Counting the Cost…
Thanks to those who prayed for the young girl and her family from my last post. The air at AIM the last week has been heavy. As we gathered to pray as a staff this past Wed, we were able to weep and mourn, but also rejoice that, despite any circumstance, we are citizens of an unshakable Kingdom. Times like these make you question “Is it all worth it?” We reaffirmed our commitment to God as a staff that, YES, a life laid down serving Him is better than any comfort this world can give us. We also told Satan that we are aware of his schemes and, though we are shaken, we are not defeated. Please continue to keep the Buller family, the team in South Africa and AIM leadership in your prayers as they are continuing this journey of grief and healing. Here is an article on Seth Barnes blog that honors Sarah.
SarahBuller, an AIM participant in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, was killed
in an automobile accident on Sunday. And though they’re rejoicing in
heaven, we’re all the poorer for it.
Her passing reminds us that God has called us to a road that is
sometimes more than we can bear. Sarah set an example by following
God’s call in her life and ministering to the poor in South Africa. She
loved Jesus and died serving him. We can’t help but praise God for
her life.
Her last blog entry
a few weeks ago gives us a picture into her life: “We work with kids
in the townships and I work with babies. Life is good here. some days
are more crazy then others!!! My parents just come to see me! And it
was GREAT! They got to see the whole team. We went to Swaziland a
country with in South Africa. I LOVED IT! My Dad got to see old
friends. I’m in love.”
a few weeks ago gives us a picture into her life: “We work with kids
in the townships and I work with babies. Life is good here. some days
are more crazy then others!!! My parents just come to see me! And it
was GREAT! They got to see the whole team. We went to Swaziland a
country with in South Africa. I LOVED IT! My Dad got to see old
friends. I’m in love.”
“In love” describes Sarah’s life well. She was in love with life
and with those around her. And they couldn’t help feeling it. Recently
she got a tattoo on her foot. It said love, and it had a
bunch of stars around it. Each star represented one person in her
family, one for mom, one for dad, and one for each of her eight
siblings (four of whom are adopted). She wanted them to be with her
wherever she went!
and with those around her. And they couldn’t help feeling it. Recently
she got a tattoo on her foot. It said love, and it had a
bunch of stars around it. Each star represented one person in her
family, one for mom, one for dad, and one for each of her eight
siblings (four of whom are adopted). She wanted them to be with her
wherever she went!
Teammate Nicole Eckenroth describes Sarah like this:
Sarah was one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She was
accepting of everyone. She loved to have fun, and she had no fear. We
jumped off of a bridge together, bungee jumped that is. She is a night
owl. She liked to stay up later than most, and sleep in later than most.Sarah was precious when we were in ministry. We worked together at
a children’s home, with abandoned and beaten babies and toddlers. She
was so good with all the kids. She wanted to be a mother so badly. She
could handle toddlers better than most people.She loved nature, and being outside. She loved the beach… and having
ministry right next to the beach. She was blown away by the beauty of
creation.She was artsy… always seemed to have her camera on her… then she would photoshop them.
She loved music. She had a beautiful singing voice.She loved youth. The youth group we worked with, Firehouse, was
blessed by her. She really was able to invest in the girls… to help
grow them up in Christ.Sarah loved to worship God. Her life was worship.
I had fun with her. One night, we didn’t want to go to bed, so we
sat outside in the yard. We laid in the grass star gazing, while Kevin
played guitar. It was a perfect night!Then another night, we stuck our head out the window while laying
on a bed and looked at the stars… or tried to look. the whole time we
couldn’t stop laughing… we were sooooo giddy!Sarah just liked to have fun. She brought joy wherever she went. She
was never negative. She loved what she was doing. She loved God and
loved people.She was amazing! And it’s so hard to think that she is not around
anymore, but I know, she is in the Lord’s presence. She has no pain.
She has complete and perfect joy! She is missed. But I can’t wait to
see her again!
TeammateBeth Lynch wrote this about Sarah, “I think one of my favorite stories
of her was when she and a few other girls drove to a lion park for the
day. Sarah went into a cage with a lion cub and he pounced on her. She
came back with a torn shirt and minor scrapes on her arm and stomach.
She was so excited about it! We all laughed about how when she got home
she could say that when she went to Africa, she was attacked by a
lion.”
“During Thanksgiving break, we went to Cape Town. We spent eight
long hours in the car but it was so much fun! We goofed off and sang at
the top of our lungs as we drove. That weekend we visited Table
Mountain and it was the most gorgeous site any of us had ever seen.”
long hours in the car but it was so much fun! We goofed off and sang at
the top of our lungs as we drove. That weekend we visited Table
Mountain and it was the most gorgeous site any of us had ever seen.”
* * * * * *
The local paper in Minnesota, where she was raised, posted an article about Sarah.
If her home-going leaves us overwhelmed by sadness, we have the
consolation of knowing that sometimes God loves us so much, he asks for
our best. And in receiving Sarah into his loving arms, he got the best
we had.
consolation of knowing that sometimes God loves us so much, he asks for
our best. And in receiving Sarah into his loving arms, he got the best
we had.
