Working with fundamental Baptists
View current newsletter here.
View current picture page here.
Sam's Testimony
Sam was born in Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1978 to Tim and Janet Sanderlin. Tim served 20 years in the United States Army. Sam's dad led him to the Lord when he was six years old, and soon afterwards Sam was baptized. He grew in the Lord as a young person through regular church attendance, solid family life, Christian school, and Bible camps. When he was twelve years old, Sam surrendered his life to the Lord at a Bible camp with a burden for missions. He learned to walk closer to the Lord as a teenager and in high school he earned his private pilot's license with a strong interest in missionary aviation. However, the Lord directed him to go to a Bible college without aviation as an emphasis where for five years he prepared for the ministry. After he graduated from Bible college, Sam entered a Baptist seminary in Menominee Falls, Wisconsin. While attending seminary he was introduced to Abby Burtt, who was living Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Abby was born in 1977 and grew up in a Christian home as well. She was saved at the age of four and surrendered to missions as a teenager, believing that the Lord would have her study to become a nurse. After Abby graduated from Bible college, she spent a month on the mission field of Suriname helping missionaries in their labor. After this missions trip she passed her state boards becoming a Registered Nurse. She worked for several years gaining needed experience in nursing. She also started a ladies missionary prayer band at her church in Michigan.
Sam and Abby were married on April 30, 2005, and Sam graduated from seminary two weeks later. They moved to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and interned with Wyldewood Baptist Church and Wings As Eagles for the summer. One of the highlights of the summer was the three weeks they spent with the Rushing family at Beacon Bible Camp in Uranium City, Canada. They were burdened to stay with Wings As Eagles after their summer was over, and Sam was commissioned to serve with Wings As Eagles on April 2, 2006. Their daughter, Elena, was born in July of 2006, their son, Elias, was born in July of 2008, and their daughter Chloe was born in Cameroon in June of 2010.
The Lord has called the Sanderlins to serve the Lord through the Wings As Eagles ministry in Africa, and He has led them specifically to Cameroon to work with veteran missionary Tom Needham and his family who have been planting churches in Cameroon since 1991. The Sanderlins began full time deputation for Cameroon in September of 2006. They spent five weeks in Cameroon during the Summer of 2007 then finished deputation arriving in Cameroon in April of 2009.
Plan for Church Planting in Cameroon
The Lord has burdened Sam and Abby’s heart for the people in the Northwest Province of Cameroon. They desire to see independent, fundamental, Baptist churches planted in the chief villages along the 240 mile long Ring Road and in the villages beyond the roads in rugged mountainous terrain. Where the pavement of the Ring Road ends, the Sanderlins plan to reach out to the regions beyond through long treks, dirtbike, four-wheel drive vehicles, and their airplane. Sam is an instrument-rated commercial pilot with tailwheel and mountain flying proficiency. Sam is raising funds to purchase and fly Tom Needham's airplane for church planting efforts in Cameroon while bro. Needham will be flying a new plane.
The Needhams base their ministry and airplane in Sabga, and the Lord has led the Sanderlins to begin their ministry in a nearby village at the base of Ngoketunjia Mountain. Sam plans to work side by side with trained nationals from the Fundamental Bible Institute in Cameroon. He also plans to teach in the Bible institute to help train more Cameroonian preachers. Abby will be helping in established medical evangelism clinics.
Pray for this church planting team to effectively reach people with the gospel. Please pray for the Sanderlins as they preach salvation through Jesus Christ and start independent, fundamental, Baptist churches in Cameroon, West Africa.
If you would like to give a donation to the Sanderlin Family using PayPal, please click the DONATE button below. Thank you for your interest in making an online gift to support the ministry of Wings As Eagles. Your donation here will be credited to the Sanderlin Family for their personal and ministry support. THANK YOU!
|
