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Is it really boring to buy somebody a laundry basket and hangers for a wedding shower? I mean, it was on her registry.... and my thinking was, everyone else will buy kitchen stuff, so I'll buy something different. Still, it seems kind of boring. Maybe I'll buy something else to go with it... Briana and I are getting ready to head to Camp next week to work as counselors. This will be her second week this summer but my first. I'm really excited... I love working at Camp! Please keep us in your prayers next week. It will be a very busy and tiring week, but the work is so rewarding. If it's the same as previous years, I will be working with 13-15 year old girls, and Briana will be with girls a little younger than that. Please pray for all the counselors and staff, for energy and love and wisdom, as well as for the girls who come to Camp, for whatever work God wants to do in their lives. Actually, I guess we counselors/staff need prayer for that, too, don't we?! :-) I hope you all are having a good week. "He's all that I believe PS: Brooke (IloveyouGod) has a great post up on her some of her thoughts about God if you want to check it out. |
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Guatemala Mission Trip
July 1-11, 2008
Three days before the mission team was scheduled to arrive in Guatemala, my dad and I flew down to spend some time with my good friend Sweet Ruth and her family, who recently moved back to Guatemala after spending a few years here in the States. It was so wonderful to see them again, and great to spend a few days just catching up.
 Besides the visiting, one thing I particularly enjoyed was getting to see more of Guatemala City, the capital. It has been six years since I spent time in the capital, and even then I was only in one section of town. Spending a few days with Sweet Ruth and her family, I was able to experience some of what the "city life" in Guatemala is like (Americanized and lots of traffic! J)
On Friday, July 4, we made a big "Welcome" sign and went to the airport to meet the rest of the mission team. In all, there were 24 of us from my church, joined by 4 individuals from a sister church. It was a large group this year, with a wide range of ages (16 to 60's) and personalities.
 After driving to Antigua, we did some shopping and spent the night there before making the long drive up into the mountains the next day. That drive always, with rare exceptions, takes much longer than we are told it will! J Our hotel this year was the Park Hotel, a very nice place near Coban, Guatemala. It was a little further drive from the villages, but nicer and a bit cheaper than last year's hotel. I was able to room with Sweet Ruth and another good friend, Shannon. The three of us had a great time together.
 After arriving late Saturday afternoon, we were scheduled to be at an evangelistic crusade service that night. Our group sang some songs that we had learned in Spanish, and one of our men preached with a translator. We prayed with the congregation at the end of the service.
On Sunday morning, we returned to the church in Purulha that our team built last summer. It was so neat to go back there, see Pastor Jorge and some other people that we met last year, and worship with them once again. As someone else said, being there felt, in a way, "like home."
 It was a wonderful service. We sang again and our team leader preached a great message, then there was a sweet time of prayer at the end. After the prayer time, Tim (our leader) led us all in singing "How Great Thou Art," with the Guatemalans singing in Spanish and the North Americans singing in English, all at the same time. It was beautiful. I'm so thankful God isn't bound by language barriers!
Sunday evening was the second meeting of the evangelistic crusade, and it was great, too. Another of our young men preached, and two other girls and I danced an interpretive movement routine to the Spanish version of "Shout to the Lord." There was more sweet, strong prayer at the end... one thing about Guatemalan Christians is that they are not prideful. They are not ashamed to come forward at the invitation to pray and to ask for prayer. Some pray silently and others cry out audibly, but it's just such a blessing to be able to go up and put my hands on someone's shoulders and pray with them.
 Also that night, we laid hands on and prayed for a sweet young girl named Jesica. I had met her the previous day, but we found out that she has something wrong with her brain and the doctors have given her no hope. I'm continuing to pray for her, and would appreciate your prayers for her, too. (Jesica is the girl on the left in this photo.)
 Monday morning was spent running some errands and doing a little shopping in Coban before the work in the villages began that afternoon. The construction team got started on their various projects in the village of Mocohan -- putting glass in the windows of the conference center, painting, building doors on the bathrooms, and putting up siding in Rolando (the local missionary)'s apartment.
 The VBS team was transported back over to Purulha for day one of VBS, in the church we built last year. Our theme for VBS this year was "Children of the King." One of the ladies from our team taught the lesson, and the kids got to decorate paper crowns with crayons and adhesive-backed jewels. They were so excited about that! They also had a blast learning a fun dance that we taught them.
 On Tuesday morning, the construction crew went back to work, and the pastors' conference began. Approximately 45 pastors came to Mocohan from various areas of the jungle to be encouraged in their ministry. One man, who has come in the past, walked for nine hours to get to the conference. That's commitment, and I hope that they were all blessed by being there!
The VBS team spent the morning preparing craft supplies and goody bags. We also packed some bags for the pastors, and for the children in Mocohan, since we didn't get to do a VBS there this year. It was fun to hand out the bags to the people as we walked back to the bus for lunch.
  We stopped to meet with a local pastor and look at his church building, which was recently destroyed by a mudslide. The church is in the process of trying to buy new land for a new building. We prayed with the pastor and are continuing to pray about making that church a future mission project.
 That afternoon, we returned to Purulha for day two of VBS. After the lesson, the children made felt banners with the words "Jesus es mi Rey" (Jesus is my King). I enjoyed sitting with some of the little girls and helping them spell the words; however, it was sad to see how some of the 8-9 year old children didn't even recognize the letters. For Guatemalan children, going to school is a luxury that many aren't able to afford. I knew this, but had not seen the affects of it in reality until that day.
 On Wednesday, the pastors' conference continued, and the women's conference took place. We had a women's conference last year, too, but I was not able to participate, so I was really looking forward to being a part of it this year. I was put in charge of writing nametags. J The conference went really well. The theme was "God's Heart for Women." I believe the ladies responded well to the messages, and we were able to pray with many of them as they asked for prayer about specific situations in their lives.
 Since Wednesday was our last workday, we had a group "share time" that evening after supper. The team prayed together, sang some songs together, and shared special memories or lessons learned from the week.
Thursday morning, we loaded the bus and made the drive back to the city. It was one of those "rare exception" days when the bus ride actually went faster than expected! J We were able to do a little more shopping in the city, then spent the night in Antigua again before flying out the next morning.
This year's trip was somewhat different from last year's -- we didn't get to spend as much time just "hanging out" with the people. But it was good and I do believe God was glorified in the work... which is what it's all about! I'm thankful that God allowed me to go again, that He protected us, and that He is sovereign. I'm thankful for the time to "catch up" with some good friends. I'm thankful to know that I have brothers and sisters in other parts of the world, for the opportunity to spend time working and worshipping together with some of them, and for the things we can learn from each other. How great is our God! Cuan grande es nuestro Dios!
Thank you so much for praying for us.
God bless,
Ashley
   "You will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12 |
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Hey! I'm writing from Guatemala tonight. :-) After tonight I will not have internet access for the rest of the time. I just got on here and noticed that my posts got mixed up somehow, so my entry about the mission trip with specific prayer requests is down below the one about vbs. Please scroll down and see it if you haven't yet. Love you all and God bless! |
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Hey Everyone! Me, my friend Shannon, and our pastor's wife Daniella and me Music and dance time!
The Guatemala trip is going to be here before I know it... I should probably start packing at some point. haha. Actually, I've packed a very few basic things, but not much! I have spent a lot of time this week working on VBS preparations for the trip - counting pencils, dividing crayons into ziploc bags, etc. The other night, my mom and I spent two hours cutting out and sorting stickers. Wow, was that exhausting and mind-numbing! :-) But it's all coming together, and I'm looking forward to the trip. God blessed me with this verse this morning:
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Hi Blogging Friends, If You ask me to go... I'll go but I cannot go alone |
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Hi everyone, Compassion International is calling for a day of fasting and prayer for the global food crisis on Wednesday, June 25. Obviously, anyone can participate, whether you're a Compassion sponsor or not. We can donate money to charities and give food to food banks, but prayer is the best way we can help. Our dollars will only go so far, and our canned food will only reach one or two people, but our prayers are to an Almighty God, who rules the universe and cares about all people. Prayer is not limited, so let's pray about this crisis...pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who are hungry. This made me think of these lyrics from an old Jaci Velasquez song: <><><><> Now for some other news. First, I got an email yesterday asking if I would like to be a Featured Homeschooler in Heart of the Matter Online! What an honor! I'm really excited about that, so now I've got to sit down one day this week and answer my interview questions. I'll let you know when I'm "posted" on the website. :-) I hope you all have a wonderful week! "Let the little children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 |
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Hey Everybody.
Tuesday afternoon, my family and I worked outside in the front flower beds for a while. I was surprised, I actually enjoyed it! I usually don't get into yardwork too much. I took a couple of pictures of the flowers we planted. This one turned out the best: Speaking of taking pictures, I started doing the Summer Creative Photography Challenge. The assignment is to take 2 pictures every day - one a self portrait, and the other of something random you come across. I've only done one day of pictures so far, but I think it's going to be fun. Before I go, let me leave you with another great verse I read the other day. I can't remember at the moment where it's found, but here it is: "You will hear a word behind you, saying 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right or to the left." I LOVE that!! That is such a great assurance. "Cease striving and know that I am God..." |
(this is in my bedroom floor - VBS stuff everywhere!)
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Well, we all know today is Fathers Day, but it's also my mom's birthday!! So today is a double special day for us! I wanted to do a blog post in honor of both of them. I'll start with my mom. She is one of my best friends! :-) Every night, she and my sister and I sit in the bed and talk for a while before we go to bed -- sometimes we talk just about everyday life and stuff that's going on, sometimes about more serious life stuff or the Bible, and sometimes we end up laughing hysterically about basically nothing. Then, just before she leaves my room, she prays aloud for me and my sister.
"Honor your father and your mother..." Exodus 20:12
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Hi everyone! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while! Life has been quite busy the past couple of weeks. But I'm here to update y'all, complete with pictures. :-)
The day after the recitals were over, the four of us girls went to my grandparents' house so my mom and dad could go on a special just-the-two-of-them trip. I'm glad they got to go and had a good time. :-) Check out my mom's blog for pictures of their trip to Charleston, SC.
Now that we're back home and it's twenty-something days until I leave for Guatemala, I have A LOT to do!! And I'm not sure where to start!! :-) Please pray for my friend Shannon and I as it's basically the two of us planning the VBS. We have a basic plan but are still lacking specifics. As Shannon said, "God knows everything that these children need to know, and we just want to be on the same page with Him about it." I really appreciate your prayers as we get ready for this trip!! I got a lot of comments on the recipe I posted for June... has anyone tried it yet? We make that almost every time we go to my grandma's house! |
Me with the little girls at the pool
Gram, Briana, and 
Fishing wasn't a very successful activity this time... but I like this picture! 
Kacie was very interested in the ducks! 
Me, Daniella, and Briana on the boat|
Lemon Cream Dessert
FILLING: CRUST: FILLING: CRUST: Let me know if you try it and what you thought! :-) |
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As you can see by my ticker above, it is one month, one week, and two days until we head to Guatemala. I'm very excited... but there is SO much to do before then! I ordered something for myself the other day - something I'd been wanting anyway, but definitely wanted to have before I go to Guatemala - and I hope it will be here soon! Can't wait! Just for fun, I'll keep you in suspense as to what it is until it gets here... unless you want to play a guessing game, that is. :-) This morning I read a passage of Scripture that I've read many times, but I saw something a little different in it today. It's in Matthew 16, where Jesus asks the disciples who everyone else is saying He is, and then He says "But who do you say I am?" Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, God's Son, and then here's the part that grabbed me this morning. Jesus says to him, "Blessed are you, Simon...I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church..." It seems to me that not only did Peter state who Jesus was/is, but then Jesus told Peter who he (Peter) was! In a way, I think Jesus was clarifying for Peter his identity (as Christians, our identity ultimately comes from Jesus), and giving him a glimpse of what God had in store for him. Before I go, a funny-- The other day, I was reading a chapter book to Marissa (the old "Horse Crazy" series that I read when I was little), and Daniella was listening in, too. I got tongue-tied and accidently substituted the word head for the word hands, and said "Matt shoved his head into his jeans pockets." The girls sure got a kick out of that!! haha. Also, please remember to keep Jordan and Sarah and their family in your prayers, during this hard time of grief. Thanks.
The universe is vast beyond the stars, |
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I mentioned a week or two ago that I was helping work on decorations for a friend's wedding shower. Well, the shower was yesterday, it went great, and I have pictures! :-)
These cute napkin rings were made of different colors/patterns of fabric, and one of the ladies made the paper flowers that were scattered on the tables.
Here is the whole table.
I wasn't sure how it was all going to come together, but it turned out really pretty. We used a colorful patchwork quilt as a tablecloth on the gift table, so it really all pulled together as a colorful, country, "Tennessee" theme. :-) And, God gave us the sunshine we prayed for, so it was bright and cheery! This is all the hostesses (the ladies who decorated, made food, etc.) and my friend Lizzie, the bride-to-be, in the center. (I'm the second one from the right). And here's Lizzie opening her gifts. I was in charge of writing down the gifts so she could send thank you notes.
This "party" was really a combination wedding shower and farewell party. Lizzie has been here in TN for 2 years, working as a short term missionary for the North American Mission Board, and as her assignment is just about over, she will be returning home very soon. She has been such a blessing to me and to our church while she has been here! Lizzie is one of those people you just enjoy being around because she's so sweet and just real...one of those people you talk to on the phone and hang up with a smile because she's a great encourager. She has helped our church get started in ministering to international students, and has really been an example to me. I'm thankful that God brought her here for a couple of years! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The man leading the Guatemala trip said this morning that it's time to start planning the VBS we will do down there. He asked me and two of my friends to start planning and getting stuff together... so it's time to get to work! :-) And believe me, it's a LOT of work!! If you think of it, you can pray for us -- we have to come up with a theme first, then write lessons, find and copy appropriate coloring sheets, etc., plan crafts and collect the supplies (for 200+ children). But it's all fun! :-) Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 |
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Today is my sister Marissa's 11th birthday!
She is growing up so fast!! She loves shopping, sparkles, pink camoflauge, and horses, and is very smart. :-) I enjoy girl-chatting with her, and I'm glad she's my sister!
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I just found out that two of my best blog friends, Jordan and Sarah (dixiebeauty and dixiefiddler) lost their dad last night in a car accident. This seems so unreal, and I am heartbroken for their family. I know how much they love their dad because they talk about him often. Please be praying for this sweet family. Click here for more info on their mom's blog. Jordan and Sarah and the rest of your family, I am crying with you and praying for you. I'm so sorry. I pray that God will be "the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort" (2 Cor 1:3) to you at this time. ~Ashley |
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Hmm, I think I hear a spring rainstorm coming on! It just started raining, and I heard thunder rumbling off in the distance. I like spring rains! (as long as they don't ruin some fun outdoor plans...) The praise dance team danced "Lord Have Mercy" this past Sunday. It went well. There were several comments from church members about how powerful it was...even though a few of us weren't sure we liked the dance all that much. So we thank God for how He used it! Unfortunately, I don't have a video of this one. Sorry! I am almost done with college for the semester -- I have a test tomorrow and then I'm on summer break! Hard to believe it's almost summer already... Anyway, and that also means I'm halfway done with my degree!!! :-) We went to the zoo this week - that was the first time I had been in about 5 years! It was fun. I'll try to get some pics up soon. God will bless what He initiates,
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I was tagged by Sarah (dixiefiddler). 1. Favorite color - blue, pink, and white Last night, I spent five hours over at our neighbor / friends' house, helping make decorations for a friend's bridal shower. There were three of us working together, and even after as long as we worked, we didn't get done! We are making little paper birds to hang with fishing wire from tree branches (in vases), and felt flower napkin rings. I should have snapped a pic last night of the crafts so I could show you, but my camera was in my car and I didn't want to go out and get it. :-) The praise dance group is dancing at church tomorrow. It's actually not really a dance... more of sorta like a prayer. It's mostly arm movements. It's called "Lord Have Mercy." Before I go, I'll post a couple of pics I took this afternoon of our flowers. The irises are so tall! They're about waist-high to me. I love the other ones too (I think they're called climantis? (sp?))
PS: I just posted my first "monthly recipe," so scroll down and check it out! "Lord, have mercy; |
Posted in Recipes
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"Hamburger Hash"
1 lb. ground beef Boil potatoes, and reserve 3/4 to 1 Cup of the water when you drain them. Brown the meat and drain grease. Combine the potato water, milk, flour, onion powder, and salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is the consistency of gravy. You can also add 2 cereal spoonfuls of grease OR other beef flavoring for extra flavor.
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Today, May 1, is the National Day of Prayer. Read this poem I received in an email from DaySpring: No ocean can hold it back. Just wanted to remind everyone to pray today for our country, our soldiers, President Bush and other leaders, and the upcoming election. "Finally, brethren, pray...that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified." (2 Thessalonians 3:1) We are blessed to have a National Day of Prayer in our country even though America has turned away from God in so many other ways. ~Ashley |
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Thanks for the birthday wishes for Daniella. She had a good birthday. :-) Guess what?! I got to talk to Sweet Ruth a couple days ago!! We have emailed lots of times, but that's the first time we've talked on the phone since she left. It was SO good to talk to her! I had bought an international phone card - $3.00 for 13 minutes. So it wasn't a long conversation, but it was good to get to talk for a few minutes. It sounds like she and her family are doing pretty good and adjusting well - please keep them in your prayers, if you think of it, as they seek God and build up their new ministry. Guess what else?! I am going to Guatemala in July!! I was seeking an answer to whether or not God wanted me to go this year, and He has been faithful and good to answer me. I say that as testimony, as well as to encourage anyone else who is waiting for His answer in a situation. He hears your prayers and questions - keep seeking HIM FIRST, and waiting, and He will show you His path in His perfect way and time. "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33. Okay, that's all my news for now... now I'm going to eat breakfast (waffles!) I got several positive responses to the recipe idea, by the way, so I'll plan to start posting recipes soon. It will probably be at the beginning of each month (AFTER I get the monthly devotional sent out, for those of you that get it! :-) ) Have a wonderful weekend and God bless! "When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, |
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My youngest sister, Daniella, turns 7 years old today!!
Daniella is sweet, curious, filled with energy, likes hugs, adores animals, and loves to sing! Happy Birthday Daniella!!
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