Who are we and what is our story?
Matt-47 years old, husband, dad, missionary
engineer (graduate from the US Merchant Marine Academy)
with an MBA from THE Ohio State University
Sarah-45 years old, wife, mom, missionary
occupational therapist
Rylie-22 years old, daughter, sister, fiancée
missionary-in-training, cake decorator
Majoring in Elementary & Special Education at Cedarville University
with a Bible Minor
Isaac-20 years old, son, brother, missionary-in-training
Majoring in Criminal Justice with a Minor in International Studies
at THE Ohio State University
Avery-12 years old, daughter, sister, missionary-in-training
student, athlete
I, Sarah, have always had a heart for missions that I can trace back to those yearly missions conferences hosted by the church I grew up in. I have been blessed to serve on our missions committee at church and have tried to foster a love for serving and meeting the needs of others in our children. As a pediatric occupational therapist who has experience working with children with developmental delays & physical disabilities, I always had a desire to use my skills in underdeveloped countries to meet those physical needs, but also to share the love of Christ, to bring light and hope to a dark and what may seem like a hopeless place. God has been gracious to me over the years, molding me into the woman He desires me to be, preparing me for the “what next.” He was faithful in directing my path in recent years in preparation for this journey–calling me to be at home after working full time for over 10 years, homeschooling our kiddos (which I had always said I would NEVER do-but have been tremendously blessed by it). THEN He led us to India, and you could say our story starts there.
We have dear friends who became missionaries in India working with orphans and widows. About a year and a half into their first term, Matt and I, along with our 2 oldest children, headed to India to serve alongside our friends on a short term trip. It was at this time that He truly set our hearts on fire for missions around the world. Putting a desire in our hearts, and the kids’, to be the hands of feet of Christ. To care for the least of these.
It was in India that God began to open Matt’s heart to missions. While we were there, the native Indian couple who run a family-focused ministry and orphanage were in the process of building a new compound outside the city. We heard them saying on several occasions that this construction project had pulled “J” away from his ministry responsibilities; the children at the orphanage particularly missed “J” during this time as he was the only father figure in their lives. It was then that Matt saw a need and began to see how God could use his talents to meet that need. Matt saw a need for someone to oversee planning and execution of building projects so that ministries did not have to be put on hold during those times of construction.
It wasn’t until about 2 years later that Matt shared what God was doing in his heart with me. He had long wrestled with the question “what does God have in store for me?” And “how can I use my skills and talents in engineering, business, and project management for something bigger, more meaningful…?” He often felt a sense of discontentment in his work, like something was missing. Since India, Matt had been researching opportunities and found the ABWE Project Office. He reached out to them for more information, still unbeknownst to me. It wasn’t until early 2015 when a conflict at work prompted Matt to share this opportunity with the ABWE Project Office with me. That is was something that he had been praying about, researching, and looking towards for quite some time. That was all it took! YES! I am in! We are in!!! God had stirred in a Matt a desire for missions & had shown him how his skills in engineering & project management could be used to impact the kingdom of God. And, all the while, had brought me to a place in my life where I was ready to say, “YES!”
“My hope is BUILT on nothing less, than JESUS’ blood & righteousness!”
“On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, ALL other ground is sinking sand.”
“Christ alone, CORNERSTONE, Lord of ALL!”
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:19-22
“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.”
Psalm 118:22