Sarah Armstrong is a graduate from School Of Discipleship (’08-’10) and serves as the Food Service Director. She is currently pursuing continued education in Food Nutrition and Business/People Management.
“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord is everlasting strength.” Isaiah 26:3
Dear Family and Friends,
The verse above is one that I have been very encouraged by the past several months, as it speaks to me of God’s great love and faithfulness and the blessing of the assurance that all my days are in His hands. I am resting in His promises as I enter my fourth year here at Miracle Mountain Ranch!
So much has happened since I last sat down to share with all of you! Summer camp has come and gone, and I am once more amazed at how time flies! We were blessed with an amazing eight weeks of summer camp, with a record attendance and many decisions made for salvation and dedication. I was once again blessed with a wonderful roster of volunteer ladies and girls that were a tremendous amount of help and an enjoyment to work with. God showed me much this summer about dying to myself and trusting Him fully. It is such a humbling thing to realize how easy it is to take my eyes off of God and to focus on my own selfish desires and faulty belief systems! Praise the Lord that His mercies are new every morning, and that He is so faithful, though I am faithless!
The end of August marked the end of yet another apprenticeship year for us here. It was with very mixed emotions that I said good bye to the dear friends that had become so much a part of my “family” this past year. As much as I miss them though, I am also so excited to see them venture out into their various new schooling, job and ministry responsibilities that God has called them to! I am so very blessed to be here as a part of this ministry and to have the opportunity and privilege to be a part of these young people’s lives. It both encourages and amazes me over and over to see the sometimes slow, but undoubtedly certain changes that can take place in only one year, when God is truly sought and a heart is willing to be challenged and molded.
Never a dull moment however, as this month has brought us over 30 new students that are excited and full of enthusiasm for this new year ahead. This year I am co-advising with Rachel Mozeika, a fellow staff girl and my best friend! We are blessed to have three young ladies in our advisor group this year – Faith Penu, who is a 2nd year student, Erin O’ Shea, and Mary Snoke. It is such a privilege to be a specific part of these girls’ lives this year and to see first – hand what God is already beginning to do.
Things have been going very well in the kitchen, and I continue to enjoy the daily ministry and even the challenges that it brings. We have recently accepted another junior staff girl to join our team in the food service and both Zoe and Jemi, who came on last spring, are a tremendous help and bring much to the dynamic of the group! I had the opportunity to tag team a Food Service class with my supervisor, Connie Cooper, which was a big learning experience and a lot of fun! As much as I still do not especially “enjoy” public speaking, I had a lot of fun being able to share with the kids, the many things that I have learned and teach them the ropes of the food service area here at the ranch.
Another exciting project that has been consuming any “spare” time that I have is the remodeling of our house. Several weeks ago, we realized that our floor was falling out in many areas of our trailer. It was discovered that we had several leaks throughout the house, which had been slowly rotting the floor. The men in the maintenance department have been hard at work tearing apart flooring and re-piping, so needless to say, my house has been a wreck! They were just recently able to finish the flooring of the kitchen and also one of the bedrooms, and will soon be moving to the other end of the house. The nice part in all of this, is that we were able to have some re-construction done in with the kitchen and also, we are now able to paint and re-model several of the main rooms in the house! Very much looking forward to the finished results! 
Will send pictures in my next letter!
Well, that’s the past several months in a nut-shell! The upcoming months, we will be kept quite busy, as the apprentices go more in –depth with their classes and training and we go into our busy retreat season. If you have the opportunity, please check the ranch’s website and consider joining us for one of our retreats- I would love to see you! May God bless you greatly as we enter this autumn season!
In Him, Sarah
PRAISES:
- 1. A good summer camp!
- 2. The new group of apprentices!
- 3. God’s great faithfulness!
- 4. The wonderful girls in my advisor group!
- 5. The work being done on my house and the many willing hands to help along the way!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- 1. Wisdom in discipling the new apprentices this year!
- 2. God’s continued provision of financial support.
- 3. The construction work on my house- that it will be finished quickly!
- 4. That I would continue to keep my eyes on the Lord and rest in His will for me.
I am asking that you would prayerfully consider whether God is leading you to be a part of my support team either prayerfully or financially. The recommended level of support for single staff at MMR is $840.00 a month. Any gift is greatly appreciated, whether a one-time gift or monthly support.
If you would like to make a donation, here are some things to know:
1. 100% of your support goes directly to me.
2. All gifts are tax deductible.
3. Checks or money orders should be made directly to Miracle Mountain Ranch, designated for me on a separate piece of paper. Mail to the ranch address: 101 Rodeo Drive, Spring Creek, Pa 16436
4. You can make donations on – line, by going to mmrm.org and clicking on the MMR staff page, then my page. There is also a direct link to this on my Facebook page.
If you have any questions or would like to speak to me, please don’t hesitate to contact me. You can reach me by phone at (607) 341-8553 or by e-mail at searmstrong8@gmail.com
