OneWay team member Sarah Lindsey ran into the arms of her Savior at the age of 25. Michael Thompson, President of OneWay, reflects on her life and the hope she had in Jesus.
A tribute to Sarah Lindsey
By Michael Thompson
On Jan 2, 2023 OneWay lost a dear friend and coworker, Sarah Lindsey, to cancer. This past weekend hundreds of people came together to celebrate Sarah’s inspiring life and to support her husband, JP, and their entire extended family in mourning the loss of a truly precious and beloved saint. Sarah Lindsey was just that, and from such an early age.
I have known Sarah since she was about 3 years old. Growing up, Sarah would come over to our house as a friend of our oldest daughter, Hannah. I remember that even as a little girl, Sarah dreamed of being a missionary. For years, she asked if OneWay might send her on a trip to Africa. I often told her she probably needed to wait a few years, but we would ask God to do it . . .
After high school, Sarah attended Moody Bible Institute, where she and my daughter, Hannah, were roommates. Within a few days of being on campus, Sarah met her future husband, JP.
Before they were even dating, they came over to our house with about 20 other Moody students. My wife Rachel told me privately, “See that guy? I think there is something between him and Sarah.” WOW. How right she was. A few years later I had the privilege of leading the worship for Sarah and JP’s wedding, which was a true celebration.
They were a beautiful young team, eager to pursue their ministry dreams together with sights set on serving in the Middle East. In fact, they were so excited that within weeks of getting married, they were on a short-term trip serving Kurdish refugees in that region.
Soon after, they asked OneWay to be their missionary sending organization. After much discussion and prayer, we heartily agreed, even though we were young as an organization in this space. You can imagine our shock when Sarah was diagnosed with cancer just a few short months later.
JP and Sarah’s focus quickly shifted from getting to the mission field to discerning next ministry steps and fighting her disease.
Throughout the agonizing journey of pain, suffering and the obvious wrestling over God’s mind and role in such things, JP and Sarah consistently displayed a remarkable faith and trust. Sarah’s heart was especially put on beautiful display through her blog, which has been read by more than 25,000 people.
As Sarah neared the very end, she was ready to meet the love of her life, Jesus, and “give him a big hug.” On Jan. 2, at the age of 25, she was able to do just that.
When all is said and done, the only thing about a person’s life that matters is if they knew Jesus. Sarah knew this. She lived this. She understood that the greatest priority by far is for every person in the world is to know Him. And she was willing to spend her life for that.
Without a doubt, JP and Sarah have been two of the most special, God-loving, humble, steady, faithful, simple, set apart and blessed young people I have had the honor of being an older brother to.
While Sarah will no longer be on our team working to help others know the eternal life she is now experiencing in full, I am eager to see God’s plans for JP, who continues to aspire to reach people for Christ among the least reached. He works closely with OneWay’s Equipping Evangelist and together they are discerning and exploring next steps. Stay tuned, because the story isn’t over by any means.
Let me end by saying thank you, Sarah, for helping to inspire us to love God and love people more. You will be dearly missed, but only for a sliver in the span of eternity. This is not goodbye — just see you soon.
With love in Christ,
MT
Please join the entire OneWay team in our fervent prayers for Sarah's family. To support JP Lindsey's ministry with OneWay, click the button below.