We love because He first loved us.: August 2009

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Official Bulldog.

Well, it's official. I'm a Mississippi State University student.

Three years ago I would have never, in a million years, have guessed that I would be a student here. God had other plans, and I'm sure glad He did. I really do love it here. My teachers are all really nice and very passionate about what they are doing. Annnd, I get to live with and beside 2 of my best friends. Whit and Chris.

Life back in Mississippi is just plum gooooood :)

Jacob, another best friend of mine, is moving off to Texas for an intern with Shane and Shane. WOW, I know, right?! Texas for 2 years. It's such a bittersweet time for all of us. Chris, he, and I have been inseparable for the past 4 years, and now that's coming to an end. But, at the same time he's received this amazing opportunity to serve and following God's call on his life. I'm proud of him, and I know he'll do great. And as for the rest of us in Mississippi...many road trips will be made.

2 weekends ago, Paul and I took a group of boys on a picture scavenger hunt for a birthday party, and we had sooo much fun! We were running (literally) all over Pontotoc. A few of the things to do were... 1. Pump .25 cents of gas and get a receipt, 2. Get a police officer's signature (we used Paul's) 3. Take a picture on the court house steps, 4. Take a picture of graffiti, 5. Give a flower to a food place employee.... The list had about 25 things or so, and it was such a fun birthday idea. We had just as much fun as the kids :)

My little man, Payton, is growing like a weed. He'll be SEVEN months old in 6 days! Oh, he's sooo cute! And when I say cute, I mean CUUUUTEEE!! :) I've taken a TON of pictures of him. Beezie laughed and said "I bet you have over 1000" ...and I do, seriously! I just can't get enough of him! He's adorable, and such a reminder of God's love for us. I love him completely, and God loves him even more than me... I can't even begin to fathom.

Check out my little smush!

He spent the night with me, and we had so much fun.

Tell me this isn't the most PRECIOUS picture in the WORLD.

Sunday afternoon nap, swinging with Beezie :)

Speaking of little munchkins growing up...Britta, Mimi, and Kati. My little hearts. I can't even describe how much I love these 3 girls.

They will always be my babies.

B's in high school....AHHH, time slow down!

Papaw's peas have finally came in. So we've been just a pickin' and a shellin' for the past week.
He's so cute.

Soooo...here's part of my room in my cute little apartment.

The end. Remember Erika Heatherly in your prayers. She's in surgery now.

Until next time.
Love God. Love people.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Home sweet Home.

It is with bittersweet feelings I say, I'm back at home.

I got home last Saturday night about midnight! I must say it's never been better to see my sweet family and Paul! I cried, of course! And then Chris, Jake and Kelsey surprised me by baggage claim. I seriously skipped about 6 escalator steps and jumped on Chris. He's back from Africa too, and boy does it feel good to have him home.

So, I've been trying to come up with the perfect description of my summer. And it's hard. People have asked, "How was Tahoe?" And I respond, "Oh, it was great. I loved the kids so much." And that's completely true, but there's so much more in my heart that I don't even know how to express really.

How can I really even describe my summer?

For 66 days I got to share the love of Christ through songs with kids from all walks of life. Every single day we sang about how amazing our God is, and how life is not about us...It's about Christ. I have such a vivid mental picture of watching those precious 3 yr olds sing "It's not about me, it's all about you Lord." ONLY 3 years old and I got to be (possibly) the first to teach them that life is ultimately about Christ. What a precious gift Christ gave to me this summer.

How can I really even describe my summer?

Everyday this summer I walked out to a playground full of kids who captured my heart in such a short moment in time. My sweet little Kacey ran up to me every single day and said "Miss Ashley, you are my most favorite teacher and I love you!" And everyday I got to watch the 4 year old "Cool Caterpillars" act like every super hero under the sun. From Batman to Spiderman...their imaginations running wild. My precious Talon and Oliver swinging beside each other everyday to see who could swing the highest. Or little 3 yr old Libby asking me to push her in the swings.

How can I really even describe my summer?

I spent every Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon with my speaking part kiddos. 15 kids who I got to spend extra time with learning about the complete story of Joseph. I got to teach them that God can turn bad situations into amazing situations. 15 speaking parts, and would you know there was NEVER a single practice where all 15 were there...In the words of Debbie, my supervisor, "That's Tahoe for you." :) But they did awesome, and I know God was proud!

How can I really even describe my summer?

I served with 12 other girls this summer. Amazing girls. Seriously, God could not have put a better team together. 13 total summer missionaries from all kinds of backgrounds with one purpose...to serve Christ. We were challenged individually, and as a team. We learned to pour and invest into each other this summer. Whether it was bonding over stories from the day or a walk to the beach, we did it. Every night we went to bed exhausted and every morning we woke up tired. We served.

How can I really even describe my summer?

The truth is, I'm still trying to figure it all out. God did a work in my heart this summer. I am blessed to have been apart of something huge. God is working in Tahoe. I can't wait to read email updates about those precious kids accepting Christ in the future.

Of course, when I run out of words...I let pictures do the rest :)