For the Meng's hope and future
Donation protected
On the morning of December 28, 2020, our dear Sarah “Smalls” Meng went home to be with Jesus, ending her lifelong battle with a rare, terminal disease. Sarah was a loving wife, mother, friend, devoted follower of Jesus, and a remarkable worship leader. Her warmth, sincerity, and unendingly-generous kindness impacted innumerable people over the course of her forty years. Engaged in many communities throughout her life, so many of us near and far find ourselves grieving and praying over her family together. We take comfort in the Psalms as she did, holding the hem of hope believing that “the Lord is near to the brokenhearted…”
Sarah was a blessing to everyone who knew her, inspiring many to bless others as well. As we look to honor Sarah’s life, we have the opportunity to love on her husband Charlie and their two young children, Jude and Stella. Charlie is a pastor at Valley Bible Church in the East Bay Area, Jude and Stella early elementary schoolers. With many immediate and long-term needs as they navigate this life-altering season, we are setting up a fund to provide support where needed. Between hospital bills, counseling, meals, college funding, and more, the costs of Sarah’s illness and death are wider than some may understand.
Please consider helping Sarah’s family by easing some of the financial burdens and overwhelming needs they find themselves facing at this time. In every conversation I had with Sarah, she was caring and encouraging others. Join us in caring for her family now; covering them in prayer, supporting their unseen needs, and holding on to the hope and future as she did so well.
Sarah’s father, Dave Burns, shared that he had the following verse on his mind the morning she passed away:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, NIV
Sarah’s life was a radiant model of what it is to hold onto that heart, to stay fixed on that which is unseen. As she celebrated her fortieth birthday this past August, she wrote the following piece:
"F O R T Y. I’ve been going back and forth with whether I wanted to post this. Mainly because social media has been a total dumpster fire lately but also because I LOVE holding things close to my heart. It’s safe there. I get to choose who is allowed to experience my broken pieces and who I keep at arm's length. Who I invite into the real messiness of life and who I package it up nice and neatly for. I get anxious when someone I don’t know well asks me how I “feel” about a hard situation in my life. It makes me want to whisper “i don’t KNOOOOWWWW” as I slowly moonwalk away. But if my life’s cry is to glorify God with my whole heart, I have to be willing to share it.
I was standing on the scale a few weeks ago with the numbers continuing to go down (not on a diet just have LOADS of fluid in my stomach that needs to go away) and I said “oh Lord thank you for your faithfulness”. And as soon as I finished that sentence I felt a pang in my heart and a reply: “That number does not define My faithfulness, I just am”.
And the “I just am” was what stopped me.
Whether subconsciously or not I had started attaching His attributes to specific moments, circumstances, and outcomes in my life.
“Lord you are so good, thank you for giving me Charlie.”
“Lord you are so faithful, thank you for our children when we thought it impossible.”
“Lord You are so merciful, thank you for making the fluid stop draining into my lungs.”
And He is all those things in those moments but He is also actively all those things in ALL moments. Sometimes I lose sight of that.
He was no less merciful last night when I begged Him to heal me of this terminal disease and I woke up with it this morning still running rampant in my body.
He was no less good many years ago when I pleaded with Him for my mom’s life and she died anyways, a week before my birthday.
He was no more faithful when he spared my own life just a few months ago as I was coding in an ambulance and my husband was pleading for mine.
He just IS.
Good. Faithful. Merciful. Gracious. Loving. Always. In all outcomes and all circumstances.
Every situation laced with every attribute of God. Whether or not I feel it or see it or understand it or agree with it. Whether or not I ever will.
He just is.
So this post is dedicated to His overwhelming faithfulness to me in this past decade. All of His goodness, mercy, love, kindness, wisdom and more, weaved into every moment, circumstance, and outcome. The really good and the really hard. What an amazing thing to experience this side of eternity."
-Sarah Rose Meng
As we grieve the loss of our dear friend, let us honor Sarah’s life as we look to see the depths of faithfulness also woven into our own; in the really good and the really hard. Please take this opportunity to be the conduit through which her family may also experience faithful support through a community made up of those Sarah impacted near and far.
“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. This is what love looks like.”
-St. Augustine
Sarah was a blessing to everyone who knew her, inspiring many to bless others as well. As we look to honor Sarah’s life, we have the opportunity to love on her husband Charlie and their two young children, Jude and Stella. Charlie is a pastor at Valley Bible Church in the East Bay Area, Jude and Stella early elementary schoolers. With many immediate and long-term needs as they navigate this life-altering season, we are setting up a fund to provide support where needed. Between hospital bills, counseling, meals, college funding, and more, the costs of Sarah’s illness and death are wider than some may understand.
Please consider helping Sarah’s family by easing some of the financial burdens and overwhelming needs they find themselves facing at this time. In every conversation I had with Sarah, she was caring and encouraging others. Join us in caring for her family now; covering them in prayer, supporting their unseen needs, and holding on to the hope and future as she did so well.
Sarah’s father, Dave Burns, shared that he had the following verse on his mind the morning she passed away:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, NIV
Sarah’s life was a radiant model of what it is to hold onto that heart, to stay fixed on that which is unseen. As she celebrated her fortieth birthday this past August, she wrote the following piece:
"F O R T Y. I’ve been going back and forth with whether I wanted to post this. Mainly because social media has been a total dumpster fire lately but also because I LOVE holding things close to my heart. It’s safe there. I get to choose who is allowed to experience my broken pieces and who I keep at arm's length. Who I invite into the real messiness of life and who I package it up nice and neatly for. I get anxious when someone I don’t know well asks me how I “feel” about a hard situation in my life. It makes me want to whisper “i don’t KNOOOOWWWW” as I slowly moonwalk away. But if my life’s cry is to glorify God with my whole heart, I have to be willing to share it.
I was standing on the scale a few weeks ago with the numbers continuing to go down (not on a diet just have LOADS of fluid in my stomach that needs to go away) and I said “oh Lord thank you for your faithfulness”. And as soon as I finished that sentence I felt a pang in my heart and a reply: “That number does not define My faithfulness, I just am”.
And the “I just am” was what stopped me.
Whether subconsciously or not I had started attaching His attributes to specific moments, circumstances, and outcomes in my life.
“Lord you are so good, thank you for giving me Charlie.”
“Lord you are so faithful, thank you for our children when we thought it impossible.”
“Lord You are so merciful, thank you for making the fluid stop draining into my lungs.”
And He is all those things in those moments but He is also actively all those things in ALL moments. Sometimes I lose sight of that.
He was no less merciful last night when I begged Him to heal me of this terminal disease and I woke up with it this morning still running rampant in my body.
He was no less good many years ago when I pleaded with Him for my mom’s life and she died anyways, a week before my birthday.
He was no more faithful when he spared my own life just a few months ago as I was coding in an ambulance and my husband was pleading for mine.
He just IS.
Good. Faithful. Merciful. Gracious. Loving. Always. In all outcomes and all circumstances.
Every situation laced with every attribute of God. Whether or not I feel it or see it or understand it or agree with it. Whether or not I ever will.
He just is.
So this post is dedicated to His overwhelming faithfulness to me in this past decade. All of His goodness, mercy, love, kindness, wisdom and more, weaved into every moment, circumstance, and outcome. The really good and the really hard. What an amazing thing to experience this side of eternity."
-Sarah Rose Meng
As we grieve the loss of our dear friend, let us honor Sarah’s life as we look to see the depths of faithfulness also woven into our own; in the really good and the really hard. Please take this opportunity to be the conduit through which her family may also experience faithful support through a community made up of those Sarah impacted near and far.
“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. This is what love looks like.”
-St. Augustine
Organizer and beneficiary
Roxanne Rau
Organizer
Mount Hermon, CA
Charles Meng
Beneficiary