Janelle was born in Kalispell, Montana. She loves to hike and star gaze and play sports. She got her Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from Regent University in 2020. Music is her main passion and she loves connecting with Jesus and connecting others to Jesus through music. She has been writing music since she was in 7th grade when she gave her life to Jesus. She loves her blood family and spiritual family very dearly. She currently attends the River Church in Montana, pastored by Pastor Paul and Pastor Margie Arends. If you're anything like her, you'll want a deep, intentional conversation so... keep scrolling for the deep stuff! |
In 2011, when Janelle Sara first came to know Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior at Hill Country Bible Church in Austin, Texas, God sparked the interest of music deep inside her. She had no idea what was in store for her future. Guitar became her go-to instrument after buying one used from a pawn shop in Kalispell, Montana, and she began picking it up chord by chord, teaching herself by looking up chords on google. The same year she was saved is the same year she wrote her first song called “Take Me Away.” Since then, her music has been maturing and growing as she has cultivated her gift of musical talent. In 2015, about ten written songs later, she first had a dream to have her own worship album, writing a list of dreams in her journal by a prompting from Holy Spirit. That same year she began to learn to play piano and continued to write songs.
She began to send the raw recordings of her songs to family and friends and was told that she had talent and that her songs were touching people. However, she wasn’t convinced and kept her desire regarding music and dreams about music to herself because of her fear of failure and fear of not being good enough or not “making it big.”
Regardless of her lack of confidence, God graciously continued to work on the heart of Janelle and kept giving her songs that just “seemed to come from nowhere.” She continued to grow in her relationship with Jesus. The more she grew, the deeper the literature of the songs went and the more her confidence grew in what God was clearly highlighting in her life through each song—a gift.
Janelle’s parents divorced when she was 7 years old. She was born in Kalispell, Montana and spent most of her life there, until 7, when she began going back and forth between Austin, Texas and Kalispell, Montana to see both parents. During all this, she received wonderful guidance and support from the church she grew up in called Faith Covenant Presbyterian Church in Kalispell led by Pastor Lloyd Pierson. This new life change, her parents being so far apart, was hard for Janelle, but she has learned so many valuable things in the process and is still learning things every day. Divorce is painful and sinful, a statement both of her parents agree with after walking through it, but God has brought about such a beautiful redemption in her family and she can confidently say “What men mean for evil, God means for good.” He truly works all things for the good of those that love Him (Romans 8:28). But Janelle is learning more and more how much God hates sin and how harmful it is to us as humans.
Janelle struggled throughout high school to believe she could truly have relationship with God and spent much time thinking of it as religion rather than a relationship. However, she knew something was missing and was searching for it, yet continued to not find it. She began living a double life and started having two groups of friends with two very different types of lifestyles—hiding one life style from the other group and vice versa. This weighed heavy on Janelle but she didn’t know what to do. She only asked God that He would save her from her lost state and Jesus would truly be all she needs in her life. She prayed she would be able to be faithful to God in every area of her life not just on the outside. She prayed for desire for God’s Word and for change that seemed impossible to her.
One day when flying on a plane from Austin, Texas to Kalispell, Montana she was reading a book called “A Normal Christian Life” by Watchman Nee and he began conveying the Holy Spirit in a way Janelle had never heard before. In that moment she realized she had been missing something in her life--a connection with Holy Spirit as a person. A filling she had never received. As soon as the realization of her need struck her, God made a very clear promise to her that next year around the same time, God would impart His Holy Spirit to her in a brand new way and bring all kinds of healing and deliverance along with Him.
The very next year, Janelle was brought to Unisha Arends at the River Church at John Gabriel Arends’ album release party for his album “Undivided Heart”, where she received a touch from the Holy Spirit that sent her on a journey she would never forget. God answered her heart cries through their ministry. A few months later, she was also led to a Nepali Church in Austin, Texas led by Pastor John Monger and his wife Pastor Tia. She spent the month there communing with a group of about 50 Nepali people being submerged in Bible teaching. Through her experience there, she was struck with the realization of the sin she had been living in and how desperate God was longing her to leave that life behind and come running to Him. Janelle reached out and received the call, being revived and filled with Holy Spirit, walking forward and leaving every sin she had previously committed behind. In dropping everything, she completely committed her life to ministry for the Lord and chose to live a life only for Jesus, leaving the world behind. She realized everything in her life had been pushing her to this moment of complete surrender to God. After this, everything began falling into place for her. Reading the Bible was adventurous and became ALIVE and God began allowing the steps to fall right in front of her very eyes regarding music.
She then went to India for a month with her friend, Misha Hill, who has always been a mentor to Janelle, speaking truth into her life and encouraging her to live a life fully for the Lord in word and action. Not only does Misha live her life completely for Jesus like Janelle recently had received the call to do, but Misha is a huge encourager of Janelle’s music and is one of the few who was receiving the raw recordings of Janelle’s written songs and encouraging her in her gifts.
When in India, Misha offered the idea, the day they got there, that Janelle should record some of her songs in a studio. Janelle liked the idea but didn’t take it seriously until Misha had someone on the phone moments later making the arrangements for this to happen. The very next day, Janelle was in the recording studio in Siliguri, India recording four of her original songs and one song where she arranged the music to an old hymn. She used the generous gift of money that Pastor John Monger had given her before leaving India to pay for the entire recording process. It took six days to do the main vocals and the backup tracks which, it being Janelle’s first time recording like this, was a miracle it all happened in that amount of time. She received the best instruction and help from Daniel Gadal, who produced her album.
After this experience, Janelle finally began to understand that she does have a gift and that, whether she is heard by hundreds or heard by millions, what she has been given needs to be shared—even if it only leads one person to encounter intimate worship with Jesus, that’s enough to keep writing and recording. Not just that, but Jesus is worthy of every song! As her relationship grows, her desire to pursue music keeps growing with it.
Her only desire is that you, as a listener, can encounter the Spirit of the living God while you listen to her words in song given to her by Holy Spirit, and that, when you listen to her story and testimony of how God has provided and has been pursuing her in every way in her life, you would understand that God is pursuing you in the same way and just waiting for you to give everything to Him in complete surrender, offering your life as a living sacrifice to Him.
Nothing is the same for Janelle. She wants you to know that if you feel trapped and in a lifestyle you desperately want out of, begin praying for an encounter with God. God has all the power to heal and deliver you and He wants you in His arms more than anything. Jesus died for a reason. Not just so we could have the assurance of being with Him for eternity, but so that we can be in intimate relationship with Him. Jesus doesn’t just want to own us, He wants to give us absolutely everything. Jesus didn’t come and do half of a job, He came to die to cleanse us from our sin and all the effects of sin--like past hurts and depression. He wants to take it all and He wants us to live in faith that He has taken it all by His precious death and resurrection. On earth as it is in Heaven.
She began to send the raw recordings of her songs to family and friends and was told that she had talent and that her songs were touching people. However, she wasn’t convinced and kept her desire regarding music and dreams about music to herself because of her fear of failure and fear of not being good enough or not “making it big.”
Regardless of her lack of confidence, God graciously continued to work on the heart of Janelle and kept giving her songs that just “seemed to come from nowhere.” She continued to grow in her relationship with Jesus. The more she grew, the deeper the literature of the songs went and the more her confidence grew in what God was clearly highlighting in her life through each song—a gift.
Janelle’s parents divorced when she was 7 years old. She was born in Kalispell, Montana and spent most of her life there, until 7, when she began going back and forth between Austin, Texas and Kalispell, Montana to see both parents. During all this, she received wonderful guidance and support from the church she grew up in called Faith Covenant Presbyterian Church in Kalispell led by Pastor Lloyd Pierson. This new life change, her parents being so far apart, was hard for Janelle, but she has learned so many valuable things in the process and is still learning things every day. Divorce is painful and sinful, a statement both of her parents agree with after walking through it, but God has brought about such a beautiful redemption in her family and she can confidently say “What men mean for evil, God means for good.” He truly works all things for the good of those that love Him (Romans 8:28). But Janelle is learning more and more how much God hates sin and how harmful it is to us as humans.
Janelle struggled throughout high school to believe she could truly have relationship with God and spent much time thinking of it as religion rather than a relationship. However, she knew something was missing and was searching for it, yet continued to not find it. She began living a double life and started having two groups of friends with two very different types of lifestyles—hiding one life style from the other group and vice versa. This weighed heavy on Janelle but she didn’t know what to do. She only asked God that He would save her from her lost state and Jesus would truly be all she needs in her life. She prayed she would be able to be faithful to God in every area of her life not just on the outside. She prayed for desire for God’s Word and for change that seemed impossible to her.
One day when flying on a plane from Austin, Texas to Kalispell, Montana she was reading a book called “A Normal Christian Life” by Watchman Nee and he began conveying the Holy Spirit in a way Janelle had never heard before. In that moment she realized she had been missing something in her life--a connection with Holy Spirit as a person. A filling she had never received. As soon as the realization of her need struck her, God made a very clear promise to her that next year around the same time, God would impart His Holy Spirit to her in a brand new way and bring all kinds of healing and deliverance along with Him.
The very next year, Janelle was brought to Unisha Arends at the River Church at John Gabriel Arends’ album release party for his album “Undivided Heart”, where she received a touch from the Holy Spirit that sent her on a journey she would never forget. God answered her heart cries through their ministry. A few months later, she was also led to a Nepali Church in Austin, Texas led by Pastor John Monger and his wife Pastor Tia. She spent the month there communing with a group of about 50 Nepali people being submerged in Bible teaching. Through her experience there, she was struck with the realization of the sin she had been living in and how desperate God was longing her to leave that life behind and come running to Him. Janelle reached out and received the call, being revived and filled with Holy Spirit, walking forward and leaving every sin she had previously committed behind. In dropping everything, she completely committed her life to ministry for the Lord and chose to live a life only for Jesus, leaving the world behind. She realized everything in her life had been pushing her to this moment of complete surrender to God. After this, everything began falling into place for her. Reading the Bible was adventurous and became ALIVE and God began allowing the steps to fall right in front of her very eyes regarding music.
She then went to India for a month with her friend, Misha Hill, who has always been a mentor to Janelle, speaking truth into her life and encouraging her to live a life fully for the Lord in word and action. Not only does Misha live her life completely for Jesus like Janelle recently had received the call to do, but Misha is a huge encourager of Janelle’s music and is one of the few who was receiving the raw recordings of Janelle’s written songs and encouraging her in her gifts.
When in India, Misha offered the idea, the day they got there, that Janelle should record some of her songs in a studio. Janelle liked the idea but didn’t take it seriously until Misha had someone on the phone moments later making the arrangements for this to happen. The very next day, Janelle was in the recording studio in Siliguri, India recording four of her original songs and one song where she arranged the music to an old hymn. She used the generous gift of money that Pastor John Monger had given her before leaving India to pay for the entire recording process. It took six days to do the main vocals and the backup tracks which, it being Janelle’s first time recording like this, was a miracle it all happened in that amount of time. She received the best instruction and help from Daniel Gadal, who produced her album.
After this experience, Janelle finally began to understand that she does have a gift and that, whether she is heard by hundreds or heard by millions, what she has been given needs to be shared—even if it only leads one person to encounter intimate worship with Jesus, that’s enough to keep writing and recording. Not just that, but Jesus is worthy of every song! As her relationship grows, her desire to pursue music keeps growing with it.
Her only desire is that you, as a listener, can encounter the Spirit of the living God while you listen to her words in song given to her by Holy Spirit, and that, when you listen to her story and testimony of how God has provided and has been pursuing her in every way in her life, you would understand that God is pursuing you in the same way and just waiting for you to give everything to Him in complete surrender, offering your life as a living sacrifice to Him.
Nothing is the same for Janelle. She wants you to know that if you feel trapped and in a lifestyle you desperately want out of, begin praying for an encounter with God. God has all the power to heal and deliver you and He wants you in His arms more than anything. Jesus died for a reason. Not just so we could have the assurance of being with Him for eternity, but so that we can be in intimate relationship with Him. Jesus doesn’t just want to own us, He wants to give us absolutely everything. Jesus didn’t come and do half of a job, He came to die to cleanse us from our sin and all the effects of sin--like past hurts and depression. He wants to take it all and He wants us to live in faith that He has taken it all by His precious death and resurrection. On earth as it is in Heaven.
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