Surrendering Your Life

Words by Heather Sohn

When I first began my walk with God in 2012, at the age of 16, I made a declaration that wherever He would call me I would go, and whatever He wanted me to do I would do. Last June, He called on me to serve as an urban missionary for a year. As an urban missionary, I dedicated myself full-time to serving the city of Providence with various outreaches. My outreaches included serving those experiencing homelessness, partaking in local event planning, and getting involved in the community, among many other works.  

During my time at CityLove, I have gained so much knowledge of God’s wisdom and love for our city. One of my favorite things of all time is being able to do outreach ministry and serve those who are experiencing homelessness. Through CityLove, I initiated an outreach called “Hot Cocoa and Scripture.”  Every Thursday, my husband Asa and I would head to Kennedy Plaza, which serves as the transportation hub of Providence, and set up a cart to serve either hot cocoa or lemonade. Setting up a table with a sign that read “Free Hot Cocoa” was not just an act of kindness, but also provided the opportunity and opened the doors to present the gospel to people of various religious backgrounds. We encountered those who have walked away from their relationship with God, people who were scared to physically enter the church, and those who had never really heard about the gospel.

One story I would like to share is about a young man who approached our CityLove cart hoping to get a cup of hot cocoa, but it turned into more than that. After talking with him for a few moments, he opened up and said he used to be a Christian. As I started to ask questions, I realized he had lost his faith because he hadn’t had a full understanding of who God is. We continued to talk, and I began to realize that his struggle with believing in God was changing into a curiosity and eagerness to learn more about what a relationship with Jesus Christ looked like. This is important to me because I truly believe that a relationship with Christ can be life changing. However, without the right guidance or fellowship, it’s easy for many believers to fall astray.

It is my joy and honor (and it should be our joy and honor) to present my life as a living sacrifice to whatever He calls me to do.

That is just one of the many stories I have about what God can do when you are obedient to His call. It is my joy and honor (and it should be our joy and honor) to present my life as a living sacrifice to whatever He calls me to do. I know what Jesus has done for me and how He has transformed me, and I want to present that same good news to those who haven’t heard it. I want to bring hope to the hopeless, joy to those who are joyless, by presenting the gospel of Christ which has saved my life and can save theirs as well.

Heather Sohn

Heather was born and raised in New Hampshire and brought to Providence through her involvement with Teen Challenge. She felt called to missions through CityLove during her time serving at Renaissance Church.