Shout out!

On Monday April 11th we had to pack the UHaul. Andrew's mom and dad came over, his dad took a day off work. My parents drove over from St. Louis. AND THEN...the unmentionable. I am totally ratting some folks right this moment.

This is the group that showed up on a Monday at 10:00am.

Kelley Rowe (shakira), Sarah Beard, Andrew Beard, Kelsea Hoge, Drew Hansen

Krista Christmas...I mean Koch, Allyson Lean and Wermy...AndrewMichaelWermelskirchen.

Not pictured. Katja Jones

Yes, there are HS students who skipped school to help. Should I have said something about that...well, I didn't.

After we packed up we took a few pics of us on our porch for the last time

and then took all of those who helped us to Chic-fil-a. Minus my parents, they hit the road.

The next morning, as I have mentioned, there was a group of students at Starbucks at 6:00am. We did take a couple of pics.

And then the road.

Thought you would enjoy some images!

Love you guys!

Sarah

New Look

I felt like it was time for a new look for the blog. I am not sure how long it will last...it is sort of like my hair. If you wonder what that means, see these photographs.

(hmmm...I wonder what will be next?)

The new background photo was actually taken by Andrew Beard on his iPhone using the hipstamatic app at Bigstuf. If you work with youth, you should totally check it out!

and another thing(s)

I feel I have to make a note to Texans who may not know me. I love it here and I am sooo not judging your pride, I am commenting on how no other state understands your pride, so they fear the state itself...but once you are here...It is pretty great.

Please, do not be offended.

and my #6 thing.

EVERYTHING SWEATS MORE HERE! Like, I put a few ice cubes in my drink and in like 4 minutes I have a swimming pool. (that may have been a stretch - But I said they were sassy thoughts)

All in all...this has been a blessed move and I am truly loving it here.

My sassy thoughts on Texas

I have been here for exactly one day past two weeks and there are a few things I have noticed that I would like to comment on.

1. First of all, I think Texas has gotten a bad reputation due to the people who live here who "LOVE TEXAS MORE THAN LIFE".

Seriously, I was hanging out with Hayley White (a freshman at TCU) this weekend and she told me that one of her friends has hung the TX flag in his dorm room...Look, I am not exactly certain what the MO flag looks like, and I like MO and all, but NEVER would I fly a MO flag in my place of residence...plus that just wouldn't go with my decor.

Would I ever get a MO mascot tattooed on my body? ...um...if I really have to answer that, I have not done a good job "being me" on this blog. There are too many (as little Fred would have said-when he says too many, he means more than 1) people with some sort of TX Pride Tattoos. True.

All that to say. It is a pretty sweet place. I mean, here it is the end of April, everything is just as green as can be, flowers are bloomed everywhere, mid to upper 70's and 80's every day and lots of things to do and a ton of outdoor sitting.

2. This one isn't about TX as a whole...just my mentality on the city we live in. The city we live in is what I like to refer to as "wealthy". We were walking the other day and we walked past a house in our neighborhood for sale, the listing price? Just a measly 1.9 mil. No bigs. This has put things in perspective for me. I tweeted a few days ago about living above your means, and how that will create a false sense on need. That was prompted by this walk.

My thought was, you buy this giant house at 1.9 mil and then who has the furniture to furnish this...and once you own a house like this, you don't just fill it with Target and Ikea...and you "Need" to have furniture in every room...Need...Need...want...would like...it would be fun for me if...IT IS NOT A NEED! I NEED to be reminded that I don't NEED.

3. TEXAS HAIR. Here I go. I have decided that Texan women didn't plan on having big hair. The air is warm and humid, much like a MO summer. It is not miserable at all, it just makes your hair a little bigger than normal. I am sorry, there isn't anything I can do about it. It is just what the case is. The reality, I am learning, is that you get used to your hair having this extra "bounce", or "body" or what ever you want to call it and then when you go to a dryer climate, your hair looks weird, cause that isn't what it normally looks like! Thus...Texans make their hair bigger when they are away from home.

4. Healthier options. That is all...there are soooo many opportunities to choose to be healthy where we live now. There are sidewalks EVERYWHERE. you can literally walk for MILES with out having to step on the street. There are grocery stores that cater to every personality, Whole Foods and Central Market to name a few.

5. It is not weird to be 30 and single or 30 and married and have no kids. this is a nice change...Not one person has asked us "when are you having kids?" LOVE THIS.

okay, there is a list of 5 for you...expounded upon in maybe too great of detail.

Love Y'all! haha

Here we are.

Well, We moved to Dallas, TX!

Crazy.

We moved on Tuesday April 12th. We have been here two weeks exactly. On that particular Tuesday we arrived at Starbucks at 6:00am to be greeted by students who woke up at the crack of dawn to come and say good-bye. It was a beautiful morning.

Katie Loew and I hopped into my car and Andrew and his mom Anne hopped into the UHaul!

We pulled into our new home right around 3:30 or 4 and we were met by a few students and a few of the youth staff from Highland Park UMC.

While we were unloading the UHaul, Andrew received 2 phone calls. The first one was Perkin's Seminary. They were calling with the official "You have been accepted" news. This was a relief...even though we weren't worried.

the second call was our realtor. The news that came was "you have officially closed! You sold your house!"

Done and Done. All together a pretty darn good day.

If I have ever underestimated the Goodness of God, this move/transition period did more than put Him and His goodness into perspective for me. How faithful our God is!! Amen!

So, we aren't completely settled just yet, but we are def. getting there. Here is our new little home. We love it and we live in a spectacular area. So, if you wanna pack your bags, there is all kinds of sleeping room in the living room! We have a couch and 2 blow up mattresses! Come on down!!!

This is the office/entertainment center! This is where I do most of my work!

leaning shelves from Crate and Barrel

this awesome Monkey

from ZGallerie

Boxes from Target and Ikea

Basically if you just turn around from the first picture this is what you see. This is our living room. It is a pretty decent size! All it is missing is some curtains and YOU!

Couch from Ikea. Kivik.

Paintings from Josh Welker

This is our dining room...there are still some boxes in this space, but this is our table and bookshelf!

Orange files from Ikea. Vase from Hobby Lobby. Flowers from I.O.Metro. Rug from Pier 1.

This is our cute little kitchen. I am not gonna lie, it has been a little tough going from our awesome previous kitchen to this one, but only because it isn't open to the rest of the house! Other than that, not having a dishwasher gives me time to be prayerful and since I hated un-loading the dishwasher, putting dishes away now is as quick as turning around! I honestly don't mind it...and for those of you who will try to rationalize that I have only cooked for 2 "so just wait", I have already had 2 dinner parties where I cooked some big ole meals!

Still don't mind it!

Side table from Ikea

This is our bedroom! The door to the left is actually our back door. Kinda funny going in and out through the bedroom...you cant see the bed, but it is a huge bed frame that had 2 giant drawers on each side. Great for a small space with little storage!

Bed and Mirrored Wardrobe from Ikea. Drop leaf table is a vintage hand me down. Vases from ZGallerie, Art is from Venice.

That is all for now! I will be back soon to give you some of my thoughts on Texas and life!

Love to you and yours!

This very moment

This very moment I am sitting at my desk in the Liberty United Methodist Youth Office for the last time.

To my right, Andrew is sitting in a chair, while to my left Werm and Katie sit at Andrew's "old" desk composing their first e-mail to the youth families. Allyson stepped in for a minute and then had to leave. I wish she was here, but she has school work to get done...and that is more important than me having all three of my little babies in the office. Yes, I called them my babies...yes they will all be 21-23 by the end of this month.

I am just really proud of all of them and love them!

It is a weird feeling here.

like, I am on the last chapter of a book I have devoured, loving every word that drips from the pages. A loss for the end, but such an overwhelming satisfaction that I know exactly what I need to know for my curiosities to be satisfied.

I am 100% confident that we did the work that the Lord had for us in the time here. I am also 100% confident that the Lord has carried the youth here to a place to get them ready for whats to come.

Much love you to you and yours.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Next Step.

Well, as most of you know, I am going to work for His Voice Global. Some of you may not know that I am raising my own support for a year.

I am going to ask my readers to just check out what is going on here and pray about wether or not you would like to partner in some way with me for 1 year.

this is the letter I am sending out...

Dear Friends,

These photo was taken 6 years ago. It is me next to a sweet little boy who had his teeth checked for the very first time. I was in what would now be called South Sudan. I joined some of my very best friends, Vernon and Amber Burger, on a journey that would change my life. I went on a trip as the team photographer (this is the only photo I found with me in it!) with the organization formerly know as His Voice for Sudan, but is now His Voice Global. This trip changed my heart and made clear my understanding of the Truth that without the Gospel, every one is poor. Without the Gospel, there is no hope. I have not yet returned to the Sudan, but there is a longing in my heart to do so. If you haven’t heard from me in a while, you may think this is a letter asking you to support another trip...this is not the case. I am writing because as of April 15, I will be a full-time employee of His Voice Global.

What is His Voice Global?

I want to tell you a little bit about His Voice. If you want to know more, you can ask me, or you can go to www.hisvoiceglobal.com. Our goal is to strengthen the local church by promoting the reality of God's holistic vision to reach people. When Vernon went to Sudan and listened to Bishop Taban's vision for orphans, he decided to partner with them and carry out the orphanage ministry with a 100% indigenous staff. It has been very important to us that the Sudanese would recognize the power of the local indigenous church. One of the failures of the West has been to go over and run things in such a way that the local people become dependent on the West for vision, constant financial assistance, etc. Many Sudanese have been hurt by this approach. We have looked to see how we could cast vision with Bishop Taban and his wife Anngrace in such a way that we would all benefit from mutual discipleship. One of our prayers is that this ministry will be a testimony to all. When we take time to go and listen to the local people's vision for their own churches and communities, many more goals can be accomplished in more effective ways. His Voice has also begun work in India. You can read more on-line if you are interested.

My Role with His Voice Global

As orphanages, schools, medical clinics, farmland and wells develop, we need more people to go and train and also to support the work being done financially. I am hoping to form some brilliant partnerships with people all over the world so we can continue to change lives and restore people and countries to a Holy God. I have been hired as the Director of Promotions and could not be any more excited about what the Lord has laid out for the future. Andrew will be working for a church and attending Perkins Theological Seminary. While he is busy with his job, I will be working on a two year commitment to His Voice. I will need to raise support for one year as we at His Voice reach the next bracket of non-profit status. My hope is to raise $2,000.00/month to cover my salary.

The Reason you are Receiving this Letter

I am writing this letter to ask you to partner with me.

1. I am asking you to join my team. To be a partner. To spread the word about what His Voice is doing and the hope it offers to the future of not only the countries it is affecting, but the HOPE it is offering to countries that need restoration through a Savior. You can be a partner simply by letting me know that you want to be a part of what we are doing and by keeping our work in your prayers. If you would like to have Vernon come and speak or see how you or your church can get involved, let me know. You can e-mail me at sarah@hisvoiceglobal.com. You can also keep up with me on my blog, Sarahbeard.blogspot.com
2. You can make a one time donation in my name toward my salary.
3. You can make a monthly donation in my name toward my salary. This, of course, would be the most beneficial for Andrew and me.

To make a tax deductible donation follow these simple instructions:

1. Go to Hisvoiceforsudan.com.
2. Click on Partner with His Voice
3. Scroll down till you see the “Donate Now!” box. Click it.
4. Fill out the information on the next screen. It should look like this.
5. Make sure that you put my name "Sarah Beard Salary" in the Designation box. This will insure that your donation goes to nothing except my salary.
6. Once you have submitted the form please continue by praying for me. I would love to hear if you have chosen to support me. Please send me an e-mail at sarah@hisvoiceglobal.com.

Thank you so much for your time and your support!

LOVE YOU!!!

Sarah Beard

816-810-5534