Sarah Bleam

On a Life Mission

 

If the future of our nation is based on the youth of today, I hope there are more teens out there like Sarah Bleam. At the age of 16 she is already a confident, mature, born leader with a heart for God and His children around the world. While other teenagers were spending their summers relaxing, Sarah has spent her last two summers on mission trips to Greece and Thailand.

The summer of 2008 Sarah got involved with the Teen Missions International group where she signed up to spend most of her summer helping with special needs adults outside of Athens, Greece. This trip caused her to fall in love with missions and sign up the next summer to go to Ubon Rathchathani, Thailand where she helped rebuild the House of Blessings Orphanage. "I absolutely love children, so I wanted to help where I could be around them all the time," Sarah said. "We played with the kids every day, put on skits and puppet shows for them, bought them toys, plus we learned to live the same way they did - showered the same, slept on the floor, washed our clothes by hand and hung them on lines just like they did. It was an awesome experience."

After a two-week boot camp to prepare for the trip, followed by a month in Thailand, Sarah had a lot of adjusting to do once she was home. "Obviously the time difference affected me, I was exhausted for days after I got back, but also the food. The first thing I did was go to Applebee's and order a burger, fries and milkshake. We never ate anything like that there. It was all cafeteria food and I even ate a pig's ear," Sarah recalled! "It's amazing how much we throw away in America and how much money we spend on food. It really made me think, why can't we send more of that money to the people around the world who really need it?"

In addition to her overseas mission experiences, Sarah has also done some local community service as well. She has been involved in several 30-hour famines, volunteered at a local pregnancy center, and spent a few days in April with her classmates from Hilton Head Christian Academy cleaning out and organizing Bethel Bible Camp in Columbia. During this trip her Bible teacher was so impressed with her leadership and organizational skills that he presented her with a home-made award in front of the entire class.

Although Sarah is taking this summer off from missions to work locally, she has big plans for future trips. "I would love to someday go to Russia and help protect orphans with disabilities who are terribly mistreated. It breaks my heart to see how they are abused there- I have even thought about building my own orphanage to ensure they can get proper treatment. I also hope someday to go to India and help teenage girls who have been trafficked recover and rebuild their lives." She also plans to go to college in a couple years and from there go wherever God leads her. "It's not really up to me what I do with my life, God is in control. I would love to get a degree in either Education or Communications and become a teacher in Russia, India or Thailand, but we will see," Sarah said.

From her two experiences overseas, Sarah has gained a new perspective on her life as an American teenager and a new hope for the future. "These trips have not only added to my testimony, but really strengthened my faith. My mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, but I've seen what God can do for those orphans in Thailand, and if he can help them, I know he can help my mom here in Hilton Head, South Carolina," Sarah said. "I think it is really important for teens to get out of our comfort zones and get more involved in the community, whether it's here or overseas. At this age we are so much stronger and can do so much more, and it really prepares us for maturity."

-Up Close-

Family: Mom- Terri, Dad- Doug, two younger sisters- Samantha and Sabrina, dog- Scarlet
School: Going into her Junior year at Hilton Head Christian Academy
Other activities: Cheerleading and acting
College plans: Maybe Charleston or Coastal Carolina-some place not too big or too far from home