COTW coming to Lynchburg!

This has been a fabulous month....I've been able to spend time with my family and several friends, so details and photos will come soon.

But for now, I want to let everyone in the Lynchburg area know that we'll be doing a concert there on June 14! 11am at the church below. 

Shekijah Preparation Assembly

104 Fleetwood Dr

Lynchburg, VA 24501

I'm hoping that I'll see some familiar faces, but I realize it's a Sunday morning concert which may not be ideal. However, the kids are worth seeing, and I know you wouldn't regret it. If you have any questions, just let me know. (Unfortunately, our concert will be only 30 minutes that morning, but it's still awesome.) 

We arrived in the Altoona, PA area today. It's good to see my home state after being gone for so long! On Friday we'll head to Ocean City, NJ for several days. My friend, Brett, may make it to the concert! And on Monday the whole team will enjoy the beach together (woohoo!!) 

Less than 2 weeks left of road life! And then several days in VA with the kiddies before they leave for their countries :( 

Bragging on my mom

Two posts in one night....that's rare!

It's Mother's Day tomorrow. Just when I started feeling sorry for myself, because I'm so far from my mom, I was reminded of how good I have it. Martin prayed this at bedtime tonight, "Please help my mom know I'm ok and she shouldn't worry about me..."

Whoa. Ok, God, I have no right to complain. Sure, I haven't seen my mom since last summer. But growing up, I saw her every day. I'm taking care of a little boy who is half my age and hasn't seen his mom in that long either. Except even when he DOES get to see her again, he is unable to live with her and see her on a daily basis. Life is unfair....it shouldn't be like that. In Uganda, when the husband dies, all of his money/belongings goes to his family. The wife is left with nothing. (That's one of the main reasons most of our kids are living in orphanages...)

All that to say, the older I get, the more I appreciate my mom. I could write a novel on here about how wonderful she is, but for the sake of time/space, I'll make it brief.

When I was young, I appreciated my mom. But at the same time, I think I took her for granted. I guess I thought every child had a mom as amazing as mine....but the older I got, I realize that is certainly not the case. I am fortunate to have a mother like mine, who literally puts her family first in everything she does and every decision she makes. Her cooking is out-of-this-world (ask any of my friends!!), her patience is more than I'll ever have ;) , and her love for us seems endless. I can confide anything in her....and I appreciate that despite her busy schedule, she always finds lots of time to talk to me over the phone.

My mom and I are so different when it comes to our taste in movies, decorating, music, etc....but I'm finding that I'm becoming more and more like my mom in many ways, the older I get. I know this, because I've caught myself reprimanding/disciplining the kids the same way my mom handled me growing up! The little sayings and mannerisms are the same, unintentionally.

Not seeing her for nearly a year has been rough, but I appreciate and respect her even more. I love you and can't wait to see you soon!

My college graduation last May

(One of the last times I saw my mom...that will change next weekend)

tic. tic. tic. toc.

The weeks are flying by. (I feel like I say this constantly.) Is it really May already? This means there are only six short weeks until the kids return to their countries :( I choose not to think about that....yet. Our kids have started referring to the fact that there are only a few weeks left. Some will be ready to return home, while others will not be. But inevitably, our time as a team (more like a family) is coming to an end.

This past week was quite enjoyable, with multiple days where Gift and Martin (I'm in a host fam with them) could just chill, play, and be boys (which translates to: ride scooters and Ripsticks outside for hours at a time...) Sunday night-Tuesday we were hosted by Tammy + Tommy, a wonderful family in Tennessee. The boys and I had an unusual treat of staying in a neat lodge-style house all by ourselves, several minutes down the road from the family. We appreciated the downtime on Monday (it felt like we were on vacation!).

We were in Kentucky Tuesday-Friday, and I absolutely loved my time with that host family (Wade and Lisa). Their children were precious! Logan played so well with Gift and Martin, and I instantly fell in love with little 6 yr old Emily. Her southern accent was darling. The night I arrived, she asked me if we could paint our nails. She also asked me to help her with homework, so I did (I now know I could at least homeschool my kids through Kindergarten!) I loved her sweet spirit, her humor, and the fact that she is so girly yet also into hunting, fishing, etc. Lisa (her mom) was an amazing cook, and she spoiled us with homemade EVERYTHING (apple butter--yum!!--, strawberry jam, applesauce, and cinnamon buns.) I think my bedroom at their house was the most unusual I've stayed in....each night when I went to sleep, I had 8 pairs of mounted deer eyes staring right at me. Slightly unnerving, but I'm a big girl, so I could handle it :)

Emily and me

I hope you all have had a relaxing and rejuvinating weekend. And a huge congrats to my dear friends at Liberty who graduated today! (Erin, Dachelle, Sheila, Christi, Chad, Mitch, Sarah...the list could go on.) I was there in spirit and prayed throughout the day for y'all. So proud of you guys.

"Gracious Uncertainty"

Two years ago, I was sitting in a communications class, taught by dear Dr. Kelly. He read the "April 29" day in My Utmost for His Highest. I can't remember what I was going through, but I do remember being impacted by it and returning to my dorm room to highlight the main points in my own copy of the devotional book. Later on in the evening, I sat on my floor with Anna and Dachelle (if I remember correctly) as we poured over the text, discussing the problems we were facing in our own lives. It lifted our spirits.

Fast forward two years later...two days ago, I flipped open my copy of My Utmost for His Highest. On the "April 29" page, there were the markings I made several years ago. I saw the title: "Gracious Uncertainty" and instantly knew it would be a much-needed reminder of God's perfect timing.

In a month and a half, this tour is over. The kids will return home (I can't think about that right now!), and I am unsure of the next step for my own life. Does that scare me? Most definitely! But God has never failed me. And He never will. If we are willing, He will use us. So even though my future is uncertain at this time, I know He will continue to guide me.

Here are exerpts from "April 29" (My Utmost...) for you to enjoy. Read it slowly and carefully (maybe even out loud.) I pray it encourages you, wherever you are in life.

Gracious Uncertainty

Our natural inclination is to be so precise— trying always to forecast accurately what will happen next— that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We think that we must reach some predetermined goal, but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty.

Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life— gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness, but it should be an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises. When we become simply a promoter or a defender of a particular belief, something within us dies. That is not believing God — it is only believing our belief about Him. Jesus said, ". . . unless you . . . become as little children . . ." (Matthew 18:3 ). The spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next. If our certainty is only in our beliefs, we develop a sense of self-righteousness, become overly critical, and are limited by the view that our beliefs are complete and settled. But when we have the right relationship with God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy. Jesus said, ". . . believe also in Me" (John 14:1 ), not, "Believe certain things about Me". Leave everything to Him and it will be gloriously and graciously uncertain how He will come in— but you can be certain that He will come. Remain faithful to Him.
-Oswald Chambers

Adios, Texas!

After spending a majority of our time in Texas, we have said "Adios!" to the state for good. From now on, we will be slowly making our way towards the Eastern states, which greatly excites me (I get to see several familiar faces in the next few weeks!). In this last stretch of the tour, we'll be performing in Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, the D.C. area, Ohio, and New Jersey.

There's so much to update about, that I hardly know where to start.

Prava and I enjoyed a day off on Monday. Our hotel was snazzy for being a Holiday Inn (apparently they're revamping their look. I loved the decorating!)



The highlight for me was seeing one of my best friends since I was 14....I haven't seen Zack in three years, so it was awesome to catch up with him. He and his girlfriend (Marisa) drove two hours to spend the evening with me, which meant a lot. They live in Arizona but happened to be in Texas visiting relatives. Marisa is a sweetheart, and we hit it off instantly (chatting about our favorite books, hot tea, etc :) The three of us went to "Half Price Books" to browse. Surprisingly, I left the store without making a purchase (I didn't say I wasn't tempted ;) But I'm still reading "Jane Eyre" (I know my mom is happy to hear that I'm loving it!), and after that I have a list of other books to read.

Then we walked through World Market, followed by a yummy dinner at a Mongolian grill (Yum! I highly recommend it.) My favorite part of the evening was just sitting down, having thought-provoking theological conversations with Zach and Marisa. We exchanged opinions about topics such as "Can you lose your salvation? (ie, walk away from God)," "Do you have to be baptized to go to heaven?" etc. It was just a fun time with wonderful people.




Also over the weekend:
-A lady in Walmart asked me if Prava was my DAUGHTER. She's 19!!! Granted, she could pass for being a 12 year old....but do I really look like I'm 30??

-I saw "Seventeen Again" with Taylor, Prava, and Alan. Matthew Perry + Zac Effron were a funny combination. Cute movie.

-Our kids performed seven times in 24 hours at the same church. Kay Warren (Rick Warren's wife) was at the church for a conference, so we met her and got a photo taken. I'll be honest; I'm not a huge fan of Rick Warren, but she seems like a neat lady who has overcome battles with cancer and is still serving the Lord in great ways. [In this photo, Kay is in the back row wearing blue. Also, Noel and Cossandra--from the VA office--were visiting, so they're in the photo as well.]



I put numerous Easter photos in a Facebook album today, but here are a few.




On a random note, is anyone following this season of American Idol? I never have time to watch it when it airs, but I've gotten into it lately (watching the performances online.) I'm hoping either Kris or Danny wins. I absolutely loved Kris's rendition of my favorite Sinatra song, "The Way You Look Tonight." :) Adam just creeps me out, though he is a gifted performer.

A multicultural Easter!

"Auntie Ashley..." Ezera whispered with a giggle, "you are the only Mzungu here!" As if I hadn't already noticed I was the only white person in a housefull of Hispanics, one Nepali, and three Ugandans! :) Our "weekend church" in Lubbock, TX, was a Hispanic church, so all our kids stayed with Hispanic host families which was neat. I spent Friday evening in a house crammed with nearly 30 individuals who were not caucasian ;) The teenagers/kids watched "High School Musical 3," and since I had no other option, I was forced to watch it for the...let me think here....6th time! Embarassing, yes. However, keep in mind that only one of those times was actually by choice. (I do still enjoy belting out the songs though...)

It was neat to spend some time in Lubbock after hearing about it from Marc and Amy. Wish they could have been here to give me a tour of the city. They are such wonderful people whom I met in Lynchburg last summer. Good memories of RUF summer Bible studies at their house. Seems like a lifetime ago! At one of those Lynchburg Bible studies, I met Alyssa who was visiting from Texas Tech. Since our concert this morning was only minutes away from TT, Alyssa came to see it. It was wonderful to see a familiar face. Thanks for taking time to come, Alyssa!

I hope each of you had a meaningful Easter! Mine was unlike any Easter in my past. It started out in the Hispanic church, and let me tell you, those people knew how to worship. One of the best things ever (in my humble opinion) is worshipping our Savior with people from different cultures. It reminded me of the time I spent in Mexico in high school. We may have many differences (the language, the way of living, etc) but we serve the same Lord.

Next up was the surprise Easter egg hunt for our kids! On Wednesday, Taylor/Prava/and I went to Walmart and bought 250 easter eggs. It only took us about 30 minutes to fill them all with candy! After the concert, we snuck out to a nearby park and hid all of the eggs. That alone was quite an adventure, because the cold wind was blowing like crazy (I gave up trying to hide the eggs IN the trees...) plus we only had a few minutes before the kids arrived. So out of desperation, we ended up just scattering some of the eggs on the ground. (Not too challenging, but the kids still loved it.)

I don't know when I've ever seen children so excited to hunt for Easter eggs. They jumped up and down and screamed for joy when they discovered that they would be participating in this exciting, American tradition. (First time for them, of course!) The rest of the day, they kept talking about what a fun Easter it was. But more importantly, they know the real reason we celebrate Easter. We reminded them several times this past week of its importance. And last night during bedtime prayers, the four boys each took turns praying and thanked Jesus for "dying on the cross for us and rising again so You can live in us forever and ever." There's nothing quite like watching our kids scrunch their faces and squeeze their eyes shut as they earnestly pray.

[I will do my best to upload Easter photos soon!]

I'll close with a humorous story which has nothing to do with Easter, but hopefully it makes you laugh....

Before I tell you about the following conversation I had with Rose, you need to understand something. Our kids don't eat much beef in their countries, so they approach it hesitantly (of course meat like that isn't quite as safe to eat in their countries.) They don't realize that they eat beef many times a week here in America (spaghetti, hamburgers, barbecue sandwiches, etc.) So last week on the bus, Rose was sitting next to me. We drove by cows, and she genuinely asked me the following question:

"Auntie Ashley, have you ever eaten cow??"
I simply just smiled and let her continue....
"It is soooo good, Auntie! I had it ONCE--in MY country. If you ever get the chance, you have to try it!!"
When I recounted that conversation to Taylor and Prava, we died laughing. Little does Rose know that she eats "cow" almost daily!

News Story!

It's amazing how huge the kids' smiles are when they know that the TV cameras are rolling! Yesterday morning, the local ABC station was on site to do a story on the kids. I thought it was presented professionally and passionately...take a look.

click here to watch the news story. I hope you enjoy it! (Sidenote: do you see Ezera--front/center--dancing with his cast on!?)

[I am hoping to find time soon to update about our time in New Mexico! When we finally made it, after being delayed by the Amarillo blizzard.]