Filed under: Ashley's Dublin Ditties
April 12, 2011
A life with Jesus is an adventure indeed. Where He leads and the story your life tells is so much more amazing than a life you could ever write for yourself. Following Him obediently with nothing but faith is hard, yes, but a life fuller than any other I could choose for myself. Live by faith and not by sight. Easier said than done sometimes, especially when that thing God asks you to do is leave your family, comforts, life as you know it, everything, and travel to a country that is well, foreign.
One of the things God asked me to give up was my job. So obediently, and with bittersweet tears, I submitted my resignation to follow Him on a mission to Ireland. With that comes great fear because the obvious question arises…money?? How will I live, pay for things, eat, still pay my bills that will not go away back home? So many ‘hows, what ifs, and whys’ arise and I have to check myself. GOD HAS IT. He’s written this awesome story of mine and has provided in my life already, and will continue to provide every day until I come to spend eternity with Him!
I want to provide a breakdown of what a mission in Ireland looks like, and how I know God will provide for each area as He sees fit:
5 euro a night for lodging and for my stay on camp…4 months total stay: 560 Euro for the summer for lodging, about $900. (And this also provides a means for children to attend camp who may not be able to afford it otherwise).
Approximately 100 Euro every few weeks for food (around $200) for 4 months: Approximately $1000 for food
$700 for the round trip plane ticket
$150 for the extended visa license to stay past the 90 day limit
And finally allowing myself an extra $1000 for miscellaneous funding that I know will occur during my stay, for supporting children, supplies for camp, caring for the homeless, emergencies, etc.
Those numbers can be intimidating, but I know my God provides! As of right now I have raised around $550, so that just about pays for my plane ticket! Exciting times and I know God will show up and show off in His timing and will. So if you feel led to give in this capacity to see God move in Ireland, there is a donation button listed on the left that you can donate any amount you can and feel God leading you to give. Any amount is greatly appreciated. I’m really looking forward to the stories He will write when I get the green isle!
Adventures with Jesus…what a life! 
April 10, 2011
“…and having on the breastplate of righteousness…” Ephesians 6:14
The journey to Ireland is fast approaching, and I have to admit, that with each passing day, more thoughts enter my mind as to how difficult this mission will be. Spiritual warfare as I’ve never felt before. But with that comes an opportunity for my God to show up greater than I’ve ever felt or seen Him before.
So the armor of Christ has been at the forefront of my mind. The sword of Truth, Helmet of Salvation, BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, etc. They are all my weapons and even now before my journey begins, I must start my day with clothing myself in this armor of Christ because I am already in the battle.
I was reading about St. Patrick a few moments ago, and I came across his “Breastplate” prayer, based on the above mentioned scripture. Paraphrased, it says “I rise this day. Through Heaven’s strength. Lit by the sun. Bathed by the moon. Gloried by fire. I have the speed of lightning. I am swift as the wind. I am deep as the sea. I am stable as the earth. I am firm as stone.” And it continues… “God’s power will support me, God’s wisdom will advise me, God’s eyes will look out for me, God’s ears will listen for me, God’s hand will guard me. God’s shield will protect me.” And so with my Jesus leading the way, I will hold His strong hand and follow…
April 6, 2011
I am feeling the love today. Upon hearing of my journey to Ireland, one of my closest friends came up with a way to help me on my journey. She is making jewelry to sell, and all proceeds will help fund my trip! She is a great jeweler and is making all sorts of charmed necklaces and bracelets. The necklaces will be $10 a piece and the bracelets will be $5 a piece. These are just a few samples of what she is making! E-mail me at ashwebgirl@gmail.com if you are interested in getting one!
Friends truly are one of God’s greatest blessings Proverbs 27:9b “…a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.”
April 4, 2011
I am a dancer. I have danced since I was 3 years old, graduated college with a dance degree, I teach dance now, and I even dance in my room late at night when I can’t sleep; so needless to say, dance is engrained into my very being. In 30 minutes time, I will again head off to teach a dance class. I am my happiest when I’m dancing, especially when I dance for my audience of One. There is something very powerful both in dancing and watching dance, especially with girls. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but when some, (or most), girls see dance or dance themselves, they transform into a different person. You can connect with another girl if you are dancing with her. You automatically have some strange bond and fly into a common ground that really nothing can interfere with.
This is the feeling I hope to bring to the young girls in Ireland. The last time I was there, I discovered that dance is a huge part of girls’ culture as well, so I plan to use this and bring Jesus into their lives through dance. It’s my calling, my mission, my ministry. Always has been, and always will be. I’ve danced since age 3, and I will continue to dance until He calls me home. But I will dance to bring Him glory and praise, because after all, He’s the one who gave me the feet!
April 2, 2011
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (The Message)
So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.
This was the main passage in my devotion this morning and it just painted a huge picture in my head on what we all go through in this life. How we need to be reminded that ‘the things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.’ What a promise! This makes me think of so many of the teens and children of Ireland and how this one sentence can possibly change a life! Their hard times are TEMPORARY, and good times are waiting for us for eternity! Life is hard, but life is only temporary. Our life with Jesus and how we live for HIM today is eternal…lasting FOREVER! Peace, joy, happiness…they all await us at our big celebration! That’s something to smile about!
April 1, 2011
It was a day full of odds and ends, preparing for the journey to Ireland. Between appointments, DMV visits, and purchases for the trip, I am able to check things off on the ‘things to do before Ireland’ list every day it seems, (though that list seems to get continually larger!) This is a book that has been on my list to read for a while, and it’s also in prep for Ireland. It relates some of the history, folk tales, and imaginings of the beautiful Emerald Isle. When I read, my imagination is automatically transported overseas, and it gets me even more excited to continue my ministry with those kids! The book is simply called Ireland by Frank Delaney, and so far I highly recommend it!
This photo of “Where I Wish I Was!” in Dublin is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Ashley’s Daily Dublin Ditties
Each day I will add something I have been doing in the form of a photo and a brief description. I hope this will help you to experience my day to day ministry with the youth of Dublin. Please be sure to subscribe to my blog by clicking above or check for daily links on my Facebook.
Oh Lord our Lord how majestic is Your Name in all the Earth
Filed under: Imagine Ireland
IMAGINE…
Imagine hearing that one of your friends was just murdered.
Imagine never hearing the words “I love you…”
Imagine being ten years old and your parents are drug addicts.
Imagine trying to parent your own alcoholic parent.
Imagine having no hope and thinking as a child that you will end up the same way as your parents.
Imagine abuse too terrible to describe but very real in the life of a young child.
Imagine escaping from the realities of life to go to summer camp!
Imagine hearing about Jesus Christ for the first time!
Imagine finding out that Jesus is fun!
Imagine being told that you are loved and that you have potential!
Imagine me there in the midst of all this…
God has been working in my heart and life in so many ways since last summer in Dublin. While there, God taught me things that I never realized before. Some of these things include:
- His heart for troubled youth
- His unrelenting pursuit of His children
- His limitless grace
- His unchanging love
- His gentle workings in my life
He also taught me that I can do all things through His strength, and He will provide if I only trust Him. That I can teach and share Jesus with troubled youth and that He gives the words, the avenues, and enables us in ways we never imagine.
“LORD, who is like you.
Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him.
Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?” Psalm 35:10
When I returned to the USA, I wanted to go back to Ireland, but I wasn’t sure if God wanted me to return. It seemed as if obstacles were thrown in my path to keep me from going back to where God had given me a passion to serve. Then through prayer and more prayer and searching God’s Word and more prayer, I reached a confirmation from Him. God does want me to return.
How can you help? Three Huge Ways!
PRAY
First and most of all please PRAY. If you will pray for me every day there is an area on my blog where you can SIGN UP TO PRAY and to read about any specific prayer needs. I need the support, protection and encouragement of prayer. We fight a very real spiritual battle and the battleground must be covered by prayer. Please please PRAY.
ENCOURAGE
Second, send me words from home. ENCOURAGEMENT, stories, ways I can pray for you so that I stay connected to my loved ones. You can do this anytime by clicking on my blog link: Encourage Me!
SUPPORT
Third (and you knew it was coming!) you can SUPPORT me financially. I have a way that you can contribute online set up at my blog at http://ashwebgirl.wordpress.com under donations. I know that these are difficult financial times and so it humbles me to ask, and I deeply appreciate financial gifts of any amount. If you prefer not to give online, checks can be made out to me directly. Send me an e-mail at gmail to ashwebgirl, please and I can send you information on where to send your check!
Please check my blog for my Daily Dublin Ditties. I will be posting a picture of something from my day and a short little “ditty” about what is going on in Dublin!
I love you all so much and thank you for already supporting me beyond what I can imagine in my passion to reach the youth of Dublin, Ireland!
Ashley
Philippians 1:3-4
Filed under: Ashley's Dublin Ditties | Tags: Dublin Christian Mission, Ireland, mission trips
‘Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.’ ~Ephesians 5:1
May 3, 2012
I get asked when talking about His mission for me, ’why are you going on a mission trip to Ireland? What’s there to do in Ireland for mission work?’ My answer: ‘There is MORE than enough to do in Ireland.’
A lot of people have preconceived notions when they hear the term ‘mission trip,’ they automatically think Africa or any other 3rd world nation suffering from the heartbreak of this world. And while my heart breaks and longs to ‘fix’ those problems (as I think any Christian heart grieves and desires to help, as we are commanded to in the Bible), God gave me a heart, a calling, to serve my time in Ireland. It is just known as inner city missions.
My life consists of one thing when I’m over there: Being open to whatever God calls me to do that day. I don’t have a specific ‘job.’ Sure I have tasks and different things that can be done, but I wake up every morning not really knowing what the day will bring. During the summer, it will be a very specific role I will be playing due to the summer camps. When camps are over, my days can range from cleaning the mission I’m working with, Dublin Christian Mission, to girls clubs at night-time where we have Bible studies and talks, to a long walk with a teen who desperately needs a chat and a place where she can feel heard, safe, and loved. And to be perfectly honest, some days God sets aside for me-He plans nothing but a walk by the river so I can spend time with Him. My goal is to love, and make everyone I encounter over there feel loved like I know He loves me.
So when people ask what I will be doing in Ireland, I can honestly say I’m not sure. But God knows, and its thrilling to say that whatever He has planned for that day, I’m in.
I write this because maybe there is a reader who wants to go on a mission trip but doesn’t know where to start, or you may think your calling doesn’t fit the ‘mission trip mold.’ I say don’t listen to anyone but God, and start where you are. Take a few days off work and get up one day and ask God ‘ok, what should I do next?’ You may end up downtown sharing a coffee with a homeless person you met who shares their life story with you, and in return you can share your story, your Jesus story. Mission work is better begun RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE. I know that’s what I did, and now He has me preparing to leave for a year to serve Him in Ireland. Mind blown.
You see, that’s the thing with momentum…it’s gotta start somewhere.
Filed under: Ashley's Dublin Ditties
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
-Traditional Gaelic blessing
Greetings to you!
I hope “the wind is at your back” and you sense His hand upon your life!
In the months since I returned from Dublin, God has kept the youth of Ireland upon my mind and heart, so it is not surprising that He has opened the way for me to return to what is now considered my second home. This time, He’s calling me back not just for the summer, but for the full year! I have been blessed by the directors of DCM (Dublin Christian Mission) to begin Discipleship programs for young girls ages 7 through 20 years of age. In addition, I will be blessed to work once again at the summer camps. In the past, I have been allowed glimpses into the lives of the youth, but now God is calling me to be a constant in their lives for one year. I plan on arriving in Ireland in July 2012 and not returning to the states until September 2013.
Instead of writing a long e-mail describing to you the joy and satisfaction of working with these kids, I’ve put together a short video that I hope you will take the time to watch. It is the best way for you to see what is happening in the lives of Irish young people through the DCM ministry. Video is above!
Most importantly, I need your prayers as well as your support. A year is a long time to go without family and familiarity, and it WILL be hard. I need prayer warriors who will plead with God for those kids’ hearts, and for mine, for stamina, strength and protection as I seek to live and work among these inner-city kids. Likewise, I would also commit to praying for you, so please share with me your prayer needs throughout the year.
What would a mission trip letter be without asking for financial help! I have been blessed by the Lord with free rent for the year, but there are other living expenses including travel and food. Though the dollar is weak, my spirit is willing! Any gift of any amount will be SO appreciated! Here is a brief breakdown for my funding:
- $300 for Visas to allow me to stay in Ireland
- Approx. $2000 for flights
- $6000 (or $500 a month) for food, toiletries, transportation, living expenses for the year.
If God provides me with 30 people donating just $20 to $25 a month for the 14 months I am gone, that will more than enough to cover my expenses. To make it easy, I have a website where you can securely donate online via Paypal. You can find it at: http://ashwebgirl.wordpress.com/category/donations/
There is a donations link on the left side of my site that makes this process easy. If you are uncomfortable donating online, my home address works just fine. My loving supportive parents will ensure funding gets to me! Email me at ashwebgirl.gmail.com to get the full street address.
Without you, none of this ministry with Dublin youth would be possible. These are youth growing up in a society that for the most part tells them there is no God. I want to shine the light of the SON upon their faces and into their hearts. I want to share with them the reality of the God who holds them in the palm of His hand!
Thank you for being my family and friends and supporters, I am so blessed!
-Ashley
Filed under: Ashley's Dublin Ditties
February 21, 2012
I love that verse. ’Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
And it’s amazing how much things seem to go astray when you forget to do so. I haven’t blogged in a while, and the reasoning is simple, I just didn’t seem to have anything to say.
But here I am again with more words from a girl who dreams and watches in anticipation as those dreams unfold!
It’s March 1st, and a beautiful 75 Degree day here in NC with Carolina blue skies, wind chimes singing in the background and the sound of birds chirping their melodies. I’ve set up a nice little picnic in my front yard, basket and everything! Today I am just delighting in the fact that God is here. God is here and He has me here, so for right now it’s enough. We find it hard sometimes to take a moment and forget worries and our to do lists and making sure we worked out for the day and cleaned this and that and finished the errands, that these moments where you can just sit outside and enjoy it are few and far between.
I came outside with the intention of working on my support letter for Ireland. Yes for those of you who don’t know I am returning for a full year starting in July this time! That’s one of those things on my to do list that I need to get done, but God is telling me to wait! Just Enjoy me. For now I am just delighting. Delighting that I have a Jesus who loves it when I do! And the best part is, you don’t even have to be in full on Bible reading, study time mode. Half of what I do is just sit here and think of Jesus and smile. I admit that my Bible isn’t even outside with me! Just me and my Jesus. So do what YOU do to make your Jesus time Special. Read, pray, write, dance, sing, or lay there peacefully, I promise God loves all of the above if you’re doing it with Him. And I’ll let ya in on a little secret…when you do take a time out for Him, everything else always has a way of working out. I get it, you have a schedule to keep and an hour for Jesus time isn’t on it. Watch Jesus laugh as He takes care of it for you. Don’t believe me? Try it…
Filed under: Ashley's Dublin Ditties
December 6, 2011
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and praying. It’s been nearly 3 months exactly since I left Ireland, and I still find myself homesick for that green land, the people, the way God grew and challenged me when I was over there.
I just had the pleasure of reading “Kisses from Katie” by Katie Davis (a highly recommended must read if mission work is even a spec on your radar). She is a missionary who sacrificed her comfortable life in America to move to Uganda to adopt and raise 14 young girls, as well as run a ministry to try to feed the poor and hungry in her immediate area. Over and over again, I kept thinking, she feels just like me. Though Uganda has physical desperation and emptiness, Ireland struggles just as much with spiritual desperation and emptiness. She was able to put into words what my heart has been feeling since Ireland entered into my life 3 short years ago.
In my own words, as they reflected hers, here is what I learned:
I am a changed person. I’ve blogged about this a bit before, but now have a new take on what it really means to me now. To put it quite simply, I miss Jesus.
In Ireland, even though I was fairly provided for, I had to rely on Jesus for everything. I had no family, He was my family. I had no idea how the funds kept showing up in my account to feed myself, and possibly take a young girl out for a meal so she can ‘vent,’ yet He made sure the money was always there. He provided me safety every night walking home in a scary area where I lived after a long day in the mission. I’ve endured being made fun of, called names, excluded, alienated, taken advantage of and broken by the very ones I love so much, and He was always there to put my shattered heart back together so I would go back the next day and tell them again how much Jesus, and I, loves them.
He was my number one thought in my every day, because He had to be. I couldn’t survive without Him, I wouldn’t have survived without Him. Of course I had days when I wanted to give up, and very nearly did, but His grace and provision surpassed any kind of understanding, as He promises over and over in His beautiful Word. In America, most of us, including myself, can survive without giving Jesus a second thought. Think about it. I’ve done it, have you? I’ve gone through a whole day, just going through the motions, and never once looking heavenward to thank Him or say I love Him. I hate myself for it at times, but if I were honest with myself, I’ve done that more than I care to admit. As I’m maturing though, those days are becoming less and less. Things are just easy here. I have my mom and dad to talk to if something happens in my day. I have my best friend to call if I need to vent. I have a car to get me anywhere I may need to go. I have medical care if I am injured, a grocery store and a debit card when we are hungry, a Walmart for any other need you may have. So many things we take for granted and forget that they are blessings.
I miss Jesus.
I’m not saying America is a bad place to live. I feel very blessed to have been given the life I have here. I am thankful for it, and am striving now to never again take it for granted. But my heart misses Jesus, and I can’t seem to find it here the way I did when I was in Ireland, loving those who so desperately needed to hear those words. My heart longs to be closer to His heart, and I’ve never felt closer to Him than when I gave up all my comforts and securities and trusted Him with my every need.
A life with Jesus is never easy, He promises that in His Word. It is filled with pain and sorrow and heartache, as I experienced in Ireland. But by the same token, if you don’t go through those tough times, how would you ever know what Joy truly is when you get to experience it? And I’ve never known such Joy as when I was there.
So I am asking for prayer. I am going back to Ireland.
Filed under: Ashley's Dublin Ditties
October 30, 2011
When you close your eyes, what do you see? What is it you dream about, can’t stop thinking about? What is it you pray for?
Do you have a dream? I would hope so.
I’d like to think we all do, every single one of us has something that we long for, whether its to travel to this wonderful location, get married to that perfect person some day, become a preacher, get that promotion. Whatever it may be, it’s important, because its important to you.
God knows your dream…He should, He gave it to you. Why, then, are we oftentimes so afraid to follow those dreams? Is it fear, doubt, the unknown, the seeming impossibility of it? Why do we look at it and say, well hey that would be awesome, but its just a dream. This is reality.
What’s so great about ‘reality’, really? We get up, face the hurt in the world, go to sleep and repeat pattern. Our dreams give us hope. For some of us, these dreams are ways to ease the hurt in the world. I like to think that mine are slowly but surely aligning with God’s dreams. Every day possibly one step closer to learning about and becoming more like my Creator. My favourite verse of all time is Psalm 37:4–Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
The more you delight in Him, the more your dreams will become His dreams, and knowing God’s nature (however minute that knowledge is), He can’t help but respond to those dreams. Listen to hurting hearts, care for the poor and needy, spread His Name and love to those that need to hear it, travel to unknown places and step outside your comfort to discover true freedom and happiness in Him.
Just of few of my recent dreams.
So keep dreaming–and praying. God instilled that dream in your heart so keep discovering God, and He will respond in ways you can’t imagine.
Filed under: Ashley's Dublin Ditties
October 9, 2011
You are beautiful (if you are guy, than you are handsome! ), you are loved, you are beloved, you are cherished, you are treasured, you are wanted, you are gifted, you are amazing just the way you are, you are worth LIFE.
Don’t believe it? Read it again. And again. And again. Read it as many times at it takes to believe it.
This song isn’t a Christian song, but can be (excluding the second verse!). You are amazing just the way you are.
I have a hard time believing that a lot of times. I think to myself I could impact the world for Jesus so much more if only I had that wonderful voice, if I could speak like that preacher, if I could play that instrument, better at that, had more of this, had this gift over that, etc etc etc.
NO. God made you just the way you are for a reason. He gave you gifts, abilities, talents that that other person wishes they had! So stop complaining, find your gift, USE it, and see the blessings that come from it both for you and for others!
If you’re anything like me though, you have mountain tops than lows. You have places where you feel like you excel and then places where you feel like you fail. This is when you get up, dust yourself off, and keep pushing on. If you try one thing and it doesn’t work, don’t give up, move on to the next opportunity.
I’ve had to tell myself this daily over the past month since being home. Being in ministry 24/7 than coming home to hardly anything to fill my day is tough on my mind and I was very near letting satan win the fight. But I’m not giving up. I WILL find my place here and I will find a place to be used like I was in Ireland…here.
After all, this is where God has me now. He has a purpose for me here until I return to Ireland, so I best be looking for it! Serve, lead, give, donate, pray. All opportunities to get to know God more in this season of life. Post mission trip ‘blues’ are always rough, but it’s still a chance to grow and learn more about who God created you to be.
He takes You just the way you, He uses you just the way you are, He loves you just the way you are. So be who you are, and let others come to know your awesomeness as well, where ever you may be!
Filed under: Ashley's Dublin Ditties
September 27, 2011
I close my eyes with soft music playing in the background fairly late in the evening. I see myself on a hilltop surrounded on one side with green rolling hills, flowers that take your breath away, and on the other side, a vast ocean stretching out further than the eye can reach with waters bluer than the sky…and I can feel it. I can feel Jesus’ presence. I smile as I try to smell the fresh salty air and feel the cool breeze mess up my hair.
I then open my eyes to find myself in my room in Mooresville staring at the same four walls that have become so familiar. Back to reality.
It’s easy to see Jesus on those mountaintops isn’t it? When you are out there surrounded by nature, and all that God created, it’s easier to feel Him and hear Him. At least I think so.
I did this I don’t know how many times when I was in Ireland. Escaped to a mountaintop with green rolling hills, or took a train to a beach side quiet town just to get some of Jesus. In the midst of the mission life, the in your face, never a moments rest missionary life, those moments were precious.
Now I’m learning, or I guess relearning, something because I’ve heard it I don’t know how many times. But I was reminded of it tonight, so thought I would remind those who read this.
Those moments, those awe inspiring moments, aren’t meant just to happen on mountaintops. Jesus is there, right there with you, in your room, in your office, in your building, in your house, in your car, in those hard times when you get a phone call that may knock the wind out of you. He is there. In all those moments, He’s there with you, just as He is on those mountaintops. If you learn to look, He can rock your world (in a good way) more so in those hard times than when you are out there on a mountaintop. Looking back on my journey in Ireland, I realize how true that actually was…is.
So I pray give me Jesus…I give up the world, those mountaintops, that green, that blue, I want Him here, in my room, in the every day… Just give me Jesus.
Filed under: Ashley's Dublin Ditties
September 15, 2011
1 week. Lots can happen in a single week-7 days. All the way back to the creation of the Universe, a week can hold so much.
I’ve been back in the states for exactly that, a week. Honestly though, sometimes I feel like I never left, it’s just that surreal at times. It’s good to be back. I had this sign pictured above waiting on my bedroom door placed there by two of the most awesome friends I could ever ask for. I was welcomed with tears and laughter by my family, and I’ve spend time with other friends who I’ve missed so much.
BUT…
I’ve already been working at one job since Monday and have fallen back into the routine of life in Mooresville, NC. That’s what I was afraid of before I left Ireland, of falling back into a norm as if nothing had changed inside of me over the past four months on my mission.
I became a new person, with changes that I won’t willingly describe over a public blog site (but if you know me, contact me and I will most gladly retell in detail my summer!) But sometimes I feel like I slip into the Ashley I was before I went to Ireland and that terrifies me. I don’t want to go back there. I want to continue on my journey, I want to continue to grow, to learn, to change. I want to keep becoming the person God made me to be, more and more each day.
It was easy to do when I was challenged every day in Ireland to reach to Jesus to keep me going, but the complacency and ease of life here in the states makes it somehow harder to remember to reach to Jesus for EVERYTHING. Things are just easier. I have my family, my Christian friends, my job(s), my car, my nice comfortable house, everything easily at my fingertips.
I think that’s the danger of a lot of American Christians. Things are just too easy sometimes to remember to turn to Jesus for their EVERY need, knowing that He IS all we need. It’s easy to do when things go astray, but if life is going good, Christians (including myself) just live as if that sort of life is expected, than panic when things go wrong.
In Ireland, I had to rely on Jesus to keep me comfortable and warm in a field in Wicklow when I was sleeping in a tent on the ground in the freezing cold. I had to rely on Jesus to speak through me when I had to give talks to the kids and teens telling them how awesome Jesus is (and this is NOT my gift.) I had to rely on Jesus when I was in Dublin, most oftentimes alone, to fulfill the homesickness and silence that was sometimes deafening. I had to rely on Jesus when my funds were running low because I had no income. I had to rely on Jesus when I was unable to go to church to get my weekly ‘charge.’ I had to rely on Jesus when I was confronted with situations that were way over my head to give me the words to say actions to do. I had to rely on Jesus to be my family, friend, leader, provider, in EVERY sense. I HAD to rely on Jesus, because there was no other person or thing to turn to, and it was the most life changing, awesome experience of my life.
So when you change, keep the change. Don’t fall back, easy as it is to do. Keep relying on Him. Something I am still learning how to do, but the journey of learning to do that is amazing.
Filed under: Ashley's Dublin Ditties
September 10, 2011
So here I am sitting in my room in North Carolina, still very much jet lagged from my long journey home yesterday, going over the last four months of my life. (The norm I’m sure for any long term missionary returning home.)
My Dublin Ditties. Kinda sad that these posts are not going to be written from my flat in Ireland anymore, but that doesn’t mean the heart still isn’t there. So I feel no need to change the name of my blog site! 
Like I mentioned in my last blog post, the race isn’t over. Even though I am back home, and am beginning to settle into what’s known as the normal routine of life, I still won’t lose sight of what God is speaking to my heart. Yes I need to find His purpose for me here at home because that’s where He has me, but my heart is torn in two and the other half will ALWAYS be in Ireland with those people whom I love so much. I’ve made relationships there that in my heart will never die. They helped mold me into the person God wants me to be, and so for that I am eternally grateful to them.
The exciting thing about coming back though, is i’ve come home to essentially a whole new life. I have a few new jobs, I am trying out some new things I’m very much looking forward to, and am looking ahead to getting my own place with my sister.
I still have a lot to work through in my head with the transition back to ‘normal’ life, and a lot of praying to do to prepare my heart for the plans ahead, but I am looking forward to the adventure He has in store. I guess that’s the key to living contently. Finding His adventure for you in the everyday. So I’m looking ahead! Fighting for His cause with one hand and defending the enemy’s attacks with the other! So I say bring it on! I’m ready.
Filed under: Ashley's Dublin Ditties
September 6, 2011
Today is Tuesday, tomorrow is Wednesday and then it’s Thursday, September 8. It’s the day that throughout the summer I’ve dreaded some days and other days I wished would hurry up and get here.
My time in Dublin has nearly ended. That is a fact. But the race is not nearly finished. Some people would say that the finish line for me is in sight, just a few more days, but I counter that by saying, no I will never reach the finish line until God calls me home. Work is never done just because you are coming to another end of a chapter. I will go home, continue ministry, doing what God has called me to do, and God willing, I will be back in Dublin next year to continue what He has started in me here.
Lets face it, Dublin is now my home as well. My heart is torn in two. As hard as it is, as lonely as it can get without family and friends from back home, I love Ireland. I love the people, I love that field in Wicklow, I love seeing God work the toughest of situations. I love the fact that God is in fact my One and Only. I can call on Him to get through situations instead of calling my best friend or talking to my family. I’ve learned that He is all-sufficient. I need nothing but Him on this earth, and if I come to recognize that in everything, I can run the race as hard as I did when I first started on my Christian journey 9 years ago.
I grew this summer more that I can write in the blog post. I struggled, I cried, I was heartbroken, but I triumphed, I laughed, I became whole. I probably learned more than I taught these kids this summer. And you wonder why I love it here so much.
So as I say my goodbyes in Dublin, I make a promise that if it’s God’s will, I WILL be back. This isn’t my finish line, it’s just the beginning. So I will say goodbye for now my Ireland, I will be seeing you soon.
