HOW WAS AFRICA??!!

This title could not be more appropriate :)
A question I have heard for the past 2 wks... and a question that doesn't come with an easy answer. "it was great", and "dude, so cool" -- just are not suffice for a trip where my heart was touched, my hands held those that were in need, and my smile never left my face.
I apologize for taking so long to write about my journey-- there was so much to process when I got home and I really wanted to not rush myself. I hope that this story is only the beginning, I would love to go back to Africa someday-- and as you look at my pictures I hope you see more than just a cute child. that child has hope. a dream. a future.

God is real. He is alive. He is EVERYWHERE. He LOVES us so much.
I didn't have to go to Africa to grasp any of those concepts. I got to go to Africa to see and to feel what He is doing outside my little world in Columbus, OH.

Far, far away in a third world country lives a girl named Rebecca. She once asked God if He could send her anywhere that it would be to Uganda. (side note- God does answer prayers) At 27, she is a missionary in Uganda, the Director of My Father's House, and founder of a school (Royal Hope Academy) for orphaned or vulnerable children... did I mention she lives and cares for 16 children ?! Can you imagine... I mean I saw this in person and still can't believe I'm typing it. Rebecca truly has such a deep passion for the Lord, and to see children and adults who are lost, abused, neglected, orphaned, find their way. restored. loved. healed. saved. and let me tell you-- these kids just aren't walking towards Jesus, they are running :) Rebecca was a blast to be around and to learn/grow from... such an encouragement... she handed her life over to the Lord and has never looked back.

I am going to try and summarize without leaving any good details out what were my highs, lows, and everything in-between ;) I have to be honest there were nights I was soo exhausted I just couldn't write in my journal. My roommate in Africa,(Alex-Anna)would always say, ash you need to at least write main points to remember for later!! yeah, wellll here goes :)

Upon leaving for this trip, we were each allowed to take 2 bags for donations free of charge. I stuffed mine to the brim :) THANK YOU THANK YOU to ALL who helped make this possible. Well, Nate had a third bag and Katie had 10? 12? a lot! Well every bag past our 2 free ones would cost $200- when we went to check these bags in at the airport we learned that the bag fees had been waived!! unreal. So, Katie got to donate $2000 to Rebecca and the school :)
Flying 5+ hrs. is not easy. But, my favorite flight was flying from Detroit to Amsterdam-- best flight attendants ever. One of them was from Columbus, lived in the Brewery District- small world!! So, an occasional OH-IO would travel down the aisle ;) In Detroit is where Nate and I got to meet up with Katie and the other 3 girls... such a fun group!!! I could not have asked for better ppl to share life with in a different country ;) Yes, Nate was the only guy... but he killed bugs for us, poured our water from heavy jugs, entertained us with dancing and music, and was the first to try all the food-- to make sure it was safe ;)

"You make all things work together for my good- help me to believe this. Allow me to be your hands and feet Father. I want to spread your love, leave my mark in Uganda. touch lives. change lives. With the power of your Son. Help me to listen for your voice Father. Give us every opportunity we can handle". -- this was a journal entry/prayer I wrote before we got to Amsterdam. Halfway through this flight everything began to sink in. Then we landed-- and I thought to myself in a couple hrs. (8) ha I will land in Africa, the place I get to call home for the next week!!

Welcome to AFrIcA!!!!!
Visas- check
Find 12+ black duffle bags- check
Here we were. safe and sound.
We were greeted at the airport by Michael, who helps Rebecca with the children and is also a Director of My Father's House, Rebecca, and Isaac who is one of the children- I believe he is 15 or 16.
All of them greeted us with hugs, we exchanged names, err tried and pushed about 6 carts stacked with bags to their van haha it was instantly warm outside but it was late at night so all we could see were the stars :) huge. the stars are HUGE in Africa... I think the sky is lower ;)
Well not only are the stars huge but so are the cockroaches!! ugh. Alex-Anna and I had one waiting for us in our room as soon as we arrived. awesome. Nate got it of course :)
Let me just paint you a picture- and if I fail please just refer to my pictures. Alex-Anna and I walk into our room and realize that our bed is right in the middle of the room. So, naturally we decide to push it all the way against the wall- right, so we have more room for our stuff... wrong. Katie walks in and says, ya'll re-arranging the furniture already? She informs us that the bed is in the middle so that lizards don't jump onto our bed when they crawl up the walls... oh. perfect. Not only do we have to have a mosquito net draped over our bed every night but a lizard or cockroach could decide to drop in. (don't let me fool you- we were tough African women by the end of this trip) next up, our bathroom or what we had of a bathroom. Let me just tell you how BLESSED we are(in America) every time we take a shower!! Do you ever get water in your mouth while taking a shower? Do you have hot water? BLESSED. Something so small- something so fortunate to have/do. We did not have a toilet... just a porcelain hole that did flush but you had to squat over. As far as water to drink...we had a gigantic jug from the store we could fill our water bottles up with, brush our teeth with, wash our face with...Alex-Anna ;) Welcome to AFrIcA!!!

We stayed in a guest house not far from Rebecca's home. Every morning we would either walk or Michael would come get us to have Chai at their house. Chai is soo good the way Rebecca fixed it... I know that all Chai is is black tea and Chai spice but this spice comes from Africa :) After breakfast we would usually go to school to see the kids. One of my videos on facebook shows the kids all lined up outside for us when we arrived and they were singing :) Melted my heart!!! Ahhh It was during time spent at school that my heart was moved the most. They had chapel before lunch every day and to see the children worshipping and praying left me wanting what they had. It didn't matter who was around, they were crying out to their Father, on their knees and faces. Humbling. It just reminded me at the end of the day it's between God and I... not God, the person beside me at church and I... just Him and I, face to face someday. Amazing that God can use even small children to teach adults and show adults what they are missing out on.
When chapel was over the kids had lunch and free time and let me tell you each one of us always had about 6 or more kids glued to our side :) Passing out silly bands was a joke-- I was scared fights were going to break out haha so we learned to just load up our arms in the morning or throughout the day and slip them on kids when they were by themselves ;) And these kids LOVE to have their pictures taken!!! It's funny, as soon as you take the picture they want to see what it looks like. You will see in a lot of my pictures Nate or Alex-Anna handing their camera's over or letting the kids see the picture... it was very cute.
There was a day at the school we got to go from classroom to classroom and present each child with a book bag :) Katie had gotten book bags made/donated from her hometown in Tenn. and we would tell the children that in America there were ppl who loved them. who were praying for them. who wanted to bless them with gifts. but more importantly that these gifts came from Jesus. At one point we had children raise their hands if they did not own a book bag and every hand went up... :/ I have never been more excited to be a part of something so special.
There was also a day at school when we got to teach a lesson. Another one of my videos on facebook shows a bunch of kids with bird masks... we made that craft and taught a story/lesson from the bible. It was awesome!! I think throughout the whole trip I was blown away the most that language barriers didn't stop us from anything. Sure we had to have interpreters sometimes but even when we didn't, we had some amazing conversations :)

DONATION DAY!!!!
For all of you who donated items- I wish you could have felt the joy and overwhelming flow of how thankful Rebecca and others were to receive everything. I remember coming home from school with the kids that day and opening their garage to 24 bags full of toothpaste, toothbrushes, medicine, vitamins, clothes, beanie babies, shampoo, soap, toys, coloring books, etc. Rebecca looked at all these bags surrounding her and just started to cry. She just couldn't believe we brought so much stuff. It's not us though... it's b/c of ppl like you. Maybe physically you weren't in Africa but you made an impact that these children won't soon forget. To those ppl who gave beanie babies we took them with us when we visited the children's ward at the hospital. Walking into the hospital I didn't know what to expect but it was nothing like the hospitals we are used to! Children, babies, and parents were everywhere. If you have a child in the hospital you basically bring ur whole life with you-- bedding, food, clothes, a mat to sleep on. Nothing was organized, cribs full of children suffering from sickle cell, ammonia, and malaria filled the rooms- yes, just 2 big rooms. That day we were not only passing out beanie babies but we were going to pray for ppl and children, to share the love of Jesus. We had Rebecca, Michael, Excel(a close friend and minister), and 2 of the girls who lived with Rebecca- who could translate very well- all with us. We broke up into small groups and went around to children and parents, asking them what was wrong with their child, laying hands on their sick child and sharing Christ with them. There were a couple parents who accepted Christ :) And A LOT of smiling children who had beanie babies... you would have thought we handed them $100. A little bit of hope was restored that day, a little more fight was put into sick bodies, and a whole bunch of Jesus' love was shared :) I hope I never forget how thankful I am to have great health care at the drop of a hat. It was so frustrating for me to step over ppl and see children hooked up to IVs-- just on a drip trying to fight for their life and the pain they were in. I had to just believe in the prayers we were speaking, to know that God is with all of them, they are not forgotten.

Visiting the Slums
This day was a huge eye opener for me in a lot of ways. One of the first days we had all met Excel and some other worship leaders from the church Rebecca and Michael attend. We had bibles, clothes, and a message to share. Excel basically told us to pair up with a translator and go talk to ppl you see out of their homes. Oh. Ok. I have to be honest I felt as though I had NO idea what I was doing... of course I wanted ppl to know Jesus but not only had most of these ppl never even heard of Jesus, they don't speak my language. Alex-Anna and I got paired up with Michael and bless his heart he walks up to these teenage girls and starts talking to them- speaking Luanda-- I am listening and hanging on to every word like I knew what it meant. After a few moments of conversation he turns to me and says, "She wants to be saved, I will translate for you"-- alright,I thought, here goes nothing. I was soo nervous!! You always think you are prepared to lead someone to salvation and then you find yourself in Africa, looking at a young girl who's looking back at you, and I'm just hoping what I am saying makes sense. After we prayed I looked at her and said I want to hug you and she just smiled so I said to Michael tell her I'm going to hug her! haha I remember walking away teary eyed, and just thanking God for opportunities and words to speak. It took my breath away-- how much of an impact you can have on a person's life- a complete stranger. Ppl in the slums live day to day, babies and children don't have clothes, food, hardly a place to lay their head, and it doesn't smell the best. You want to do soo much for them- for everyone.
I have to tell you about 2 very special women (sisters) I met while visiting the slums. These 2 ladies make beautiful jewelry!!! Mary, is who we visited- she invited us right into her home...8 children and her and her husband live in this little, little place-- bless her heart, she was SO EXCITED that we were there!!! Rebecca and her are very good friends... and the jewelry that Mary and her sister make is made out of lacquer and magazine paper :) The whole group was just pouring through her necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. As we were leaving, she came outside and walked a little with us, crying and thanking us for stopping by- she said God is so good!! Amen!! God is so good!! God bless you. Now I can send my little boy to school- I have enough $$. melted. my. heart. I wanted to buy every last necklace!!
"I feel so much love for these children God but I pray that I would be intentional w/my time. I don't want to worry about getting sick, not liking the food, or hugging and loving on the kids. 6 days. That is going to go so fast. Father I pray that I truly would be intentional w/your love and the gifts you have given me. Thank you for all the ppl lifting my team and I in prayer. So thankful that we are all well :) I pray that I would not forget all I have seen and how I was affected by it. I don't know what that looks like when I get back home, but I pray you would reveal that to me. Even how to begin to share w/others what I have experienced and gone through so far. Father, Martin is really on my heart. I want to sponsor him so much but I worry about my finances. Would I be able to do it? He would just have to come first and I pray for peace Lord." -- this was another journal entry/prayer about the 4th day we were there I think.

Martin
Like I said before there are 16 children who live with Rebecca. From the young age of 4 or 5 to the oldest being around 19. Martin reminded me a lot of my brother- about the same age, build, and characteristics. Martin was always helping around the house- cleaning, serving food, playing with the kids, etc. My heart went out to him. I started to ask Rebecca what his story was... she told me that his mom lives next door at the church (house is attached), she is a pastor. When Rebecca met Martin he was using a stick and toothpaste to brush his teeth. :/ ugh. just hurt my heart so much. I had had some conversations with Martin and found out he loves the Lord, he has dreams after school, and is just so blessed by what he has in life. Such an inspiration.
Rebecca mentioned in conversation that Martin was not sponsored by anyone- that b/c he helps her and Michael out so much that she had been providing his school fees but that it was tough. His semester was ending soon and normally he would move on to the next phase- all the kids in the house really wanted him to be able to go but knew it may not be a possibility. So I began to pray and ask God for direction. I didn't want to make a decision based upon my emotions- heck I would sponsor each child if that were the case ;) For the next couple days I prayed about Martin and came to the conclusion, with God's help, that I would become his sponsor. I felt so led to do it that if it meant not buying something for myself that month then Martin would come first :) I believed in him! I cared for him like my own brother and I wanted to do all I could to make sure he was provided for.
Fast forward to the Sat. we were leaving to come back to the states. I told Rebecca that I was sure I wanted to sponsor Martin. She said well let's go meet his mom :) Rebecca told Martin that I wanted to see the church and meet his mom (he had no idea I wanted to sponsor him). I was sooo nervous and excited!!! Martin's mom greets us with a hug and tells me her name- she doesn't speak English a lot- very little. I sat down beside her on the couch with Martin and Rebecca across from us so she could tell Martin what to interpret. I was already half crying at this point ha Rebecca just started by telling his mom that she had a group of friends staying with her and that I was one of them. That while being here for a couple days, interacting with the kids and Martin, Martin really reminded Ashley of her own brother at home. His mom looked at me and smiled. Rebecca went on to say that I loved Martin like my own brother, that I believed in him and wanted to continue to be in his life. Keep in mind Martin is translating all this to his mom, having no idea why. "Ashley would like to sponsor Martin, to see him continue his education, and make sure he has everything he needs to succeed," and Martin just looked at Rebecca and I and said Wow that is so good! Ahh my heart just melted and I just started crying- and so did Rebecca. Poor Martin had these two white women crying in his living room ;) His mom leaned over and hugged me and whispered God bless you. I looked at Rebecca and said, can you tell his mom what a good job she has done raising her son- that she has every reason to be proud. And Rebecca said no, I can't... she was as emotional as I was... so I asked Martin to tell his mom, and she patted my hand and told Martin that she wanted to pray for us. I could not understand a word of that prayer but it was beautiful. Martin's mom began telling Martin to tell me that she loved me like a daughter and that she would be praying for me.
A moment I will not soon forget.

Wow. I wrote a book!!!

I hope God's love is apparent in these few stories I have shared :) I will def. share more as the days come and as I am reminded of sweet memories. Everyone who prayed, donated either a tangible item or money, and believed in me, Thank you. I sincerely would not have been able to even go on this trip without your love and generous hearts. You have not only changed my life, but many ppl in a country far, far away have felt your love. I was honored to be the hands and feet of many :)

theres power in the blood of Jesus

NKWAGALA = LOVE

20 mins.
i have 20 mins. left in the internet cafe to tell ya'll how everything is going :) ahhhh

well, let me just say how blessed we are and what a GREAT GOD we serve!!! no one has been sick this whole trip!!!!
i am learning to speak the language with the locals and the kids which is just soo awesoem to be able to communicate liek that ;)
going to the slums (the poorest part of the town) was very humbling and hard to see. we went with some of rebecca's friends and the pastor from her church-- the pastor basically told us to pair up into groups of 2 and 3 plus a translator and go and talk to ppl about Jesus. ok. i have to be honest-- of course you want to talk to ppl about jesus but it's kinda intimidating being put on the spot to think about what you want to say to someone then have a translator tell them and then ask the translator what they are saying back. but God is so good. i got to lead a young girl through a prayer who wanted to be born again :D that day there were 8 ppl saved!!!! plus, we clothed a lot of children :)
the next best thing about that day was when we went to visit mary, she lives in the slums with 8 of her children and her husband in a dorm size room -- she makes beads out of old magazines-- it's amazing!!! we all bought so much-- very cheap. and she was sooo excited and she was crying thanking all of us for coming- she said i know have enough $$ to send my son to school, you serve such a good god. -- ahh my heart just melted!

i promise that when i have more time i will give more details about how my heart is feeling and what i am learning.

helping out at the school has been wonderful!! we have taught them 2 lessons that have to do with a bible verse and a craft- think vaca. bible school ;)

i miss home. but i'm not homesick. there is so much love here- i mean having 14 children around you (when they aren't at school) is pretty fulfilling ;) i do wish i could hear the voices of my momma and family and friends but i'm praying for ya'll!!!! God is keeping me safe.

today i get to meet up with bethany parks-- she is from MVNU and studying abroad in africa :) so it will be awesome to see a familiar face and love on her for her momma :)

thank you thank you thank you for ur prayers and support and love. my team and i are extrememly blessed to have so many ppl behind us :)

p.s. Alex-- i don't know what i would have done without my lil care package-- we have all used those hand wipes soo much!!! haha very thankful :) r u surviving without text messages??!! ;)

i probbably won't have internet again till the amsterdam airport.

LOTS OF LOVE

closer to heaven

I MADE IT TO AFRICA :)
thank you all for your continued prayers!!!!!
i have very limited internet time but i haven't missed it, or my phone, or texting-- not when you have children to love on :)

wow. i have so much to say. i will try to run through some of the highlights so far :D

1. best plane ride from Detroit to Amsterdam-- even met an OSU fan who was our flight attendant, lives in the Brewery District!!! Small World right??!!
2. they really love their wooden shoes in Holland
3. i have found my soul-mate on this trip a.k.a. alex-anna (a girl on my team)- god def. knows my heart and who i would need.
4. the weather is AMAZING!!!!!
5. i wish i could show ya'll pictures of where i'm staying, it's not bad at all and i just pretend the mosquito net that drapes over our bed is a princess canopy ;)
6. the children bless my life soo much. ya'll they will hold ur hands, hug you, tell you stories- they just want your attention soo much.
7. the food is very different from America.
8. seeing the faces of rebecca and the orphanes open the bags of donations was incredible!!!! rebecca said for the past 2 wks. they have been using this lil bit of tooth paste until we got there :/ BUT now they have an ABUNDANCE!!!
9. today we are traveling to the slums. please pray for protection. we are going to give them clothes, bibles, water, love.
10. i just feel that by being here the veil between heaven and earth is a little thinner. the faith a little bolder. the love a lot more free. the worship passionate.
11. i have learned a few lugandan words...yayaya!!!!

it's so humbling to see a 4 yr. old on their knees praising god. praying and knowing their prayers were heard and will be answered.

i love you all.
i'm sorry i don't have a lot of detail right now.
none of us are sick- praise god.


keep those prayers coming!!!

can anyone hear me....

this was one of the toughest weeks.
i felt as though i was just jogging in place as fast as i could. getting nowhere. at night i wanted to just remove my mind so i could just have a few moments of peace.
Wed. was the beginning of Lent. the service at Vineyard was really good and much needed. i just couldn't get over the feeling of doubt. was i ready for this trip? what if all my support $ didn't come in? have i spent enough time with my family? when do i start packing? how will the concert go? a lot of distractions. (yet all week joyce meyer was preaching about coming boldy with confidence before the cross. ask and you shall recieve).
i found myself that night leaning on friends and just being honest with where i was. crying always releases something, refreshing, like OK- i can do this. up until this point in our journey nate was the one saying ash, i just don't know, how this is gonna happen? $1800 is a lot of money to raise. and that night he had this awesome peace from God that he shared and it was really encouraging to me- i still had to dig pretty deep to believe that everything would work out.
for the first time in a long time there was nothing, nothing i could do to make it better. i can't grow $$ on trees-- so the faithfulness of God and His ppl to give to nate and i has been truly amazing to witness.

fast forward to sat. night :) the extended melody project hosted a concert to benefit uganda/the orphange/the school -where we will be. 4 bands, over 200 friends, and somewhere around $1500 later my heart was overflowing :D
THANK YOU JESUS!!!! i am truly thankful for everyone who helped make sat. night a sucess-- you do not know how much your efforts are appreciated-- lives will be changed for generations b/c of your love and generous hearts to GIVE and be a part of something BIGGER than yourself. thank you.
SIGH :) LoVe

this wknd i also got to travel to upper sandusky to see my family :) walking into church today i was flagged down by a friend and past cheerleading coach. she is very near and dear to my heart-- she handed me an envelope with support money in it and while we were hugging i felt so greatful. so humbled. she believes in me. i could hardly tell her thank you i was so shook up. some of you may be reading this thinking really...you were crying... but yeah. i was. when you are brought to a place of full surrender by god and he blesses you- it does something.
ok illustration :) i will take u back to the childhood movie of The Grinch who Stole Christmas....remember the part where his heart grows and grows and grows?!! :) haha he just bursts with JOY!!! thats kinda how it feels... so to all of you who have supported me financially- you have made my heart grow ;) god is teaching me the true meaning of trust.

forever let ur church proclaim

i just have to post this song.
it is SOO good :)
my heart has been touched this wknd.-- thank you church

sweet 16

16 days.

2 months ago god presented this amazing opportunity to me and now i'm just down to DAYS??!! unreal.

every morning i wake up to this MOUNTAIN growing in front of my bed-- no, it's not laundry ;) (i don't live with amber bryan anymore-- haha love you amber, don't let me fool you i miss our room) this is a different kind of mountain...one that contains medical supplies, coloring books, school supplies, clothes, vitamins, beanie babies, and an iphone :) b/c of your generous hearts- through donations, prayers,and support financially- i get to bless the ppl of uganda!! you and i get to be a part of something that will touch lives for generations :)

this past week has been draining in all ways.
studio 187 photography (where i work) moved it's location and let me just tell you, over the past year i have gotten really good at packing up a room but moving a whole studio in 5 days...who does that?! i felt like i was on an episode for extreme studio makeover haha. long nights, paint stains, and sore musceles later we are a brand new studio :)
just taking the time to slow down has been a feat in itself. i really want to be mentally and spiritually prepared for this trip and how god wants to use me.
i really don't find it a coincidence that the season of lent is falling around my trip. i have really been searching my heart for what god wants to do in this time, how he will reveal his love, and show me his strength where i am human and weak. to sacrifice, to give up something that you give your time, energy, devotion, cravings to... for 40 days. allowing god to refresh you, to move in you in a real way, to meet you right where you are at.
this wednesday is ash wednesday- it marks the first day of lent.
for 40 days you can give up anything.
video games? facebook? dare i say texting/twitter??? ok. breathe. did ppl even communicate ten years ago?? ;)
short story- i will never forget discussing what i should give up for lent with travis keller (a friend of mine and then resident dir. at mvnu), i was pretty set on giving up t.v. but the new season of the bachelor was about to start up again... haha i know i know- and travis said, yeah ash i guess jesus didn't have to have 2 nails in his hands. wow. - i don't tell you this story to put you on a guilt trip, and travis didn't mean this in a rude way- but it has truth to it.
allow god to stretch you!! be challenged!!

thanks for reading :)
please continue to pray for the preparation of my team (of 6) and i.

lots of love