Where do I even begin? To put words to something as absolutely overwhelming as this is almost impossible, and it just feels like throwing two words at it somehow cheapens it. Even more than thanking you, I need to show you. I need you to know what it is you’ve been a part of these last 7 months. I need to give you a glimpse into lives you’ve changed with your prayers, donations, and encouragements.
In India, you played soccer every afternoon with the neighborhood boys until you could barely see the ball on a “field” wrought with rocks and glass. You swapped stories with drug addicts as they invited you into their deepest shame. You walked the fatherless to school in the morning and taught them about their Heavenly Father at night.
In Nepal, you sanded, painted, and cleaned wall after concrete wall of a learning center that will transform a community by bringing hope and opportunity where there was none. You spent time in the slums going shack to shack communicating solely with laughs and hand motions, sharing all the love you could muster. You trekked to the highest point in Kathmandu to pray revival over the city and its residents, and reclaim that place, which had become an idol for fertility.
In Thailand, you scoured Bangkok to find those unsung heroes, who do what they do day after day for little to no thanks or recognition. You shared a meal with the families of hospital patients and petitioned the Lord to heal those awaiting treatments. You invited a new friend and everyone in the hostel to a thanksgiving dinner you pulled together last minute, complete with a whole duck and more than enough trimmings to share.
In Laos, you took to the local campuses inviting students to your english classes and before you realized into your life. You had a life changing conversation with a man whose trust you earned, surrounding the questions that can either grow a faith or destroy it. You spent the days leading up to Christmas focused solely on blessing your teammates, inadvertently teaching others how to love well as you learned that very lesson yourself.
In Cambodia, you came alongside some local missionaries who didn’t have the resources to meet the booming response for their new english classes. You set up a field day with relay races, water balloons, goodie bags, and face painting for the kids of orphanage stayed at. You provided a meal, a shower, some clothes, and lots of fun to some kids that are missing out on the childhood they deserve, forced instead to beg on the streets.
In Vietnam, you held baby after baby, babies with cleft pallets, babies with special needs, and babies who will grow up in a world that has all but thrown them out with the trash. You learned that language isn’t confined to words as you signed to the deaf, some of whom had never even known their own name until now. You laughed until you cried while you painted nails, massaged overworked limbs, and listened to a lifetime of stories from the ladies at the local elderly care home.
You’ve shared smiles with strangers, prayed with pastors, and watched countless wanderers come home. You’ve feed the hungry, clothed the naked, and healed the sick.
And then there’s me. The one life I can assure you you’ve changed forever is my own. You have given me an opportunity to begin a journey that I can never repay you for, and that’s the beauty of God’s design. It’s exactly what His love looks like. Through your generosity and support, you’ve been a picture of God’s love to me, to Asia, and beyond. Thank you.
If you’re reading and you haven’t been a part of this journey, consider this your invitation. If the words above sound like the kind of thing you’d like get involved in please prayerfully consider joining us. Currently, I’ve raised $14,254 out of $16,255, which is absolutely astonishing to me. However, at 15 days past my final deadline I am in danger of being sent home if I don’t raise the final $2,001 by March 31st. There are still four more months of this race, brimming with opportunities to meet people, touch lives, and spread love. (To donate, click the “Support Me!” tab at the top of the page.)
If you have supported me in any way, I would just like to thank you again. Because of you, I look forward to everything the next four months will hold.
~Ash
