What a week!

This week has been a little on the crazy side...everything from setting mice traps to putting paint thinner in the car to TRY to start it.Guess what it didnt work. haha Oh Mexico! Well this has been a very emotional week for me also. The sad part most of the emotional part has to deal with drama going on back in the United States. I have an amazing mom though who is always there when I need her even if we are in different countries. I know that Satan is really attacking this week but I have the One and only on my side...so I am not going to let it bother me. I am asking for prayer for my future decisions especially once I get back home. I know God is moving in my life right now and has amazing things planned but the steps to get there might not be fun or easy. Prayers for wisdom and strength would be greatly appreciated.        
 Last Sunday I got to pray in Spanish for the childrens offereing. I had help with preparing and rehearsing my prayer. The kids thought it was cool to hear me pray in their language.Some of the kids even came up and gave me hugs and told me I did good. I cannot wait until I can communicate more in Spanish. One of the little boys said my prayer was too short. I think he is four and didnt understand how hard just that short prayer was for me. haha I love kids.
 I have been working on some scenery for the upcoming Vacation Bible School or as they call it in Mexico Curso de Verano. I am not very creative so I found some ideas on the internet and have two very creative people helping me. Maximo gets to draw and design the taxis and me and Jacqui worked on stop lights. The theme this year is Adventure in the Big Apple which is kind of hard since we are in Mexico. I think we have decided just to do a big city theme. That means lots of tall buildings, taxis, and some roads. I am so excited to see how it turns out. Everyone knows I love kids so VBS is right up my alley.
Well this week has also been the week when a lot of youth took exams to see if they get into the university or some graduated high school. I got to go to a graduation ceremony and then to the girls party afterwards. They made me dance which was just interesting haha Then yesterday I went to a graduation party for another girl. The family I live with have two kids who took exams to see if they get into the university.There was lots of preparing and praying before hand. It was amazing to see a church come around the youth and lay hands on them for these things. The daughter Sandy found out today that she passed!! Everyone is so happy for her and it made her parents very proud. Now they are waiting to see if their son passed. He keeps putting off checking though. He could have found out yesterday but found every excuse not to look. I think I convinced him to find out today. Why wait!!! This is such an exciting and nervous time for the youth of the church but amazing to see them drawn together from it.
I cant believe the summer is half over because it has gone by so fast. Thank you supporters for giving me this opportunity!!! It has been life changing so far and I still have more changing to do.
Ash

Prayer

This week is prayer week for the church here. You can sign up for an hour and people are always praying at the church for the whole week. We made papers with our pictures and prayer request or praises. We were suppose to leave room for people to write encourgaments. On Sunday I got to help set up the stations which followed the Lord´s prayer. Some of the youth here are so creative. Well I am not so I tried to set things up like tables and organize some of the boys who werent doing anything unless you tell them to. Well Maximo and I set out on a search for a cross that they had had before. After awhile we found it in three pieces so then we went on a search for a hammer, nails, and a new piece of wood. Maximo is one of the guys I live with whose dad is a carpenter and preaches at the church sometimes. Well I hammered the nails in and fixed the cross haha Everyone who knows me knows that I like to do boy things :) Well then comes Monday and there are many spaces that are not filled so guess who got to fill them..the slave (intern) as they call me :) I got to pray for a total of three hours but not all together. I was nervous about praying for three hours but it turned out amazing. Just me and God...life changing! Today I had to pray for one hour but tomorrow is another day.
The people here are so amazing but so broken at the same time. I found out one of the ladies that I ate lunch with got pregnant at 13 years old. She now has that daughter and a 14 year old and a 12 year old. She met her husband at a bar and now they are both Christians whose lives are turned around. She said her side of the family is all a mess though. Amazing what God can do. I have heard so many bad stories of people coming to the church and then messing up big time. Reminds me of some of my experience with foster care. You pour your life into someone who turns around and rejects it. I think God is teaching me and has put me through experience to figure out how to deal with these issues. No one will ever be ok with someone rejecting them but with God in the picture it is different.
Please continue to pray for me and wisdom for the future. Also for the people of Pachuca! 

what a journey

Well I had to go to the doctor this week because I had an ear infection. I am so glad I did though because the doctor gave me some meds and in two days I was feeling fine. The meds made me dizzy and not be able to sleep very well...but everything is back to normal now. I have got to eat at different Mexican family´s house this week for lunch. I was a little nervous about that at first because my lack of Spanish but it has been amazing. Trying all these different foods and practicing Spanish and usually helping them learn new English words. They love to learn English words which helps me learn the Spanish words. I also got to help plan kids church for two Sundays. It is kind of weird not actually teaching them but I cant since i cant speak their language. I have got to attend so many different bible studies each week. Some for adults and some for my age which is neat. I have been doing a lot of talking with the youth who are my age. It is so nice because they know so much English which then can help me learn my Spanish. I have sooooo much work to do. Everyone keeps saying that I understand so much but still cant really speak it. I am trying though. I have been praying about my future and where God is going to use me. I want to be in Mexico but there are a lot details that God is going to have to work out. That is what faith is for ...right haha. Well tomorrow USA plays Mexico in futbol tomorrow for the finals. This should be interesting..I am torn on who to root for because the whole country of Mexico loves soccer. Usa not so much. Plus for my best interest since I am in Mexico I think I should root for them haha. Well I hope I can write more later please continue to pray for guidance and wisdom. Thanks for the support everybody

I am so blessed

I cant even begin to explain everything I have experienced while I have been here. I have gone to a circus, a movie in Spanish, the park, the mall, the center of town, rode in taxis, rode with crazy Mexican drivers :), and made so many good friends. Building relationships with people my age has been my favorite part so far. I feel like I have known them and been apart of their group forever :) I am learning Spanish and helping them with their English haha. I know God has given me this passion for a reason and know I am praying that I will follow His will once I get back from Mexico. Right now at this point I want to live here. It has only been a week though :) Sunday was a good day to be here. I got to help with kids church and helped with a Sunday school class. I thought it would be more difficult since I don't know much Spanish but it wasn't. The kids are so helpful and patient. Then I think their were six baptisms after church. Praise God! I started my Spanish tutoring yesterday so hopefully I can learn some more words and structures of their sentences. Please pray that I will pick up on it. I want to learn it soooo bad. I have also been helping with homeschooling the missionary kids; Benjamin and Teo. I love it!
Yesterday was my birthday and the people in my house threw me a party. I got around 5 or 6 buckets of water thrown on me which is tradition in their family. Then they bought me a cake with strawberries, kiwi, and a peach on top. They sing to you and then they tell you to take the first bite. When you do this they shove your face in the cake :) Then the youth took me to the center of town and walked around and gave me a mini tour. Write to me on Facebook if you want to know anymore.
Please continue to pray :)
Thank you to all my supporters in prayer and who gave me money to come.
Dios le bendiga (May God bless you) This is the phrase I am working on today!
Ashley

La comida es bueno!

I am in Pachuca after staying one night in Mexico city when we arrived.  I have had an awesome and growing time just in a one day period. I got to ride in a couple of taxis, eat the food, speak a little spanish, be confused, be a little overwhelmed, and be so ready to go all in one day.
Every single meal I have had here so far has been so good. I have found a couple of things that are not my favorite but oh well. I have had chorizo, arroz, lots of tortillas, quesadillas, chocolate milk, nutella, pastor, a different kind of pork, papa fritas, guacamole (I think that is how you spell it) and so much more. I hate guacamole in the states but love it here. I am so excited to keep trying new things.
I attended a cell group last night for adults which was alittle over whelming because I couldn´t understand much. I wanted to but I was so tired. After that I met my host family which I LOVE so far. They have four older children but one just got married last weekend and doesn´t live here anymore. I get here bed for the summer. One of their daughters Sandy is helping me learn Spanish and I am helping her learn a little English. It has been so nice to have someone who is my age to talk to and relate to. I get to go find out what I will be doing here in alittle bit :)

Last day of Pre-Departure Orientation

Wow, I leave for Mexico tomorrow. I am so excited but I am a little nervous also which I think is good. I really had to focus hard yesterday during training because it seems like there is a lot going on back home. Yesterday I learned a lot about Spiritual disciplines, spiritual warfare on the field, and culture shock. I didn't realize that usually everyone experiences culture shock when they leave the country for a extended period of time. I always thought it was bad that I did when I went to Spain. It can be very helpful if you know how to deal with it. The way they described culture shock is with 5 R's which include the romantic stage, realization stage, rejection stage, readjustment stage, and reentry stage. Romantic stage is the honeymoon stage where EVERYTHING is just so cute and amazing. Then you start realizing all the differences and then after awhile you started not liking those differences. Then you get use to them and start adjusting your attitude and behaviors. Then you cme back to the United States and try to figure out how to process everything and get back to this life.
I am learning so much about God's grace just from listening to everybody's testimonies. Some things I learned yesterday was....
"Discipline without direction can be drudgery" God doesn't take excuses when we are fearing something He is asking us to do  because He knows us and what we can handle. He made us so DUH!
I am so excited to get started and be on the plane. I will need prayer and especially as I am there longer and hitting some of those different culture shock stages. Thank you for everyone who supported me and gave me this opportunity to serve God.
                              ~Ashley~

PDO

I love orientation so far! The first night I chugged a jar of baby food for a game. The worst part about that was the flavor...it was sweet potatoe and turkey. GROSS I met so many new people with similar passions as I had which was amazing. The second day at orientation we did so many things. One of them was that I got to give my testimony. There were many people who were nervous to give their testimony. I was really nervous but I was going to try hard to stay in the time limit. I think I did but it doesn't matter because I got to tell the story about my mom witnessing to Carlos in Mexico. The best story ever and if you haven't heard it ask me about it! :) I also found out I am an "i' on the DiSC personality test and an "otter" on another personality test. They both fit me very well and taught me some cool things about myself. Yesterday we went to a ropes course and did team building. It was so much fun and my team really bonded. I found out some of the group has the same fears I have which is helpful to work through them together.
I am really leaning on God and trusting that His plan is so much better than my plan. I want to tear down this wall of not being able to speak Spanish. It is ok to look foolish and it is ok to fail. Please continue to pray that I give this fear to God. I miss my family and Stephen so much already but this is going to be an awesome experince.