Hello again everyone!
I just wanted to share a really neat story. 
Sometime last year, the son and daughter-in-law of a lady at my church had their second child, their first daughter.  A few weeks or maybe months later, the baby died.  I didn't know the baby's parents, only the grandma, but I prayed for the grieving couple. 
This morning at church, that same couple was baptized.  Husband and wife entered the baptistry together.  Both were crying and couldn't stop smiling, and they were baptized together while their little son watched.  It was precious to watch them stand there in the water and hug after they had been baptized.  What a wonderful testimony of how God has redeemed the lives of two young adults, even after going through such tragedy as losing a child.  Our God is an awesome God!!  Wow!! 

I also want to share that I have been blessed this past week with a part-time job that I'm super excited about!  The job is with the same Christian camp that I work at as a counselor in the summer -- but now I will be year-round staff, working in the office, helping with retreats, promotion, etc.  Since I have a passion for camp ministry and want to work in it long-term, this is a great start and will give me some great experience!!  I'm very excited and thankful for the opportunity. 

I hope God blesses you all with a wonderful week.  Remember to look for His love and goodness in the big AND little things! 
~Ashley

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do
-- "What Faith Can Do" by Kutless

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Wow, I haven't blogged in over 2 months.  Of course, I was in Kenya one of those months, so I do have an excuse! ..sort of... 
I don't know if anyone is reading my blog anymore, but just in case, I'd like to share a report on the Kenya trip.  Thank you so much to those who prayed for us. 

To put it simply, the 4 weeks I spent in Kenya were, overall, amazing!!  I was challenged and blessed, and I learned so much.  Definitely left a chunk of my heart over there.  :-) 
I shared before that one of our goals was to have a camp for the orphans to teach them praise and worship dance.  That went very well -- we had about 4 days of camp, in which the orphans (ages 3 through 22) learned several songs and dances, plus a skit for the boys.  After the camp, they got to take what they learned and use it to lead worship at an evangelistic crusade at a big slum in Nairobi.  What a great experience for them! 

 Here are the high school kids from the orphanage doing their song/dance. 

 Being put in the position of leading the camp was a big, challenging experience for me.  It definitely worked on my boldness and leadership skills! 

Another aspect of the trip that was at some times challenging and at other times a great blessing was living with the mission team for 4 weeks.  There were six of us there the whole time, with four others who were each there for parts of the 4 weeks.  We all had very different personalities, different tastes, different backgrounds.  It was a great group to be a part of, and definitely a group that God put together.  It was a good experience living together, learning from and loving one another. 

In reality, I met so many wonderful people in Kenya.  Just the people in the village we worked in were great people, especially the kids!  I'll get to that in a minute.  But in addition to them... We met a beautiful, sweet lady who had been suffering with cancer for 3 months -- she has since passed away, but it was an honor to have the opportunity to meet her and pray with her before she died.  We also met the members of a new Kenyan Christian band called "Broken Acoustic."  They are a brother-sister team.  We got to meet their family, as well, and let me tell you, they all are some of the sweetest people I've met, and love the Lord like crazy!  :-)  Check out Broken Acoustic here.

I have to say probably one of the best parts of the trip, for me -- although it was all GREAT -- was hanging out with the kids in the orphanage, especially the girls.  What a great group of kids!  Like I said, they range from 3 to 22 years old.  We (the other girl on the trip and myself) spent quite a bit of time just hanging out with them at their dorm, talking, playing games, having Bible study, taking pictures (they loved to use our cameras), and letting them fix our hair.  They just need some attention and love... and they were very curious about our lives in America.  :-)  I was very blessed and changed by the time I spent with the girls.  I really fell in love with one particular little one -- the youngest in the orphanage at 3 years old.  Wish I could bring her home with me!  :-) 

We got to go on a 3-day safari while we were in Kenya.  We went to Ol Pejeta Conservancy -- what an experience!!  We saw too many animals to list, including all of the "Big Five" except the lion.  It was so neat to be out in the midst of God's creation in wild Africa, seeing all the animals in their natural habitat. 

God is good -- He really took care of us throughout our trip.  There were times we were in dangerous or potentially-dangerous situations, but He kept us safe.  I didn't even get sick the whole time, even after coming home, which is a big deal for me, because I always get sick coming home from international trips.  Jet lag wasn't even too bad.  God gave me an amazing opportunity, and I'm SO thankful for it. 
I do hope to go back someday.  Many people have asked me that, and I say, "Yep - I'd go tomorrow!"   

Here's a slideshow of just a few of the MANY pictures from the trip.  Enjoy! 

Thanks for reading!  Please leave a comment if you visit my blog and read this, so I'll know if anyone is still reading.  :-) 
God bless! 
~Ashley

"There are no strangers,
there are no outcasts,
there are no orphans of God."

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Well, the time has come - tomorrow is the big day!  Our team flies out tomorrow, and will arrive in Kenya on Thursday after noon (eastern time).  That's a lot of flying and layover-ing!! 

Please be praying for our safety and health as we travel over the next two days, and that jet lag won't slow us down too much when we get there.  Pray that we will be available and ready to learn whatever God wants to teach us and be used in whatever way He wants, throughout this adventure. 
Some of the projects/activities we will be a part of over the next month in Kenya - please pray for these as the Lord leads you! -
* Reading to and interacting with children at school
* A "worship camp" teaching children and youth praise dance, songs, and drama as means of worship
* Evangelistic crusade
* Hanging out with the teen girls at the orphanage
* Counseling

THANK YOU for your prayers! 
I've been so blessed by all the people who have donated financially toward the trip -- my plane ticket AND most of the food/transportation cost have been paid for by the donations!  When I sent out my fundraiser letters, I was not expecting to get that much, but it just shows what God can do, and I'm definitely blessed and thankful for it!  I'm also thankful for all the wonderful encouragement and prayer support that my family, friends, and even strangers have given me.  The small group Bible study I"m part of prayed over me this week, and they also put together a beautiful book for me, with a message of encouragement for each day of the trip.  I"m excited to read that starting tomorrow!  :-) 

We are supposed to have internet access during most of our time in Kenya, but I don't know if I'll have time to get on HSB or not.  We'll see!  I really appreciate your prayers.  God bless you all, and if I don't get to update while I"m there, then I'll "see" you all in a month!
~Ashley

"Faith steps onto seeming void, and finds the rock beneath."
"Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord we have an everlasting Rock."  Isaiah 26:4

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I got back from camp yesterday afternoon.  It was a great week!!  I'm really tired today -- I think as long as I'm there and HAVE to keep going and walking up all those hills, I can make it, but as soon as I get home and all the activity ends, I crash. 

Anyway, it was a great week of camp.  I was the counselor of cabin #16 out of 18, and I had five middle-school-age girls in my group.  At first I thought it was going to be a really long week, because my girls came in two "sets" of best friends and didn't mix very well to begin with.  But by halfway through the week, they were starting to talk with each other more and to "unite" as a cabin group.  It was great to see that happening.  I laughed as I listened to them talking on Thursday afternoon:
"When I first saw you, I thought you were a cheerleader or something." 
"I thought you were a lot older than you are at first."
"Really?  What did you think about me?" 
The power of first impressions.. haha.  Anyway, we ended up having a good week together.  Making hobo stew on the campout was a lot of fun (and very yummy, of course!)  and we had a great time putting together our performance for the camp-wide talent show!  Here we are working on our hobo stew:

And here I am on the 20-minute, straight-uphill hike to the campout -- love the face paint, haha

On Wednesday night, I got the opportunity to talk and pray with one of my girls who decided to recommit her life to God.  She had been convicted of putting other things before God and wanted to change that.  She and I prayed together.  It's always such a blessing to get to be a part of God's working in these young lives!!! 

The elective classes I got to teach this week were crafts and interpretive movement.  Those were fun.  I had never taught the crafts class before -- it got a little crazy/stressful, trying to help 10 little girls with craft projects!  haha.  But I enjoyed it.  One day in crafts, the girls painted ceramics, and when they finished, they painted the paper on the tables:

Hanging out with the other counselors was great, too.  There were four of us counselors (with our girls) staying in the lodge, and all four of us had the same off-hours, which was pretty neat.  During our morning off-hour, we all took our showers, had our own devotions, etc., and then during our afternoon off-hour, we had a short devotion and prayer time together.  Here are the four of us:

(I'm second from the right)  I'm gonna miss those girls!  :-) 
And here's me and Alisha, another counselor and friend:

Things were different, without our old director there -- he was definitely missed.  But I do really admire the assistant director (now director) because I know it was hard for him to step up into Lloyd's shoes. 
So anyway, all in all, it was a great week, and I thank you all for your prayers!  God was working, not only in the campers' lives, but also in mine -- He taught me some stuff this week, too.  So I thank Him for that, for a blessed week, a good group of girls, answered prayers, and the decisions that were made, including the two girls who accepted Christ!!! 

One last picture, taken at sunset the first night at camp, after it had been raining: 

God bless,
Ashley

And I'm on my knees, crying,
May I be an offering
In all I am and all I do
Make me pleasing to You.

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Hello Blog Friends!

I am writing to let you know that I'm leaving for camp soon, and to ask you to pray for me!  Of course I am really excited -- I love camp and love being a camp counselor.  Like I wrote in my last post, this may be my last week working there, at least for a year or two or three -- I don't know yet what God has in store for the next few summers -- and I'm hoping and praying that it will be an amazing week and that God will help me to be the best counselor I can be! 
I haven't been feeling very well the past few days.  Had a little stomach bug on Thursday and Friday... I'm *mostly* better from that now, but my throat is feeling kinda yucky this afternoon.  If you would, please pray that God will heal me and that I'll feel good for camp.  Some of the other staff need that prayer too -- I've heard that several of them aren't feeling well.  I just read this morning, God says that His grace is sufficient and His strength is made perfect in our weakness.  I believe that and am thankful for it, but I'm still praying to get well, too!  :-) 

Other prayer requests for camp... if you are compelled to pray for any one or more of these: 
* safety all around
* me and the other counselors to be godly examples and mentors to the campers
* wisdom in talking/counseling with the kids
* the love of Christ to be shown all around
* adjustment as we all get used to Lloyd being gone and the new director being in charge
* children's lives to be touched and changed - and God to receive the glory for all things!

Thank you in advance for your prayers!  Be looking for a post about camp in about a week or so!  I hope you're all having a good 4th of July and have a great week!
God bless you,
Ashley

My grace is sufficient for you,
For My strength is perfected in weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9

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I can finally see the light at the end of the U.S. History tunnel.... two or three more days and I'll be FREE!!!  Yes, I know it's summer already, and I've been enjoying the warm weather, sunshine, etc.  But when this class is over I'll feel like summer has REALLY started.  :-)  Next week is camp, and a couple weeks after that is the Kenya trip.  I'm totally excited about both, although Kenya still seems kind of surreal. 

I still have a LOT to do before the Kenya trip, and a few things left to do before camp, too, like finishing up planning devotions, packing, stuff like that.  I don't know if this may be my last summer working at camp - at least for a while - so I am really excited, hoping and praying that this will be just an amazing camp week.  I want to be the best counselor I have ever been, for God and for the girls.  :-) 

Prayer request :  Will you all please pray for my really good friend's mom?  The mom's name is Ruth and she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.  They are supposed to be doing surgery ASAP, followed by radiation, but hopefully will not have to do chemo.  The tumor is still small right now.  Please pray for God to heal her, to provide the money they need, and to strengthen this family as they've had a lot of health issues lately.  Thank you!! 

I hope you're all enjoying summer.. have a great day!!
~Ashley

Are You not the closest when it's hardest to stand?
I know that You will finish what You began....
Here I am, Lord, send me!
-- "Here I Am" by DownHere

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Well, it's time for another over-due post, and this one's going to be filled with photos -- photos of my summer so far!! 
First, VBS at our church.  Our church has what we call "VBS done different."  :-)  It all takes place outside in a Bible-time village set-up.  All of the children and leaders are dressed up in Bible-time costumes, and there is a marketplace with bakery, a story-teller, etc.  It's a lot of fun!!  This year was the 2nd year I have helped lead the music & dance time, and I really enjoy that.  Here are some pics:

Myself (in the pink) and 2 other members of the music team leading singing at the opening assembly

My sisters in their costumes :-)

music & dance time!

My friend Shannon and me - she helped lead music too.

The day after VBS was over, my family headed over to my grandparents' house to spend a week with my sister Briana.  My mom and I went to see the closing night show of Shenandoah, the musical Briana has been in at the theater there.  Shenandoah was her first big musical at a professional theater, and she had a blast doing it.  It was a great show too!   A couple of pictures of Briana in the musical (taken back at dress rehearsal a couple months ago!)--

And... Briana with the "special someone" that Shenandoah introduced her to :-) 

We had a nice week visiting there.. it was my mom's birthday while we were there, and we had a cookout with the family and Troy (the guy in the picture above).  It was a lot of fun. 

And, spent a lot of time playing Wii - haha - and just hanging out by the lake that my grandparents live on.  Sitting out on the dock by the lake is so relaxing!  :-)

Now, I'm slowly tackling my mile-long list of things I need to do before camp in a couple of weeks and the Kenya trip after that.  It's a lot of stuff... plus finishing up my summer US History class.  I could be really stressed, but I'm trying not to be.  The Scripture verse I'm holding onto right now is Isaiah 26:3, "The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You."  
So, trusting in Him, I'm off to go finish my paper on the Compromise of 1850, then hopefully cross a couple more things off that to-do list. 

God bless!
~Ashley

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Sorry it has been so long since I've written anything.... again! 
It is a rainy day here in Tennessee today.  We were under a severe thunderstorm warning for a little while earlier, but now it's just sprinkling.  I bet it smells nice out there.  :-) 

I really should be studying right now.  But I'm not.  haha.  I'm taking a summer college class - US History - and it requires a LOT of reading!  This class will be over the first week of July, just in time for all my exciting summer activities to start.  First, working at camp, and then, a mission trip to Kenya!!  :-)  I'm really excited about both!!  This will be my 5th summer as a camp counselor, but my first time going to Africa.  AND the first time flying/going out of the country without any members of my family with me.  So.. it'll be interesting.  I'm a little nervous, but excited.  I have been wanting to go to Kenya since about 4th grade.  Now, I'm getting to go, AND I get to teach praise dance to some of the young people there!  What a blessing - I'm so thankful for this opportunity! 

Yesterday, a friend sent me a Facebook comment that said, "I hope God is blessing you, even in the small ways."  That was really sweet, and you know what, it was really a good reminder for me to open my eyes and look for those small blessings.  They're all around us every day, but most of the time we don't pay attention.  Little things that make us smile, answered prayers... they're all little reminders of how much God loves us.  He is crazy about us.  So that in itself was a blessing to me yesterday, to open "the eyes of my heart" to see God's little everyday gifts. 

Talk to you later!
Ashley

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Camp - my summer employer - has lost a special man who can never be replaced. 

The head director of the summer camp my sister and I work at passed away on Tuesday night -- I found out about it Wednesday morning and went to my room and bawled.  Lloyd has had a lot of health issues for a long time, and has just been going downhill in the last year or so since he's had cancer for the second time.  But it was still unexpected to hear of his death. 

Camp certainly will not be the same without Lloyd.  He was so funny, respected and loved by everyone at camp (kids and staff), and a great encourager.  I can't tell you how many times during my weeks at camp that he has just given me a hug and asked how I was doing... and once when I was having a really tough week and ready to just give up and go home, he and I sat in his golf cart while I cried and he gave me some encouragement and advice. 
I'm thankful for Lloyd's love for God, his love for camp and children, and his passion to see children come to know Jesus.  He was serious when it was time to be serious, and when it wasn't, he kept us laughing.  I will miss him so much at camp this summer... we all will. 

Please pray for Lloyd's family -- his sweet wife Patsy and their children and grandchildren.  And if you would, please also lift up all of us "camp people" and the assistant director, who I'm guessing will be taking over as director this summer.  It will be an adjustment for all.  But especially lift up the family. 

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Hi there!
This will be short, just to say hello and catch up real quick.  I've been out of town visiting Briana for the past few days.  We had a great time!  She was busy with a lot of shows and rehearsals, but during her free time we talked and laughed a LOT, played Wii, and just hung out.  It was a great week. 

Today is my youngest sister Daniella's 8th birthday!  I know she would love to get some birthday comments on her blog, so if you have a minute, go and wish her a happy birthday.  :-)  We also celebrated Daniella's adoption day last week... April is a special month for her!  She is growing up so fast.  :-)

Well, that's it for today.  I'm working on writing something up (in my free time!) about something I've been learning about in college.. so hopefully I will be able to finish that and post it soon. 

Here's one more pic of me and my two youngest sisters on Easter Sunday after church. 

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Finally, here are the pictures and videos I promised from our church's Easter Musical.  It went really well -- especially the Sunday morning (Palm Sunday) presentation, was really blessed and anointed by the Lord.  We prayed over it a lot, and I am thankful that the singing and dancing and speaking was blessed, and also the message our music minister spoke to the church afterwards.  Our church is going through a REALLY tough time right now, and he pretty much challenged the church to "get real." 

Anyway, here are a few pictures of the dance team dancing to "Celebrate Jesus." 

The choir sang about 10 songs and we actually did 2 dances (I don't have pics of the other one though).  Some of the little girls (ages 4-11) danced with us this time; that was the first time they have participated with the dance team and the LOVED it!!  They were so cute.  :-) 
These two songs we did this time are a lot more "dance" than the interpretive movement we usually do.  I like both... of course, I've been a dancer all my life so I enjoy dancing, but to me the interpretive movement is more meaningful and worshipful.  Anyway... on to the videos.  :-)

Here is the video of "Blessed be the Name of Life"  (don't forget, you'll need to go down to the bottom and pause my music player before watching the videos)

And here's "Celebrate Jesus / Wake Up World"

Hopefully those will work... I pulled them off Facebook instead of YouTube or Photobucket like I usually do, so we'll see!  If they don't work, let me know and I'll try to fix it.  :-)

I hope you all have a great weekend celebrating the resurrection of Jesus!!  He's alive and I'm forgiven, heaven's gates are open wide!  What an awesome gift He has given us! 
Love, Ashley

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Hello out there (any readers I might have left...)

Just a quick note before bed.  I started to update the other day but didn't really have much of anything to say, so I didn't.  For some reason, the blogging habit seems to have left me! 
But I'm still here, life is going good, and all that.  :-)  School is going....slowly, it seems.  I'm in the third week of Theology Survey I and Intro to Missions, and it feels kinda like I'm trudging through mud!  Slow and somewhat frustrating.  But it's all good.  I'm learning -- even if the lesson is, "don't believe everything you read!"  :-)  This has been my first experience with a religion class teaching something unbiblical.  I was really confused at first because they were teaching something totally different from what I've always heard and believed.  But my dad read some of the textbook and I've discussed it with both my parents and a friend... and determined that what is being taught is just not quite right.  There is SOME truth there, truth that makes me have to make some changes in my thinking, but it's definitely not ALL truth!  So that's kinda where I'm at with college right now. 
I counted the other day and I have 9 classes left till I'm done with this associates degree!  That should be next summer or fall, depending on whether I stay full term until then.  Yay!  Then I can travel the world until Prince Charming comes along!  (......or, um, maybe get a job, so I can afford those plane tickets....haha)

Well, enough about school.  Our church is getting ready for the Easter Musical, and the praise dance team has been practicing like CRAZY.  Actually today was the first day we HAVEN'T practiced in almost a week.  I (and a couple of my friends) am in both the choir and the dance team, and both groups have had a challenging time with this musical.  There are some hard songs.  But, thankfully, it's coming together - I think - and I'm looking forward to it.  I'll try to post some pictures and videos after it's over.  If you would, please pray for us that God will use the message of the musical to touch people's lives and hearts.  Our church, our community, and our nation are in REAL need of awakening, in REAL need of God's help.  There are several times in the Bible where God used praise and music as weapons to win the battle for His people.  Praise is powerful!! 

Okay, I'm tired and can feel myself starting to ramble.  haha.  My dad just beat me at a game of Stratego (only my 3rd time ever to play it, and his first time in 30ish years!)  Now I'm going to bed..... but I'm kinda hungry so I might go rummaging for a snack first.  :-) 
Please leave a comment if you come by - I know I've not been very faithful in blogging lately, but I'd like to know if anyone still visits... Will try to find a few minutes to leave some comments soon.  God bless! 
~Ashley

Wake up, world; His love is alive
The heartbeat of hope is Jesus Christ
Wake up and believe; His love is alive
-- a song from the Easter musical

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Hello again!  Are you all as ready for spring as I am?!  We had a few days of warm, sunny weather here last week, but then it turned cool and rainy again.  Hopefully, if the weatherman is right, the sun will be back out tomorrow! 
Well, biology is over (yay!) and by the grace of God I got through it with an A (yay again!)!  Spring break was this past week, and I was sick for most of it -- had to go to the doctor and get antibiotics for a sinus infection and ear infection.  I'm feeling a lot better now!  :-)  Anyway, my new classes started today.  I'm now taking Theology Survey I and Intro to Missions.  I haven't started on the theology reading yet -- it's going to be pretty complicated, I have a feeling -- but so far the reading for the missions class is pretty interesting. 

Our choir and praise dance team have been busy getting ready for the upcoming Easter musical.  Actually, it's coming up very quickly and there's still a lot to be done, especially for the dance team!!  Our group leader is sick and is also having trouble with her knee.. so if you would please say a prayer that God will help us "get it all together" in time, that would be much appreciated!  :-) 

All right, I guess that's it for now.  I'm gonna go leave a couple of comments and then help with supper!  Have a great week,
Ashley

I'm letting go of the life I planned
For me and my dreams
Losing control of my destiny
It feels like I'm fallin' and
That's what it's like to believe
-- "Letting Go," Francesca B.

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Hey, can you believe I'm posting again so soon?!   haha. 
This past weekend, I went to a retreat at the summer camp where I work.  Some of you may remember me posting about this retreat last year.  Last year it was great, God really spoke to me and it was really good spiritually... AND fun, too.  So, I've been looking forward to this year's retreat for a while! 

Let me just say that it was different this year... but I still enjoyed it.  There was a different pastor this time and I was not as spiritually "blessed" or challenged as I was last year.  But, the pastor did have some good points that I am still thinking on.  :-)  Might do a post on one of those a little later, we'll see. 
My sister Briana was not able to go to the retreat with me this year, and I don't have any other real good friends at camp anymore (none of them are working there anymore), so it was a little frustrating at first, not really "connecting" with anyone.  But, I ended up kinda "clicking" and hanging out most of the weekend with a counselor a few years younger than me.  We hadn't ever really talked much, but we found that we had some things in common and got along well.  I enjoyed hanging out with her.  Here we are together. 

Anyway - I felt God working on me some more on something we've been working on for a while - not trying to "fit in" with the crowd.  I have to admit that I kind of went in there with the mindset of, I'm going to make myself be included, I'm going in there and I'm going to be part of the group.  Well, God had a different idea.  As often seems to happen.  :-)  He took me, quite literally, out of the midst of "the crowd" and had me spend most of the weekend talking with just this one girl, or sometimes in small groups of people.  And quite honestly, I do enjoy one-on-one or small groups better than big groups.  That's more "me."  But I tend to have trouble accepting that, accepting not being included with "everyone else."  And so God is still working with me on that.  :-) 

Anyway, I enjoyed the weekend overall.  We played some fun games, and made the traditional camp Hobo Stew -- normally delicious but the guys on my team totally messed it up this time!!  It was gross!!  haha. 
Here's a picture of me on the bunkhouse porch on Saturday evening... I love this camp and am excited about being a counselor again this summer!  Seriously... this place has changed my life...

God bless and have a wonderful day! 
Love, Ashley

"And do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."  Romans 12:2

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Hey Guys! 
Sorry I've been such an un-faithful blogger lately.  I hope all is well with you all.  Life has been a little weird and crazy around here lately which probably accounts partly for my lack of blogging.  The other part is that I've been getting on Facebook a lot more than HSB lately.  *sheepish look*

Anyway... my sisters and I have been sick this week with colds.  Thought mine might be turning into the flu yesterday, but I'm feeling mostly better today, so I'm def. thankful for that!  I'm hoping and praying to be completely better because I'm supposed to be going somewhere this weekend! 

Last week, we had some sad news.  We found out that my good friend in Africa's little girl died from (what they think was) malaria.  She was a little over a year old.  That was really sad and hard for me for different reasons.  I might write a little more about that another time, but please be praying for my friend (the mom).  I haven't heard from her yet since it happened, but I know she has to be heartbroken.  She has been through a lot in the past couple of years; I can't imagine what she's going through now, losing her daughter. 

Well, let's see, other than that... I've mostly been studying biology (one more week left!) and helping with the praise dance team getting ready for the Easter musical.  The choir is singing a bunch of songs, and the praise dance team is doing two songs along with the choir.  I'm looking forward to it!  We're still working on the choreography of the first song, haven't even started on the second one yet, so there's still a lot of work left to be done. 

I hope you all have a great weekend and are staying well through the flu season! 
Ashley

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Hello!!  I'm still alive... I think!!  :-) 

Boy, has college biology been rough this week!  Not so much the content... actually my grades on this week's quizzes have been the best they've been so far in this class.  But there was just so MUCH this week.  Lots and lots of reading.  But I just took the last quiz which means I'm done for the week, yay!!  Except that I volunteered to be the one to submit this week's group project for my study group.  That'll have to be done tomorrow, but it's quick to do.  The project is done, I'll just have to post it for the teacher to grade. 

My mom was gone for over a week to stay with Briana while my grandma had to be out of town.  The rest of us went over for the weekend, but were at home most of the time.  I actually enjoyed making supper for Daddy and the little girls... cooking is usually one of those "I enjoy it if I'm in the mood" things for me.  :-)  BUT I didn't have to do it every night.  Daddy cooked once or twice and we ate out a couple of times.  But I learned a few things:  1) It is rewarding when you work hard on a meal and people really enjoy it.  2) It is frustrating when you work hard on a meal and someone complains about it.  3) I enjoy trying new recipes (which I already knew) and experimenting by changing the recipes up a little! 

Here's one new recipe I tried this week that everyone liked: 
Parmesean Chicken
Dip chicken pieces in 3 TBS melted butter.  Roll pieces in a mixture of 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used Saltine cracker crumbs!) and 1/4 cup parmesean cheese.  Place in baking dish.  Sprinkle chicken with parsley and extra crumb mixture.  Bake on 350 for about an hour. 

Anyway, moving on from food... Oh, I said in my last entry that I was going to volunteer somewhere but I didn't say where.  :-)  I went and worked at a Compassion International table at a local youth conference.  It didn't get a whole lot of response because of it being a youth conference, and not many teenagers can afford to sponsor a child.  But one thing that was neat -- a group of 4 friends, teenage girls, came up and wanted to sponsor a child.  They were going in together on it, $8 per person per month (sponsorship is $32 a month).  I thought, that's a neat idea!  That's a very realistic amount for them to be able to pay each month.  And they were really excited about it.  They chose a 4 or 5 year old little girl from Africa named Witness.  (what a cool name!!) 

Okay, that's all for now.  I'll try to write again soon.  I hope you all are having a great weekend and have a wonderful week ahead!  God bless!
~Ashley

I shall remember the deeds of the Lord;
Surely I will remember Your wonders...
Your way, O God, is holy;
What god is great like our God?
Psalm 77:11,13

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Hey y'all.  :-)  I hope everyone is enjoying January 09.  We got some snow this past week -- the first and perhaps only one of the year!  We got about 2-3 inches here at our house.  Had fun sledding, and the little girls built a snow"girl" in the front yard. 

College has started back up again (did I say that already?)  I'm taking biology... Definitely not one of my favorite classes, but there are some interesting things to learn.  Studying about all the complicated, microscopic details of cells and molecules can be confusing, but really is a great reminder of what an awesome, perfect, creative Creator we have!!  A song line I really like says, "You alone keep the universe from crumbling into dust"... and that's so true!  But wow, to think of all the complexity that keeps just one cell alive and working!!  It's really pretty incredible. 
Speaking of which, a married friend of mine emailed me her ultrasound pictures yesterday.  She is 23 weeks pregnant.  The pictures are so cool, you can even see the baby's bones in his little arms.  It's like, why would anyone say that that little boy is not a real person?! 

I haven't been sleeping well / getting enough sleep the past few days, so I'm really tired today.  I'm scheduled to go volunteer somewhere (I'll tell ya where later :-) ) for a few hours later today, so I need an energy boost.  :-) 

Have a good weekend and I'll talk to you all later. 
~ Ashley

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Well, we took SO many pictures during our Disney trip, I just decided to put some of my favorites in a slideshow instead of posting them all in a list on the blog.  So, here goes:

Hope you enjoyed a glimpse of our trip.  :-) 

Would y'all please pray for my grandparents?  Their golden retriever died last night... he was like 13 years old and they loved him a LOT.  We're all going to miss him.  Thanks. 

That's all for now!  Have a good Sunday! 
Love, Ashley

Broken I run to You
For Your arms are open wide
I am weary but I know
Your touch restores my life
-- 'Hungry' by Joy Williams

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... just in case you were wondering!!  :-) 
My family and I got back into town Tuesday night from our trip to Disney World.  We had a good time.  I'll try to post pictures real soon, but I've been on the computer for a long time and need to get some other stuff done this afternoon!  So check back soon for Disney pics. 

College started back the day before we got home.  I'm taking biology this term.  So far it has been pretty easy, but of course, I'm still just in the first week.  I wasn't sure (and still am not sure) if I'd like this class or not -- I liked human biology in high school, but I'm not into other kinds of science that much.  So we'll see if it ends up being an enjoyable class or not!  We are supposed to be assigned into groups to do assignments together, which is something I've never done before in these online classes, so I'm kind of looking forward to that. 

Briana left today to go back to my grandparents' house and her dance/drama classes.  She was here on Christmas break for almost a month... I'm going to miss her a lot!  We've all gotten used to her being here again, I think. 

Well, there's my short update for now.  I hope you're all doing well, and will try to get back over here to post pictures and comment soon! 
~Ashley

"Put on the garment of praise
For the spirit of heaviness,
Lift up your voice to God!
Praise with the spirit
And with understanding,
O magnify the Lord!"

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As I promised, here is the video from the song the praise dance group did in church this past Sunday.  The song is "It Is Well" sung by Chris Rice.  In the video, I'm on the left, with the first solo.  In the middle is my friend Shannon, and then Connie, the group leader.  Each person choreographed their own solo - with a little input from the others.  :-) 
Note:  you'll have to scroll down to the bottom real quick and pause my music player before you watch the video. 

Happy New Year to everyone... I'll see you when I get back!! 
Love, Ashley
 

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