usa bound

by admin on June 14, 2011 in Uncategorized with 2,324 Comments

Today we got back from our safari.  Let me just say that we are all glad to be back at Brackenhurst.  We were in our mutatus for 10 hours and it was a very bumpy ride.  We did enjoy seeing all the beautiful animals and scenery.  Pictures do not give it justice but you will hopefully be seeing some soon!

We check out of Brackenhurst in the morning and get to spend the day shopping around and just soaking up the city before we leave.  Some are ready to come and some want to stay.  It’s that bittersweet moment at the end of every trip anyone takes.

I hope to post pictures when I return home and I hope you have enjoyed reading the posts of our journey.  We really appreciate all the support everyone has given us.  We seriously could not have done what God has called us to do with out you.

WE WILL SEE YOU IN THE STATES!!

safari

by admin on June 13, 2011 in Uncategorized with 2,190 Comments

Today we are going to the safari. We had a great last day yesterday going to the last schools and visiting some churches. I will give a full update once we get back from the safari.

Love you guys!!

Bwana asifiwe!

by admin on June 11, 2011 in Uncategorized with 1,862 Comments

Me, “Praise God!”

You, “AMEN!”

Me, “Praise God again!”

You, “AMEN!!”

“Praise God. My name is Ashley.  I am born again and I have a testimony.”

That is how every meeting starts off.  The student who starts the meeting will say this.  What boldness.  I remember the first time I heard this on Sunday and I was in awe and shock.  I questioned, “Why don’t we start off this way in the States?”  In my opinion, they put us to shame in the way they start their services.  One thing we have encountered is that these kids know the Word but they do not know the relationship.  That has been one of our biggest prayers within the team.  I’m not sure if I have put that on here for a prayer request but add it, please.

I apologize that I did not post an update last night.  Most of our team did not get in until 9 or 10pm.  One of our teams did not return until around 11:30pm.  It was our busiest and longest day.  We went to 25 schools.  Some of the schools were 3 hours away.  We all spent a large part of our day in the matatu (van).  We did have a successful day.  Lives were saved. Bwana Asifiwe (Praise the Lord).

Today we had the rally.  Every school that we visited were invited to the rally but not all could come due to transportation and lack of finances.  We had a great time today.  We got to visit with the students and see them show their talents.  We also danced with the students.  There is video of this and me dancing.  I can’t wait to see it, personally.

We had a great meeting tonight.  We had some breakthrough in our team and we are all growing in our personal walk with the Lord.

One thing that impacted me yesterday was when I was at my second school.  One of the girls on my team, Courtney, gave a great word from the Lord.  She spoke out of Jeremiah, on the Potter’s House.  She spoke on how God is the potter and is molding us into perfection as we grow with Him.  We have kept saying that we have been stretched on this trip.  The work we do here is intense and spiritually draining.  Well, as she was speaking, I just kept thinking that the Lord is molding us into either something new or refining us into what we already are.  He is perfecting us into what He sees and into what He wants us to be.  He is the Potter, we are the clay.  We are His vessel and being willing and obedient, we are molded into something good.  That passage has really stuck with me all day today.

Other news, five of our team leaders left today to head back to the States.  Please keep them in your prayers for safe travels.  They are Scott Hogg, Rob Nance, Robert Needham, David Wray Jr., and Cary Miller.  We already miss them!  Also, pray for physical health.  Even though our work is almost done here, we still have people getting sick.  Greg Sizemore has felt sick all day.  We have one more day tomorrow to go out to the schools.  We want to end this week out strong.  Pray for grace, mercy, strength, wisdom, discernment, and humility.

We all love you and can’t wait to share our personal stories with each of you.  I hope you have a great rest of the day and that the Lord blesses you!

Thanks for all of your prayers.  We could not do His work without them.

-Ashley

halfway through.

by admin on June 9, 2011 in Uncategorized with 1,978 Comments

So we are halfway through our trip.  It’s been an incredible trip.  I can not believe that it will be over soon!

We have officially been to over 100 schools since Sunday.  It’s crazy!  The Lord has been moving like crazy here.

One testimony that was shared at our team meeting was from one of the Healing Place guys, Chrispy (Christopher).  He shared with us about him and another HP boy, Alex, were playing soccer with some kids while waiting to pick up another team.  He told us that he was talking to one particular boy who is seventeen years old.  He had dropped out of school at the age of fourteen due to addictions and lived with his sister.  She left him and went to the US because of his addictions.  He has been trying to get back into school for the last three years but has been able to get in.  His sister’s house is right in front of the school.  So, Chrispy was able to connect with this guy due to his own testimony.  He was able to lead him to the Lord along with six of his friends.  It was definitely a divine appointment!

After we shared a couple of testimonies, we had a night of worship and refreshing.  We had the Kenyan team worship with us as well.  It was a great night and we just united as one.  We had a time to pray for those who needed prayer for strength and etc.  We also got to pray over the Kenyan team.  They have done so much for us.  They are so helpful when we need it in general and they give so much to help us in the schools.

Please pray for us tomorrow.  Tomorrow is our busiest day.  I believe we are going to over 20 schools and some teams are going to 3 schools.  We need strength!  Also, we have had a few people get sick while we are here.  First was Wendy (she is better but voice is still weak), Rebecca, and now Christian.  Rebecca and Christian are both from Healing Place (Louisiana).  Please pray for healing!!  We need everyone to be well.

Miscellaneous updates: Pastor Mark got his luggage yesterday and Scott Hogg showed off some of his dance moves last night :D

Love you all!

God’s children

by admin on June 8, 2011 in Uncategorized with 5,936 Comments

Here are some pictures!  Finally!

This is the school that our team encountered the demon manifestations. (6/5/11)

Kihara Secondary School (6/6/11)

This is a pile of trash.  It is very common for them to have a pile of any size and then after so many days they will burn it.  It’s a lovely smell. (joking)

Karen Academy. It’s a primary school: Kindergarten-8th grade. (6/7/11)

Go. Make disciples of all Nations.

by admin on June 8, 2011 in Uncategorized with 1,891 Comments

Today we went to 20 schools.  We had a great day overall.  The Lord has continued to use us to add souls to His Kingdom.  Some had an early start today and the rest took the afternoon meetings. 

The Lord is really moving here in Kenya.  I have realized that He is really moving in our teams’ hearts.  We are all changing gradually throughout this trip.  He is building us up as we do His Will.  We had so many great testimonies shared tonight in our meeting.  We did get an update on the team that went to the Muslim School today (Scott, P Mark, & Brad).  They had a great service and 24 boys gave their lives to Christ!  We had many more students get saved today.  The angels are partying it up right now; I’m sure of it!

Personally, the Lord is changing me by making me get out of my comfort zone.  He is so sneaky about that and yet intentional that I do this.  He is making me more bold about my faith and for what I believe in.  Being with a great team is very encouraging. 

Please continue to pray for us.  We are still facing resistance in the Secondary Schools but it only takes one person to be bold and to say “yes” to the Lord.  Pray that God’s words will flow out of our mouths, strength, compassion, mercy, grace, and wisdom. 

The verses below was brought up tonight.  Pray for favor over us so that we can be the ones to help call out the disciples in Kenya.  Then pray that the ones who are called out to be discipled by their spiritual leaders and by the Holy Spirit.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.“   – Matthew 28:19-20

Much love!

-Ashley

Satanic Pademic

by admin on June 8, 2011 in Uncategorized with 2,060 Comments

This is a poem that a teacher wrote from Karen Academy.  He teaches Class 8 (8th grade).  His class performed this for my team yesterday (June 7,2011).  The teacher’s name is Tr.Omondi.

I am in deep sorrows, telling you about the virus,

That have just errupted, corrupted, disrupted

And has left our nation busted.

Take cover my friend

The magma might fall on your head

And might leave you dead.

For once you are infected,

You get rejected, dejected and not respected.

But who is to blame for this disaster?

Is it the master, the buster, the gangster or the pastor?

But the truth will always stand

That you are the oppressor, compressor, depressor, and professor of your own life.

Not forgetting the lawyer and destroyer of your own morals.

There goes Mr. Mutinda, he calls himself a church leader

And when he see Mrs. Linda

He quickly forgets he ever haves a wife called Rita,

A daughter called Mama Sita Binti Sinyorita

And a son called Simon Peter.

What is wrong with you brethren?

Have you turned the house of God into a place of social gathering?

Shame on you if that is what you call Christianity.

But remember God is not mocked

For whatever a man will sow then he shall reap.

For the wages of sin is death

And the gift of God is life eternal.

When will you ever discover or uncover

What it really means to be a true lover?

The devil will use your mind as bait

And you will die of AIDS.

But a man or a woman of good character trait

Knows that true love waits.

I went to a burial ceremony of my friend Jack

Where people said he died of a heart attack.

After a chameleon fell on his back

Forgive me if I made a bad remark

But our friend fornicated in the dark.

Deep in my mind

There is great meditation and lamentation

About who will build our nation

If our young generation dies in moral contamination

We have to unite to fight this deadly killer

That has left our mind and hearts in a thriller.

Praise the Lord Forever

by admin on June 7, 2011 in Uncategorized with 1,808 Comments

Today was great!  We went to 19 schools today.  One of those schools was not even on our list!  Apparently, there are schools with the same name. :)   However, the team that went to the wrong school was welcomed with open arms and was able to speak there.  Many souls were saved today!  Praise the Lord!  The Lord has been gracious towards us.  He has warned us about certain schools for the day and have confirmed words within each team.

This country is being blessed by the Lord and the Lord is blessing us!  What a great cycle we are going through.  He is taking our fear away by making us confront our fears.  The Lord is our rock and His joy is giving us strength. He has been showing us to take value in the one student that waits to the end to be prayed for or isn’t able to come to us until the end.  It’s all about the one soul who is wanting and the one who is willing to obey.  The Lord is compassionate.  We must be as well if we want to be used.

Pastor Mark Schrade finally made it here to Kenya!  He made it safely but his luggage did not make it with him.  Please pray that it will come in tomorrow.

Please continue to pray for us.  Tomorrow, Scott Hogg, Mark Schrade, and Brandon (from LA) are going to a Muslim School.  They are definitely going to be encountering some warfare.  Pray for protection for the three of them.  Pray for strength once again for the rest of us.  Pray for the hearts of these children to be softened so that they will be receptive.  We have dealt with resistance from the students, especially in the high schools.

Love you guys!

Masalkheri!!

by admin on June 7, 2011 in Uncategorized with 2,485 Comments

Masalkheri!  That means “Good Evening!”

Today our teams went to 22 schools, 10-12,000 students.  I have not been able to hear all the stories but we did have some testimonies shared at our team meeting tonight.  Those who shared stated that the Lord moved and lives were saved today.  Praise the Lord!  We know that the Lord is using in ways that we do not know.

Tonight, we had a team meeting and shared communion with everyone.  It was a humbling experience to see everyone on our team fall on our face before the Lord.  Crying out for our own souls and the souls of this nation.  We were all refreshed in His presence.  The Lord is good.  I, personally, am refreshed and so honored to be here to do the Lord’s will.

One thing we encounter here with the students are their studies.  They all want to do well in school so they can have a successful life.  It is more vital for the female students.  If they do not do well, then they will never be able to leave Kenya.  Please pray for them and for their studies.  They all have dreams like every other student in the world.  We are only blessed to have the freedom to decide if we want to have a successful career or to slack off in our life.  These kids are wonderful and want more for their life.

One thing I have been praying for is that the students will know that they are accepted by the Lord.  I was praying for some boys yesterday and just felt that these do not realize they are accepted by the Jesus Christ and that they belong to the Lord (Romans 14:8).

Please continue to pray for strength, favor, grace, and that the love of the Lord will be shown in this land.  Also, pray that we continue to humble ourselves that God’s glory will be known.

-Ashley

 

continuation of day 1

by admin on June 6, 2011 in Uncategorized with 1,996 Comments

Good Morning!

I received a little more information about one school, in particular, after I posted last night.  I’m a little short on all of the details but one of our groups was at a school for about five hours yesterday.  After they finished speaking, they had an altar call.  It took a few minutes for the students to come to receive prayer.  As they were coming some of the students started manifesting demons in their bodies.  The team started to pray for them and those who just wanted general prayer.  I believe it was six or seven girls who had demons in them and it took a couple of hours for all of them to be delivered.  Our team prayed over them and some of the students were reading Psalm 91 aloud over them.  They were all delivered and set free from the demons!  Praise the Lord!

Also, here is an email Linda Myers sent to all of us and I would like to share it with everyone:

Today (June 5)  in the service there was a word in the Holy Spirit given out.
Pastor Schrade interpreted (as best I can remember)
I am with you to deliver you.
I have shed my blood for you
I have given my life for you.
What more can I do to show you that I am with you.
As Pastor was talking, I could see mighty warring angels lined up on all sides
of the Kenyan group – like bright shining soldiers marching in stride – protecting
the Kenyan group.  (Kind of like in the Song of Solomon – the large contingingency of people that were accompanying Solomon.)
In the service I could sense Jesus riding on a white horse -
heavy intense worship, weighty atmosphere of God.
Lord, I pray Psalm 91 over our group.
Keep praying Psalm 91!  Also, if you have any other verses you have been praying for us, please post them as comments on here so others can be in agreement with you.
-Ashley
← Older Entries