Éire

Five years ago, I had these two friends who were living in Europe. we didn't know each other well (at least in my mind we didn't) before they left but they made a offhand invitation for me to spend a few weeks backpacking with them before they came home. I was terrified, I mean I hardly knew these girls, and what if they only said it to be nice. What would people say when they heard that the girl who wanted to be a missionary was backpacking Europe. I was wracked with more fear than I would ever describe to you, however I heard God clearly and He said go.

It was amazing, terrifying, crazy, fun, adventurous, everything that my 18 year old self needed. I needed to be challenged, to live outside of expectations, I needed adventure, I needed good friends, but most of all I needed to trust the Lord.

You see in the safety of my home and the love of my family I frequently forget how amazing and complete the Lords love is, because I don't need it as desperately as I do out in the world. At home life was easy, I could hide, I could give into my fears about the world, I could daydream about a better world. God knew though, He knew I needed to be kicked out of the nest in the most gentle way possible. So he sent me to Europe a place that I had been dreaming of pretty much my whole life, I secretly in the depths of my heart always wanted to go backpacking and he saw that.

Europe changed me, I was able to see God is interested in my happiness not just my well being. He also helped me to see what great friends he had sent me. I was also able to see that serving my Lord could take me some very interesting places that I may never see coming.

While I was backpacking I go to go to Greece, Italy and Ireland. Ireland was a blessing from the Lord, our excursion there was not planned but it was perfect. Most of my life I had dreamed of going there, I knew almost nothing about the country by my heart called to visit. The country did not disappoint, and when it came time for me to leave I couldn't bring myself to be sad because I knew I would be back.

All of this is intro for a big announcement of sorts, I am moving to Ireland for six months. In March.

I will be working with Dublin Christian Mission, and I am really excited. I will be sharing more in the coming days, but I thought I would just get the big announcement out there.




That's all for today.

Thunder crashes and rumbles in the skies

How I kind of wish it looked outside. 

I have been wanting to come on here for months, desperately trying to find a good post, the perfect post that describes why I haven't written in so long. Clearly I haven't been able to write that post, I haven't been able to find the right thing to come back with, but today I read this and had to share it.

Job answered:

"Well, you've certainly been a great help to a helpless man!
You came to the rescue just in the nick of time!
What wonderful advise you've given to a mixed-up man!

What a awesome looking storm
What amazing work my Father does

What amazing insights you've provided!
where in the world did you learn all this?
How did you become so inspired?

"All the buried dead are in torment,
and all who've been drowned in the deep, deep sea.
Hell is ripped open before God,
graveyards dug up and exposed.
He spreads the skies over uniformed space,
hangs the earth out in empty space.
He pours water into cumulus cloud-bags
and the bags don't burst.
He makes the moon wax and wane,
putting it through its phases.
He draws the horizon out over the ocean,
sets a boundary between light and darkness.
Thunder crashes and rumbles in the skies.
Listen! It's God raising his voice!
By his power he stills sea storms,
by his wisdom he tames sea monsters.
With one breath he clears the sky,
with one finger he crushes the sea serpent.
And this is only the beginning,
a mere whisper of his rule.
Whatever would we do if he really raised his voice!"

Job 26 (the message)

You know when a verse just talks to you?

Because today I am feeling optimistic
we are going to say these people are worshiping

Today this passage just spoke to me about who God is, it doesn't matter who I am, because he is unchanging and he is just so awesome.
I hate how it is cliche to say he is worthy of our praise but how true are those words.
He is loving and forgiving. He doesn't give us what we deserve but instead give us whats best for us, which is so often blessings heaped on blessings.
So today I am going to try my hardest to remember that he is so worthy of our praise and with that in mind, I hope to intentionally praise him all day.

Obligatory Thanksgivng post (If I were American...)

Alright so my life is boring and complicated which is why I haven't written in a while, but in the spirit of thanksgiving I have decided to post....wait for it...a thanksgiving post.
Things I am thankful for...
Coffee in my Africa mug
Warm cozy blankets in ugly (but strangely awesome) yellow
Homework

Some coffee and homework what a wonderful morning

Awesome opportunities

Jenna's wedding, so blessed to be apart of her and Jason's wedding day!

My Bibles
Promises fulfilled
Boots
Doctor Who
British actors and TV
Fro YO!!!
Friends

so much laughter!

Oh Greece so beautiful

Vacations
Vacations in the sun, away from snow
shorts
skirts dresses
generally anything that allows me to fun free without the layers
Bare feet
Showers
Hot showers
Africa
Kenya (yes I know am I am shocked too)
My Teams

Penguins!!

Kenya.

Gelato
The zoo
My job at the zoo
Scarves
Facebook
Unedited where it always feels like home
Good sermons that stay with you for years and change your life
Rocky Mountain college where the professors care
I am thankful for home
My spoiled and sometimes rotten dog
The pretty kitty snow
and my always cuddly kitty
Health (very important, after two bouts of flu, stomach flu, 3 mysterious African illnesses, I value my health like never before)



 Travel (the places I have been and will go)

Venice 

I am incredibly thankful for my life, every lesson I have learned and been taught. I am thankful for this year as hard it has been it has still been full of blessings and I have been taught a beautiful lesson that God is still good even when life is hard. There is still joy amidst pain, and there is always laughter to be found in any and all situations, it is actually really important to laugh as much as possible. 

Anyways I hope that you enjoyed my thanksgiving post. I have missed you all and hope to blog again.

Love always.

Unicorns and Rainbows

I think that there is a correlation between my coffee brewing/drinking habits and my blogging. Today for the first time in forever I made coffee and surprise I am blogging, who would have thought.


Why I haven't written?

To be honest with you, I took a break from my real life. It was just getting too complicated, I was tired of all the tears and heartache it was causing me so for a couple of weeks I decided to be someone different.

This different person was what in my head I thought of as normal, I woke up everyday to go to work, see friends or family, I volunteered, etc, I even went to church on Sundays. It was almost everything I wanted however it wasn't me, I lacked purpose with my life because I had said goodbye, I had to give up my morning quiet times because I couldn't handle listening to God every morning me asking me why I had given up? Why didn't I trust him? or him telling me to stop being foolish and surrender. I also had to avoid a lot of friends because well they know me too well and I didn't want to be found out, that I was running from who I was/am? I also had to avoid them because if I am honest in my heart it hurt to talk to them, I missed being the person they thought I was, I missed the joy I used to have in being that person.

So this normal life, wasn't actually at all what I wanted, but I am glad I branched out. I am glad that for a few weeks I took a break from my life because what I discovered that yes my life is not all about rainbows and unicorns right now but someday it will be. Someday things will not feel so hard or heavy, someday things will be really good again, but right now I know that I am right where God wants me to be. I know that my Abba loves me, that He has better plans for me than I can dream of, I also know as selfish as it may sound that I love waking up every morning with a purpose. This is because every morning I get to wake up and spend time with Abba just me and him, then I know that the rest of the day there is a plan for me, that the plan that God has set before my day and my life is good and is worth the hard times.

So that is why I haven't written, because I have been struggling, because I have been hiding, and because I have been disobedient. So this post is me trying to follow the Lord and get back on track, because although this blog is about me, I hope that people every once in a while will read it and God will use it to speak to them.

Thank you to all of those who have been praying me through this season, thank you also to those of you who have encouraged, loved, and badgered me into remembering who I am.

Love you!

Look its a chicken

Hey Everyone!

I am back!

Thank you for all of you who shared your "concern" over my absence (by concern I mean the threatening emails I got about posting a blog or else...Haleigh...)

So for my first blog in a while I thought I would share these...

This is a true reaction, like for reals. Gotta love Ashley

True Story Scott (Eating, pooping, sleeping...)

 These were made by the very talented Haleigh, she's great.

I hope these made you smile.

Love Ashley

Jessica Hurst

Jess just chasing us with a stick, she thought
we were being mean to her...

What can I say about Jessica Hurst?

She's awesome, no I am serious. I swear everyone who meets her and wants to be friends with her.

She loves laughter, which is great because she often involved in events involving this sort of activity. Whether its because she has caused the laughter by her ridiculously witty or ridiculous comments. Jess has a knack for getting herself into these situations that just inspire laughter and memories. Laughter just surrounds her, its seriously her spiritual gift.

She also has the biggest heart, some of my fondest memories of Jess are of her yelling because her heart was breaking for others. I also have great memories of her crying on a plane because of a movie, or just crying because we lived a ridiculous life for a month which sometimes it got to be much to handle and we became too emotional over a situation (sorry Jeremy). Her heart is just big, its tender, and its fierce. She will fight to the death to protect those she loves, she is definitely a mother bear when her family is threatened.

Causing trouble and many laughs

Jessica also has this wonderful problem where she has inappropriate emotional responses to certain situations. True story not once but twice she laughed and laughed and laughed when two of our students passed out in the hospital (I must also confess I also suffer from this condition and I feel it was better that we laughed than cried uncontrollably which was definitely our only other option, trust me its a great story though).

Jess loves Babies. African babies however become confused and take a while to warm up to her.

I can't put what this look means in words
but trust me its a look I have seen
many many times. Its her signature look.

Why am I tell you all of this? Well Jess is going on the World Race in Jan, she is on route 4 which will turn into P squad. She needs to raise approx. $15 000 ideally before she launches. This girl walked through a summer I will never forget and so now I want to support her. So I decided to blog about her telling you about Jess's heart which longs to reach out to the broken hurting people in the world. It longs to radically follow the Lord where ever he sends her so long as she remains in his heart.
I am writing because I want to ask you to pray for my dear friend for the next year and a bit, pray protection, unity, faith, provision or whatever the Lord calls you to pray for her. I would also like to humbly ask you to pray about supporting her, check out her bloghttp://jessicahurst.theworldrace.org/ get to know her and there is also a link on how to support her here. If you want and live in America she is also selling t-shirts which are great and you should get one.

I know that this post was different but its my blog and I am going to do what I want with it. Today I wanted to write about a friend in need.

Thank you friends for reading.

Thank you Jess for being yourself, love you!

Ashley

Jess's Kelly face...

How to Deal with Conflict

If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him- work it out between the two of you. If he listens you've made a friend. If he wont listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest and try again. If he still wont listen , tell the church. If he wont listen to the church you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love. 

Matthew 18:15-17 (MSG)

This is what the Bible says about what do with conflict. I have to be honest and say that I would usually give up after taking along witnesses or to be even more honest I will tell you that I have even skipped the middle step, sometimes even the first and gone straight for the third. Its not pretty, I am definitely still learning about how best to deal with conflict, but these verses give me a framework to work within. These verses are also convicting, they seem to paint a picture in which we don't get to give up and live with conflict in our Christ family, in fact it seems that we have to keep trying, keep working on breakthrough until there is resolution. I will honestly tell you I have never walked through all these steps got to the end and started again because there was no resolution, I have given up. I have decided that obviously its not meant to be and moved on. However like I told you I am learning to grow in dealing with conflict and I will now have to go back and try to resolution, no many how many times I have to go through the steps to get there.