A transformed life.

It all started two weeks ago in a small-town, Colorado coffee shop. A bunch of us girls decided to go grab coffee together after an exhausting first week at Mission Training.

To us, it was just another Saturday. To God, it was the beginning of something beautiful. Little did we know that God was going to invite us in to see and experience His power like we never had before.

Her name is Sara.

And she was working at the coffee shop that day. As we walked in, she noticed our smiles, our joy and they way we carried ourselves with an inner confidence. She later told us that she had seen the power of God within us and knew we had something valuable.

Sara has lived a hard life. A young, single mother. A recovering alcoholic and drug addict. An ex-dancer with a torn up body. A wandering girl, looking for answers.

Unknown to us, God had been working mightily in her life that past week. From anonymous envelopes of money showing up on her door step to pay the bills, to random lyrics touching the innermost parts of her soul. Sara knew that God was trying to get her attention--as scary as that was to her. Naturally, you can imagine her reaction when a bunch of missionaries randomly walked into her coffee shop that Saturday morning. She knew it was another blatant act from God and something in her heart told her she could no longer ignore it.

And so, as we were leaving the coffee shop, Sara nervously rushed up to us. She explained that she had a lot of questions about God and that she couldn't let us leave without asking if she could talk with us.

And so it began.

Our two week journey with her. Lots of late nights listening to her struggles, her past hurts, her deep questions. Lots of conversations over God's extravagant love for her, what it means to be forgiven, and how becoming a Christian is more than just saying a prayer.

How it's a transformed life.

It's the power of God at work within you. It's His desires becoming yours. It's admitting you've gone astray and crawling back to His throne of grace. It's less of you, more of God. It's faith like a child, holding on to new mercies every morning, being in awe of the character and love of God.

And somewhere in the midst of all this, Sara began to change. God was grabbing hold of her heart and renewing her mind. We saw her struggle, yet only to be met with His grace. We saw her discover who she was in Christ, a new creation made for His glory. We saw her embrace forgiveness, understanding it better than so many of us.

We saw Sara come to know Jesus, falling in love with His love.

A week or so after meeting with her, she came over to read us a letter she had written to God. Still unsure of how to pray, we had encouraged her to write down what God was teaching her. We didn't know what she would write, but told her to be honest and vulnerable. We knew God would delight in whatever she wrote, but had no idea how deep and impactful her words would be.

This is what she shared with us.

God,
Who am I? Without you I am nothing. Dead in my transgressions and sins. A follower of my sinful nature and human desires. An object of wrath. A lost hopeless little girl. A wandering creature of darkness. A soul that is always searching, never finding, a soul that is dead. Empty and wanting, lonely, and desperate to feel alive. That’s what I am.

The faith I have is very small, GOD but it is pure. Please, I BEG you! Help me to find the faith of a child. Not doubting or questioning your truth with my polluted mind. God, I know so little about who you are. Show me! I want to know you. I want to experience every bit of who you are.

You are perfect, I know that. And I’m just me, Sara. I’m a sinner, I’ve sinned so much and I will sin again. I am human and therefore innately this way. Thank you, Jesus, for creating me as a human so that I could worship you. So that I could truly appreciate how incredible you are. I am so humbled that you sought me out! YOU PICKED ME! You! The beginning and end of EVERYTHING wanted ME! You said in the Bible, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me". Thank you for revealing yourself to me. Thank you for washing away my sin so that I can talk to you like this, right now. Your grace is incomprehensible.

Your love is amazing, wondrous. You sent your only son, Jesus, down from heaven, to die by crucifixion...the most dreaded, gory, and disgraceful execution ever conceived...all so that I could have a way to know you! And God, you didn't stop there. No way, not you! Then you said, "What more? What else? I want you to depend on me throughout your life on earth. I want to take all of your burdens on my shoulders. I want to take care of you, Sara." What love is that? Not any love I know of on this earth. God, Your love is unfathomable.

I AM YOURS GOD! You are my Savior, I believe that. Help me, God, to make you Lord of my life. I don't even know where to begin. God, come into my soul live right here in my heart...you have shown me that its where you want to be. You sought me out and you trust me enough that you want your spirit in me. I welcome you with a humbleness I cannot explain in words, but that I know you see in my heart. This girl was created for your glory, so here I am. Unworthy and sinful but ready for you. I am not my own! You bought me at a price. And a price no one could possibly measure. I abandon me God, I give who I was to you, and now God I ask that you show me who you created me to be.

I love you, and… I love the way you love me.
Sara

Wow, God.

I am humbled. What a privilege to watch God mightily work in her life. I couldn't believe that a week prior Sara had had no concept of God. She had never read the Bible, never stepped foot in a church, never even acknowledged the existence of God. To see Him reveal such depth to her has built up my faith. I am learning it is God who rescues, not me.

I am encouraged. Since that letter, Sara keeps discovering new things about God and can't seem to get enough. Within a week, she had read multiple books of the Bible and has been teaching me things about faith in God. I am learning from a new sister in Christ.

I am refreshed. She hungers for the Word of God much more than I do. Seeing her revel in the truths of the Gospel has made me do the same. I am learning to remember my first love--the saving power of faith in Christ Jesus.

What a honor to watch God's heavy pursuit of Sara. I am so thankful for such an eternal purpose--to be a part of His work here on earth.

Knowing Sara and being a small part of her journey with God makes me excited for the rest of my life. Thailand or no Thailand, God is at work everywhere, all the time. What a joy it is to see Him continue to transform my life, but also the lives of those around me. What a blessing it is to know and serve this great God, with whom all things are possible.