Posted in Cubicle Life and Beyond by Ashley Peterson on 5/9/2012
If you can accomplish something without fully relying and leaning upon the Lord, then is it really worth doing?
That is really something I have been wrestling with for a little while. If my life was "easier" and "simpler" then would it really be living the life of Christ? I am not so sure. I want to be radical. I want to embody the Holy Spirit. I don't want to move or breathe unless I am guided by Him. That never insures perfection or that warm fuzzy, feel good feeling. But it sure as heck makes a way better story than some other cookie cutter, same old, "american dream" kinda life. I don't think that's what I am cut out for. I don't think that's what I was made for. Actually, I don't think any of us were...
Is your life too easy right now?
Are you just going through the motions?
Step back.
Open your eyes.
Release.
and fall.
Its absolutely terrifying.
But oh so worth it.
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Posted in Cubicle Life and Beyond by Ashley Peterson on 3/19/2012
Sometimes, I feel really old.
And the sad thing is, I am NOT THAT OLD.
I might have some white hairs, and enjoy a good cup of tea in my snuggie on a rainy day, but I am not THAT old. But man, hanging out with twenty something high schoolers this past week made me feel old. But in a good way.
I was granted the amazing opportunity to lead a team of Texan high schoolers to Joplin, MO to help rebuild the city after tornados destroyed it last May.I was not exactly sure what to expect,
as this was my first time on an Encounter trip. I also have not been around high schoolers in a long while. But it was so amazing how we all came together for a single purpose. RESTORE.
This group in particular was kind of a random group. The kids were all from the same church, however most of them didn't know one another, nor did they know their own counselors very well. Also, some of the youth had not been on effective missions trips in the past, so they were very skeptical at first as to what our plans were. However I have never seen a harder working group of youth before!! While a majority of this group were girls, they were not afraid to get dirty, get their legs scratched up by thorns, accidentally step on rusty nails, get sunburnt while freezing in the wind, and sometimes running away from spiders or other weird bugs we found buried deep.
I was really excited to help with this "old school" missions trip. Where I could wear old clothes, pick up a hammer, wear bandanas and really feel exhaustedly accomplished at the end of a long day of manual labor.
Those were the kind of missions trips I went on in high school, so they will always hold a special place in my heart. I was even more excited to find out that for a lot of these youth, this was their very first missions experience! What a great opportunity for me to share God's word and hope not only to the devastated people of Joplin, Missouri, but also to share in the goodness of our Lord and participate in true action of the word with these youth! In so many ways, this missions trip was not just about cleaning up the plots of land for rebuilding homes in the local neighborhoods. It was not just about reminding the community of Joplin that they have not been forgotten and we still unite together to help them. It is not just about cleaning pastures so that farm life can continue there in Missouri. Its not just about me gaining experience and learning how to be a Project Leader for Encounter. It wasn't even just about the youth having a great time serving and connecting to missions and one another. All of those are great things, but then don't add up to much when alone. They must all work together and combine in order to truly make a difference. Cause at the end of the day, it is just about glorifying the Lord in ALL things.
Colossians 3:14,17
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
I cannot tell you the newfound joy I have now after returning from my time in Joplin with these inspiring youth. They are on fire for the Lord in a big way, and are already making plans to impact God's Kingdom through powerful actions. Seeing the appreciative smiles from the local community of Joplin will stay with me forever.
The kids said this to me multiple times, and I have to agree with them: I have the best job ever. Mobilizing generations of people to change and impact God's Kingdom here on earth is SUCH an honor. I could not be more blessed to work with these groups of adults and youth to serve and show God's love. I can only do this job with your help and support. Please consider donating to this ministry in order for me to continue this impactful and empowering work with Adventures in Missions. Your money won't go to waste. I mean, just look at these smiling faces of the youth who know how much their Daddy in Heaven in proud of their clean up work over Spring Break? You helped bring them that smile. Continue the smiles by becoming a monthly donater.
Have questions or wanna chat more? Shoot me an email or comment! I love those!!
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Posted in Cubicle Life and Beyond by Ashley Peterson on 2/17/2012
After spending 5 whole days in Vietnam, doing set up for my department, Encounter for some upcoming trips... those were the only words I learned in Vietnamese:
Beaver. Hai li.
Cat. Con meo.
Twenty Two. Hai muoi hai.
We stayed in Ho Chi Minh city for a few days, and even went to a remote village for a couple of days. Bill and I were very busy visiting with local pastors, churches, minsitries, checking out hostels, resturants, catching up with translators, kind people on buses and even an old friend who is currently there learning how to teach english! You would think with all the interaction with the vietnamese people that I would have been better with the language...but no.
I will say that our time there was so God ordained and blessed. I could tell that we were both covered in a lot prayer! So THANK YOU prayer warriors back at home! I really appreciated it.
After finally checking into our Hostel in Ho Chi Minh city at 2am, the last thing we both wanted was an early meeting, however that is what we ended up with! However it was such a amazing experience to be on the same page with this new contact. The excitement from all of us at that table was filling up the 3 story coffee shop! The dates seemed great for us both, and the types if ministry that our participants will be engaged with while on that trip, will truly be transforming.
...don't get me wrong, I am so grateful to be working out of an office and be apart of the setting up and mobilizing process to the missions field. I can see how rewarding it is for everyone. However those times when I am able to see the cute little orphan, and talk to a random stranger on the side of the road about Jesus, and see with my own eyes the ever changing construction work that is taking place because of the teams we mobilize...It is such an encouragement! I know not only to me, but to YOU, my supporters from afar.
So be encouraged loved ones. great things are happening around the world because of your involvement. In whatever capacity, big or small, it is making a difference.
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Posted in Cubicle Life and Beyond by Ashley Peterson on 2/7/2012
Usually, I write these blogs from my home in Gainesville, Georgia. However if you saw my last blog,
I am sittin pretty here in Manila, Philippines!
Working with the Enounter department at Adventures in Missions, my coworker Bill and I had the amazing opportunity to venture out here to the Philippines and Vietnam to do some logistical set up for upcoming trips here! It has been such a blessing to see the faces of these adorable children, friendly neighbors, encouraging ministry partners and gorgeous scenery of Manila thus far. Don't get me wrong, I am very passionate about mobilizing participants and supporting them administratively from the main office in Gainesville, Georgia, but it just warms my heart to see with my own eyes the people that our teams are going to touch.
Because of your prayers, love and support, and monthly donations, lives here are changing. The community here in Cuatro is for the better because of the teams we are able to send to help further the work of Kids International Ministries.
I know that not everyone will get the opportunity to come out to this amazing site in the Philippines, so I have included many pictures for you to enjoy. A picture is worth much more than my words can do for them. I hope you see yourself in these pictures, because you are so very present in them...
[Manila skyline at Dusk]
[book circle in the nursery at the New Faith Children's Home]
[serving soup to hungry residents of a local IDP camp]
[the cutest little boy that I ever did see eating his one meal of the day, served by us this week]
[gorgeous Falls that our teams will be able to relax and jump into!]
[you might be laughing when you see this, but seriously, BEST MANGOS IN THE WORLD! No lie.]
[and lastly, the cutest boy in the whole wide world. I mean, how can you look at this face and NOT melt?!]
Stay tuned for a similarly glorious update
from Vietnam, very soon!
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Posted in Cubicle Life and Beyond by Ashley Peterson on 2/3/2012
The other day, I was driving up 85 in the kind of morning that lasts all afternoon. I was just stuck inside the gloom. There were only four more exits to my apartment, but I was tempted to leave my car in drive, and leave it all behind. Cause I wonder sometimes about the outcome of a still verdict less life. And then my question came about, am I living it right?
Maybe its a quarter life crisis, just a stirrin in my soul...
I think its time for all of us
to take a close look at our lives.
What are we doing with them?
What kind of mark are we leaving behind us?
Recently I have been overanalyzing and almost freaking out about my life. I know that I am called to more than what I can even realize or imagine for my life. The Lord is truly preparing me for some great things. I might not be entirely sure what that looks like at all, but I can feel it. It is so easy for me to get stuck inside of this small picture idea as to how my life is supposed to look and where I should be. It took some great accountability by some of my amazing friends to help me see that I don't just sit at a desk in Gainesville, Georgia. The work that I do at that office is so so SO much more than that. The work that I do at that desk mobilizes a generation of leaders to bring Kingdom to so many domestic and international locations.
As much as I would like my life to be calm, simple, organized and easy flowing... it is not. Not at all. In my struggles to make it that way, I became compartmentalized and stuck in restricting routines. That kind of lifestyle is not what my Daddy upstairs had in mind for me. Now, instead of trying to put my crazy in little boxes, I have decided to run with this "organized chaos" that seems to flow so much better for me.
Currently, I am writing this blog to you from the Philippines! I am on a set up trip for my department, Encounter. Bill is with me, and we will be meeting with Jeff Long at Kids International Ministries, and exploring all of their projects in order to confirm some details for Encounter's june trip here. Next we will head to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to meet with lodging vendors, ministry contacts and more to create Encounter trips there in the future.
Please keep in prayer for me as I travel and adjust to the time zone here! Also that the contacts we meet with are all God ordained and logistically, everything goes smoothly. I have noticed that I sleep better knowing that I am covered in prayer.
So please, just spend a few minutes lifting me, Bill
and Encounter at Adventures in Missions, up in prayer!
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Posted in Cubicle Life and Beyond by Ashley Peterson on 12/27/2011
I pray this message finds everyone peaceful and joyful after a wonderful Christmas with loved ones.
My Christmas was wonderful this year, and very different from last year. Christmas 2010 I was sharing a bathroom with 30 something people, singing spanish carols, sleeping in a tent on a porch and participating in a special Spades Tournament as the main event of the day. We did not exchange gifts on purpose. That year of the World Race was about sacrifice, not about making it comfortable by reverting to our old habits of gift giving and filling the day with lots of stuff.
Christmas 2011, I am a missionary living in Gainesville working from an office, as well as working in a church nursery, I share an apartment with 4 other people, I sang Dolly Parton, Dave Barnes, Justin Bieber and NSYNC Christmas carols in my car on the way to work and the supermarket. and on Christmas day I ate lots of food, laughed with family, and snuggled with my dog. It sounds pretty simple still, and yet I struggled so much.
I didn't shower my family and friends with presents. I never wore the best designer clothes to any party, nor did I prepare any fancy cheese and wine tray. This year was similar to last year in that it was still more about Jesus than presents. But there was still something off.
In the midst of running to this party with these people, and family Christmas dinners, friend gatherings at coffee shops, special concerts at church, and any other random activity with the title of Christmas or advent attached to it, I was involved with this year. It almost wore me out! i was going and doing so much, that the season almost lost its sparkle. I got stuck in the hustle and bustle, and the overwhelming speed of America, that I didn't take enough time to sit and ponder. To sit and think about Jesus. Little 8lb infant Jesus. Born amongst stinky farm animals and hay. Without a huge crowd around Him. He wasn't wearing a stylish baby Gap onesie or converse shoes. People did not bring any brie or caviar or merlot to enjoy. There were no party games or special speeches to recite. It was simple. It was just about Jesus.
Christmas is not over, just so you know. It is still the season for giving, loving, joy, peace and Jesus. There is still time to stop moving and going, and just be still. I am more than confident that sitting in the presence of the Lord will be much more fufilling than anything else you will do this season. Enjoy that simple gift. The best one of all.
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Posted in Cubicle Life and Beyond by Ashley Peterson on 12/15/2011
I am a firm beleiver that The Lord speaks to us in all sorts of different ways. I am always listening to music, so it would happen often that God speaks to me through songs.
I am not a runner. If you know me at all, you would know that in no way, shape or form, am I a runner. However, I am trying. I want to get in better shape, I love the outdoors, its a free activity, and it gives me some alone time. There is a great park with walking trails just down the road, and so I will throw on my tennis shoes, grab my ipod and go whenever I can. Since I am TRYING to be more of a runner, I will walk briskly a lot and sometimes I will sprint for a short period of time before the cramping begins, then I will stop and walk again. The second that cramping starts, I am done. It hurts, it is uncomfortable, I hate it. Done. And usually I only run on the weekends because I don't geet home til 5 or so during the week and its almost dark by then. But this past Tuesday, I got home a little earlier, and I just went. Didn't even really think about the time or anything like that, I just went. I started walking briskly, then after I hit the bridge, I started to run.
Then the cramping started.
Ugh.
This time was different though, there was something inside of me that pushed me forward, through the awkward, uncomfortable cramps. Then I got to a place where I was no longer cramping! (Now, I kinda wasn't really breathing so I had to stop for other reasons, heh) In that moment, I heard the voice of the Lord more clearly than I have for a while. He told me that I was kind of acting like a pansy. In this season of my life, I was going to be cramping a lot. But that should not stop me like it has been. Instead, that is when He will use me the most! When I am hurting and in pain, but push through anyway because no longer am I relying on MY OWN STRENGTH, but even better- HIS STRENGTH!
I then heard this song by Andy Grammer come on my ipod and it drove this point in even further:
I've been waiting on the sunset
Bills on my mindset
I can't deny they're getting high
Higher than my income
My income's breadcrumbs
I've been trying to survive The glow that the sun gives
Right around sunset
Helps me realize
THIS IS JUST A JOURNEY
Drop your worries!
You are gonna turn out fine.
Oh, you'll turn out fine.
Fine, oh, you'll turn out fine.
But you gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh.
You gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh.
I know it's hard, know it's hard,
To remember sometimes,
But you gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh.
What is the point in freaking out about every little thing in this life? Worrying and tensing up has not helped me at all. But releasing it, giving it all to the Lord, and walking in the trust in Him in a moment by moment basis, THAT is when the comfort and peace kicks in. One thing I knwo for sure though, is that comfort and peace are not passive, easy things. You must fight, and fight hard for these things to be actively present in our lives. Sometimes we have to push through these rough times, or "the cramps" for that matter, in order to receive the blessings God has for us.
I had to be reminded that just because I am hitting some resistance, and things are not falling into place like I think they should, doesn't mean that they are not falling into place like my Abba thinks they should...
The Lord uses all sorts of things to speak to us. The question is: are we open to listening to what He has to say?
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Posted in Cubicle Life and Beyond by Ashley Peterson on 11/18/2011
Luke 21:1-4
1-4Just then he looked up and saw the rich people dropping offerings in the collection plate. Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies. He said, "The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. All these others made offerings that they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford-she gave her all!"
I have been living in Gainesville now for about three weeks. I have been working in our new Encounter department creating new manuals and developing our current projects, and improving our leadership styles to maintain excellence in this department. This has been lots of hard work sitting in conference rooms and hashing evey little detail out, but we are confident that all this work now will more than pay off for the betterment of our department later.
During all of this work in the office and away, I have been living off of nothing, really. I moved here to work before all of my support came in, therefore I am just scraping by and living on a prayer for every little need that I have. Sometimes including where my next meal or rent check will come from. The other Sunday I went to a church in the area with a friend. I was enjoying the service and when it came time to pass the offering plate...it hit me - I needed to put something in that plate. Now hear me out, I literally had one dollar in my wallet and that was supposed to last until some other check came in the mail for me, not really knowing when or if more money was going to come. That dollar was supposed to last me indefinitely for my whole life needs. And yet I felt the Lord tugging at my heart to put that one single dollar bill in the offering plate. BUT WHY, GOD?!?! One stinkin dollar was all that I had, so why couldn't I keep that?! Then the Lord reminded me of Luke 21 and The Widow's Mite.
When God asks us to give, He doesn't care about how much we have to give, but He asks us to give our all. We are all called not to give out of our excess, rather our ALL. Because in that story, the woman who gave her two measley pennies was considered the largest offering. She gave straight from her heart, knowing that all things come from the Lord and He will always provide for her needs.
I know that I needed to be reminded of that fact, and maybe some of you need to be reminded of that today. The Bible talks a lot about the blessing of being poor. Ever wonder why that is?! Without having to worry about the burden of money, worshipping that idol or all the trouble and pain that having lots of money causes, we are able to rely on the Lord FULLY for EVERY need. In my opinion, the poor widows I met in Africa we more rich than I will ever be. They might not have anything but cornmeal to eat for the next long while, but they are more thankful for that food than I know how to be. EVERYTHING we have is a gift and blessing from the Lord. EVERYTHING. Are you maybe starting to understand that yet?!
Feel the urge to donate to my tax detuctable missionary fund or my immediate need to pay bills and survive here in America?
Ways to donate:
1. Mail a check to payable to Adventures in Missions with my name as staff in the memo line and send it to
Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, Georgia 30353-4470
2. Donate online by clicking the SUPPORT ME link to the left of this blog
3. Become a monthly supporter of $10, $25, $50 or $100 for the next 12 months (either online or by snail mail)
4. Mail a check to me personally to assist in my immediate need to pay rent, utilities, food, etc. to
Ashley Peterson
1715 Hastings Court
Gainesville, GA 30504
5. Invite me to speak at your Church, small group, sunday school, etc.
6. PRAY FOR ME - Part of 'raising support' means that I need a prayer support base as well. This part is JUST AS important as raising funds. :]
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Posted in Transition Home by Ashley Peterson on 10/7/2011
I praise Jesus today for allowing me the amazing opportunity to go on the World Race. Last nightI found myself really missing the Race. Not just my team, or the cool things we got to do, but the new friends I made in each country. I miss the smells of each place. I miss the feel of the crisp air in the mornings in Kenya. I miss the heaviness of the humidity of India. I miss the smiles of the babies in the Philippines. I miss playground days with my children in Malaysia. I miss attempting to preach in Spanish in Panama. I miss just "letting the Holy Spirit lead" everyday and all that it entails.
It would have been really easy for me to get lost in that place.
To just sit in the sadness that
I am no longer traveling to a new country each month,
with all of my belongings in a backpack,
so I must no longer be a racer...
I woke up this morning
and DECLARED that I am STILL
a WORLD RACER!
I still have the Holy Spirit inside of me.
I can still advocate for the widows and orphans.
I can still do good and seek justice.
I can heal the sick and raise the dead here in my home now.
Resurrection's in my veins.
I can live that kind of life here at home. I refuse for that year to just be "a great year of my life" that I will look back on and smile. That experience will forever change how I live, how I love. I won't let the work God did in my heart be in vain, but rather let those feelings and emotions move me to action, to seek that justice for those who cannot seek it for themselves. I am called to more...
So what am I doing next?
I will now be working for Adventures in Missions as a member in their new leadership development department. I will support a variety of world outreach projects though leadership development, project management and mobilization. I could not be more excited about where He is leading me right now, and how He is so graciously and miraculously setting everything up for me in this new adventure.
Here is where you come in: This new season requires support from you. I am in need of much prayer and encouragement as I step out in faith here. I am also in need of financial funds so that I may live and work in this position. I will be pouring into leaders and working on projects to further the Lord's Kingdom. As Louie Giglio puts it, I will be a "door holder" for others to experience God's love on the missions field. Those brave leaders out there need love and encouragement themselves so that they may continue to be the hands and feet of Christ in these 3rd world countries. I will now have the priviledge of doing so from an office in Gainesville, Georgia.
Ways to donate:
1. Mail a check to payable to Adventures in Missions with my name as staff in the memo line and send it to
Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, Georgia 30353-4470
2. Donate online by clicking the SUPPORT ME link to the left of this blog
3. Become a monthly supporter of $10, $25, $50 or $100 for the next 12 months (either online or by snail mail)
4. Invite me to speak at your Church, small group, sunday school, etc.
5. PRAY FOR ME
Please prayerfully consider partnering
with me in this new adventure!
I know you won't regret it...
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Posted in Transition Home by Ashley Peterson on 9/30/2011
I have gotten this question a lot since talking to people at home:
What is my biggest struggle since being home from the World Race?
ANSWER: Trying to mesh World Race scheduled and regular life ministry into my daily life today, here in America. Being just a month off the race, needless to say, I am still figuring that out.
I have been flying a lot lately (and you would know that if I had that gps foursquare thing only on new fancy phones in which I cannot afford, that I missed while I was on the race. Ya know, that thing that helps stalkers out by telling the world wide web where you're at all the time!) and so I have seen a lot of this great country. I have seen the mountains that look like hills from above. I have seen the typical suburbia-land cul de sacs that make me think of the intro to Weeds, the tv show. I have seen the oceans, lakes and rivers that look like puddles from 20,000ft. I have seen some really kind and some not so kind people. It can be easy to get in the mind set that "ministry" only happens at church or at a a church function. I was flying to visit friends. I was flying for pleasure, for an escape, for relaxation - not for "ministry" or anything like that. But isn't that just when the Lord hits ya?
 Being the non-confrontational woman that I am, seeing that my prime window seat was taken on one of my flights, I just sat down in the middle seat. After all the seats around me filled up, a uniformed soldier comes near, looking for his seat. Of course, it wasn't just me in the wrong seat, but the whole group of us were all playing musical chairs. The solider went up to the front to ask the flight attendant what to do, and waited there. The flight attendant came to the woman sitting in my seat and told her that she had gotten upgraded to first class. Without skipping a beat, she told her to give the first class seat to the soldier.
Wow. I just sat there in amazment for a second. This woman just gave up her first class seat for a very long flight ahead. Then it hit me, THAT'S MINISTRY. No one had dragged me out of bed that morning, forcing me to go door to door evangelizing for ministry that day. But there I was, astonished that true kindness and generosity still exists in this world. Realizing that ministry is right here in my lap. That woman was doing ministry already! So that sparked a great conversation with the woman where we discussed Jesus and Godly service, and just life. I got more filled from that conversation than I have at some church services. Cause this is where the rubber meets the road. This is where I have to put forth that boldness that was spoken over me and be the woman of God that I know I am. I have to walk the walk and recognize that I am still a missionary, even though I am no longer backpacking across the world. The United States is my missions field right now. And I need to embrace that, and act on it.
This is me, walking the walk that I talked about all year. Putting into practice everything that I have learned and done all year long. Making sure my thoughts and actions are always aligned with The Lord's and walk only where the Spirit leads. Which leads me to my next step...
*insert dramatic drumroll here*
I will now be working for Adventures in Missions, as a team member in their new leadership development department. I will support a variety of world outreach projects though leadership development, project management and mobilization. I could not be more excited about where He is leading me right now, and how He is so graciously and miraculously setting everything up for me in this new adventure. Here is where you come in: This new season requires support from you. I am in need of much prayer and encouragement as I step out in faith here. I am also in need of financial funds so that I may live and work in this position. I will be pouring into leaders and working on projects to further the Lord's Kingdom. As Louie Giglio puts it, I will be a "door holder" for others to experience God's love on the missions field. Those brave leaders out there need love and encouragement themselves so that they may continue to be the hands and feet of Christ in these 3rd world countries. I will now have the priviledge of doing so from an office in Gainesville, Georgia.
Please feel free to comment, ask questions and email me for more information as to how to support me next. Remember, I could not have done the World Race without your support, therefore I cannot move forward in this next step without yall as my amazing supporters cheering me on by reading my blog, commenting encouragment through the posts, praying and financially supporting me. Appreciation is not just a state of being for me, it has moved me to action. Your previous help empowered me to change the world one relationship at a time. I am now moved to more action by bringing life to leaders gloablly through Adventures in Missions.
Please prayerfully consider how to best support me next.
Cause remember, I can't do this without you.
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