When I was a little girl, my imagination was even larger then it is now. I would dream of far distant lands, make up conversations that I would have with people that were far different then myself and think of the day that my home was a distant memory and those far distant lands would be my home. In 5th grade, I went to summer camp. By the way, the only way I was able to go to that summer camp was because someone helped sponsor us to go. Back in that day (YES BECAUSE I AM ANCIENT) camp cost under $75 and yet it was a huge stretch that someone would help my sister, my brother and myself to go. At camp my life was changed. “Aunt Jennie” told stories from the Bible that came alive with art work and black lights. I remember a missionary coming one night and unraveling a snake the length of the stage and my imagination once again roared and took me to the places that weren’t yet reality.
At that very same camp towards the end of each service there was a time you could pray. As a child my heart was opened I would sit quietly listening to Jesus and remember weeping as I heard Him speaking to my heart. It was during those times that I knew that God wasn’t just placing these desires in my heart so that I could imagine, but so that the things He had placed in my heart, would materialize and BE.
That moment of saturated time with Jesus guided my decisions into adult hood. It was because of those moments in childhood that became foundational to the “WHY” of the decisions and steps I took. I went on missions trip every chance I could take in high school; Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Bonaire & Barbados. I soaked it up. While on those trips God began to show me that He had shaped me to work with Children. Even though I had been volunteering in the children’s ministry It was an “AH HA” moment that solidified the natural gifting that God had placed in me.
At home I planted in what He had gifted me in. I started pouring my life into loving families through doing #KIDMIN. I started mastering the gift He had organically placed in me. I loved every moment and learned step by step through people God placed in my life and through daily devoted learning to mastering the art of Children’s ministry.
I didn’t forget the dream that was still alive and real. Although it was placed on a shelf it was not forgotten and every step of the journey was still directing to those real memories of the first moments that God directly had spoken to me. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t the last and only time I spent those times with God, in fact it was because of my relationship with God daily deepening that my God story piece by piece, chapter by chapter was still unfolding.
I had the opportunity to go and work with an amazing couple who had translated children’s curriculum into the Armenian language. I traveled to Armenia and we worked with around 70 people who had children’s ministry in their heart how to effectively use the curriculum. We each had teams where we took one lesson and took our teams out to do the lessons at predetermined places. Those places packed with children (my team did their first lesson to 350 kids!) heard about Jesus and how much He loved them. God in those moments stretched my perspective and stretched those very things He shaped my life for.
I went to Bangladesh and was able to do a kids camp. There as we heard the muslim reminders to pray outside the walls of the camp the kids and youth inside were praising Jesus. They were hearing from God and their lives were being molded. I saw people lined on the streets like what I pictured in the Bible, mangled and broken. God spoke to me in those moments about the people of the world that no one else see’s beauty in. God spoke to me about the least of these and meshed my heart to His heart beat for these people.
Two years ago I went to Tanzania with my most favorite missionaries ever. I was able to visit people in their humble homes and eat meals with them, to share life. I played with the kids at the school and loved on children who went home to a world my western mind could not understand. There God spoke to me that relationally loving people transcends language. People feel love especially when He is at the center.
Through all these experiences God has been reminding me of our original dialogue. When he first breathed the very dream of these far distant lands and the people that inhabited them. The dream had been put on the shelf and I would glance daily and ask God, IS IT TIME YET?
This week I’ll be leaving for training camp. Its becoming more real. That once sitting on the shelf dream from when I was a small girl and that God has been working out for the last twenty years is about to take the next step. Those far distant lands and those far distant people who need to hear about the love of Jesus and that my life has been shaped for our very encounters is about to happen. My heart is about to burst! I know that this isn’t the end of the journey, but another step that has been placed to take me to the deeper places that God has for my life. That my life may be a vessel used for His kingdom. That my life would be a story board of His life changing power. That my life would be His hands extended to a world that is hurting, broken and in need.
My friend Hosanna says this:
When I am here asking,
“WHERE’S THE RIGHT PLACE TO BE?”
He answers simply,
“Where you are seeking me.”
What are the dreams that God has placed in your heart that He is working out in you?
How can your life be a story board for His kingdom?
How will you seek Him today?
<3
Ash
#TEAMASH
