A crisp January morning greets a small faithful group of girls at the Nicholson home. Neither the cold nor the early hour will stop them from continuing a weekly routine, years in the making. Once a group of strangers, the girls fellowship now as if they are family. 
   As the girls pile in around the kitchen table, their exhaustion is evident. Enthusiasm is hard to muster at 6 a.m., however, something greater than sleep beckoned the girls’ presence– the promise of their Savior and Sara’s homemade buttermilk pancakes. 
   Sara carefully places a plate of warm pancakes on the dimly lit kitchen table and sits down. She was awake long before her guests arrived who she affectionately calls her sisters. As the coffee peaks, Sara begins to pray. 
   Sara Boone’s warm and welcoming persona has not always been known in Starkville. As the daughter of an evangelist, Sara’s move to the South during her teenage years was a result of her father’s zeal for revival. The Nicholson family home that she shares with her parents in Starkville would prove to be the birthplace of Sara’s unique love for people.
   Sara’s care for others developed into a burden as she observed the silent segregation in the South. Sara made strides toward unity through the start of a diverse Bible study called F.N.T. or Friday Night Thing.
F.N.T. yielded humble beginnings with a small crowd of college students gathering for a bonfire at the Nicholson family home. Sara said she was confident God would use her “color blind Bible study” no matter the size.
With a newfound spiritual responsibility, Sara often denied herself sleep to spend hours in prayer for F.N.T. and its members.  Mississippi State graduate and F.N.T. member, Nakesha Grayson said Sara’s commitment made the community feel like a “glimpse of heaven.” 
F.N.T. yielded humble beginnings with a small crowd of college students gathering for a bonfire at the Nicholson family home. Sara said she was confident God would use her “color blind Bible study” no matter the size.
With a newfound spiritual responsibility, Sara often denied herself sleep to spend hours in prayer for F.N.T. and its members.  Mississippi State graduate and F.N.T. member, Nakesha Grayson said Sara’s commitment made the community feel like a “glimpse of heaven.” 
Grayson said she met Sara while volunteering for a tornado relief service years ago. The two spent the afternoon sorting through the aftermath of soiled pictures and shattered memories scattered throughout the ruins. Grayson said the quiet strength rooted in the compassion that Sara had overflowed into her willingness to serve.
 A few months later Grayson found herself in the Nicholson home for the first time.  Sara quietly guided Grayson into a dimly lit room filled with new friends trying their best to muffle their voices and conceal their presence. Suddenly the room sprung to life at the sight of Grayson and the chorus of “Happy Birthday” echoed as the friends joined Grayson for a three-course birthday meal prepared by Sara. 
  “No one had ever done anything for me like that,” Grayson said. “I will never forget it.”
  The intentionality of Sara’s friendships continued as F.N.T. grew. Not only was F.N.T. “color blind” but it was also becoming internationally diverse as more and more people were extended an invitation to the Nicholson home. Welcoming a stranger became a daily occurrence for Sara and her family who once allowed a student who had nowhere to go live in their house for a semester. 
Sara and her family desired to reach people in more unique ways. The concept of a free Christian literature table in the Colvard Student Union called “The Book Table” resulted. The rarity of free books attracted senior aerospace engineering major and Rwanda native, Christian Kabanda. 
   Kabanda said upon coming to The Book Table, Sara’s father addressed him in his native language of Swahili. Kabanda said this specific action made him curious about Sara and her family. However, this intentional gesture was nothing unordinary for Sara and her family.
   “To truly get to know people is really important,” Sara said. “Because you’re valuing them more than simply a message.”
  Kabanda said the impact Sara and the Nicholson family made on him following their first meeting was one that changed the course of his life. 
  “[The Nicholson family]’s behavior makes you want to know more about their lifestyle,” Kabanda said. 
  Upon finding out more about the Nicholson family, Kabanda said he came to accept Jesus Christ. Kabanda said the following spiritual growth resulted from his friendships at F.N.T.
   “I came to make friendships [at F.N.T.],” Kabanda said. “Those friendships led me to wonder about my salvation.”
   Kabanda said the impact Sara and her family had on him extends beyond a simple friendship.
   “[The Nicholson’s] treat me like family,” he said.  
Kabanda said his return home to Rwanda will not erase the eternal impact Sara and her family have had on him. 
  “When I get back to Rwanda,” he said. “I will always feel that [the Nicholson] home is my home.”