LINDSEY, MARV & SARA

Marv and Sara Lindsey served as the first New Jersey Community Executive Couple. Couples in New Jersey sparked expansion into three other Communities: Missouri-Kansas, Virginia Blue Ridge, and Heart of North Carolina. The Lindseys gave $4,500 in Memorial Funds to set up the "UME Legacy" website in 2015.  Their generosity and desire to fight for marriage lives on through the memories and the impact that they had on the marriages around them. 

MY FRIEND, SARA

Now with the Lord ~ July 24,2014

Henry David Thoreau said, “My friend shall forever be my friend and reflect a ray of

God to me.” Sara is my friend, but I am only one among many who know she is their friend,

too, including one who recently said, “I need Sara to stay with us longer because I want to

learn more from her, to be more like her.” However, God’s plans are not our plans, so as He

promised, Jesus took Sara by the hand last Thursday and led her Home. He wanted and

needed her in heaven.

Friends, dear friends, know many details about each other. We share one another’s lives –

our joys and sorrows, trials and triumphs, hurts and healings, prayers asked and answered,

and secrets, too. Our hearts are warmed, and we always will smile when we remember Sara

and the cherished moments we spent with her.

Here are but a few of those memories:

Sara partnered with the Lord in Community Bible Study, Marriage Encounter, and Stephen

Ministries. God regularly called her to lead others to Him, and He equipped her each time,

including her last official assignment as Teaching Director for the Steamboat CBS class.

She made a joyful harmonious noise with her beautiful alto voice, and she once again was

playing her favorite music while taking very good care of the Svendsens’ upright piano.

Sara was a volunteer extraordinaire. Whether she was a merry maid, cleaning the home of a

friend who was ill, making cookies for Concordia’s annual Christmas bazaar, or sorting clothes

for the church rummage sale, she continuously served others.

She was a generous hostess at small or large events, at home or in a hotel – she made us feel

welcome, special, and important.

She was an excellent cook, although she always argued to the contrary. Her chicken soup

could cure any ailment. Her chocolate chip cookies would satisfy any sweet tooth.

Sara’s home, including every closet, drawer, and cupboard, was amazingly neat. Her

organizational skills and tidiness had only one rival and that is how Marv keeps his garage and

yard. On a side note, did you know Sara alphabetized the bottles on her spice rack?

Sara’s favorite flower was the sunflower, not just because she was from Kansas. She said it

was a happy flower.

Sara ironed her jeans – a crease in each pant leg was mandatory before walking out the door!

She had very specific rules on how to make a bed. Precision in tucking, no wrinkles from head

to toe, and pillows arranged just so, were among her requirements.

5:00 p.m. was reserved for two pleasures – Sara would pour a lovely glass of wine and then sit

down in her comfy chair to do the crossword puzzle in the Today newspaper. She and Marv

had a friendly competition to see who could finish the crossword first.

Sara always had a pedicure before she went on a trip, and frequently in between, even if her

toes were encased in Smart Wool socks and snow boots.

She never went anywhere without her chap stick and a bottle of water.

Sara loved to go out to eat. Café Diva was a favorite for birthdays and anniversaries but the

Egg and I was the spot where she spent countless hours laughing, sharing, listening, advising,

supporting, and praying with friends.

Although Sara’s family may not know the names of all her friends, all her friends know theirs.

With such pride and love, she told us about their marriages, graduations, births, travel

adventures, and many other big and small milestones. Her husband, her children, their

spouses, and her precious grandchildren brought her immeasurable joy.

We who remain must never forget the miracle and blessing of Sara’s life -- the lessons we

learned and the inspiration we absorbed.

These are five of the many Sara lessons.

* Be observant. Intentionally search for anyone who needs a smile, a hug, or a kind word.

Then, open your heart and give that person all the time and attention he or she needs.

* Be thankful for “sandpaper people.” They are the ones who rub us the wrong way, but the

Lord puts them in our lives to smooth out our rough edges.

* Be Pollyanna, the one who always sees the world as “a glass half full.”

* Tuck scripture verses in your heart. Memorize your favorites, because you never know

when you will need or want those Godly references.

* Believe that there is no such thing as a coincidence, only a God-incidence. Look for and

recognize the daily Divine opportunities – in other words, what am I supposed to learn and

how can I serve the Lord and others with what I have learned?

In Psalm 139, David describes how God thoughtfully and intentionally designed each of us:

For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise

You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know

that full well. All the days ordained for me were written in Your Book before one of

them came to be.

This is the very definition of legacy.

Each of us will describe Sara’s legacy differently because she touched our lives in unique

ways. As I close, I would like to humbly share mine.

Every morning, no matter whether at home or away, Sara rose early. She made a cup of

coffee or tea, and found a quiet place to spend quiet time with her best friend, Jesus. She

longed for His ever-present wisdom and instruction. You see, years ago, Jesus called her to

be His apprentice gardener. He asked her to carefully and tenderly plant the seeds of the

Fruit of the Spirit in those He put in her path. He showed her how to nurture those seeds by

transforming her into the richness, redemption, and sweetness of His Fruit. Did any of us

ever doubt that when we were with Sara, we would experience love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Many of the seeds Sara

planted already have germinated and are flourishing – the evidence is here in this sanctuary

and in the lives of those she touched around the world. Many other seeds Sara planted

remain dormant, but in the days, years, and generations to come, the Lord will fertilize and

water them, bringing them to maturity. Sara obediently and graciously served as the Lord’s

apprentice gardener on earth, so when He opened His arms to her last Thursday, He said,

“Sara, My princess, well done, good and faithful servant.”

I leave you with one final scripture that Paul wrote to Timothy. As our tears fall and the Lord

catches every one, we will find comfort in these words. It is God’s confirmation that “all is

well with Sara’s soul.” “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have

kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the

Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also

to all who have longed for His appearing.”

We will miss Sara terribly but we know in awhile we will see her again with her crown firmly

and neatly in place.

And all God’s children said “Amen!”

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~In the Shadow of His Wings with Sara…the confirmation/promise of Romans 8:28

~Martha Fosdick July 28, 2014 Sara’s Funeral Service