Life Will Never Be The Same

As we have been making preparations for our trip to Haiti this year, we wanted to take a few moments to share some stories about a great friend who recently went home to be with Jesus. Sara Williams went to Haiti with us in 2005 and 2006 and although it has been a few years since she has been to Haiti, she has been a vital part of our prayer support team for each trip since. Even though she didn't go with us the past few years, she has helped with packing, hygiene kits, and saw us off at the airport (at 4am even!!!) almost every time. But, we wanted to share a little about her time with us in Haiti.

I don't remember Sara ever being afraid to do anything. She might mention being nervous, but never enough to keep her from trying. On her first trip to Haiti, she volunteered to teach the hygiene class to women. As we prepared for the class, she asked me to go first so she could get an idea of what she needed to do. We decided to "tag team" it and by the time she got to her second section of teaching, she was already adding the "Sara" flare. She was searching the room to find anything she could get her hands on to use as a prop to demonstrate what she was teaching. She had all of the women on the edge of their seat waiting to see what she would do next! After that first class…there was no stopping her and her enthusiasm grew with everything she did throughout the rest of the week. Whether it was carrying buckets of cement as we poured the roof on Joy House or hugging & kissing on babies, she poured every ounce of energy into it all!

It was hilarious to watch her with the kids. Speaking no Creole, she would say things to them in English, the kids would in turn mimic what she said. She would then laugh because of it and then they would mimic her laugh…which would cause her to laugh harder and the kids would mimic again…and so on! You never had to wonder where Sara was…you just had to listen for a few minutes and then you would know.

If Sara wasn't laughing or making others laugh, she was encouraging or praying for them, or sharing Jesus with them. In Haiti, her witnessing tool was the salvation bracelet using colors to share the gospel. She was passionate about sharing how much God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. She shared God's love with boldness and urgency no matter where she was. Galatians 5:6b says "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." And that is what Sara was all about.

Life will not be the same without Sara…but life will never be the same because of Sara! We miss her a bunch! Check out more stories about Sara at Sarastories on facebook or the blog at Sarastories.net.

Kay Rodgers