Back in 1998, when she was a freshman in high school, Sarah Mattingly started as a part-time intern at Northland. She had just two jobs: to prepare slides for weekend worship and to set up for meetings by carefully lining candy and nuts down the center of a conference room table. Since then so much has changed, especially the number of jobs she’s held over the years. The list of roles and responsibilities is as long as the foyer is wide! She has been the assistant to nearly every senior pastor and leader, was on the congregational services weekend team, executed payroll, worked in finance and as the HR assistant, helped develop Yahzone (our staff and volunteer childcare program), was the worship administrative assistant, led events and has done so much more. Surely she holds the Northland record for the most jobs over a span of 20 years, but she’ll tell you that was never her plan. “I didn’t seek this job out,” she said. “I didn’t apply for it and was working full time somewhere else. There was no plan, at least not mine, but it was God’s plan.” Twenty years later, she, Patti Harshey, and Sean Cooper are the driving forces behind our Global Missions department. While the road to Sarah’s current role had a lot of stops along the way, both Sean’s and Patti’s journeys were a bit more direct. Sean began attending Northland in 1992 and after a couple of years was asked by Vernon and Randy Rainwater to be a summer intern with youth ministry. He loved the role and a few years later became the full-time student minister. Sean also worked for a time on the adult equipping team, but most of his time at Northland has been where his heart is – in missions – and in 2014, he officially became the Global Missions pastor. Patti is the behind-the-scenes administrator extraordinaire whose work supports Sean and Sarah in their travels and connections globally, but Patti’s tenure here began in a very different area. She first joined Northland as an independent contractor singing with the worship team. When her triplets (yes, triplets!) were 5, she began working in Northland’s Cooperative School while continuing with the worship team. A year later, she started with the Missions department and has been the backbone of the department ever since. About Northland’s Global Missions ministry and its impact, the team had some fascinating things to share. For Sarah, it’s been a realization of the necessity that we be influenced by what God is doing around the world. “No matter where we go, we’re all doing the same stuff. It looks different in the context of the differing cultures and societies. Missions is not what I thought it was. It’s not the U.S. helping out the world. There’s great importance in us being influenced by each other.” Sean talked about the surprising responses he’s seen from global churches and communities over the years. “One of the things we quickly learned was churches all over the world expect a big church from America to be prideful, boastful, arrogant and pushy, self-proclaimed experts wanting to tell everyone how to do it right,” he said. “The thing that makes Northland so different is the way leadership here has modeled humility through learning, listening and collaboration. “It’s been very eye-opening to see how God uses a place like Northland to build bridges, maybe even show a different side of the American megachurch. Joel modeled a spirit of humility, and churches around the world are shocked by that posture. It really has helped pull Northland into unique opportunities. We are genuinely humble because we believe it’s the character of Jesus. It has opened doors for global churches to partner with us because they don’t feel like we will impose our views on them.” That impact is one of the reasons Sean has felt called to lead here for so long. Relationships have also kept Sarah, Patti and Sean rooted here. They talked fondly about the camaraderie that exists among them. Patti said, “Having faith and knowing that people like Sean and Sarah are passionate about missions makes me want to be part of something great that’s happening around the world.” For Sarah, it’s her unwavering belief in what Northland is doing in the world and her commitment to that vision that has kept her here for 20 years. “I can’t let go of the notion that God has placed me here for a reason,” she shared. Not only was I struck by their deep dedication to their global ministry; I was intrigued and found myself pondering a short-term mission trip for myself. Their love and enthusiasm for missions was palpable, and I wanted to dive right into it! Maybe you’ve been thinking about a mission trip. Maybe God has been placing a country on your heart. Maybe you want to return to a community you’ve already served through missions. Here’s the great news: Short-term mission trips are right around the corner, and it’s not too late to join one! You can learn all about the different trips lined up this year by visiting somedayistoday.net or by connecting with Patti at patti.harshey@northlandchurch.net. God has used global missions to change the hearts of Sean, Sarah and Patti. He can use it to change you too!