Life through the eyes of a Bermudian in the Dominican :)

HAPPY BERMUDA DAY!

Although I am far from home, I am filled with pride for the 21 square miles of heaven in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It hardly shows up on a map, but we are there… and we are PROUD!!!

Sure missed being home today… but there has been a lot going on in my home away from home too J

This past week was BUSY!

***You might see that word come up more often as the summer approaches, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing (as long as we keep our priorities right!). We are thankful for the ministry that God has placed in our lives***

On Wednesday there was celebration at the Lily House as we finished up the study of Esther by Elizabeth George. I have been teaching the study for months on how to be a woman that is beautiful (inside and out) and strong just like Esther. On Wednesday the girls shared what they have learned and how God is using the lessons to change things in their own lives. I know God has been teaching me some important things too! We finished off the afternoon by watching “One Night with the King” – the story of Esther – complete with popcorn and plenty of girly squeals through the whole movie J Next lesson starts this Wednesday. Pray that God would use each lesson to mold and make us in to women after His own heart!

Thursday was an exciting day for Robersy! If you know Robersy at all, you know that baseball is his world… after Jesus of course… and hopefully after me J But when he gets to combine his love for baseball and his love for Jesus, it’s even more exciting! So on Thursday, a group from the states came to play with Robersy’s team and they were able to share Christ with them too. This visit from the American teens, that are the same age of the boys on Robersy’s team, came at the perfect time since there are several boys on the team that are seriously struggling in their walk with the Lord. Both the mission group and Robersy’s team left encouraged! It’s funny that no matter how different the language, the culture or the people are we share similar struggles in our Christian walk. Pray as Robersy begins a new study with his boys that will pinpoint areas in which the boys are struggling!

Those were just 2 special says that stood out this week, but we are grateful for the lessons we are learning through ministry every day.

On Sunday we celebrated Mother’s Day and we had the privilege of spending time with Robersy’s family in Bani. Something that I LOVE about the culture here is how family-oriented it is. Every holiday the traffic is horrendous as family travels to be together. I am thankful for the family that I married in to. It is HARD to be far away from my family and I miss them every single day, but God has blessed me with some pretty awesome family here in the DR.

So that’s life through the eyes of Sarah Lara. We are blessed beyond measure as we strive each day to be more like Christ. We fall, we get up, and we carry on in HIS strength and not our own. We appreciate your prayers, emails and phone calls as you encourage us in our ministry. It’s not always easy… but it is SO worth it J

9:30PM... lights out!

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28

Most nights I’m in bed by 9:30pm. I don’t have to sleep right away (although most of the time I do), but there is something relaxing about sliding under the covers and allowing the muscles in your body, as well as your mouth, heart and mind, to just REST. 

But then something crazy happens...

My alarm goes off! Then I get up, walk the dogs, run, shower, do my devotions, eat breakfast, head to Lily House for the day, get home, answer emails/messages, cook dinner, clean (I can’t sleep in a filthy house), shower, plan for the next day, read or watch a bit of TV and then I climb in to bed.

From the moment that I get home I am constantly glancing at the clock to see if it’s an acceptable time to climb back in to bed. Then I “rest” and do it all over again the next day! It is a never ending cycle and I never feel truly rested!

I was thankful to experience true rest for a few days this week. To tell you the truth, it wasn't when I was sitting and talking with the other ladies, or eating ice-cream in the mountains, or playing games… it was when I was alone with my Bible AND HEART open.

One of my favorite moments was when I stole away for a bit and sat beside the river. The sound of the river and the view of God’s creation filled my heart with gratitude for the One who made it all! True rest… even just for a moment.

But then we come back to reality. I don’t live in the mountains with a river running beside my home… but the God that was there in the mountains dwells here in Boca Chica too. 

Although it is SOOOO wonderful to escape to a cabin in the middle of nowhere, God has called me HERE, so it is possible that HERE that I will encounter true rest too… but only in the arms of my Savior.

I know for me I need to consciously set time apart to rest, maybe you do too :) But may the true rest we find in Christ give us the energy to carry on serving Him each day.

While I was resting, Robersy was serving... and just so you don’t feel bad, while I’m writing this blog, he is lying in bed reading His Bible finding true rest now :) 

This past Saturday boys came from Bani, San Pedro, Boca Chica, Guayacanes and Juan Dolio to play an all-day tournament that Robersy put together. Although I’m sure everyone went back to their home a few shades darker (it was a HOT day!) each child also returned to their home having heard the Gospel loud and clear.

Pray for boys (and coaches) who made professions of faith and for the seed that was planted in the others!

It’s been a great week, and so it begins again :) But we know it’s not in vain. May God ALONE be praised… and may we look to Him for the true rest needed for each day!

I have seen the Lord!

“I have seen the Lord!” John 20:18

This week has been filled with sad goodbyes, but with each goodbye I have written a letter of encouragement to students leaving the DR and heading back to the hustle and bustle of the USA. One of these letters convicted me. I know I wrote it, but as I was writing it my eyes were filled with tears and God spoke to MY heart!

One of my absolute favorite stories in the Bible is when Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb following the death and burial of our precious Savior.

In John 20:11 it talks about how Mary wept outside of Jesus’ tomb. Heart-wrenching sobs. Often times we rush through these verses and get to the resurrection part, but can you imagine how you’d feel if you didn’t have the end of the story? That was Mary. All she knew is that her Lord, the One she loved, the One she worshiped was gone… and she cried. Standing beside the tomb she stoops to peak in and there are 2 angels and no body! Dilemma number two. Not only has Jesus died, but Mary believes that someone has stolen His body! She is heartbroken.

Then we get to verse 14. Mary turns around only to see a “gardener” who asks why she is crying! She begs Him for the body of her Lord and all He had to say was, “Mary.” She knew immediately.

So she squeezes Him as hard as she can and then runs off to tell the disciples, “I have seen the Lord.”

In the midst of heart ache, in the midst of suffering, in the midst of confusion, in the midst of loneliness, Mary declares… “I HAVE SEEN THE LORD!”

Friend, I write this blog with tears streaming down my face. I tell you this not to gain sympathy or spiritual points, I tell you this so you can see my heart. How many times have I been consumed with feelings of loneliness, ungratefulness, anger, bitterness and even jealousy to the point that my eyes are SO clouded that I don’t see the One that matters? Many times He stands right before me as I see the works of His very hands… and yet I look right past Him.

I trust I’m not the only one.

But my GOD is ALMIGHTY...

MOST HIGH REDEEMER...

ETERNAL...

ANCIENT OF DAYS...

MIGHTY...

REFUGE...

ROCK...

FORTRESS...

LOVER OF MY SOUL...

HE IS LORD!

Let me tell you how I have seen the Lord this week.

Monday we traveled to Bani where God’s Word was declared and young baseball players accepted Christ as their Savior!

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday young women and men were taught how to grow in the Word through discipleship, taught how to make their faith their own and taught how to shine bright so that their lives point to the Light Source!

Wednesday – Sunday I saw FIRST-HAND how God can transform an Atheist in to a Jesus-loving crazy woman J Her faith is now HER OWN! I am SO PROUD of the growth I have seen in a dear friend of mine!!!

Thursday I received a call from a lady we met in Boca Chica street ministry to let me know that we wouldn’t see her out working tonight and “not to worry!” J She stayed home!

Saturday a friend and I sat on the beach and watched the power in God’s fingertips as a storm rolled in over the ocean.

Thursday-Saturday Robersy saw the Lord through the pure preaching of the Word in a men’s conference!

Saturday I saw the Lord’s protection as I drove the biggest truck I have ever driven (a Ford 150… I’m only 5’1”!!!) filled with people AT NIGHT. I prayed all the way there and back (40min drive total) AND SURVIVED J

Sunday we saw the Lord in the worship time and teaching of the Word at church and was reminded how the family of Christ is truly knit together with His love.

I can keep going and keep going because I have SEEN THE LORD! Lest I forget and look past Him again because of my selfish heart… I have seen the Lord!

Friend… don’t forget to seek Him. In the midst of crazy, in the midst of busy, in the midst of me-mindedness… may we open our eyes and heart to see the One who truly matters.

May 2014 newsletter update!

God has been doing some exciting things! Follow the link to see how you can pray for us.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6Meb7dV5PcUbHU4SXhoZXFBbWs/edit?usp=sharing