Slimy yet satisfying!!

Hello my friends,

sorry its been so long since I've updated. I have been busy but at the same time not. If that makes any sense. For the past month all I have been doing is going to Discipleship training class. It has been pretty interesting topics like the fear of God, meditation, the battle of the mind, the character of God, etc.. you get the picture. Although it does get tiring after 5 million hours of class!! LOL j/k. Its more like 4 and a half hours. :) Then you have to add the 2 hours of work duties we do every other day. We get to do fun things like mopping, pulling weeds, cleaning toilets, you know the works. Oh, and I forgot the scheduling of washing up after the meals and making the meals that we are scheduled several times a week. Sorry this sounds like I'm having a terrible time but really its quite the opposite. I've have a couple of tough weeks but now I'm really starting to enjoy everything. I'm really having fun with all the DTS members and staff. They are the greatest!! Oh and I can't forget the bug story. So the other day I ate several mouthfuls of bugs. yeah so I guess white flying ants are a delicasy. That was fun crunching live bugs in my mouth. They really didn't taste that bad. Anyways, gotta go. my battery is about to die. Ahhhh!! don't want to lose this long email. so bye!!

I'm in Africa!!

Hey everybody,

I’m writing here from Uganda, Africa. Things are going well so far. I made it through my first two weeks here. I’ve made some friends also. There are 10 people here on my DTS team including me. There is one other American named Emily, one girl from England named Rachel, one guy from Ireland named Scott, three women from Uganda named Margaret, Prossy, and Juliet, and three men from Uganda named Dick, Mark, and Isa. I’m becoming close friends with Emily, Rachel, and Scott but also the natives and staff members. The food here is not too good. We mostly have overcooked spaghetti, pasha (a mix of flour and water), chipote( something like tortillas but a different taste), and sometimes potatoes. We usually have one of these with either beans or some kind of greens. Right now I really miss warm showers, real toilets, and washing machines!! I got a taste of washing clothes by hand the other day and yeah I’m gonna be so grateful for washing machines when I get back. The toilets are interesting also. I’m getting pretty good at squatting. I’m a little homesick right now but it helps to have a fellow American in my dorm room. Keep up the prayers and I’ll do the same for you. I’m missing all my family and friends so much!! I’ll try updating once a week or so if I had time. I’ve still got so much to tell. Bye for now.

Ashley

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Hey friends!!

Its been such a long time since I posted on this but I decided I wanted to start again cause I'll be away from home for awhile. Yep, tomorrow I'm leaving for Uganda (Uganda's in Africa for those who aren't up to date with their geography). I'll be gone for six whole months!! Yeah I know, I can't believe it myself. It almost seems unreal. I won't get back until the end of January. I'll try updating every week or so to let all of you know how things are going. Hopefully I'll have some time to get online every once in awhile. I'm really nervous right now about leaving so PLEASE pray that everything will go smoothly and I'll get their without any troubles. This is my first international trip by myself so you can understand my jitters. I will miss all of you but I'll still be able to email once in awhile to keep in touch. Alright I better get to bed to get some rest. Prayers please!!! Bye for awhile but not forever!!

Ashley

I guess I should update since its been a million years since I have. Spring break is next week. YEAH!!! Not that I'm doing anything exciting but still its a break from school. More time for me to procrastinate on starting on my paper. :) Anyways, nothing new in my life so there is nothing really to write about. My dad, mom, brother, and sister are going to be going to Argentina next week so its gonna be pretty quiet around the house. I look forward to being alone sometimes but after awhile it gets really old. Does anyone ever feel like there life is just goin around in circles and never getting anywhere? yah thats how i feel sometimes. I just feel like I'm not making a difference in this world and I don't really know what my purpose is. I want to wake up every morning and feel excited to be alive not dreading it. I read that verse that Paul wrote that says rejoice in trials because they help us grow, or something close to that. I realize that I find that really hard to do. I've heard that verse all my life but its alot harder to do when it actually happens to you. Its something I need to work on everyday. Its a work a in progress.

Currently Listening Arriving By Chris Tomlin How Great is Our God see related

The other day I read this really interesting verse in my devotions.

Isaiah 57:1-2 "The righteous perish and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace, they find rest as they lie in death."

That verse just really hit me although I've probably read it several times. I've been struggling with questioning why God had to take away the Rehrers. God seemed to be showing me that he took them away for a reason. He took them from this earth so they wouldn't have to experience all the evil and troubles of this world. I know that Amy had enough problems in her short life than many do in their lifetime and I'm glad she doesn't have to deal with them anymore. I guess it gives me comfort knowing that they are free from sin and pain. For so long I felt that their lives were cut off too soon before their time. I still miss Amy so much and there will always be apart of me that is missing, but finallyI feel at peace about the situation.

"God heals the broken in heart and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147: 3