I went to the Treasure House today and bought a CD I had ordered in. It was the Hillsong CD in Spanish :) There's something about listening to worship music in another language that is just so beautiful! Even though I don't understand all the words, it just lifts my soul in a way that other things can't do. I know that God created other languages because people were getting too proud(at the Tower of Babel), but His imagination is so amazing! I can't believe how many languages there are in the world, and that some of them are related, but others are vastly different.
I have been missing speaking in Portuguese lately. I don't know what it is about that language, but I always feel so at peace when the words flow from my lips. Aaaah....I have a love affair with language :) God is so good :)
Today was a restful day...my only day off other than Sunday, and I was able to visit with one of my best friends, and catch up on her life. And guess where I went? the coffee shop I work at...
You would think I get enough of that place when I work there!
Yesterday I wrote a song, and unfortunately I haven't been able to record it, otherwise I would likely be able to put it here. However, I will post the words, and hopefully they will touch your heart:
Intro-
Lord, I have come here to worship you x2
You alone are worthy, Lord x2
Verse I
In the silence, You speak to me,
Even when I don't hear Your voice.
I try to listen, I want to be free
From the distractions and the noise-
Chorus
With my mouth I will praise you
With my hands I will serve you
With my feet I will go wherever you lead.
With my voice I will worship
With my heart I will love you
With my ears, I will listen and obey.
Not my will, but Yours be done,
Speak to me, here I am!
Verse II
My desire, the only one I need
Is Jesus Christ who died and took my shame.
Lord, You're my light, help me to be
Unashamed to speak Your name!
Chorus
-AshWin-
I hope everyone has a blessed evening!
Love, Ash
11.17.2008
11.15.2008
Rain + Snow = A Winder..er.. WINTER Wonderland :)
I'm sitting here with my decrepit laptop, which is keeping my lap nice and cozy, while trying to ignore the way my frozen toes are screaming at me to warm them up somehow! When the rest of my body is warm, my toes and fingers are always cold. It's one of those things in life I will never understand!
All during my shift at work today, people kept complaining how miserable it was outside, how the rain was ruining their day bla bla bla....I was just happy it wasn't snowing! All of a sudden, Tom called to me and said, "Ash, come look!" Of course...it was snowing. I don't like snow, but for some reason it was comforting. As much as I hate to admit it, snow is pretty, especially when it's falling softly to the ground.
Even with this admission, I still wish I was somewhere warm.
Wish I was sweating buckets instead of freezing ice cubes...
Wish I could see the grass growing instead of the snow accumulating on the ground...
Wish I could smell the hot asphalt instead of the piercing chill of the night.
Love, Ash
All during my shift at work today, people kept complaining how miserable it was outside, how the rain was ruining their day bla bla bla....I was just happy it wasn't snowing! All of a sudden, Tom called to me and said, "Ash, come look!" Of course...it was snowing. I don't like snow, but for some reason it was comforting. As much as I hate to admit it, snow is pretty, especially when it's falling softly to the ground.
Even with this admission, I still wish I was somewhere warm.
Wish I was sweating buckets instead of freezing ice cubes...
Wish I could see the grass growing instead of the snow accumulating on the ground...
Wish I could smell the hot asphalt instead of the piercing chill of the night.
Love, Ash
11.14.2008
More thoughts from Break!
I've been enjoying working these 8-4 shifts, because I get a break and can read my Bible. The other day, I was confronted with questions about "enlightenment", gods from other religions, and other such things I wasn't prepared to answer. The person who posed these questions is someone who does not believe the Bible is inerrant, and so I think he was just saying random stuff to trip me up. However, I was reading in 1 Corinthians again, and found this passage that I really like:
"We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"),
6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live."
In Chapter 8, Paul is talking to the Corinthians about food sacrificed to idols, and how they need to be respectful of the weaker brother. People who used to worship idols may be tempted to go back to that life if they see someone eating food that was sacrificed to idols. Paul was just reminding them that idols are nothing compared to God, and that no matter what, there is only ONE God, and ONE Lord.
I just thought this was such an amazing statement of belief, and it is so powerful to me!
Love, Ash
"We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"),
6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live."
In Chapter 8, Paul is talking to the Corinthians about food sacrificed to idols, and how they need to be respectful of the weaker brother. People who used to worship idols may be tempted to go back to that life if they see someone eating food that was sacrificed to idols. Paul was just reminding them that idols are nothing compared to God, and that no matter what, there is only ONE God, and ONE Lord.
I just thought this was such an amazing statement of belief, and it is so powerful to me!
Love, Ash
Just some thoughts....
I was reading my Bible on break today, and decided to start reading in 1 Corinthians. For some reason this passage stuck out to me from 1 Corinthians 1:
27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him.
30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
This made me remember that we cannot take any glory for anything that God has given us---He deserves it all!!!
Just something to think about...
Love, Ash
27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him.
30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
This made me remember that we cannot take any glory for anything that God has given us---He deserves it all!!!
Just something to think about...
Love, Ash
5.09.2008
South Asia...
We arrived yesterday, safe and sound, exhausted but happy, and God is protecting us. Thank you all for your prayers!
It is hot here, hot and humid, and I can't believe the amount of sweat one can produce while simply walking around outside:)
Today we went to church, an English-speaking church, and then we toured some historical places, as well as saw the parliament buildings. It's beautiful here!
They are slowly easing us into the culture, and soon we will be visiting some of the poorer places.
The food is amazing, and the people are so nice!
Love and miss you all..I'm not sure of the next time I will have internet access, but please continue to pray for us!
Until next time....
Love, Ash
It is hot here, hot and humid, and I can't believe the amount of sweat one can produce while simply walking around outside:)
Today we went to church, an English-speaking church, and then we toured some historical places, as well as saw the parliament buildings. It's beautiful here!
They are slowly easing us into the culture, and soon we will be visiting some of the poorer places.
The food is amazing, and the people are so nice!
Love and miss you all..I'm not sure of the next time I will have internet access, but please continue to pray for us!
Until next time....
Love, Ash
5.07.2008
Made it to the Desert!
Hi everyone!
Just want to give you a quick update. Our almost 14 hour flight to the United Arab Emirates went well...long, but well :) and now I'm standing at a free internet cafe in the airport waiting for our flight to our final destination, which will be in about an hour and a half.
We have completed an 18 hour layover, which we were able to make faster by going on a desert safari with the team for initial bonding. I will tell you more about that later, but it was a blast!
Now the the real test of faith begins, and we are thanking God for the unity he has brought to a group of people who have never met, but have spent almost two days together on a long flight and a hot desert.
Thank you for your prayers, and I will let you know how things go as we go along! Please continue to pray that we will grow from this experience, and that we will learn much!
Love always,
ASh
Just want to give you a quick update. Our almost 14 hour flight to the United Arab Emirates went well...long, but well :) and now I'm standing at a free internet cafe in the airport waiting for our flight to our final destination, which will be in about an hour and a half.
We have completed an 18 hour layover, which we were able to make faster by going on a desert safari with the team for initial bonding. I will tell you more about that later, but it was a blast!
Now the the real test of faith begins, and we are thanking God for the unity he has brought to a group of people who have never met, but have spent almost two days together on a long flight and a hot desert.
Thank you for your prayers, and I will let you know how things go as we go along! Please continue to pray that we will grow from this experience, and that we will learn much!
Love always,
ASh
5.05.2008
Vision trip Update
To my dear family and friends:
The moment has arrived. I can hardly believe it, but tomorrow at 10:20 AM I will be on a plane heading for South Asia, where I will stay for two weeks! Only ONE more sleep! (Truth be told, I will probably get no sleep tonight!)
I want to thank everyone for their words of encouragement, your prayers, and your financial support that has lead up to this time. I have some good news: I have all the financial support I need! Thank you all!
Prayer is one of the most important parts of the trip. I would ask that you would pray for our team in these next two weeks. None of us have ever been on an adventure like this before, and I am sure that many on the team have nervous stomachs today!
I also ask for prayer that we will not take things at face value, but that we will get into the culture and learn more about the people in a deep way. I hope that we will learn much, and that we will experience how God is working in this country.
The team from Wycliffe that is there also asks for prayer, as they are going through some changes to make Bible translation more effective. Pray that God will give them the strength to do what they need to do for Him!
Please pray that we will be safe as we travel there, as well as our travels while we are there, as we will be going to many different places.
I’m not sure if I will have access to the internet too much. May God bless you all in the coming two weeks, and I will update you all when I get back!
Thank you again, and please continue your prayers!
Love,
Ashleigh
The moment has arrived. I can hardly believe it, but tomorrow at 10:20 AM I will be on a plane heading for South Asia, where I will stay for two weeks! Only ONE more sleep! (Truth be told, I will probably get no sleep tonight!)
I want to thank everyone for their words of encouragement, your prayers, and your financial support that has lead up to this time. I have some good news: I have all the financial support I need! Thank you all!
Prayer is one of the most important parts of the trip. I would ask that you would pray for our team in these next two weeks. None of us have ever been on an adventure like this before, and I am sure that many on the team have nervous stomachs today!
I also ask for prayer that we will not take things at face value, but that we will get into the culture and learn more about the people in a deep way. I hope that we will learn much, and that we will experience how God is working in this country.
The team from Wycliffe that is there also asks for prayer, as they are going through some changes to make Bible translation more effective. Pray that God will give them the strength to do what they need to do for Him!
Please pray that we will be safe as we travel there, as well as our travels while we are there, as we will be going to many different places.
I’m not sure if I will have access to the internet too much. May God bless you all in the coming two weeks, and I will update you all when I get back!
Thank you again, and please continue your prayers!
Love,
Ashleigh
4.15.2008
Peelings...
Ok, so I only have four major things to do yet for the school year, but they are going to get done by today and tomorrow. This is exciting, because at the beginning of the semester I had 20 major assignments! Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me along the way, especially mom, who wasn't afraid to tell me to step it up! Thanks so much! And God has been seeing me through, even when I thought it was an unreachable task. I got this in an e-mail from Nana the other day, and I wanted to share it with you. It shows how even in our negative thoughts, God is positive, and he holds us up.
You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)
You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest
(Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you
(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )
You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5- 6)
You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things
( Phil ippians 4:13)
You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it
(Roman 8:28 )
You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I Forgive you
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: "I can't manage"
God says: I will supply all your needs
( Phil ippians 4:19)
You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)
You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter 5:7)
You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom
(I Corinthians 1:30)
You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5)
Thanks be to God for His everlasting love, his never-ending mercy, and his unspeakable joy!
I hope you all have a great day!
Love, Ash
You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)
You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest
(Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you
(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )
You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5- 6)
You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things
( Phil ippians 4:13)
You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it
(Roman 8:28 )
You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I Forgive you
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: "I can't manage"
God says: I will supply all your needs
( Phil ippians 4:19)
You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)
You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter 5:7)
You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom
(I Corinthians 1:30)
You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5)
Thanks be to God for His everlasting love, his never-ending mercy, and his unspeakable joy!
I hope you all have a great day!
Love, Ash
4.13.2008
Vision Trip Update #2
Dear Family and Friends:
I know some of you receive an e-mail with this update as well, but I something transpired since that e-mail tonight...Jessica was able to get our VISAS!!!! I'm so excited!
I hope this past week-end finds you all well.
Although exams and last minute assignments are approaching, it will soon be over before I know it! I can’t believe in three short weeks I will be in South Asia!
I have some more exciting news to share with you! Our flights are booked and confirmed!!! We fly direct from Toronto, on May 6 at 10:20 AM, to Abu Dhabi (in the United Arab Emirates) and then from Abu Dhabi directly to our destination. We will get there on May 8 at 7:35 AM. Then we depart on May 21 at 9:35 AM arriving in Toronto May 22 at 8:40 AM.
It is going to be a lot of traveling, and many things to do and experience once we get there, but I am POSITIVE that it is going to be an experience like none other!
I want to thank you all who are praying for this trip and those of us going on it. Your prayers are so important to me right now!
Please continue to pray for:
-spiritual growth of our team
-continued perseverance as the end of the school year arrives
-financial support and trust in God
I have a praise: God continually provides! Thank you to all of you who have contributed financially! As of last Thursday (April 10), the office in Calgary told me I had $2, 805.50. That means I only need $294.50 until I reach my goal of $3100!!! That is so exciting! Praise the Lord! If anyone was still interested in supporting me, my deadline is April 25th, at which time I need to have the full amount. Please e-mail me at: ashl5570@rogers.com if you need the address.
God has been testing me and stretching me so much this year, and I think this trip will be another big challenge. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to see what God is doing in the world! Thank you all for making it real for me!
Have a great week!
Love, Ashleigh
I know some of you receive an e-mail with this update as well, but I something transpired since that e-mail tonight...Jessica was able to get our VISAS!!!! I'm so excited!
I hope this past week-end finds you all well.
Although exams and last minute assignments are approaching, it will soon be over before I know it! I can’t believe in three short weeks I will be in South Asia!
I have some more exciting news to share with you! Our flights are booked and confirmed!!! We fly direct from Toronto, on May 6 at 10:20 AM, to Abu Dhabi (in the United Arab Emirates) and then from Abu Dhabi directly to our destination. We will get there on May 8 at 7:35 AM. Then we depart on May 21 at 9:35 AM arriving in Toronto May 22 at 8:40 AM.
It is going to be a lot of traveling, and many things to do and experience once we get there, but I am POSITIVE that it is going to be an experience like none other!
I want to thank you all who are praying for this trip and those of us going on it. Your prayers are so important to me right now!
Please continue to pray for:
-spiritual growth of our team
-continued perseverance as the end of the school year arrives
-financial support and trust in God
I have a praise: God continually provides! Thank you to all of you who have contributed financially! As of last Thursday (April 10), the office in Calgary told me I had $2, 805.50. That means I only need $294.50 until I reach my goal of $3100!!! That is so exciting! Praise the Lord! If anyone was still interested in supporting me, my deadline is April 25th, at which time I need to have the full amount. Please e-mail me at: ashl5570@rogers.com if you need the address.
God has been testing me and stretching me so much this year, and I think this trip will be another big challenge. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to see what God is doing in the world! Thank you all for making it real for me!
Have a great week!
Love, Ashleigh
4.08.2008
Happy April and Beautiful Weather...
Hi everyone. I hope that you all had a wonderful week-end! I was able to go home after not being home since February. I had a great visit with my family, and was able to speak about my trip at my church.
I would just ask anyone reading this to keep my Poppa in prayer. He is going in for his second surgery on Wednesday, and I know both he and Nan must be nervous. Thankfully we know that God has everything under control! I love you both, and I AM and will be praying!!
May God bless you and keep you. May He cause his face to shine upon you and give you peace.
Love, Ash
I would just ask anyone reading this to keep my Poppa in prayer. He is going in for his second surgery on Wednesday, and I know both he and Nan must be nervous. Thankfully we know that God has everything under control! I love you both, and I AM and will be praying!!
May God bless you and keep you. May He cause his face to shine upon you and give you peace.
Love, Ash
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