Lakeside on Mission: Maribeth Sexton

With a background in education and teaching, Maribeth Sexton has always had a passion for pouring into the lives of children. She never imagined that her zeal for investing into children would intertwine with a newfound love for the people of Malawai, Africa, where she has now lived and worked for more than eleven years.

In 2008, Maribeth was teaching at the California Montessori School in Shingle Springs in  the Buckeye Union School District. She has been attending Lakeside for 18 years and began serving on Lakeside’s Go Africa Team, praying for those who did not yet know Jesus around the world. The prayer team proved to be transformational: “I began to hear God more clearly and understand his mission for my life,” she said.

Maribeth felt led to go on a short-term missions trip to Malawi, after which she knew she was being called to serve long-term. “God gave me a huge amount of faith to pack up my whole life and move.”

Maribeth is now founder of WAY Ministries, which runs two Montessori Christian schools as well as a Montessori Teacher Training Center, with the purpose of positively impacting the education system of Malawi to benefit many generations to come. Through the education of children, as well as of teachers and families, Maribeth and WAY Ministries are committed to developing leaders to stop the cycle of neglect, abuse, and poor education while bringing the love, truth, and wisdom of God into the systems of the nation.  

Along with the joys of mission work also come challenges. Please remember her in your prayers. Maribeth lives by Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.”

Lakeside is honored to pray for Maribeth and to contribute financial support for her efforts to acquire land for schools and to provide effective education for the people of Malawi.