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Where are they now? At 28, Sarah gives God the Glory and heads back to school
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from the October 2006 Newsletter |
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Editor’s Note: Sarah Kirwin was a wounded and troubled 15-year-old girl when she came to live at the Ranch in 1992. That’s how they all arrive – wounded by unimaginable acts of human cruelty, leaving them troubled, fragile, untrusting and confused. As they pick up the pieces and move on, they somehow find their way to the good things in life – family, college, employment. We never stop being amazed at the miracles. Among the most dramatic stories is that of Sarah Kirwin, now Sarah Lawton, of Dallas. Sarah was one of the brightest young women we’d ever met – and yet she was at high risk of throwing it all away. But her innate intelligence helped her see beyond the pain, and she had the wisdom to let God come into her life and drive her through the storm. Now in Baylor Nursing School at age 28 (the Auxiliary is helping her with tuition), she has found commitment and stability and a greater sense of wholeness than anyone, back in 1992, would have thought possible. Twelve years after leaving the Ranch in 1994, Sarah has a lot to be thankful for. In a recent letter to HCYR Director Gary Priour, Sarah talks about her return to school, being a mother, and her faith.
Dear Gary, I want to tell you about NURSING SCHOOL!!!! Sometimes, I feel like I should pinch myself and wake the heck up! Two years ago, God began to put in my heart a desire to go back to school. Before that, I had thought about it from time to time, but never seriously. Once I had my first child in 2001, and had experienced how great it was to be a stay-at-home mom, that was all I wanted. It was such a rewarding experience to be able to just take care of my little ones, my husband, my home, and serve at church as much as I wanted. I would never exchange that time of my life for anything. But, two years ago, my heart started to beat fast every time one of the medical missions teams from my church would go to serve a needy population in another nation. When they went to Afghanistan a few months after the overthrow of the Taliban, I could barely sit in my seat as we prayed over them the day they left. I wanted so badly to be a nurse, so that I would have an area of expertise that would allow me to serve, minister, and pray with these people who so desperately need to know that they have a God who loves them so much that He allowed His Perfect Son to suffer on their behalf, and that that God still loves them as fiercely right now as He did on that Cross 2000 years ago. A few months later, things were set in motion, and here I am – a nursing student in the most prestigious nursing school in Texas – Baylor! I am one of only 67 entering students who were accepted into this program. I am not being humble – it is a fact when I say, God did this – there is no way that I could have done this without Him! The first semester looks pretty grueling. Seventeen hours! Yes, that is 17 hours in case you missed the seven and the teen the first time around! I am so excited! These next two years, not only will I get a great education and excellent training, but I will be in a hospital setting a couple of times a week, actually doing these things that until now, have only been seen in a textbook, practiced in a college lab, or daydreamed about in moments alone. Of course, I could not do this without the support of my family. My husband, Neal, is amazing. We have been married for 6˝ years now, and sometimes I am amazed that he still loves me. We have been through some pretty rough times since we got married, yet through the grace of the Lord Jesus and a lot of hard work, we somehow just keep getting better with age. Adjusting to each other’s growth has been exhausting at times, frustrating at times, and impossible all the time, and yet God is a God of possibility where only impossibility remains. It is such a blessing to be able to say that through it all, we are very happily married and God’s perfect complement for one another! My son, Jesse, turned five in April and started Kindergarten in August. When I registered him for school, it hit me that I really am going to be old with these precious little ones being all grown up some day . . . and it is coming sooner than I expected. He is so excited. School is all he talks about. My daughter, Emma, is a doll. She turns three in October and has a smile that would melt the heart of the most hardened person. She loves pretty dresses and anything with a Disney Princess attached, yet she is very able to play like a rough and tough little boy if the pressure is on with her big brother. Finally, Sam, our foster teenager who lived with us for two years, has graduated from high school and is attending Community College. This is a huge deal for her. When she first moved in with us, she was reading at a 6th grade level and could not do basic math. God has truly worked a miracle in her young life as well. I know that The Lord has tremendous plans for her, and I am grateful to have played a part in preparing her for adulthood. Thank you for supporting me in pursuing my dream! I hope you know that I will put everything I’ve got into these upcoming semesters, and your financial support will be put to good use for the furthering of my education, and eventually, the furthering of God’s Kingdom. May He richly bless you, the Auxiliary, and the Ranch for all you have done for me, and may you have a great abundance in return for all you have given of your life. |
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