This past Summer, I met Ashley. And it was evident God had ordained our divine meeting.
Let me tell you the story:
When Ashley saw my name for the first time on the Facebook page for L-Squad–seeing that we would be both on the same squad traveling around the world for a year–she immediately wanted to change routes. However, God told her to stay… and to trust Him.
I was good friends with a girl that had been a part of a hard trial in Ashley’s past. I wasn’t heavily involved but Ashley knew my name associated with the trial. When I said yes to the World Race, I didn’t recognize Ashley’s name on Facebook. However, our mutual friend that was the link to us called me and told me that Ashley was on my World Race Route. I was in shock! What are the odds??
Fast forward a bit, after graduation from College of Charleston– I wanted to leave Charleston and move back in with my parents to save money and work until I left in September for my adventure. I quit my job and left everything in Charleston, trusting that God would provide me a job for the summer in Greenville.
Of course, He did. A job fell into my lap and I began to work as a server for a clubhouse up in the mountains. One week before I was to return home to start the job, I received a phone call from the friend that is the link between Ashley and myself. She told me that she had ran into Ashley randomly in Greenville. Since they both new that I was going on the WR with Ashley, they talked about me. It came up that I had an interview for a job. Ashley asked which one… And her mouth fell open when she heard. She had just gotten the EXACT SAME JOB.
So Ashley and I met at orientation for our new job as servers. We were in awe of how God was colliding our lives and we wondered why.
So you might be thinking why in the world am I telling you this story when I’m sitting in the middle of Vietnam right now.
Well, God had a plan for Ashley and I. We began a beautiful, unexpected friendship. Ashley wanted to flee when she saw my name because it reminded her of the difficult sufferings of her past. However, Jesus’ love is stronger and we began a huge appreciation for each other and we watched as God healed the past and gave us a future. Ashley even lived with me for a month before going on the Race.
The week before we left on our adventure together, Ashley bought each of us bracelets that had “Love” sketched in wood. It represented so much for us. It reminded us of our love for each other but most importantly of the love that God has for us… That we go, work, and do FROM His smile, not FOR it.
I am here in Danang, Vietnam. We are working with OrphanVoice, loving and caring for the children without parents or homes. Some days, we will visit orphanages all over the city or countryside. We get to hold 20 orphan babies or play soccer with orphaned children. We paint to bring beauty to dirty, old walls. And we even get to teach some of the kids how to brush their teeth or what it means to be a “Good Samaritan.” My life in Vietnam is learning how to LOVE these children and to LOVE my teammates and most importantly to LOVE Jesus.
Getting the chance to love little baby orphans!!! Yes the one in the yellow is passed out asleep.
Our very first day of ministry, we visited a special needs school in the middle of the countryside. There I fell in love with a little 3 year old girl named Tope. She looked as if she was 1 and 1/2. Tope was missing a lung and her heart was on the wrong side of her body. The translator told me that her mom and the special needs center were just waiting for her death.
I sat down with her and her mother and Tope broke my heart by giving me the biggest smile in the world. She reached for my hand but I realized what she wanted was the little bracelet wrapped around my wrist. It had a wooden piece with the word “Love” written on it.
I took it off and placed it in her hands. Immediately, I began to tear up. Because that bracelet represented so much for me. And now, it meant even more. Jesus loved this little girl so much that He had to send me, a messed up 22 year old, all the way from Greenville, South Carolina to meet this little precious angel in the middle of the poor countryside of Vietnam. Just like with Ashley, my life and Tope’s life was a divine meeting. He wanted to take the Love that He marked out for me and now He wanted to give it to her. He wanted to heal her past and give her a future.
Topes mom put the bracelet on her. Jesus marked her with his love. He once again brought good out of the bad. He adored her and wanted to call her His.
This is my God. A God who doesn’t forget the forgotten. A God that loved first. Not second.
He marked me so I now can go and give others His mark, not because of me but because of Him.
This is Tope and her beautiful smile.
