. He is definitely the class clown! He always has a mischievous glint in his eye and his infectious laugh is just a joke
away. He picked up everything that I taught very quickly. The reason he is so behind is mainly his personality. He caused so
much disturbance in class that his teachers would make him kneel outside the classroom for long periods of time on
punishment. I feel that he is going to have the hardest time adjusting back to a normal classroom. Please pray that he would take
his studies seriously, and that his teacher would know how to relate to him.
Ruth is 8 years old. She was definitely my most challenging student! It is very difficult to describe her in just a few short
sentences. She desperately wants to be loved, but she doesn’t know how to respond to it when she gets it. She had a hard time
understanding anything. For example, she still doesn’t understand the concept of adding zero to a number and I have been
teaching her for over a month now. Even though she didn’t really learn much more than the alphabet and the concept of what
numbers are, she was obviously in my class for a reason. Even if she didn’t retain a whole lot of academic information, I hope
and pray that the seeds of the gospel that were planted would take root in her life! The individualized attention seemed to be
very good for her on a social level too. Growing up with almost 200 other kids isn’t quite the same as having two or three
siblings, so any extra positive attention these kids can get is so good for them.
Well, there you have it! A very small peek into my kids J Thank you so much for praying for them! Also, while it is important that
they learn how to read and do math and such, it is of far greater importance that each one of them comes to know Jesus as their
Savior and Lord. So please, pray with me that the Lord would be working in their hearts and would draw them to Himself!
Love, Sarahanne J
I have survived exam week! I don’t know if I can say the same for my students J They all did their best, and I did my best teaching
them, so that is that! It would be great if you could pray for them as they go back to a regular class next term. The whole dynamic
of a classroom is very different between a class of 4 kids and a class of 24 kids! I can’t believe our time of teaching is already
finished, it feels like we just started! I am very thankful for this experience. It hasn’t always been easy, but boy did I learn a lot
about kids, teaching, and even myself! Please pray for my students and their next teacher. Pray that their teachers would have
patience with them and truly try to help them go farther in their studies. I thought I would just write a little bit about each one of
them so that you can know something other than a list of names J
Hassan is 12 years old. He is in a wheelchair, as he had polio when he was younger. I only had Hassan for a couple weeks, but
he was already showing signs of improvement in math and reading. He is very willing to try his best, he just has a hard time
grasping concepts. His constant good attitude was so refreshing! Please pray for his spiritual growth. We can never know the
condition of someone’s heart, but he showed signs of being saved. He was always more than willing to be the one to pray at the
beginning and end of every day, and seemed to take spiritual matters seriously. Please pray that he would be able to set a good
example for the other kids.
Heidi is around 8 years old. She is a very unique little girl! She loves hugs and holding hands. She seems to think that life is a big
joke, and is constantly falling off of her chair from laughing so hard! Heidi is just starting to pick up reading. She isn’t the fastest
learner, but she tries! I had trouble with her and Ruth because they don’t understand very much English. Please pray that she
won’t lose what she has learned, but that her next teacher would be able to help her really learn how to read.
Moses is 9. He is definitely the class clown! He always has a mischievous glint in his eye and his infectious laugh is just a joke
away. He picked up everything that I taught very quickly. The reason he is so behind is mainly his personality. He caused so
much disturbance in class that his teachers would make him kneel outside the classroom for long periods of time on
punishment. I feel that he is going to have the hardest time adjusting back to a normal classroom. Please pray that he would take
his studies seriously, and that his teacher would know how to relate to him.
Ruth is 8 years old. She was definitely my most challenging student! It is very difficult to describe her in just a few short
sentences. She desperately wants to be loved, but she doesn’t know how to respond to it when she gets it. She had a hard time
understanding anything. For example, she still doesn’t understand the concept of adding zero to a number and I have been
teaching her for over a month now. Even though she didn’t really learn much more than the alphabet and the concept of what
numbers are, she was obviously in my class for a reason. Even if she didn’t retain a whole lot of academic information, I hope
and pray that the seeds of the gospel that were planted would take root in her life! The individualized attention seemed to be
very good for her on a social level too. Growing up with almost 200 other kids isn’t quite the same as having two or three
siblings, so any extra positive attention these kids can get is so good for them.
Well, there you have it! A very small peek into my kids J Thank you so much for praying for them! Also, while it is important that
they learn how to read and do math and such, it is of far greater importance that each one of them comes to know Jesus as their
Savior and Lord. So please, pray with me that the Lord would be working in their hearts and would draw them to Himself!
Love, Sarahanne J
===========================================================================================================================================
Hello my friends!!
We started our journey back home on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 19. After driving, standing in lines, sitting in airplanes and
sleeping on various airport floors, we landed in frigid Montana at 11:30 pm on Thursday, April 21. Praise the Lord for safe travels!
We were very thankful to have no problems with catching our connecting flights or losing luggage.
This whole trip has basically been a dream come true. It was so amazing to be able to fellowship with brothers and sisters in
Christ with whom I have nothing in common...except Christ! It was definitely very difficult to leave, but I am so thankful that I was
able to go in the first place! Please pray for all the people that we came into contact with. Pray that God would use our example
and the way that we lived to bring Him glory. Pray for our students, that they would not forget what we taught them, but that our
special attention would jumpstart them in their education. Please pray for the salvation of Moses, Heidi, Ruth and Hassan.
Please continue to pray for Ministry of Mercy. Pray for the staff, that they would have wisdom in raising these children. Pray for
the kids, that those who aren’t saved would come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and that those who are saved would
go on to be lights for Him among their peers and in their community.
Thank you so much for being my partners in this journey! Prayer is a huge part of any ministry, and I am very grateful for yours.
Remember that we are all missionaries; we all have a responsibility to reach those who God places around us with the gospel.
Thank you once again, without your prayers this trip would have turned out very differently
Love, Sarahanne
We started our journey back home on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 19. After driving, standing in lines, sitting in airplanes and
sleeping on various airport floors, we landed in frigid Montana at 11:30 pm on Thursday, April 21. Praise the Lord for safe travels!
We were very thankful to have no problems with catching our connecting flights or losing luggage.
This whole trip has basically been a dream come true. It was so amazing to be able to fellowship with brothers and sisters in
Christ with whom I have nothing in common...except Christ! It was definitely very difficult to leave, but I am so thankful that I was
able to go in the first place! Please pray for all the people that we came into contact with. Pray that God would use our example
and the way that we lived to bring Him glory. Pray for our students, that they would not forget what we taught them, but that our
special attention would jumpstart them in their education. Please pray for the salvation of Moses, Heidi, Ruth and Hassan.
Please continue to pray for Ministry of Mercy. Pray for the staff, that they would have wisdom in raising these children. Pray for
the kids, that those who aren’t saved would come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and that those who are saved would
go on to be lights for Him among their peers and in their community.
Thank you so much for being my partners in this journey! Prayer is a huge part of any ministry, and I am very grateful for yours.
Remember that we are all missionaries; we all have a responsibility to reach those who God places around us with the gospel.
Thank you once again, without your prayers this trip would have turned out very differently
Love, Sarahanne