Name – Sarah Litson
Field – New Brunswick, Canada
1. Please share your missionary call.
When I was a little girl, a missionary from South Africa came to our church and showed her slides. I told my parents that night after church that I knew God wanted me to be a missionary someday. As I got older and other worldly influences started to creep into my life, they continued to remind me of that decision. I am so thankful for my parents. As a senior in high school, I again determined to follow what I felt God had called me to do. I met my husband as a sophomore in Bible college. He too, had already surrendered to missions.
2. What do you miss most about the states?
Technically, I can see the state of Maine from my house :) , but it is still a long ways from friends and family in Oklahoma. I also miss Mexican food!
3. What food do you miss from the states?
Flaming Hot Cheetos :)
4. What do you love most about your field?
We’ve only been here since last September, but I would have to say after living 10 years in a tropical climate, I am really enjoying the change of seasons. Fall was just beautiful.
5. What is a typical meal in your culture?
During the winter months, they eat a lot of soups and stews. So yummy on a cold day!
6. Say something in your language, then translate.
S’il vous plait, priez pour la famille et pour l’Eglise Baptist Independante d’Edmundston. Please pray for our family and for Edmundston Independent Baptist Church.
7. What are some things you do to help your children not forget family back in the states?
We skype as often as we can. It helps them to see their faces as we talk. We have a digital picture frame that we filled with photos of our kids with cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
8. Please share your favorite Bible verse, or one that has been an encouragement to you.
Philippians 1:20-21 “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Missionary wife, Tanna Collins shared those verses with my 9th grade Sunday School class and just a few years later, she, her husband and their five children were killed in a plane crash returning to the field. Her testimony at our missions conference that year was amazing and really stuck with me.
9. What have you found to be the biggest challenge on the mission field?
Canada is so much different from Africa and I have to remind myself not to compare the two. For example, daily life in Africa was at times, quite difficult, but the ministry there was very rewarding. Here, the day to day life seems easier, while ministry is slower. God is in control of both situations and it’s important for us to stay faithful wherever He puts us.
10. Name on thing God has taught you on the mission field.
There is always someone who has it worse than you. I’ve tried to always tell myself that no matter where we are and what is happening at the time, that I just need to “buck up” and not feel sorry for myself. There is someone out there in a worse situation than me. I think we are spoiled as missionaries today. Those who went on before us, did it without the internet, without skype (or any telephones at all), and without the opportunity to pack up and fly home at a moment’s notice. We are so blessed!
Are you interested in being interviewed? Please email us at baptistmissionarywomen@hotmail.com
This weeks theme was for you to share your Sunday!
Next weeks theme - Share your house.
7 comments:
I enjoyed your interview, Sarah! Even though I have known you for years I haven't heard your answers to some of those questions! I really felt for you with the change in Africa to Canada! I am sure it would be quite a shock to work in a much slower moving ministry after Africa! We have very slow here too! Sometimes I want to take a missions trip to Africa just to see all that is happening there! :)
I take it you were missionaries in Africa first before moving to Canada? Where in Africa? Why did you choose New Brunswick after being in Africa? Does it allow you to continue to work with African people (I know there are alot in Canada), or did you just feel a leading to go there? I hope that doesn't seem to nosey. I'm just interested since we're missionaries in Tanzania, East Africa. Ministry here is rewarding, so I can imagine it would be hard to adapt to living in a TOTALLY different country/atmosphere.
This was so fun since I know Sarah! However, somehow I missed the fact that the Litsons have moved to Canada. {Yes, sometimes life passes me by with four small children!}
I blogged about Tanna Collins awhile ago. She made a huge influence on a lot of people during that Missions Conference. But, Sarah, if you were in 9th grade, I must have still been in elementary, not junior high. :-) Here is a link to that post, as I think it would be very, very encouraging to other missionary wives: http://jolenesupdates.blogspot.com/2010/06/missionary-monday-true-commitment.html
I enjoyed reading that, Sarah! West Africa is not the same without you, but I am glad that you followed the Lord's leading. (Both of our families worked in Ivory Coast but had to leave due to civil war.) The Litsons are able to use their French in New Brunswick. The language barrier in Ghana has been a big frustration for me. There aren't many French speaking people here. English is the official language in Ghana, but many people only speak a tribal language. Pray for us as we try to learn Fante. - Laura Consford
Tammy, Like Laura said, we were missionaries to Ivory Coast from 2001 - 2011, but due to political unrest and civil war we were forced to leave 3 different times. The first time, we went to Uganda and helped another missionary there. The second time, we just crossed the border into Ghana and lived with the Consfords for 10 months. After the third time, my husband felt like God was trying to lead us in a different direction - we're just very stubborn sometimes. :) We did feel the Lord wanted us to continue working in french, but didn't have a peace about another African country. While we were home, two very Godly pastors whom we respect very much both asked at separate times if we had ever given french Canada a thought. So, we took a survey trip to Quebec and New Brunswick (which we didn't realize was french speaking) and the Lord led us here! We certainly miss Africa. We never thought God would move us, but His ways are so high above our ways.
Thanks, Jolene for posting that link. That lady really made an impact on my life as a young teen. I do know that I was in 9th grade, because that was the year we moved to Oklahoma. :)
Laura, we miss you all so much and the fellowship!
DeeDee, I enjoy reading your ministry blog, because it helps me see that so many others are in places where ministry is slow coming, but very rewarding. Thanks. Sarah
Sarah, I've talked to other missionaries who were in the Ivory Coast about how hard it was to leave. What a blessing those pastors were to help you see God's direction for your lives. We don't always understand His plans, but we always know they are perfect!
Nice to "meet" you Sarah! I have to ask... are you in the picture? :-) You look so young! Thanks so much for sharing.
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