Hello everyone!! I hope this update finds you well, wherever you are! We have officially wrapped up month four along with a five day debrief in Nelspruit, South Africa.
Month 4 of the World Race was another fantastic month. My team was in Mokhotlong, Lesotho with two other teams on my squad. We served with Harvesters Bible Church and lived in the mission house about a mile away from the church. We had rooms with bunk beds, and I was in a room with my teammates Paige and Sharon and Farrah, from team Tercules. The rest of my team was spread out across two other rooms. We had authentic African style food cooked for us, and our kitchen crew was terrific.
The weather in Mokhotlong was up and down, but it was a nice change of pace from the heat in Asia. At night it would be cool and was nice sleeping weather. During the day it got hot, and because of the high elevation, we felt the sun.
Our ministry this month was all over, but I didn’t mind it. Every weekday morning, we sent one person from every team to the hospital to pray, share a testimony and give a short message. We spent some mornings gardening and pulling weeds, spent a few days cleaning the church because of the dust that would quickly accumulate, and also spent a few afternoons praying at the hospital and providing a soup kitchen for people affected with HIV/AIDS.
We also had a Beauty for Ashes (B4A) women’s event the week before we left. B4A is a women’s ministry that uses community, creativity, and conversation to bring healing. We started the event with worship and dancing. After that my squad mate and Beauty for Ashes coordinator, Macy got up to give an overview for the night. We continued with testimonies, the story of the women at the well, more worship, and small group conversations. The women in my group shared stories of infidelity in relationships, pressure from family and other stories that reminded me people all over the world struggle with very similar things. It was a beautiful night, and I believe it brought redemption and healing to the women who showed up. The Lord has placed it on my heart to do a Beauty for Ashes event in America with my family and friends.
On Saturdays, for adventure days I spent most of my time at the mission house to save money but also to be more intentional about resting. January was our last month as team Tigress, so we did spend one day traveling up to Sani Pass Pub which is the highest pub in Southern Africa. It’s located on the border of Lesotho and South Africa. Even though the roads were twisty and turning and made my stomach a little queasy, I would recommend going there if you ever found yourself in South Africa.
Sundays were our Sabbath day as usual, but in the morning, we were assigned a church to go to and always shared a testimony and gave a message.
After our month of ministry wrapped up in Mokhotlong, we traveled 6 hours by 15 passenger vans back to the Capital of Lesotho, Maseru. We spent one night there and met up with the rest of our squad. We spent a few more hours on a bus and traveled up to Nelspruit, South Africa for debrief. We spent five days and six nights at a hostel as a squad. Our coaches Mike and Charlene Benson and our squad mentor, Amy flew down to meet us.
We spent the week resting, worshipping and learning through teachings. My favorite lesson of the week was when my mentor talked about the Beatitudes. She spoke about them differently and gave examples of how one specific beatitude lined up with a story or parable in scripture. For instance, in Matthew 5:4 it says “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” When Amy, asked God what he wanted to say about that verse he brought to mind 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 and gave her this word: Never rob yourself from the God of all comfort by repressing your grief. It’s okay to grieve because we know we’ll meet the God of all comfort on the other side of our grief.
I hope that is an encouragement for some of you today. Hmmm… maybe I’ll write a blog post more about that.
Thank you for reading another lengthy email! Please let me know how I can be praying for you, or if you have any questions at all! I can’t promise I can respond to your email in an appropriate time, but I always appreciate the responses!
Praise Reports!
– Through our work of evangelism this month we got to witness multiple salvations!
– During debrief, our squad went on a safari to Kruger national park. It was a dream come true!
Prayer Requests!
– At debrief, we received our new team! I will soon be posting a blog about them, but in the meantime, please pray for intentionality and a safe space.
– At the end of this month, Marissa, one of the alumni squad leaders will be going home (alumni squad leaders have a 5-month commitment) please pray for her transition back.
Love, Ashley
