Back from Thailand, local woman heads to missions training

On a missions trip to Los Angeles to help the homeless, San Lorenzo Valley resident Sarah Osgood earned the nickname “Mingles” from several of her friends.

Before the trip, Osgood, then in her late teens, was terribly shy. But something changed while she was away from home helping others.

“It helped me come out of my shell by the end of the trip,” Osgood said. “And they wanted to call me ‘Mingles.’”

Today, the 22-year-old who attends Twin Lakes Church has recently returned from three months in Thailand, where she helped orphans, taught English and helped with street ministry while working for Youth with a Mission, a Christian missionary organization better known as YWAM.

“It was an amazing place,” she said. “It was definitely life changing.”

Feeling called to continue missions work, Osgood will travel to YWAM’s base in Salem, Ore., to teach for two years in their Environment and Resource Stewardship School. The program prepares missionaries to travel overseas and provide help with clean water, among other environmental-related pursuits.

She said she will be one of the youngest people at the school, and she’ll often instruct older missionaries in the skills E.A.R.S. teaches.

“I’m really excited, but I’m also kind of nervous, because I’m not fully supported,” Osgood said.

It takes about $1,500 per month to support each missionary, and individuals raise their own funding. Osgood said donations can be made to YWAM in her name at 7085 Battlecreek Road S.E., Salem, OR 97317.

After her two years are up, she hopes to return to Thailand and continue ministry work with YWAM there.

For information: soswood@gmail.com.

Midshipman completes training

Navy midshipman Timothy Steinberg, a 2011 San Lorenzo Valley High School graduate, recently completed plebe summer detail while attending the U.S. Naval Academy.

Steinberg, along with more than 900 other freshmen, completed the six-week training course to prepare students morally, mentally and physically.

Steinberg will complete the academic year as a midshipman. He is the son of Alma and Frederick Steinberg of Boulder Creek.

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