The World Race - Ashley Rose

From Hut to Hotel

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

I recently got a new job working as a Civil Engineer. Today I spent some time with the Lord and just sat in amazement. I felt Him tell me to "tell them how much I love you". So here's my attempt:

I have a daddy who loves me more than I could ever imagine. In my new job- I measure things. I spend all night up on a scissors lift measuring welding and joists and such in roof systems. I thought about that today as I was with the Lord, measuring. We measure everything nowadays. We measure things with rulers. We measure things with ultrasonic technology. We measure things with money. We measure things with time, speed, distance. There's some things that we just can't put a measurement on. For example, I can't put a measurement on how much I love my family. I love them to the point that my heart hurts when I can't be with them. I can't put a measurement on how much I love that little boy Julio, to the point where I still think about him constantly and its been 2 months since I've seen his beautiful smile. I can't put a measurement on time spent with these people.

Its never really taken a whole lot to make me happy to be honest. I'm usually a pretty content person who doesn't need very much stuff. It makes me happy to go to a ball game with friends, or sit and play cribbage for 5 hours while watching a movie and eating applesauce out of the jar with Brit, or sit on my moms bed eating ice cream having late night chats, or watching a girl in the car next to me pluck her chin hairs as she is at a stop light. As long as I'm with my people, I'm alright. I've never really needed a whole lot of stuff. I love the fact that I just moved into a new place and all of my belongings fit into the closet of my bedroom.

People are value to me. And spending time with them is value to me.

I now have a job where I spend two weeks at a time in a hotel. This has been an incredible struggle for me for a few reasons. I don't get to spend time with people. Ouch. This one stinks. And two, just a few months ago I was living in a mud hut, and now I'm living in a hotel room the size of Texas. I know this sounds silly, but I hate having a hotel room this fancy. I feel uncomfortable living in "luxury", because to me...its not luxury at all. Luxury to me is living simple. Luxury to me is waking up every morning and getting a little glimpse of how much my Father loves me. How much God loves me. How much he provides for me and is there for me when I have no strength left.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLYB0F4Uzeo

This song has been on repeat for me lately. It says that God knew exactly what He was getting into when He called your name and when He chose you and He still wants you. He still calls your name, calls you to be His. He's not shocked by our weaknesses and our sin and our brokeness. He loves.

There's no ruler big enough to measure God's love.

God has provided me with a job in engineering...at exactly the time I needed it. He has provided me a way to get out of debt...hopefully. He has provided me with a place to live. He has provided me with two of the best roomates that I could possibly ask for. He has provided me with a family that never needs plans, they just need each other. God is doing big things in my life, in my families lives, in the lives of His people all around the world.

I'm hoping with all my heart that love will always be what guides my life and my direction.

Cheesecake, Double Stuffed Oreos and Wisconsin Cheese OH MY!!

Tue, 10 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Just thought I would send you a picture of my next destination. The day has finally come, and I couldn't be more excited. See you in a few days!!

:)

So close to home in more ways than 1

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Guatemala-
Man there is so much going on here!! It's our last country, so it has been sooo hard to keep my head here and not focused on coming home in a few weeks. I'm so excited to come home and see everyone. This homestretch is tough.

However, once again...I like it here. There's a lot of darkness here and some interesting things have happened here spiritually. One of our ministries this month is working at an orphanage that was shut down about a year and a half ago. It was shut down because of corruption but two of the women are still there helping with the kids because the kids had no place else to go. So now there are several kids still living there...with 0 funding from the government. Three of the children have disabilities. One of which (my baby boy) is Julio. He is 14 years old and absolutely precious. I have joked a lot on the Race about wanting to take a kid home with me at multiple points along this journey. BUT seriously, Julio needs a home and he needs one fast. He does have a disability (cerebral palsy maybe?), I'm not 100% sure. When we arrive there, we find Julio in the back room in the dark, tied to his wheelchair with his wrists tied to the wheels and the wheelchair tied to the window. He literally can not go anywhere. So naturally when we get there, we untie him and play!! He can not communicate verbally, or non verbally as of right now, because there is nobody to work with him. HOWEVER, I've been with him several times now and he is so smart. I know that he could communicate in a heart beat if he just had someone to work with him. From the first time we saw him until now, we have seen a huge transformation in him. I love to walk with him and play ball with him even when I come out scratched and bitten. He is smart enough to feed himself when I give him food and smart enough to tell the difference between a chunk of sandwich and chunk of banana that I've given him, just by touch. He then throws the chunk of banana as far as he can. He's also got a sense of humor. After spending time with him, you can figure out what really gets him laughing. I had him laughing so hard yesterday that he was falling out of his wheelchair. Precious.

we took the kids to the pool!! Julio did so good!

I could talk about Julio for hours, I am slightly obsessed with him and I want to take him home. Here's why. The government shut it down a year and a half ago, however the kids still live there. At the end of the month (in just a few days) they are coming and putting a padlock on the door so the kids can't live there anymore. I have no idea what is going to happen to these kids. I don't know where they will go or how they will survive. Please join with me in prayer for God to provide these precious kids with a family who is nothing but love. If I could take him home I would, but I know that I can't take care of him on my own. Well, I could try, but eventually I'm going to have to get a job to pay for things. Spending time with Julio has made me even more thankful for growing up with my Aunt Leslie my whole life. Simply amazing people.

We have wonderful contacts here, Paul and Hilda, please be praying for them as well. They are amazing and have been so supportive with our passion for this orphanage and these kids. If you have any ideas about what would help short term or long term, shoot them this way. I'm not sure what will happen on the 30th, I guess I have to be patient until then.

I love you all, and I can not wait to see you in a couple of weeks!!

God's love behind bars. Prison Ministry

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Why is it that the last night of ministry is always one of the best. We did Pan y Chocolate one more time last night before leaving for Guatemala today. We started at the prison. I wanted to cry I was so happy. Last week I talked to one guy for quite awhile. I couldn't understand a whole lot of what he was saying in Spanish, but I had him fooled into thinking that I did and so he just kept on talking. I kept on nodding and saying little Spanish sentences when I could. I stayed engaged in conversation for awhile and in the end I told him to read Ephesians 6 before he went to bed because it's one of my favorites. He promised me that he would. I got there tonight and talked to a guy handcuffed outside of the cell drunk. I finished praying with him and meandered over to talk to mi amigos from last week. One guy in the cell spoke English and translated for me after I handed out bread to all of them.

I asked my "translator" to ask my friend from last week if he read Ephesians 6. He said that he kept his promise to me, he studied those verses and preached on them for me! I had a really cool conversation with them about Eph. 6. He thanked me a lot for coming and talking with him and sharing with him. We talked like we'd been friends for years. I told him it wasn't me, it was God. He said that he was extremely thankful for God putting me in his path and asked if I had more verses for him. He already had his bible in hand waiting for me to come. I gave him some more of my favorite verses that I've been studying all Race and he made me another promise. He is so young and so sweet and I pray that he continues to follow Christ after jail. God has big plans for that boy.

I know that the people are in prison for a reason, some for murder, some for drugs and what not. HOWEVER, I loved them. They were so sweet. Some of them even gave me bracelets. If you know me at all...you know a quick way to my heart...make bracelets!!

These jails and prisons were not like ones in the States that's for sure. The first one I went to was basically one big cage outside. It was divided in half by a wall. One side men, one side women. There were only 5 women in when I went so we were blessed to be able to have really solid conversations with them. I even argued with my translator a little bit trying to get him to tell them what I wanted him to tell them. We disagreed a little bit!! haha. The men's cell, was jam packed with arms and legs dangling outside of the bars. Security was high, only a few of us were allowed in and we had to take off watches and necklaces and anything in our pockets. There were sooooo many men in there and I have no idea how they all sleep in that little space. I thought we had some tight living conditions...yikes. The second place we visited had 4 cells. One for the girls and then had a little tiny bit more division for the men. I'm assuming for gang purposes...but that is just my assumption. This place also had one main cell for the men where they were jam packed. When we would serve them bread, I swear they just kept coming, I had no idea where they were coming from, the walls?

After the prison last night, we went to the streets to hang out with our homeless friends. Sometimes when you drive up to the street you can already smell the alcohol. We had a CRAZY conversation with a few of the guys. They were new to this street, we hadn't seen them before. One of them spoke some English and kept trying to get us to speak to him in Spanish anyway. He told us that he was there that night to check out the spirits. He'd been told by some of the others that every night they see three ghosts. One girl and one woman who sit across the street and watch them. They are the good ones they said, they aren't scared of those two. The night before one guy threw rocks at them to see if they were real. They weren't. Then there is the third one that comes every night at the same time. He is dressed all in black and last night the new guy got up to punch him and he had no head. That's the bad one that they are scared of. So we got to have some long conversations with them about all of this and we got to pray over them. One imparticular. He chose me to pray over them because he concluded that I spoke the best Spanish out of the three of us...how he concluded that I have no idea. I prayed, and I prayed boldly over them and the street. When I finished, Edgar asked what happened and he had his hand over his heart. He started crying. I started crying with him and as I held his hand and sat face to face with him, I began telling him that He was experiencing how much God loves him. As I kept talking to him about Jesus, he begged me to stop talking. I didn't. Last night, Edgar felt God.

Praise the Lord. Amen.

Here and There in El Salvador

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Ministry in El Salvador has definitely kept us busy. We said our goodbyes today and headed off to our last country, but here is a recap of what we did last month for ministry.

Pan y Chocolate (bread and chocolate)- This is a ministry where we bring bread and either soup or hot chocolate around to several locations late at night. We go to a place where homeless elderly live in a place that was filled with gangs not too long ago, prison visits (I fell in love with them), to the hospital where homeless people are sleeping outside, and to another street with homeless people that are usually drunk or on some other substances.

prison ministry- this one gets its own blog. Its coming. Be patient.

We also worked with some schools. We would go there and do a skit and give a testimony or two and teach and what not. We got to get creative in thinking of skits and games!! Love it.

Genesis kids- The church takes in kids that have nothing and gives them clothes and food and education. We would get to go and do skits and play games and what not. One evening we walked them home to see their homes. They have next to nothing and I've realized that that has become normal for me now to see those homes.

Church is going on every day here. We would go often and tell testimonies and meet all of our ministry partners. We also would go evangelize with them.

We went to San Miguel for a few days- evangelism, kids program, sunday school, youth service, lots of pinata's.

During our free time we have been: volcano climbing, beach bumming in a fishing village, surfing in waves that were out to kill us, getting eaten by mosquito's (158 mosquito bites at once).

El Salvador family

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Meet my family in El Salvador. My parents here are Alberto and Mariella. Alberto is like one really big kid. I call him trickster because he is always playing pranks on us. He's a lot of fun and has a huge heart for serving us and for missions. Mariella is our mom. She is such a sweetheart. When we went to the beach to surf, I returned with 158 mosquito bites mostly on my legs and feet. It looked like I had the chicken pox all over again. On the race, we learn about not having borrowed offenses. Meaning if someone did something to someone else- I really don't have a right to be mad at said person or to judge said person because of that thing he/she did not do to me. Well, I made an exception for Mariella. She definitely had a borrowed offense for me. She was not happy with the beach and the mosquito's that they did that to me. Haha. She cooked me up a concoction with lime and spread it all over my dirty legs and feet. Then she gave me the rinse cycle. Then she creamed me. She takes care of all of us as if we were her own kids. All 12 of us, which brings her total to 16 kids. I have 3 brothers and 1 sister here. They are quite the rambunctious group, there pretty awesome. We also have a dog, A-taco.

We have stayed really busy here. We have many different types of ministry throughout the days serving with a few different churches and Pastors and schools. I was also put on a new team this month so on my free time I have been having lots of conversations to try to get to know my teammates on a deeper level. They have all been together for 4 months now, so needless to say I had some catching up to do. With that, came a big challenge for me this month. I got burnt out. I tend to go go go until I can't go anymore. I finally reached a point where I couldn't go anymore, and it was for the benefit of EVERYONE if I took time to refuel with the Lord. I was burnt out, but in such a beautiful way. It brought me to a place where THE ONLY thing I wanted/needed to do was spend a good chunk of time with my Papa. I needed to be filled back up so I could pour back out. As hard as it is to run on empty- it brings you to such a beautiful place with the Lord. My challenge is to figure out a way to be alone with God when there is no way for me to be alone. It has been a challenge all year, but this month was noise central. There are 18 of us living in a 3 bedroom house. They built a wall in the garage and put air mattresses down for us and have turned other places in the house into bedrooms for us. With kids running around, the 12 of us running around, a dog, two tv's always on and a stereo blasting Spanish goodness all the time- its hard to find peace and not want to pull your hair out sometimes. Once again though, I've been refilled by Him and He has shown me yet another little tiny piece of great and how beautiful His love is.

You've got a little paint on your face.

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in awhile...again. I think I have been less motivated for a few reasons. 1) When things happen now its more of just my life...perfectly normal World Race stuff, instead of when the same things happened to me before I thought, oh man this would be a good blog. And 2) I've been painting all month with Kige so there hasn't been a whole lot to blog about. Nothing crazy or out of the ordinary happened to me this month. I absolutely love Nicaragua. I know you are probably sick of hearing me say that about almost every country I've been to. But I really do love it here. The people here have been wonderful. This has been one of the nicest places I've stayed all race. Our hotel, yes hotel, basically has a little miniature rain forest in it with parrots and ducks and such. My ministry this month, like I said was painting with Kige. She is an incredible artist and was finally able to strut her stuff this month by painting 3 walls and two canvases both 9ft X 9ft. That's big. I had the privilege to be her personal assistant and teach her how to get paint all over her face.

We were blessed with two amazing contacts this month, Glenn and Lynne. They have their hands dipped in a lot of different ministries here in Nicaragua and have a huge huge heart for this place. We also got the privilege to work with The Real Life girls, Bonnie Pastor Manuel and our amazing translator Carlos who taught me the song In The Shadow that will forever be stuck in my head.

Things were going great. Our team had worked through a lot of things, namely Kige and I. We went from not speaking a month ago and her wanting to literally kill me every time I opened my mouth or became visible to her (her words not mine) to almost inseparable. Our team was doing pretty good but definitely were still working out some challenges. We found out a few nights ago that team Love Upstream will be no longer. My team is getting completely split up and each of us will be on a different team for the last 2 months. Turns out, all but one of us is going to a team where we have never had any of our new teammates as a teammate before. That being said, we all have a new season and new challenges ahead of us for next few months. I am really bummed that I will not get to be with Love Upstream for our last two months and finish what we started, however I know that God has it all figured out. I know that more growth will come out of it and I will be happy wherever God takes me. Although I now have more goodbyes to say tomorrow than I anticipated, some solid friendships came out of this team and I'm extremely thankful and blessed to have gotten to spend so much time with them.

We leave tomorrow, Saturday, for El Salvador by bus. New team, new location, new beginnings, new challenges, new joys.

Less than 2 months people. Less than 2 months til I get to see your beautiful faces. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Picture Perfect

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Jungle 2. Learning How To Walk Again

Tue, 1 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

So I was deep in the jungle for 12 days among all of the critters, big and small. Surely God had me out there for more reasons than just to conquer my fear of spiders.

Ministry for my team in the jungle...well it wasn't really there when it comes to what we thought it would look like. We were supposed to build two bridges, that didn't happen, we were supposed to do farming in the morning, awfully hard when its down pouring for the first 5 days, and teach English in the afternoon, awfully hard when the kids stop coming after day 2 and are afraid of us. My team and I weren't the healthiest team going into the jungle, and I think that God finally said ENOUGH!! YOU AREN'T DOING MINISTRY TO OTHERS UNTIL YOU GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER WITH EACH OTHER!

I had been wanting to do computer/internet fasts with my team so we wouldn't be so distracted since Cambodia. I always felt alone in doing it because I was the only one really convicted of it. Its not that they thought it was a bad idea or anything, they just didn't feel like it was a huge distraction. Most of you know that I haven't blogged an oober amount on this trip. Its mostly because I've been trying really hard to not get distracted by the internet or my computer. I know that God has so much more for me than me spending time on Facebook and Sporcle and watching Modern Family and Community and what not. I'm not saying that I don't do those things or won't do them when I get home, I just know that that's not why I'm here. So up until the jungle I've been frustrated with trying to not use my computer a whole lot but then being really bored when everyone else is on theirs.

God has a heck of a sense of humor. We got sent into the jungle. Without our computers. Without internet. Without electricity for most of the time. No distractions. We couldn't even use ministry as a distraction. So ministry for us turned into just being. Just being a team. Just being a group of Christians living in the middle of the jungle while the naked children stared at us from the window.

So what did I learn? If you read my last blog, you read about our journey into the jungle and us trekking through miles and miles of mud. Mud so thick that a tractor couldn't get through it. Needless to say, I felt like I forgot how to walk and was learning all over again. I was slipping and sliding and had lost my normal rhythm of my steps. This is what ministry felt like all month in the jungle. It felt like I had lost my rhythm to talk to strangers, to build relationships, to learn their culture, to love them like crazy, to have it hurt when I had to leave. Nothing about these 12 days in the jungle felt like the ministries I'd been doing all Race. Turns out I'd started going through the motions when it came to ministry on this trip. Being asked to get up and preach in 5 minutes...became normal, being told that you had to teach English with no preparations or no knowledge of how much they already knew...became normal, being told to pray for healing or salvation or prosperity or safety over a stranger...normal. Now I was in a place where it felt like I had never walked before. It felt like I had never done ministry before. I had to learn how to walk again. I had to learn what ministry really means again. There is nothing about ministry that is just going through the motions.

Ministry is life. Its not my bible study on Thursday nights. Its not our worship session on Tuesday. Its not going to the orphanage in the morning. Its not going house to house or hut to hut or preaching. My ministry is my life. Every aspect of my life. Its listening to the beat of my Father's heart every step of the way. Its the person I talk to at McDonalds, its the child I see playing in the street that needs a hug and to be told that he's loved, its the lady that sells fruit on the side of the street that I pass every day knowing that she's known. Its every aspect every day. Its living more like Jesus. Its giving up your time that isn't yours in the first place. God gave you that time. Its choosing into where and when God has you.

Jungle 1. Getting to our village.

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Wow. Let me tell you about a time I got sent into the jungle. We arrived in Kuala Lumpur safe and sound and in less than 24 hours of being in the big city Peter and Carol, our lovely hosts, called my team down for a meeting. They said that they had prayed about it and decided to send the other team into the jungle, but since the decision was made several signs have come up to prove that God had other plans in mind. They gave us two hours to eat dinner, re-pack our packs, scramble to find internet to send our parents a "hey guys I love you and won't be communicating with you for a few weeks so don't worry" email. Basically we ran around like chickens with our heads cut off for 2 hours. I am now able to use that phrase properly as I now know exactly what that looks like...thank you Kenya. So 2 hours later, off we go with Pastor Tony into the Malaysian Jungle.

Alex and I rode with Santana, who was so nice he gave us fish extract crackers and dry chicken ramen snacks. Yum. Little did we know we'd be wishing for those later on. We have no idea where the rest of our team is but we have dropped off all of our stuff and been summoned back into the truck by Santana. Its now around 11pm...? We don't know where he's taking us. All ended well that night...turns out Santana was just hungry at 11pm.

The next day we are back on the road for the jungle. We must fix the wagon for the tractor to get all off our stuff to village #3. We load, we unload, we get stuck, we get unstuck. Santana pulls off to the side of the road and tells Alex and I to go down to the river and wash up. Ha. That sounds easy enough. Well I ripped my pants on the barbed wire fence but eventually made it to the river to wash up in what I hope was a STORM water pipe...not another type of pipe. Did I tell you its rainy season yet??

Ok so we don't make it past village #2 that night, because the tractor can't get through the muddy road. So we stayed with the kids who played in the rain/mud/climbed the trees like monkeys, and slept in a bamboo house. Then the next morning we try again. So we load up the tractor and our plan is to get about half way in the tractor where it will most likely get stuck again and then we'll walk until the tractor gets through and can pick us up again. Sounds brilliant. Until about 200 yards into the trip, when the tractor broke.

So there began our journey of walking 12 km by ourselves to find the next village...without our big packs...and without our food. Somewhere around km 3, I took my shoes off and went barefoot the rest of the way because the shoes were not helping my situation in the mud thats so bad a tractor can't get through it. Around km 8, we get passed by our tractor driver on a motorbike...wait what?? If he's here, then who's with all of our stuff. Crap. So Kyle and I head back towards the tractor where we finally find it stuck in the mud with two strange men waiting with all of our stuff. Joy. Along the way, I ate it in the mud and now my leg is muddy muddy and bloody. After much digging and pushing and bailing from the tipping slipping tractor, we were back on our hike into village #3.

OOFTA WE FINALLY MADE IT TO THE VILLAGE!!!!

Stay tuned for more blogging on the jungle and for pictures of our muddy messes of ourselves.

There's no turning back

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

We finished up ministry in Cambodia and it was wonderful. It was a much needed month of joy with the kids, dancing, and playing volleyball. We ended our time there the same way we started it...with a dance party!! It was super fun.

We left Phnom Penh and have been in Siem Reap for a few days now for Debrief. This debrief has mainly been talking about re-entry back into the States after the Race. That wonderful question of, "what's next"? It's a big question. There are several options. I could get home and freak out (which will happen for a short while). I could dive right into job interviews for engineering. I could continue working and growing witth AIM. I could do any number of things really. So how on earth do I decide?

Well luckily the pressure is off of me because I know that God will reveal exactly what He wants me to be doing when the time is right. One thing I do know though, is that there is no turning back from this experience. I will never be the same person I was before this journey. I've seen God move and come alive. I've seen the world. I've seen things in this world that are absolutely unnacceptable. Things that are going to continue unless someone does something about it. So one thing I know for sure is that life is not going to be comfortable for me. This world is not about me. I've been healed and changed and transformed in so many ways and others need to know about it. The world needs what I have. So the question is, the things that tore me up and broke my heart on the Race, did they tare me up bad enough that I'm willing to sacrafice my life for the Kingdom of God and not go home to my comfy couch and do something about it. I don't know what that looks like exactly. Truth is, I may never know. I'm just going to have to lay it all down, and walk out in faith and do it.

I get to come home on May 12th. I GET to come home. I get to come home to family and friends and community and a church and ice cream and cake and double cheeseburgers and a big juicy steak. But I'm not ok with the fact that I get to do that while at the same time, so many of my dear friends in Ukraine, Romania, Ireland, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Nicaragua, and El Salvador don't have that. In fact, they don't have homes, they don't have parents, they don't have money to put food on the table. So they are on the streets, they are begging, they are hopeless, they are scared, they are tired and weary, they are selling their bodies to feed they're children, they are crying out for help. Those faces are not just going to disappear. I have to keep going. I have to keep answering God when He calls me to put on a bigger coat and do bigger things to bring Him glory.

So where do I go from here? Who the heck knows. But I know that God is worth the risk. God is worth me giving up a bed and worth me eating rice and beans everyday and worth me smelling like a dead skunk and scratching dirt off myself and worth me getting Malaria and whatever other diseases and parasites are all up in my grill. He's worth it. Do you think He's worth it? Will you come with me? Will you continue to partner with me? Will you make sacrafices and be radical? Will you answer God when He calls you?

I don't know what my next step is. But I have vision. One that is bigger than I can fit all the pieces to. Are you ready to run with me?

Joy to the Tree House!

Sat, 8 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

I am having a much better month in Cambodia. We are living in a place called House of Love (aka the Tree House). We call it the tree house because when you go upstairs where we live...it feels a lot like a tree house. We sleep in our tents! Cambodians really like to crank up their tunes and pump a jam at around 5:30am. So we usually wake up around 5:30am :) Along with my fellow tenting teammates, I live with a few tokie geckos. If you have time...google them. They are huge...almost the size of my forearm. No joke. And they make the most ridiculous sounds all through the night. I believe there is one living in two of the corners of our tree house and they talk to each other all night. Theory is: they are doing their mating calls but neither one of them is bold enough to go over to the other one and get the job done. So for now, we have to put up with the flirting. I really should name them Jim and Pam. They are extremely aggressive so naturally Kirsten is trying to catch it.

For ministry this month we are teaching English in a few schools. In the morning we teach 3 classes. Then there is a class at the House of Love and 2 in the evening at a nearby school. English is a difficult language to teach, especially since I'm not a teacher. BUT, Kaka Amosi (brother Amos in Tanzania) you were right when you prophesied about me being a teacher and working with lots of little kids. One of my classes I have little little ones. They are soooooooooo cute!! One of my classes I teach with elementary- middle school agers. They are lots of fun to play games with and I see them all the time since they are part of the House of Love community. Two of my classes are with teenagers. We work on pronunciation with them. Basically the language spoken in Cambodia and English are really tough to mesh. There are sounds that they have extreme difficulty saying- like th, sh, ch words, because they do not have those sounds. I related to them very quickly when a group of them started teaching me their language. Without a doubt- hardest language so far on the race. There are some sounds that I just can't make.

I'm loving working with the kids. I'm loving playing volleyball with them during free time. I'm loving teaching them and having them teach me as well. Teaching builds relationship. I really feel like we get to spend quality time together when we are teaching each other, and really get to build relationships.

This month is a month to recover joy. Last month I completely lost my joy and my patience. The first night we got here was New Years- so they put on a performance for us. They did traditional Cambodian dance and the Hosanna team performed the Lifehouse song Everything skit. (link below to video of original Lifehouse skit)

We also worshipped and just got crazy with the kids jumping during worship. It was incredible. The next night- dance party with all of the youth, which is the majority of the church. It was a blast dancing with all of the kids, and they taught us traditional Cambodian dancing!!

There is such an overwhelming sense of joy with these kids and it is exactly what I need to get me back up and going after last month. I'm hoping to suck up as much joy as possible here to refuel me for the rest of the Race.

Praise the Lord!!

Thailand Christmas Fire

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I just want to say thank you very much for everyones prayers. My Christmas wish came true...my whole squad made it passed the financial deadline on the 15^th. Some of them have been promised the money if it does not come in by the end of the race so that they could stay out in the field. However, they are still fundraising so keep praying :)

Thailand. Oh Thailand. This month has been a very difficult one for so many reasons. I knew it would be a month of transition for me coming out of Africa but I had no idea what was in store.

I was reading over my friend Justin's shoulder one day in Kampala and he was reading about how God builds your character. Think about weight lifting. When you want to work a certain muscle, you use weights that work against that muscle to make that muscle stronger. God works in a similar way. If He wants you to grow in patience, He will send you someone that is difficult to be patient with. If He wants you to grow in love, He will send you someone that is difficult for you to love. Then when you bring it to Him and ask for patience...He will give you patience.

This month was a series of weights for me. It was not fun at times. It may have been a little stressful at times. There were many bumps in the road. BUT, yet again, God showed himself and got me through another month, another season.

Tis the season for Christmas joy, snow, and cold....I've got heat, in more ways than one. I was at our usual restaurant last week. I always order the same 2 dishes. BUT, I looked over at the table next to me and said, that one looks good, I'll have what he is having. The waitress assured me that it is not too spicy. I said perfect. Well when our food came, I got excited to see color on my plate (remember I'm just coming out of Africa- I mean have you tried the ugali?? thanks alex b cole) I was also talking to my teammates so I was distracted. Without thinking, I stuck my fork in a nice big red pepper and ate it by itself- no rice no anything with it. It took approximately 0.82374 seconds to realize what I had done. I started causing a scene yelling, why did I do that, oh my gosh make it stop, it hurts, why on earth did I do that, I ate a pepper, oh my gosh it burns, that was a bad idea, Kirsten is my ear bleeding? Is there fire coming out of my mouth?

Lesson learned. Thai food is really really good, but very hot. I'm starting to get used to and really like spicy as long as its not burning a hole in my throat and making my ear bleed.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! I love you!!

I take a bus to Bangkok on the morning of the 26^th, which is Christmas night for ya'll. I should have internet at the place we're staying at which means I should be on skype on the morning of the 26^th your time. I should have internet access until the 28^th. That means...jump on and talk to me if you get a chance. I'm 13 hours ahead of you and if I'm online its usually around 9 or 10 am or 7 or 8 pm your time. My skype is a.rose.56

All I want for Christmas

Thu, 9 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Hey Everyone,

So Christmas is going to look different for me this year. No cold. No snow. No mom. No dad. No Pat. No grandmas and grandpas. No cousins and aunts and uncles. No charlie brown Christmas tree. No gifts from Santa. No ham and turkey and mashed potatoes. No staying up all night playing games.

My Christmas will be spent in Thailand. Here's what we're doing:

We're cleaning the streets, mowing grass and killin weeds and lovin on communities. Some of us are also working with these statistics:

Tonight 20,000 - 30,000 street children are impoverished, hungry and in danger of being exploited on the streets of Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai.

Tonight girls, age 13-15, who were sold to pimps by their parents for 5,000 - 10,000 baht ($160- $325), are working in bars and brothels of Chang Mai.

Tonight a rural family will eat thanks to the 300 million dollars transferred yearly by women engaged in prostitution in urban areas.

Tonight 18-20% of all Thai women aged 18-30 are in sexual slavery

Tonight the streets are walked by men who sell sex because it is the only work they know, the work they have been doing since they were children.

Tonight the industry is booming and 2.8 million sex workers, including 800,000 minors under the age of 18 are available for purchase in Thailand.

We are not here to stop Human Trafficking and the Sex Trade Industry. Its too big. But we are here because God sent us here and He is doing big things. We are here to tell these women that there is a way out, that this is not life, this is not who they are, that people love them, that God loves them. The thing is, God sent all 43 of us to do big things in Thailand and big things all over this world. We have our last financial deadline in 6 days. If we are not all fully funded, people are going home.

My Christmas wish this year:
That I would not have to list any of these teammates names on my list of things I will not have this Christmas. I need them all fully funded. I need them all here with me. The world needs them here doing what they are doing. The world needs more people with the heart of God's servant like they have.

I am posting a list of everyone on my squad who is in desperate need of financial support. I am fully funded, praise the Lord a million times over. My prayer request is that you would look at this list, pray about it and if God calls you to help, please don't ignore it. It may mean one less Christmas gift this year. It may mean 1 less woman being sold on the streets of Bangkok. Just go to their page listed and click donate. In the words of Jack Bauer, "we are running out of time".

Thank you.

Tom and Casey Kowatch, Colorado -$4,446: http://thomasandcaseykowatch.theworldrace.org/
Rachelle Uribe, California-$3,575: http://rachelleuribe.theworldrace.org/
Lili Mejia, Texas- $2,515: http://lilimejia.theworldrace.org/
Anna Matthews, South Carolina- $2,100: http://annamatthews.theworldrace.org/
Kris Tippett, Maryland- $2,088: http://kristippett.theworldrace.org/
Carrie Campbell, Florida- $2,000: http://carriecampbell.theworldrace.org/
Nathan Salley, Colorado- $1,800: http://nathansalley.theworldrace.org/
Dan Montenegro, Texas- $400: http://danielmontenegro.theworldrace.org/
Sarah Hogan, Oklahoma- $390: http://sarahhogan.theworldrace.org/

Can I really?

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I left Tanzania on Sunday. It was horrible, I felt like I was leaving my family and friends from back at home all over again. We really built some special relationships there and it was sooooo hard to say goodbye. I know I say that most months, but this one was a horrible goodbye. I will be back to Tanzania some day.

Tanzania was a huge month of growth between God and I. I saw a lot of things that I've never seen before, and honestly didn't know if I even believed. Well, thank you God, I believe 100% now. The things that happened this month just made every word in the Bible that much more real to me.

I've been reading the gospels the last few months. After reading what Jesus did, he healed this person and that person, he cast out demons from this one and that one, ect...I was ready to go because I knew that I had that same power and authority. I would enter the hospital and have really good conversations. I would show them Christ's love and compassion and comfort them and pray over them. But then I would leave and everything looked the same as when I arrived. I knew that what I did was good and powerful, but I was starting to wonder, do I really have that power and authority in my prayers. Can I really? Me?

The second to last hospital visit, I prayed for God to show me that I have power and authority in my prayers. I knew it in my head, but not completely in my heart. We arrived at the hospital, I talked to a few women, shared the gospel with them, prayed with them. BUT then, I met a 16 year old girl named Chatifa. She has a tumor in her abdomen and couldn't move her legs. I knelt down on the side of her bed and began talking to her. I talked to her for a long time and shared the gospel with her. She is Muslim. She looked at my translator and said that she wanted to accept Christ in her heart. I looked at my translator and said, "really?" with a huge smile on my face. I'd had this happen several times this month and they were all amazing, but this one was different. So I retold her the gospel in another way to make sure she knew what that meant and what she was deciding. She said, "I know, yes, that's what I want". I told her that I couldn't heal her, but that God can, and when we put our faith in Him, He is faithful. I began praying with her for salvation, but I knew she couldn't understand me in English. I told her that I would pray with her, but I couldn't do it for her. So she prayed with me. Neither of us knew what the other was praying. But as I was holding her hand praying, I could feel it in my heart the connection, that she had accepted Christ. So then I began praying over her legs. The minute I started praying for her legs, she started moving them.

God has given us power and authority. God is amazing, all the glory is His. He has revealed such big things to me this month.

Of course I had struggles as well, but nothing could get in the way of what God was doing there.

get outta here skeeters

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This is home sweet home in Uganda :)

I am loving Tanzania, minus the malaria. We are living with Pastor Peter and his his amazing wife, Raheama. They have 4 children, Esther 22, Amos 20, Deborah 17, and Melchizedek 9. They are so much fun...we totally act like siblings. They are incredible and take really good care of us, especially through the malaria stuff.

I was the first on the team to get malaria, and the rest followed shortly after. BUT, the meds worked for me and I'm all clear and feeling great.

Ministry this month: hospital visits, street boys, house to house, orphans, normal church activities.

SUPPORT UPDATE: I'M PRETTY MUCH FULLY FUNDED!! GOD IS SO GREAT AND TRULY PROVIDES. PLACE YOUR TRUST IN HIM AND HE WILL DO GREAT AND UNIMAGINABLE THINGS. THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT ALONG THIS JOURNEY.

Mud Hut adventures

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I've been living in Uganda for the month in a mud hut and sleeping in a hammock. I've loved every minute of it. I have some crazy stories about living in a mud hut, including accidentally going to the bathroom on a fire ant hill at 2:45am and getting destroyed by them. Yes, I literally had ants in my pants at 2:45am. Fire ants. They hurt real bad. So then I continued to pray for a half hour that they were just fire ants and not a demon satan juice spraying beetles...sorry Logan. I live with 2 other girls in my hut, and lots of lizards, a frog, tunnel building and door breaking termites, and huge red eye moths and lots of other fun big bugs.

http://www.childvoiceintl.org/wherewework/uganda/

This is where I've been all month. The website does a great job of explaining everything and its very brief....aka go read it papapapleaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssseeeeeeeeeee.

I've learned how to roll beads and love screaming children with no pants on. They are so precious and I'm not ready to leave. The girls that are here have absolutely amazing stories. I can't imagine living through what they've lived through. This month has been one of my favorites ministry wise, again I'm not ready to leave. But homesickness wise it has been the hardest month for me. Not because I live in the bush and miss the luxuries of home...I miss my family and friends. I miss familiar voices. I miss encouragement from the people that know me best. I miss them telling me how it is. I miss my Badger sporting events....way to go boys!!!

Mom I miss playing cards with you and eating ben and jerrys in bed. I can't wait to do that in 7 months.

I got to check internet for the first time in a while. I cried. Thank you everyone for the sweet messages. It was just what I needed to get me out of my crappy mood and keep pressing on in Africa.

I get to go on a safari this weekend and then its off to another country next week....Tanzania!!

Tony and Lisa- I didn't forget about 10-10-2010. How did everything go? You all are still in my prayers. Tell everyone I say hi and I miss them :) Also tell them that if they are not making every Monday matter- I will kick their butts when I get back :)

I love you all.

SUPPORT UPDATE

ONLY $300 LEFT TO GO :)

YOU ALL ARE INCREDIBLE. THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO MUCH. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED ME FUND RAISE AND PUT SO MUCH WORK INTO GETTING ME HERE AND KEEPING ME HERE IN THE FIELD. I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO EXPLAIN HOW BLESSED I AM. YOU ALL ARE BRINGING KINGDOM ALL OVER THE WORLD :)

How to be a bad***

Mon, 4 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Step 1: get a weave.......................................................................................check
Step 2: raft the Nile River (with a weave)..................................................check
Step 3: be 1 of 2 boats that make it to the waterfall and go over it........check
Step 4: be the ONLY boat to take a detour to another rapid that was super hard to get to after the waterfall and getting yelled at by another instructor, "you're gonna have to paddle harder than that sweetheart".......................................................................................................check
Step 5: get thrown from the boat and go under for so long and so many times that when you finally surface for good you have no idea where your boat is and have to get kayaked back to it........check
Step 6: be one of the 3 people left in the boat after the last wicked crazy rapid after thinking you finally surfaced from being under water for awhile and looking down and seeing that you were in the boat....check
Step 7: survive the Nile River.......................................................................check
Step 8: hike up a mountain after rafting the Nile....barefoot.....................check
Step 9: drink a sprite, eat a kabob or two and some chipatti overlooking the most beautiful view ever....with a weave in your hair................................................................................................................check
Step 10: hang out with monkeys on the Nile.................................check

Another country is done. We said goodbye to Kenya. Goodbyes were tough because we got pretty stinkin close with our contacts there. Thank you so much for praying for Susan....couldn't have ended my ministry there any better....she was crying in my arms because she was so happy that we came and prayed with her. She is definitely healing and feeling strong and praising the Lord with us :)

We are now in Uganda. We spent a few days on the Nile River with the whole squad as we had to say goodbye to our squad leaders Jenny and Jacob. I am now heading to Gulu and will be living in the bush, so if you don't hear from me for a month or two...I'm ok :)

I love you all so much and miss you like crazy.

My life in Kenya

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This is what a typical day in Kenya looks like for me: wake up around 7:30 or 8am, breakfast (either peanut butter and jelly or mondazi, or chipatti pancakes or cinnemon rolls and hard boiled eggs and chai, morning prayer, free time until around 11am when we gather up to walk around for hut to hut ministry, lunch at around 2 (usually rice and beans or rice and potatoes or tomato and onion sandwiches, or ugali) , hang out and play cards or cornhole (in Wisconsin terms...bags or bag toss) have quiet time or watch Community or nap, evening tea at 5pm, learn to cook with Ann, kill a chicken with my bare hands, dinner around 8:30 or 9pm (usually chipatti and potatoes or rice and beans or rice and potatoes or ugali or pilau), feedback with the team, bedtime in my mosquito net bed that I share with my teammate Carrie :) Wake up around 2am to go to the bathroom which is outside and we get locked in at night so I have to wake up Emmy and Irene to let me out. Sleepy sleep until 7:30ish.

Hut to hut, killed a chicken, got my hair braided and monday night raw-- bret the hit man hart vs. the undertaker from january 11, 1993. all within 24 hours. Ah the life of a missionary.

We've had a very relaxed schedule here. Except the night that I killed a chicken. Major step in my life...killing my own dinner.

We leave Kenya in a week already and we will be rafting the Nile...ya I know right? And then its Uganda time! My team will be working with one other team and sleeping in hammocks for the month in a thatched roof mud hut. I'm pumped!

Prayer Request: Please be praying for team unity and also for Susan. I'm finishing up a 3 day fast for Susan and praying for God's healing hands to take control and heal her. I've never done a 3 day fast before but God is continuing to challenge me to see big things.

PICTURES: i'm struggling uploading video and pictures with the internet here so hopefully soon. I do have video footage of me killing the chicken...get pumped. :)

1st week in Africa :)

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Hey all!!

So we made it to Kenya safely. We spent a few days together as a squad in Nairobi, and then split off with our new teams to our locations for the month. My team (Team Haven) is staying in Eldoret. The family we are staying with is fantastic, they have been taking good care of us. I spend a lot of time playing with their 2 year old son who is the cutist stinkin thing I've ever seen. Ministry starts tomorrow for us! The church that we are a part of here is approximately the size of my dorm room from college and we praise God, jump, sing, shout, give high fives and go crazy with about 25 Kenyans. I may be preaching this Sunday so please be praying for me :) Africa is most definitely a whole new world but I love it so far. Bucket showers and a whole in the ground for bathrooms...be careful not to miss the hole or it will spray off the concrete and you will have grossness on your feet until the next time you shower. We sleep in a mud house with our lovely mosquito nets up :) I also now have a new addiction to Kenyan Chai tea. I don't normally drink tea...even chai...but I'm averaging about 6 mugs a day. Love you all and miss you and thank you so so so much for the encouraging comments on my last blog.

mom- last night I shared my testimony with my new team and one of them gave me a verse that talked about being a lily and blossoming- and then I read your comment about grandpa's lily...God is so wonderful. It doesn't matter how much distance is between us...God is still connecting us in a million ways. Love you more.

I like to move it move it.

Wed, 8 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

We just left Ireland after finishing up with our all squad and alumni worship conference, The Awakening. So we had art night one night at the Awakening and it really got me fired up even more for what we are doing. One poem hit me in particular by a guy who said it with such passion with the beat of the drum in the background. To sum it up: You've heard the statistics...we've seen the faces. As we gathered the entire week with all of the racers that are currently out in the field and some alumni...our passion for the world grew exponentially. Our passion for finally being the generation that will wake up and do something about it and conquer it grew exponentially. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. How many of you have said that thousands of times and never thought twice about what that means? How many of us live that out? Not many.

Let's face it, we are not a people that get up and move it move it very easily. We live in a self sufficient nation where its all about us. I need to get a good job, make x amount of money, have x amount of these things and those things. You want thingamabobs? I've got 20. I could have easily stayed in the States and work for Habitat For Humanity and still have helped people in need. But that would have been an easy way out for me, and if you know me at all you know I'm not really about the easy way. If I'd a stayed and got a career started and started looking for that lucky guy to start a family with...fear would have won.

List 3 things that break your heart. Homelessness, poverty, the lost, human trafficking, orphans, alcoholism, etc...After this trip I will list way more I'm sure. Got your 3 things? Great, what are you doing about those three things? Fear. Fear is why most people wanted me to stay home. Especially when it came to human trafficking and things of that sort. Its unsafe, its scary...yep I agree with you, but more importantly it is unacceptable. Nothing will change until a people get over its fear and rises up and moves it moves it. That is where faith comes in.

So why did I go into the world instead of taking care of business in my own country? To bring God's kingdom. To put names to the statistics. To love. To bring hope. To give up what I am able to and more. To live with the people. To build relationships. Sending money doesn't necessarily help and it certainly does not make the problem go away. Money certainly doesn't tell them that they can have hope in Christ Jesus and they are loved and beautiful and that even if people don't see them on the side of the street starving...God sees them and loves them. We love to cover up problems with money, we find comfort in ice cream and a new pair of shoes and maybe a new car or a boat...yes a boat- that will make me happy. But trust me that does not work around the world. These people need to feel and know the love of Christ.

What is stopping you from standing up and shakin yo groove thang? Is it fear? Is it money? Is it family? Compare fear and money to the statistics. Compare fear and money to the names and stories I will tell you when I get home. Your family shouldn't stop you...they should be right there with you. You don't have to travel around the world to help put this generation in motion but you do need to start moving. Wake up my people...lets do this thing. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

prayer request: we all just got new teams and we are now in Africa for 3 months...need I say more?

The Windy City

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Galway: The Windy City. The last two nights I wasn't sure if my tent would survive til morning because the wind was so strong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDcLS-RMVNE&feature=search (video of me at the Cliffs of Moher on our day off) windy. windy. windy.

The wind is just like God. Sometimes it's so hot and all you want is a little bit of wind. Other times the wind is so strong you don't even know what you'll be left with in the morning. You can't see it, but you can feel it. Just like God. Sometimes you pray and pray even just for a little gust and when it comes its so refreshing. Sometimes you pray and pray for God to show up even just a little bit- Give me a sign you're still here God- when it comes its like a breath of fresh air- just enough to keep you going. Other times its so overwhelming you just want it to go away- go back to normal so your tent can stay standing and you can sleep at night. Sometimes God's presence is so physically present- body tingling, shaking, can't not smile, people speaking in tongues- it can be overwhelming. (One night during feedback we didn't even get to feedback because one of my teammates came to us with some spiritual warfare that we knew had to be dealt with right away. So we started praying over her and as soon as we started I just started shaking. My whole body was shaking because I was so mad that these lies were being thrown at her and taking a foothold on her life. I prayed and spoke with authority because I knew I could and I knew I had to. Angels and demons are real people, and Satan's time was up.) If I didn't have God in my life, if I didn't have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside me- lighting this passion to serve God and be crazy in the process- I could be more normal. I'm not normal. I'm captivated by the Holy Spirit.

God is starting to speak to us and answer our prayers through each other. I think that I have been struggling with being quiet and listening to God speak to me. So God has gotten creative and started speaking through my teammates to me because He knows I'll listen to them. Our two teams (Koja) are definitely becoming a united community the way God intended us to be. For example, my last blog ended with a prayer request for Michael. The morning after posting that blog- we went into downtown and did a prayer walk. Mary and I stood outside an Adult Store for an hour and a half, praying and speaking God's word loud and proud. All of a sudden Mary starts praying for Michael. She has absolutely no idea who Michael could be, but the name Michael for some reason had been placed on her heart and she knew she was supposed to pray for him. She hadn't read my blog or anything. I told her I knew exactly who she was praying for. Another example: Last week we did a bible study on God's promises. The night before I had found one I liked but didn't bookmark it. I've been searching for it since and it was driving me nuts. Two mornings ago, Angela's day for morning prayer- she said that God gave her Jeremiah 33 to share with us. She said that she read it and didn't want to read that one to us because its not your typical morning prayer type of passage. But she read it anyway, and what do you know---verses 1-3 were what I'd been searching for and couldn't find.

These are just a few examples. We have The Awakening in about a week, which is a big worship conference, and I think I'm finally ready for it. I'm ready to let happen what I wouldn't allow to happen at training camp. Holy Spirit- have your way with me.

Prayer Request: Please be praying for Mel and Erik Olson as they mourn the loss of Deb. We all love you and miss you Deb.

We put the "ish" in Irish

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

If you would have told me a year ago: "a year from now you will be sitting on a bus with drunk people in Ireland", I would have laughed...out loud.

And here I am in Ireland and I absolutely love it here (minus the inappropriate vulgar drunk people on the bus last night). We are tenting it right on the Atlantic Ocean in Galway, Ireland. I can't describe how happy that makes me. Because we are right on the ocean- it rains all the time and it is pretty windy especially at night when your tent is rattling pretty hard core and you wonder if it will stay staked in through the night.

The first few days we were here, Jimmy (our amazing contact person) and some others gave us a culture lesson day. He told us all about Ireland and it's people. Told us that they put the "ish" in Irish, meaning when they say it starts at 10 they mean 10ish. Told us the status of where they are at Christianity wise. Told us things to say and things NOT to say. For instance certain cuss words in America are not cuss words here...hard to adjust to when a little child says them. It still catches me off guard and I ask the child (Samuel, he's 8 and staying at our campsite and is my best friend)...What did you just say to me? Haha. There are words that mean nothing in America that are pretty offensive here...funny but offensive.

We were doing some community service in the park the other day and as I was picking up trash, some girl ran up to me and said, "Are you just doing this for the crack?", I had to think about it for a few seconds and then remembered...yes yes I am doing this for the crack. In Irish talk that means I'm doin it for the laughs, just for the heck of it.

Ireland is a Post Christian land, meaning that organized religion has played a very very negative role on the people here and thus they have turned the other way. In America when people hit rock bottom they know that a church is one safe place they can go and turn to. Not the case here. The people here turn to alcoholism and suicide because to them...the church is the last place they want to go. Organized religion was once very strong here obviously but now...there may be one Christian kid in his whole school. The average drinking age here is 10.

We are partnering up with an amazing church here. I love their heart behind things. I love the Pastor. I love our contacts. I love how they do things. We are doing lots of different ministries varying from street evangelism, street prayer and healing, community service like scrubbing graffiti off walls and picking up trash, face painting in the square, ect... Yes the church is big on evangelism and street prayer and healing but their intentions are never ever on recruiting people to the church or money or reputation...they are so humble and genuinely compassionate for the people here and care about their salvation. In the end, they don't really care if the person is actually healed from our prayers, but whether they come to know who God is through it.

Shower competition: I went 6 days with no shower whatsoever, taking 4th place behind 3 of the 4 guys. I decided to take a shower before church on Sunday morning...my reward- getting stuck between two of the guys who decided not to shower before church. Winner- Alex Cole caving after 7 days due to peer pressure and grease stains on his pillow.

Prayer Request: that I continue to die to myself and live up to who God has created me to be. And for Micheal from the park...that we would continue to run into each other and that we would be able to have some meaningful convos by the end of the month. :) He rocks out in the park and plays Sweet Home Alabama for us Americans.

Grandpa- you would be so proud of me right now. I learned the art of Hobnobbing in Ireland. I know that you are a pro at dunking things in your coffee or tea...I'm practicing. :) Miss you tons.

Its a Small World After All

Mon, 2 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

So today was our last full day in Romania. We fly out to Ireland tomorrow...I could not be any more excited. There was a small group of Americans that stayed here last night and left this morning...as they were leaving I noticed one girl had a Twins shirt on. I was like...huh. I asked where they were from and most of them were from MN. I told them where I was from, and one of the boys (around 18 yrs old) said he knew a few guys from Hudson...HOW CRAZY IS THAT. Also I ran to the mall today and saw a guy with a Wisconsin Badger shirt on. WHAT?!?!? Its a small world after all.

So we leave Romania tomorrow, to be honest I didn't have the best month here. Month 1 was a lot of team growth, month 2 was a lot of personal growth for me. I read Forgotten God by Francis Chan and was very convicted about some things. God and I have some stuff to work out. I won't write about the things I'm processing through with God right now, but I will say that the book is all about The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not easy to grasp at all. It really challenged me to think about my relationship with God and how the Holy Spirit was at work in my life. It also challenged me make sure I'm checkin where my motives are at when it comes to seeing the Holy Spirit on fire in my life.

I am super excited to be taken outside of my comfort zone because The Holy Spirit is the Comforter. Why would I experience the Comforter if I'm already comfortable. This is something I've been struggling with in Romania. We have been living in luxury here. We feel the closest to God when nearness to him is a necessity and we experience the Holy Spirit in desperate situations. I'm ready to break out of my comfort and to experience my Comforter. I was thinking about how safe and comfortable and confident I would feel if I had Jesus walking hand in hand with me 24-7. Well here's the cool thing...I have it even better because I have the Holy Spirit living INSIDE of me. Not just side by side. INSIDE. INDWELT. LIVING and ALIVE IN ME. Bring it on world. Bring it on Satan- I'm ready for battle.

I love you all, thank you so much for all of your support and encouragement.

ATL Romania

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

ATL Romania

We have 5 days left in Romania and we are not checking out early. Today we had an ATL day. I'm sure most of you have heard me talk about our ATL months. It stands for "Ask The Lord". Our plans for the day were: pray, listen to God, go where God tells us to go, do what God wants us to do. A few of my group members felt we should go downtown, so on the bus we jumped and off we went. Usually on days like these, I have a lot of respect for the people that just jump right in and go and pray and talk to random people because that's just not my style. I know that evangelism is important. I know that God does big things through it. I know that God can speak through you and He knows who you need to talk to each day. BUT, I make excuses and coast through days like today by just encouraging the evangelists and praying for them while they are talking to people. Not Today God Said. I feel like ATL days are my day in the classroom. We have been out rocking it for 2 months now and its easy to get caught up in a schedule and just go through the motions and showing Gods love without telling them its Gods love you are showing them. Days like ATL days are the days back in the classroom where we learn how to LISTEN to God. We learn to listen, and then we do some hands on experimenting if you will. I am flexible and adaptable in most circumstances and because of that I have the ability to coast a lot of times. I've been praying a lot these last 2 months that I wouldn't just coast. That I would be bold, step out in faith in big ways and have no fear to do what God has prepared for me to. I don't talk to random people. I suck at small talk. Its awkward and uncomfortable. Today I flew solo for part of the ATL and was able to have a really great conversation with a Romanian woman on a park bench. She has such big dreams and I pray that she would have the courage to go after them. She is a lawyer...but she has much much more in store for her if she just goes for it. After talking with her for about a half hour, I was able to pray with her and encourage her. Turns out, God knew what He was doing (shocker), she said she really was not doing well today and was so thankful that somebody talked to her, especially an American.

Don't get comfortable folks. You are living today for a reason. You may not find out what that reason is unless you step out of your comfort zone, into faith, and listen to God. If God lays it on your heart to go talk to someone....Go talk to them. Even if you think you won't speak the same language. :)

p.s. i added a few photos...emphasis on a few....I'm not the biggest picture taker but I'm trying. you just have to hit browse photos on the left tab. :)

ATL Romania

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

ATL Romania

p.s. i added a few photos...emphasis on a few....I'm not the biggest picture taker but I'm trying. you just have to hit browse photos on the left tab. :)

Support Update

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

When I began the application process and began support raising the number one question was, "How on earth do you plan on raising $15,000?" The only answer I could give was, "God has it all under control."

If you think God is telling you to do something....don't ignore Him. I promise you that if He puts you up to the task...He will provide.

God provided me somehow with just over $12,000. That is my current status. I am still not fully funded but I have reached all of the deadlines but the last one. Please keep praying for my support to continue to come in.

Thank you so much to everyone who is supporting me financially and through prayer. I would never have gotten here, and wouldn't still be here without all of you. Love and prayers,

ashley

Romania-ness

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Hey everyone!!

So I am staying at a place called Casa Shalom in Bucharest, Romania. We are living in luxury here for sure. We have beds and good food and HOT SHOWERS :) It is incredibly hot here though so its hard to be energetic and sleep at night. There are three O Squad teams staying here this month which is totally awesome because I have gotten to know some of the people from the other teams. There are some other card lovers which is great because I've been able to get my game fix. HOWEVER, they link cards with gambling so we have to hide in our rooms to play. For ministry, we are working at a place called Jubilee which is home to several 20 somethings women. These women were all orphans but got kicked out to the streets in Bucharest when they turned 18. They have either a physical or mental disability that has made getting a job very difficult. Most were abused on the streets so this place has taken them in and tries to be a transition place for them. We go there and just hang out with the women, play UNO, they love to braid hair, color, and other random games. Today I brought a football :) On the days we don't go to Jubilee we stay at Casa Shalom and play with the kiddos. This past weekend we had a church group of kids here for a short summer camp and now we are getting a group of kids from a Gypsy village. We went into the village yesterday and played with them. We played soccer on a gravel/pavement surface that had a lot of glass shattered on it. The whole side area was all glass and shattered clay pots. Great mix with the flip flops. The kids clung to us right away, they are pretty cute.

Leaving Ukraine

Thu, 8 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I just left camp dream. My heart breaks for those kids. They were so sad to see more of the their leaders leave. We've really been blessed with the amount of time we had just loving on those kids. Most of my group that I led left a few days ago, and I had a new crew of kids come in a few days ago. I didn't get to say goodbye to a lot of the kids that I fell in love with, but our goodbyes today were definitely bittersweet. Also, the staff that worked in the kitchen...that we never really got to speak with a whole lot...we just worked along side of them...they were so sweet and so sad to see us leave. These kids are incredible. I can't even imagine what they've gone through. Alcoholism is a huge problem here. Most kids have lost a parent due to it. Most of the kids stories are just heart breaking. We were super fortunate to get a team in from Cali to work with us. They are amazing and super fun and I'm now committed to carrying one of them on my back for the 11 months ( i named my pack after her). They brought some VBS stuff for us to go through with the kids...which was great for some groups...however my group of kids...not so much. My group came from broken homes and just really messy situations and VBS stuff just didn't suit. I used it the first day or two just because I didn't know what else to do...but I knew that was never gonna fly. So I prayed... and I started writing my own lessons for them and made them do physical activities that would tie in with it to prove my point. I even made them do wall sits one day with someone sitting on their lap. Yep drill srgnt Ashley...teachin about God and showing His love :) The funny thing about doing wall sits in Ukraine...they don't paint their walls...they chalk them. yep my kids love me. Once I started writing my own lessons and tying in personal stories and gearing them to situations that would break them down a little bit and hit home for them...they listened. Most of our day was just running around with the kids and spending quality time with them, playing games with them. I played a lot of frisbee, skip bo, ninja, soccer (i'm terrible and am going to have to pick it up quick). A lot of hugging and high fiving and sitting next to random kids and rubbing their backs. It was absolutely incredible to have these really tough kids that are faster and stronger than me, crumble in your arms at times. One of the trouble makers came to Christ while we were there too which was totally sweet. I'm so blessed to have had all of the people at that camp with us, such as the translators and Fajar...and most of all Forrest and Darcy (camp mom and dad for us).

I left the camp and am now in Lugansk for a few hours and will be catching a train to Kiev and then to Bucharest, Romania. 40 ish hours on a hot train....get excited.

health and news

Thu, 8 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

any updates on health and news back home? for example, pat o'keefe? deb olson? jeff boum's mom? my grandma's and grandpa's? turner lady? and many many many more? please keep me updated so I can keep praying.

also, if you have any other prayer requests, big or small, please shoot them my way...we pray a lot here. :)