Sage Gibson is a second year student at LCC International University. Her story begins in the USA and continues here, in Lithuania. Sage is the girl you will meet near the pond with a cup of coffee in the early morning, she likes to enjoy the moment. Her love for reading, exploration and God is reflected in her poems. Attention to every small detail, a smiling face and curious eyes - this is Sage!

To begin with, could you please share your story prior to LCC? Where are you from? What did your life look like before moving to Lithuania?

I was born in Seattle, Washington, known as the Evergreen State in America. I have been blessed with an incredible family who day by day has shown me unconditional love. My parents, Todd and Janet Gibson, were teachers at LCC from 1998-1999. Throughout the years they have expressed their continual love and support for Lithuania, and because of this I believe I have always felt a certain fondness towards the country as well. My high school years consisted of much desire to explore the world, to tell people’s stories, and to testify of what Jesus has done in my life. All of these desires made LCC a perfect place for me to learn, grow, and establish myself!

Why have you decided to move to Lithuania and study at LCC rather than stay in America?

I have always had a big heart for the world and I love that LCC cultivates a community where the world suddenly becomes a family. While there are indeed many amazing opportunities in America, I felt an incredible peace about coming to LCC and knew with confidence that it was here that the Lord intended me to be.

You are in your second year as an English major student. How does it feel?

As an English major, I feel very supported and loved by both the staff and my peers. I am excited to be transitioning into classes that are intently focused on my field of interest, and am expectant of the opportunities to come.

How did you begin writing?

I have been writing since my earliest memories of childhood. Every road trip, every spare minute alone in my room, I would pick up a pen and a bundle of paper and begin writing story upon story. Writing was the playground for my imagination and I was delighted in it.

How have classes at LCC helped to improve your writing skills?

My classes at LCC have extremely broadened my understanding of where writing can take me. Last year I took a Detective Stories class, and it was a joy to not only dive deep into the literary realm of investigations and plot development, but also to discover that there are other students and writers with the same passion in writing that I have!

Where do you search for inspiration? Do you have a muse?

My inspiration is always Christ. Jesus says, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:38). Whenever I write, the roots of my heart feel planted deep in the living water that Jesus spoke of, and my pen flows as simple songs of adoration for what He has done for me.

What are your main topics for your poems?

The most prevalent theme of my poems is redemption. I love capturing the essence of the Father’s deep and reckless love towards those who seek Him; bringing beauty out of ashes, and glory out of dust. My own story is reflected in each of every one of my poems, depicting how I was taken from death to life in the fullness of Christ’s love, and how I am now anticipatory of His kingdom to come.

Which time for you is the best for writing: nights, evenings, mornings? Why?

The morning is definitely my happy place. I love when my mind is free from worries and anxieties; centered instead on the promise that the Lord’s mercies are new each and every morning. When the horizon still has a faint breath of pink and the dawn is slowly awakening, it is a joy to sit in a quiet place with a hot cup of coffee and write with my God about the miraculous nature of His love.

Have you already had any difficulties in writing? Any periods in your life when you couldn't write: any days when you can't even write a sentence? How do you manage them?

Writing has always been a vessel for vulnerability; laying my heart bare and displaying all its fears, failures, hopes and desires. By becoming vulnerable and breaking down my walls, there is space and room for God’s healing to enter into that. Because of this I have never had a problem being unable to write. Even when I think I’ve run completely dry, the desert of my spirit is somehow met with the streams of God’s faithfulness, and He gives me words to write however messy and scattered those thoughts and words may be.

How do you create your poems: by writing them on the computer, by hand or maybe you have an old typewriter?

While I definitely appreciate the aesthetic of an old typewriter, my poems are generally written as messy little scribbles in my notebook, or as tiny little markings on the corners of napkins or whatever writing material I have available.

Are you planning to connect your future career with writing or you have something else on your mind?

I am in no way certain about what my future will look like, though I am confident that somehow my writing will indeed play a part in it. One of the most beautiful realities about the redemptive work of Jesus is that it meets the lives of others intimately and powerfully. Capturing that transformation, telling about what Jesus has done in the lives of others from all across the globe, is a work that I hope to be a part of forever.