I sat in the lodge, surrounded by boots and jackets and other ski gear. I read and worked on the computer to make the time pass quickly. I people watched. I caught up on facebook and twitter while I waited. Finally, I looked out the window and saw them and smiled. They were back. It had only been two hours, but I'd missed them and was glad they were back with me.
I stood in the back of the room and watched. I watched as 125+ students, leaders, and adults all in green shirts sat and listened to the different people on stage. I watched as a few students and leaders came up on stage and shared what the Lord had taught them over the weekend. I watched as the weekend came to a close. And as I watched, the tears fell freely down my face.
Ski Retreat and DNow. Two big events all within a span of six weeks. Both events that I worked hard on. Both eye-opening experiences for me. Ski Retreat was a time for me to really get to know students that I didn't know well before. I laughed with them, made memories with them, and enjoyed fellowship with them.
DNow was a different story. I've been a part of plenty of DNows, but this was by far the best DNow I've ever experienced. Grant and I have had a few really good recap conversations about DNow in the past week. Yesterday we had another one. And I cried through most of it.
I cry when I think about leaving these students this summer. It hurts my heart to know that I won't get to do life with them for eight weeks over the summer. Summer is a big time in the life of student ministry. Camp. A mission trip. Day trips out of Augusta. Lots of events to hang out with students and invest in them. And I don't get to experience any of it.
I am really excited about Australia. I know that the Lord has definitely called me there. He has opened these doors for a reason. I've had more than one person remind me of that over the past few days. I know He has a plan for me, and I know that I have to take that step of obedience and go. But I really cannot imagine doing life without these students.
I think about how far some of them have come in the past couple of months. They're starting to get it. They want to know more about Christ and go deeper in their relationship with Him. Students who would have never dreamed of going on a mission trip before are signing up to go to San Blas Islands like it's no big deal. They are full of life and are excited to see what God is going to do in and through them. Who wouldn't want to be a part of a ministry like this?
At the same time, I have to be willing to let God do something great in and through me as well. As I think about how awesome it would be to stay here this summer just so I could be comfortable and be in a routine where I know everybody and everything, I know God has called me to something different. He's asked me to take this leap of faith, and I'd be stupid not to join Him on this journey that He has for me and me alone.
I'm grateful that the Lord chose me to get to serve them. I don't know why my time is shorter than I would like, but I know that He's doing something bigger than me or them. I love these students, and I love my job.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Ash Ash.
I absolutely love being "Aunt Ashton" otherwise known as "Ash Ash". I love spending time with my two favorite boys, Jack and Joe, and the role that I get to play in their lives. I was going through some pictures on my computer, and I found these fun pictures of Jack and I. (In finding these, I realized I don't have enough pictures with Joe. This will be changed soon.)
not completely sure why we both look like we have Chinese eyes, haha.
funny faces are the best
photo booth features are seriously mind blowing to a toddler
love. this. boy.
I watched Jack and Joe the other night, and as I was leaving Jack's room after putting him to bed he goes, "Wait Ash Ash. I wanna give you a kiss goodnight." Oh, sweet boy, how you make me smile :)
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Thursdays.
Thursdays are great days. They really are. For me, 5 o'clock on Thursdays starts my weekend. I had a fantastic week, albeit the fact that my car is in the shop and I've been carpooling with my mom this week. Wanna feel like you're in middle school again? Just have your mom drop you off at college. Yeah, not my proudest moment. I am thankful though that my car is getting fixed (let's just say a windy day + a basketball goal + my car + DNOW weekend = an ugly scratch (plus some) on the roof of my car) and that my mom has a flexible schedule to where we can carpool this week.
Florida was fantastic! It was a MUCH needed time out of Augusta to get refreshed and to spend time with family. We got to Florida late Thursday night, and as we were bringing luggage in and getting settled in, my mom came out of the spare room holding a big quilt. I had completely forgotten that my aunt was making me a t-shirt quilt, and I was SO excited when I saw it. She's the greatest!
We spent a lot of time shopping while in Florida. Ikea was one place on our list, as well as Sawgrass Mills Mall, which is about 3 miles of outlet stores. How great is that?! We got great deals at both places, and I was completely satisfied. Then, my aunt told us about a new shopping center she wanted to take us to. So, my mom, aunt, and I took a little quick trip to this place. It's one of those outdoor shopping centers, and we spent our time at one end at four great stores. West Elm. Pottery Barn. Crate & Barrel. The Container Store. It was so fun, and again we made some great purchases.
I went and saw the movie October Baby tonight with my parents. It was a showing before the movie comes out in March, and it was SO good. Watch the trailer below. You don't want to miss out on this movie!
Florida was fantastic! It was a MUCH needed time out of Augusta to get refreshed and to spend time with family. We got to Florida late Thursday night, and as we were bringing luggage in and getting settled in, my mom came out of the spare room holding a big quilt. I had completely forgotten that my aunt was making me a t-shirt quilt, and I was SO excited when I saw it. She's the greatest!
We spent a lot of time shopping while in Florida. Ikea was one place on our list, as well as Sawgrass Mills Mall, which is about 3 miles of outlet stores. How great is that?! We got great deals at both places, and I was completely satisfied. Then, my aunt told us about a new shopping center she wanted to take us to. So, my mom, aunt, and I took a little quick trip to this place. It's one of those outdoor shopping centers, and we spent our time at one end at four great stores. West Elm. Pottery Barn. Crate & Barrel. The Container Store. It was so fun, and again we made some great purchases.
I went and saw the movie October Baby tonight with my parents. It was a showing before the movie comes out in March, and it was SO good. Watch the trailer below. You don't want to miss out on this movie!
I'm grateful today for the people in my life who get me and who love me because they can not because I deserve their love. A few phone calls with Chelsea (check out her new blog), text conversations with sweet godly older women, and a few quick texts from high school friends have made my week so much better! I'm looking forward to getting a lot done this weekend--Australia stuff, homework, and hanging out with sweet people. I also "met" my teammate for Australia this summer via facebook and some of my Australian contacts. I'm so excited to see what God does in and through all of us this summer!
I'll leave you with this great song...you know I really like Ben Rector :)
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
The Big 2-0!
February is a great month for many reasons. One of which is that lots of my close friends celebrate their birthdays during February. Today is my best friend Caroline's 20th birthday!
Happy Birthday to one of the wisest and godliest women I know...
...to the girl who likes to take thumbs-up pictures with me...
...to the girl who IS Auburn University (War Eagle)!
Happy Birthday to one of the people who just gets me...
...to a girl who's been there for a long time...
...to a girl who loves unconditionally...
...to the girl who is going to be spontaneous with me one day...
...and to the girl that I'm so blessed to call friend.
Happy 20th Caroline!
I am so blessed because of you.
Grateful for you! Love you lots!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
100 Things I Love?
I read a post yesterday where a girl wrote down 100 things that she loved. I think this is a cute idea (with yesterday being Valentine's Day and all), but I want to change it a little bit. I don't think it should be "100 Things I Love". I think it should be "100 Things I Like". I've been catching myself lately saying things like, "I love your scarf" or "I really love that show". But I don't really. I don't really love them. I wouldn't give my life for a TV show or a scarf or anything else for that matter. I've been trying to save the word love for the special people in my life that I would die for, that I do love. But, I still think this is a cute idea to think about all the little things in life that I like a lot. This way, if I'm ever having a bad day, I can come back and look at this list and it should make me smile. So, in no particular order, 100 Things I Like:
ChapStick
Long Sleeve T-Shirts
Skype
Walmart's White Grape Juice
Momma Goldberg's Nachos
New Running Shoes (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)
Cancelled Classes
Cool Mornings
Weekend Getaways
Nail Polish
Watches
Pictures
McDonald's Coke...With No Ice :)
Lemons
Seeing Old Friends
Bath and Body Works Lotion
Candles
Encouraging Texts
Midmorning Runs (Beginning to like this)
Halls Cough Drops
A Spoonful of Nutella
San Diego
Sleeping In
Good Books
Best Friends (Okay, I love them, but I like them a lot too :) )
The Waltons
Anything French
My House
Learning About Australia
My Job (most of the time)
Tearjerker Movies
Seattle's Best Coffee
High School Memories
Netflix
Target
Good and New Recipes
Having People Over
Spotify
Anne of Green Gables
Road Trips
Panera
Photo Props
Planning Events
TOMS
Journals
My Church
Athens
Free Food
Facts About World War II
Friends
George W. Bush
Our Annual Tacky Sweater Christmas Party
Parks and Rec
Hillsong United
Google
Scarves
John Frieda Shampoo
Chacos
Argyle Socks
Cotton Balls
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
E.R.
Victoria's Secret Perfume
Outlet Malls
Hilton Head Island
The Cheesecake Factory
Cinnamon Dolce Lattes from Starbucks
Hulu
Dasani Water
Banana Nut Muffins
Cottonelle Toilet Paper
Personalized Cards
Baseball Hats
Auburn
Down Comforters
Vera Bradley Duffel Bags
GAP Sweatshirts
Mail
Barberito's
Boutiques
The Salty Dog Cafe
Fleece Blankets
Cousins
Sharpies
My Pandora Bracelet
Wearing My Glasses
People Who Make Me Laugh
Elevation Worship
North Face Coats
Photoshop
Pasta
Sweet E-mails
Funny Stories
Strawberries
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Let Me Tell You The Great Things God Did!
If you've ever been on a mission trip with Walker Moore of AweStar Ministries, you'll have heard this phrase before. When I went to Panama two summers ago, Walker told us to come back and tell people this when they asked us about our trip. This phrase has stuck with me over the years, and I couldn't help but think of all the great things God did this weekend!
As mentioned plenty of times before, I'm a worrier. It's one of those things that I have to surrender to the Lord on a daily, if not hourly, basis. I hate that I'm that way, but it's definitely gotten better over the years. With that being said, I worried a lot last week. I was reminded that God had last weekend in His hands, and I wrote about that here. There were a few nights when I would toss and turn in bed for HOURS because I kept thinking about all that needed to be done or could go wrong. I just wanted this weekend to be big for our students, and I didn't want anything to go wrong.
One day last week, I went to our main office at church and got the mail out of the boxes. I found an envelope of money that said it was for a home's lunch. We get small groups throughout the church to cover one of the meals for the weekend for each home. This small group had decided to give us money instead of preparing the meal. I saw it and thought, "Great. Who's going to give them food now? We've got the money, but how is the food going to get there?" It kind of went to the back of my mind, and I didn't think about it until the next day. I was walking somewhere in the church, and I ran into Casie. She says to me, "Do y'all need anyone to take a meal or anything to a home this weekend?" Um, total God thing?!?! I think so!
That was just a glimpse of this weekend. There were so many times this weekend that I would just sit in awe of what God was doing. I watched one of the "cool" students surrender their life to Christ. I watched students pray together. I watched students come back to their first love, their Father God. I was so amazed at what God did (and is still continuing to do)!
I prayed that God would show up big this weekend not only in the lives of our students but also in the lives of our leaders and our host home families. Our leaders were the people that God really put on my heart before this event. They were the ones that I definitely spent the most time praying for. Because if our leaders weren't right before the Lord and weren't ready to serve our students, how could our students get the most out of the weekend? So, I committed to praying for our leaders. And let me tell you, God really showed up when it came to providing just the right amount of leaders and perfect leaders to fit our students. We worked with SWAT, so we didn't know some of our leaders before the weekend. But, they were FABULOUS to work with, and I know God used them in mighty ways this weekend!
I could go on and on about all that God did. One thing I kept thinking this weekend was just how grateful I am that He chose me to get to be a part of this student ministry. I'm humbled that He would choose me to serve them and do life with them. They really are fantastic people, and I'm so blessed to know them. They make my heart smile :)
As mentioned plenty of times before, I'm a worrier. It's one of those things that I have to surrender to the Lord on a daily, if not hourly, basis. I hate that I'm that way, but it's definitely gotten better over the years. With that being said, I worried a lot last week. I was reminded that God had last weekend in His hands, and I wrote about that here. There were a few nights when I would toss and turn in bed for HOURS because I kept thinking about all that needed to be done or could go wrong. I just wanted this weekend to be big for our students, and I didn't want anything to go wrong.
One day last week, I went to our main office at church and got the mail out of the boxes. I found an envelope of money that said it was for a home's lunch. We get small groups throughout the church to cover one of the meals for the weekend for each home. This small group had decided to give us money instead of preparing the meal. I saw it and thought, "Great. Who's going to give them food now? We've got the money, but how is the food going to get there?" It kind of went to the back of my mind, and I didn't think about it until the next day. I was walking somewhere in the church, and I ran into Casie. She says to me, "Do y'all need anyone to take a meal or anything to a home this weekend?" Um, total God thing?!?! I think so!
That was just a glimpse of this weekend. There were so many times this weekend that I would just sit in awe of what God was doing. I watched one of the "cool" students surrender their life to Christ. I watched students pray together. I watched students come back to their first love, their Father God. I was so amazed at what God did (and is still continuing to do)!
I prayed that God would show up big this weekend not only in the lives of our students but also in the lives of our leaders and our host home families. Our leaders were the people that God really put on my heart before this event. They were the ones that I definitely spent the most time praying for. Because if our leaders weren't right before the Lord and weren't ready to serve our students, how could our students get the most out of the weekend? So, I committed to praying for our leaders. And let me tell you, God really showed up when it came to providing just the right amount of leaders and perfect leaders to fit our students. We worked with SWAT, so we didn't know some of our leaders before the weekend. But, they were FABULOUS to work with, and I know God used them in mighty ways this weekend!
I could go on and on about all that God did. One thing I kept thinking this weekend was just how grateful I am that He chose me to get to be a part of this student ministry. I'm humbled that He would choose me to serve them and do life with them. They really are fantastic people, and I'm so blessed to know them. They make my heart smile :)
Three of our fabulous leaders.
So glad our girls to be blessed by these women of God.
Most of the junior ladies!
I love these girls!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
21!!!!
This great girl turns 21 today.
Happy Birthday to one of my best friends...
...to the girl who likes to be different...
...to the girl who lets me be cynical when I need to be...
...yet makes me laugh with all her great stories.
Happy Birthday to the girl who always made me go to Subway with her...
...to the girl who's going to be a teacher with me...
...and who's going to be a "soccer mom" with me.
Happy Birthday, Mary Beth!
You are one of the BEST friends a girl could ever ask for!
I love you SO much!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
God's Got This.
"It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." - Deuteronomy 31:8
I'm a worrier. I've been one since the day I was born, probably. I worry about everything. I know my parents have not told me things because they didn't want me to worry. Looking back, I'm grateful for that. Matthew 6:34, which says, "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself..." has been a verse I've had to remember time and time again growing up (and still to this day).
DNOW is this weekend. And I'm beyond excited to see what the Lord is going to do in the lives of our students. I know God has something super awesome in store. But, major confession here, the past few days I've been ready for the weekend to be over. I have been so worried about every single detail, that something will go wrong, that we won't have enough host homes, that a leader will drop out...anything that could go possibly wrong, I've worried about it.
Yesterday, Grant used the verse above, Deuteronomy 31:8, in his message. It smacked me right in the face. God has gone before us. He knows every single thing that's going to happen this weekend. He has had this weekend all planned out before I was even born. After hearing that verse, I really was convicted about my thoughts regarding this weekend. I knew it wasn't the right way to be thinking about this amazing weekend we have planned.
Today, I woke up so excited about DNOW. I honestly can't wait for this weekend to get here. Even though we have a lot left to do, and today was one of those crazy hectic days where you feel like nothing actually got accomplished, I'm so ready for Friday. God's got this, and I'm resting in His promises.
I'm a worrier. I've been one since the day I was born, probably. I worry about everything. I know my parents have not told me things because they didn't want me to worry. Looking back, I'm grateful for that. Matthew 6:34, which says, "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself..." has been a verse I've had to remember time and time again growing up (and still to this day).
DNOW is this weekend. And I'm beyond excited to see what the Lord is going to do in the lives of our students. I know God has something super awesome in store. But, major confession here, the past few days I've been ready for the weekend to be over. I have been so worried about every single detail, that something will go wrong, that we won't have enough host homes, that a leader will drop out...anything that could go possibly wrong, I've worried about it.
Yesterday, Grant used the verse above, Deuteronomy 31:8, in his message. It smacked me right in the face. God has gone before us. He knows every single thing that's going to happen this weekend. He has had this weekend all planned out before I was even born. After hearing that verse, I really was convicted about my thoughts regarding this weekend. I knew it wasn't the right way to be thinking about this amazing weekend we have planned.
Today, I woke up so excited about DNOW. I honestly can't wait for this weekend to get here. Even though we have a lot left to do, and today was one of those crazy hectic days where you feel like nothing actually got accomplished, I'm so ready for Friday. God's got this, and I'm resting in His promises.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Super Bowl Sunday!
I spent a good part of my Super Bowl Sunday at church (good thing I love my job :) ), and I've spent that past few hours relaxing and resting at home. I mean, it is Sunday, the day of rest, right? I'm heading with my parents to my friend Jamie's house for a Super Bowl party her parents are throwing. Speaking of Jamie...
Jamie and I hung out with our friend Maggie last night.
These girls make me laugh SO much.
I LOVE hanging out with them!
I also made this for them:
but mine turned out a little bit like this:
It was pretty good.
Maggie and Jamie liked it a lot, but I'm not sure if I'll make it again.
I have one class that meets five times during the semester. It's a teaching class, and it's basically one of those classes that it's just good to take for education majors. My advisor recommended it, and I really just took it to get an easy A for the semester. We've met twice so far, and I LOVE that class so much. I honestly look forward to going. My professor teaches us things that as a teacher, we need to know, but no one ever really tells us these things. Like the best way to pass out papers or how to set up a classroom best or how to make a bulletin board. Which is exactly what we did in class on Friday :)
I went to Augusta Christian's basketball games in Columbia with Chelsea and her family. ACS won both games, which was super exciting because they were playing one of their biggest rivals, Hammond. It's always good to beat Hammond. :)
love her!
I went to the most beautiful wedding I've ever been to yesterday. This sweet couple from church got married, and it wasn't that it was just a pretty wedding. This wedding was clearly a worship service. These two people love the Lord with all of their heart, and that was so evident in the wedding. I hope to one day have just a smidgen of a relationship like they do. They played these two amazing songs by Elevation Worship. SO, SO, SO good.
D-NOW is this weekend, so I'm going to be pretty busy this week getting ready for that! I'm so excited to see what the Lord is going to do in the lives of our students and throughout the community this weekend. We've been gearing up for this for a while now, so I know it's going to be awesome! I'm also spending a lot of my time this week running and getting ready for The Color Run. I'm super pumped about that as well :)
Happy Sunday, friends!!
Friday, February 3, 2012
i love filling in the blanks!
Head over to the little things we do to see her cute blanks to fill in!
1. If money wasn't an issue, the first thing I'd cross of my life list is going to Europe. Seriously, I'd hop on a plane tomorrow if I had the money (and time) to go and enjoy a trip there. I've always wanted to go to Europe (specifically France) and see all the beautiful places that I've read about for years .
2. Lemons are something I like that other people think is weird.
3. If my life were a movie right now, the title would be "Crazy Changes Every Single Day" .
4. Three things I am looking forward to this month are D-NOW , visiting family in Florida (and shopping at IKEA) and becoming a better runner .
5. My favorite song to sing in the shower is nothing. I don't sing in the shower; I rarely sing in public (except for in church) .
6. If I found out that the production of Nutella or Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice was ending this month, I'd go out and buy as much as I could tomorrow.
7. One thing I'll never grow tired of is spending time with students and doing life with them .
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
marked.
In the student ministry, the series we are going through on Sunday mornings is called "marked". It is based on the book of Mark and how we all have different types of marks...birthmarks, bookmarks, etc. Our college group, Unite, is also going through the marked series. So I get a double dose of Mark each week :)
It's been cool though, because we hit different things in each group, and every person who teaches always has a different perspective. On Sunday mornings, I "table hop" (we have table groups where the students are broken down into grade/gender and discuss the lesson with a leader), and it's cool because I get to hear from different leaders each week! I like it, but I also look forward to the consistency of Monday nights when our college pastor speaks. But, he's been in Africa for the past two Mondays, so we've had a guest speaker.
Wesley is the brother-in-law of an old friend, and I've begun babysitting for him and his wife in the past six months or so. He's a SWBTS grad (out in Fort Worth...I have a few friends that are there/went there, so my heart's alway tender towards SWBTS people), and he is a great speaker. I've learned a LOT over the past two Mondays, and I wanted to share some of it with y'all.
The call of Christ to follow Him in making disciples requires our immediate obedience and total surrender.
As believers, we cannot have a divided heart when it comes to service for God and allegiance to the world.
There is nothing inherent in us that will make us full-blown disciple-makers. Sanctification is a daily process of surrendering ourselves to Him and allowing His salvation to work in us. God is continually refining us to be more like Christ. Sanctification is the mark of true conversion.
Part of the sanctification process here on earth is telling others about Jesus.
"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12:11
Obedience becomes more immediate as we mature.
We overcome our prideful tendencies by showing mercy to others and remembering what Christ has done for us. [I think that last part is huge. Lots of times we tend to "forget" what Chris has done for us. When Christ has done the greatest thing ever---He SAVED us.]
Your salvation has zero to do with you. Salvation is God's work and God's work alone in our lives.
Hopefully these "notes" can encourage you, and maybe even convict you a little. Check out Mark 1 and 2 to see where the messages came from.
It's been cool though, because we hit different things in each group, and every person who teaches always has a different perspective. On Sunday mornings, I "table hop" (we have table groups where the students are broken down into grade/gender and discuss the lesson with a leader), and it's cool because I get to hear from different leaders each week! I like it, but I also look forward to the consistency of Monday nights when our college pastor speaks. But, he's been in Africa for the past two Mondays, so we've had a guest speaker.
Wesley is the brother-in-law of an old friend, and I've begun babysitting for him and his wife in the past six months or so. He's a SWBTS grad (out in Fort Worth...I have a few friends that are there/went there, so my heart's alway tender towards SWBTS people), and he is a great speaker. I've learned a LOT over the past two Mondays, and I wanted to share some of it with y'all.
The call of Christ to follow Him in making disciples requires our immediate obedience and total surrender.
As believers, we cannot have a divided heart when it comes to service for God and allegiance to the world.
There is nothing inherent in us that will make us full-blown disciple-makers. Sanctification is a daily process of surrendering ourselves to Him and allowing His salvation to work in us. God is continually refining us to be more like Christ. Sanctification is the mark of true conversion.
Part of the sanctification process here on earth is telling others about Jesus.
"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12:11
Obedience becomes more immediate as we mature.
We overcome our prideful tendencies by showing mercy to others and remembering what Christ has done for us. [I think that last part is huge. Lots of times we tend to "forget" what Chris has done for us. When Christ has done the greatest thing ever---He SAVED us.]
Your salvation has zero to do with you. Salvation is God's work and God's work alone in our lives.
Hopefully these "notes" can encourage you, and maybe even convict you a little. Check out Mark 1 and 2 to see where the messages came from.
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