Month one is over!! So much has happened this month, in ministry, our team, and personal relationships with the Lord. I think it is always important to reflect on what the Lord is accomplishing around me, so I thought I would let y’all in on some things I was given the opportunity to see the Lord accomplishing around me this month.
Each morning, a squamate of mine (Macky), and I would teach English to some kiddos between the ages of 9-13. One of my sweet students would come early every day and bring us a piece of candy to eat together for breakfast (we’re not supposed to have favorites, but how could I not??). We played Uno, Go Fish, Eye Spy, and learned lots of vocabulary words! One of the last days, we had a community service day with the kiddos where we all went out and picked up trash together. I LOVE picking up trash and LOVE my students, so this day was easily one of my favorites. It was fun to get to know them outside of the classroom and have them tell us more about their city as we walked around.
Our afternoons looked different each day. Some days some of us went on prayer walks and met people in town. Some days I spent one on one time with my teammates. It has been such a sweet blessing from the Lord to get to know my team so well. He has highlighted similarities in some of our stories and given us a chance to give Him the glory in our lives, and He has also allowed me to learn and grow through many differences we also have. I love each gal on my team so much and I am so thankful we get to share in what God is doing together. Some afternoons were filled with different activities the church had planned for us- we got to take down an old ger ( the round tent homes ), volunteer at a coffee shop in town, and pray over the new church land. The Jesus Assembly church has a new plot of land that they are looking to build a new church that would be on the opposite side of town as their current church is. Jesus Assembly has huge plans for the future and it is so exciting to see how the Lord is already using them in Erdenet to expand His Kingdom! Please be praying for them to be provided with the resources needed to plant this new church ground in order to grow the world the Lord has for them! I pray this land becomes a place where people fall madly in love with Jesus.
In the evenings, we taught English to adults. They are each at different levels and desiring to learn English for different reasons, so each day was something new! We taught business terms (by ‘we’, I mean my more educated teammates), words to help them if they desire to study abroad, played a lot of games, and truly built some really fun relationships in these classes. These friends invited us on a hike after class one day and we got to watch the sunset, eat ice cream, and dance around the fountain downtown together. One guy took us to try some fermented horse milk after class (I do not recommend). We celebrated the 16th birthday of another friend with cake and games!! Through all of these, we could see their heart to include us in their lives and culture with such kind hospitality. Evening class was always so fun and I loved seeing the relationships that can come out of simply teaching English.
Through teaching these English classes, a lot of funds were brought into the Jesus Assembly church. They were able to pay their staff salaries they had been missing for a couple months now, buy new supplies for the church, and put some of the funds towards the new church grounds. He is at work and accomplishing BIG things, y’all!!! It was easy to feel as if we were not doing enough when we were teaching English, but I know the Lord is doing HUGE things behind the scenes. It is so clear that our role was to bridge a gap, bring new people into the church’s coffee shop for class so that they may stay connected to the people in Erdenet that the Lord is using long term.
After three weeks of teaching English, we headed to the capital for five days of debrief. Debrief was a time of resting, worshipping with our whole squad, and reflecting on all that has been done. God is teaching each of us so much, so it was a very refreshing week to hear from other friends all He is walking us through. God was so good to show me incredible things He is doing in our team! He has answered so many prayers and grown us into sweet unity.
God is doing big things here, and I am confident He is doing just as big things in each of your lives as well! I love reflecting on what God is doing around me, and I would love to hear what He is accomplishing around you also!!! No matter where we are, He is alive and moving.
Drop a comment about what God has been up to around you this past month, He is super great!!!!!
Thank you to everyone who has supported me, it means the world. If you have donated, reached out, or prayed- thank you endlessly!! I am always overwhelmed with gratitude at the support I have received.
Tomorrow, my team and I are headed to China. The Lord’s hand was so present during our whole visa application process, so I am confident that He has big things in store for this upcoming month. Please pray for our travels and ministry opportunities this next month!
Blessings,
Ashton Paige
