Helloooooo from the Philippines!
I want to give you guys a quick run down of what God did in my life this past week as we wrapped up our last few days of ministry.
The organization I am with, aim, has a program called “Beauty for ashes”. It is a program that enables women to come together and see their value and worth in the Lord. Each squad has women representatives that put on conferences in every country for the communities we get to do life with.
At training camp I decided to attend the break out session to learn more about what beauty for ashes is about. After I attended, I folded up the piece of paper and quickly forgot what it was about.
We have a few girls on our team who come together and put on these amazing conferences and sessions every month. I have gone to a couple.
Every time I go, I find myself squirming and wanting to leave early.
Why? Vulnerability, not my thing, as I’m sure you’ve picked up reading my other stories. It’s a process I’m working on. These sessions are just so good and so deep that I know I’m only running away from God when I leave the sessions early.
Then this week happened.
Beauty for ashes put on break out sessions for the young ladies at the college we did the 3 day event for. Grades 6th through college came in and out daily, 4 times a day. The first day I led a group of college girls into the session and had plans on just listening. Yeah.. that didn’t happen. I sat in their small group and listened to each of their stories.
Stories of abandonment, shame, abuse, depression. As I listened, my passion of hearing young girls stories came back to me. I just wanted to tell them how loved they were.
As the next day of the conference came, I knew god was tugging on my heart strings to sit in the small groups that day too. I did. My world was shaken once again. There was no running away or squirming this time. Every struggle these girls were saying, flashed me right back to when I was their age and God began speaking to me in ways I was able to encourage them.
God began to use me to speak truth and value into their lives. It was one of the most beautiful things I witnessed. Then it clicked! LIGHTBULB!! Training camp popped into my head and I remembered I had went to the session for the beauty for ashes program.
All of that to say God literally knows what he’s doing in my life, so much that I can’t even keep up anymore! So I put the two pieces together, me attending back in August for more information on this program, and God using me this week in each small group to reveal truth, and came to the conclusion that “hey maybe I’m supposed to help out with beauty for ashes”
God really?? You want me to help out with being vulnerable and helping girls find their worth and freedom in you as I’m currently trying to do the same?! Alright.. I’m in!
Y’all, Jesus is so so good it’s wild! This week brought so much joy to my life that I can’t contain it.
Isaiah 61:3 “…to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes”
In other news, today is travel day to month 4 debrief! I can’t believe our time in Asia is over and in a week we will be headed to Africa!
After raising money for a little over a year now for this trip, I am almost fully funded thanks to all of you! I have a deadline January 31st, 8 days away, if you would like to support my journey, click the donate button up above
-God bless, Brooke
