Sun, 24 Jul 2005

Please hold us in a special prayer. (This will be 10 a.m. their time and 7 p.m. Sunday night for us) Tomorrow we are going back to a prison we visited last week where a guy has been put there because a lady paid the police and told them he stole a cell phone. The prisoners have to paid to even get a drink of water or anything to eat. It is really really bad. They sleep on the dirty floor and have to pay to have a mat to sleep on. We were able to talk with him in the prison. I had brought the Portuguese bible I had brought with me to Africa and was able to give it to him with some bread we brought with us.

We asked the guards of the prison if we could come back and bring a guitar with us the next time. They were hesitant but when we told them we were from "Iris" they were very open. We are going to bring back some more food for the prisoners and a mat for the one guy we had visited to sleep on.

The guards ask us to bring bibles for them also and they would bring all the prisoners out to listen to us. Approximately 200 people are in the prison. The Lord has opened the door for us to bring bread and preach the word. It is not known what will happen but God has opened the way I am really excited. This is an area that "Iris" has not been able to get into.

It seems crazy to having this going through my mind but I really want to go into one of the prisons. To see how they must live and feel what they must be feeling. The place smelled really bad. As the only white girl among the group visiting there they watch me closely but I feel God's wonderful peace. The guards searched the guys but not the girls.

We will be visiting the hospital tomorrow. Please keep us in prayer. We were able to go there the other day. There is nothing there. It is such a poor nation. Mothers sitting holding their sick little children in their laps. IVs hanging off of poles next to them. No medicines as we know it.

Some of the children here have scabies so on Monday we went searching through the village to find medicine. The hospital has nothing. It took us all day but we were able to find some of the medicine needed.

It has been incredible awesome! The people come and sit around on the sidewalks outside. They kept asking why all these white people are here. Now we are telling them. This school has been able to be a part of the first in many things. We were the first to bring in the people from the village. Many are beggers. They beg for money and for food. They have been coming! Heidi has been opening the gates and the people come and we just love on them. We are going to start feeding them during the lunch on Sundays. Before we didn't have enough food but now we have. Today we started to feed them after church. There were hundreds of kids! All lined us to eat beans and rice. So many. It was so precious to be able to feed them for both physically and spiritually.

To go to school the family has to pay but most are too poor here. Some will be in their twenties and only be in the second year of school because they can't afford to pay. They work and save a little money and go as they are able. Heidi is going to start a school for the children and not charge for it. I told the lady and her family that we went to see on Friday. Their eyes were wide and they were amazed! This will mean so much to the people.

Malaria is like the common cold here except you can die from it. One of the pastors here has it. We were able to pray with him. He was very weak.

Friday night I went back to this ladies house. She made a cake! It was amazing! I don't know how she made it. We were so blown away! The way they have to cook it is amazing but yet she made us a cake!

If anyone wants to seed into what is going on here it would be so wonderful. It is really here. It is not just preaching to them but loving them. Filling their hungry bellies, putting roofs over their heads and now being able to educate them. Real life things.

I have been asked about the living conditions a little more in regards to our water. The conditions here makes it so all have to pump water. I have been able to take one shower since being here. The water just is not here. If it just happens to be running then you get a shower, but usually it is only a trickle. Usually we take bucket baths. Since we are so close to the Indian Ocean the water from the well is salty so we are able to buy bottled water. The school has been able to bring in a tank of water for our use also.

I have been asked if you can mail things here. Yes, but it is very expensive and it takes a long time and there is no guarantee we will get it. The best way to donate is to bring it if you are coming or given in money through Iris' website.

Blessings to all of you,

Ashlee

Fri, 15 Jul 2005

We went to a ladies house the other day so she could teach us about their cooking. She was dressed in her best dress. We would consider it rags in America. Here it was the best. She had gone to the beach early in the morning to get fresh fish instead of the market because in the market it lays in the open and is not very fresh. She wanted it to be the best for us. It was so humbling. When the food was finished they stood back and had us eat first. The people gathered around. The children were laughing and playing. It was so awesome.

The orphan children of the village are so thankful to be able to come into our church. When Heidi opens the gates they run in and start dancing and worshiping. We have been warned they will steal our stuff if we don't watch.

The children, so many have no parents to cloth or feed them. Heidi has said they are going to start a school. It cost money to go to school here. The cost is only something like $5.00 a year. A college is only $1000. a year yet the people can't go because they have no money. Unemployment is 75%

The people say they love us being here because we love them.

Some of the villagers believe if they pray to the devil then the devil will leave them alone. We have found that this is when we hear the drums. They will begin about 9 pm and continue through the night until about 3 am. We can feel the warfare so strongly. Last night we started shouting Jesus! The enemy is defeated! Now we know what we are up against so we are going to go back into the village and take back the kingdom for God and not allow the enemy to prevail. Please hold us in prayer as we go. This is real warfare!

I really just want to see Jesus come. A man in the village talks about seeing a massive huge Angel walking through the village about 15 years ago. He didn't know what it was. He was only about 15 years old at the time.

Things are not always wonderful as it may seem. The children come from the streets and hard areas. As a result I have seen much violence between them at times. One of the guys from the school was walking back from the village by himself and was jumped and robbed of his backpack. We do not go anyplace alone. We must always be in a group. There is always a sense of needing to watch our backs but yet it is so cool seeing everything happening.

To be a part of seeing the people hear about Jesus the first time. The excitement in their faces. It is so precious to be a part of.

Right now as I am talking with my parents and my mom is typing this message to you I am in line to get my tea and Oh I am getting milk in my tea today. My roll for this morning. Oh, this tea is so good with the milk.

Blessings to all of you,

Ashlee

Sun, 10 Jul 2005

Since it is so difficult for me to get to the Internet I am having my parents send out these emails. They are also reading me your emails. Thank you for all your prayers.

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To get around here we climb into the back of a big truck. At breakfast we get one roll to eat. Sometimes it is older so it is a bit hard. We get tea to drink with roll and sometimes with milk. The tea is made from the well water which is salty so we have to boil it. For lunch we might have rice with fish which have heads and all. We might have an hard boiled egg with potatoes and this green stuff that looks like Spinach. We eat everything with our hands. I don't use silverware. After being sick I ate out twice because of being so weak. It seemed so strange.

The other day we went to the village and bought candy for the kids and some peanut butter for the breakfast rolls. It will be nice to have something a little different.

I sleep under a mosquito net each night. As a little girl I thought it would be nice to have a canopy over my bed. I find I don't really like it much, it gets in the way.

The mosquitoes don't seem to be too bad. It is not mosquito season here now. I have only been bitten a couple times on my hands and feet.

Someone was saying it was 90 degrees the other day but it seemed cold to me. The climate is so different. When it rains it pours. Everyone runs for shelter but we from the Northwest run into it and love it!

Everyday we are under a canopy roof for the school and church. It is filling up for church. Each day we go and love on the people in the community and invite them to the church. They are coming.

One of the pastors needed a hair cut and I was able to buy him a haircut. It is so wonderful to bless these people with just little things. It is so fun to watch the excitement of blessing them.

Life is difficult here. Some of the people who came for the school have left because of the difficulty. The bugs, the dirt, lack of sanitation as we know it. It is a very difficult life. Not everyone is called to the third world countries. We bless those who have come rather they stay or go for each have had their lives changed in a wonderful way through Jesus Christ.

Here the cars have the right a way. I was walking down the street and one of the pastors grabbed me and placed me between him and another pastor. He told me that if anyone got killed from the car it would be him and not me. They are so protective of us. It is wonderful.

This next week some of us will go into one of the oldest villages in Pemba. A lady makes candy and sells it in Pemba. We are going to go and help her make the candy. I also will be going to this other place to learn how to cook the food they eat here. A couple of fun things God is blessing me with.

Please hold me in prayer. The next step. I really don't know how I will be able to go back to where I was before. It was such a dead-end. I am really asking Father what He wants me to do. Heidi has been teaching us about the cultural eyes of here. Of being a missionary. One thing she said was anyone who feels God is calling them to Iris to let them know. I felt the Lord is asking me to do this. I gave them my name. I just know I am called to Africa. I am asking Lord where. They are going to be setting up meetings to speak with us.

Today the church service was so powerful. So beautiful.

People think of Africa as having so many miracles. But you need to know there are many miracles that do not happen. The life here is very hard. The people grab hold and do not stop praying until God answers.

Heidi has been saying that God is going to bring people who God is going give great favor that will be bringing huge containers of food here. Containers of food, of vegetables and fruits that is so needed. She has seen it! We are praying for the answer to come quickly.

I am trying to get as many pictures as possible to bring home but it is very difficult because of the peoples beliefs.

Thank you for your prayers,

Blessings and much love from Pemba,

Ashlee

Wed, 6 Jul 2005

Thank you so much for your prayers. I am much better. After about four days I'm up on my feet again. It was a strange time. There were others that were sick. A strange feeling in the room with many having strange dreams and nightmares. Many prayers were said over the room along with anointing everything. The sickness, dreams and strange feeling has lifted.

Another member of the school and I walked through the village today. We met a woman that he had met before and went to her house. Zak had prayed for the woman's child when he was here last. Today we found she had just lost her little baby from Malaria. She also had Malaria and was really sick. She was grief stricken from the death of her child. We were able to pray with her and offer comfort. She does know Jesus. (Please hold Zak in prayer. He is having a hard time dealing with the lost of this child after he had prayed.)

We stop for the one. We were invited into a little house with just dirt walls and grass roof. We prayed with the woman of the house. She had accepted Jesus before and wanted us to teach her more. When we were to leave she crumpled to the floor in tears. She didn't want us to leave she wanted to hear more. They are so hungry to learn of Jesus here.

One of the students at the school from England has been wanting to do film clips of the ministry and village. I have been asked to help him. On Tuesday we will be going into the village and talking with the children and people on the streets. We bought some candy as a special treat for the children.

The children are so happy here. The boys racing through the buildings playing tag; the girls singing and playing. They had gotten into something that looked like concrete and had it all over themselves. The laugh and laugh. Such simplicity, such joy in the children. Big beautiful eyes shining up at you with such love.

One of the main things I have been learning here is that it is all wrapped around love. Loving the people with the love of Christ. Stopping for the one and loving them.

Again, thank you for your prayers,

Ashlee

Sat, 2 Jul 2005

I am sick today so am sending this through my mom. She is typing the message to all of you while I am resting on my bed talking with her via the computer speakers.

Blessings to all of you from Mozambique.:
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Different ones of those living in Africa had family members die this last week. They didn't seem to be bothered much by it. They asked if this did not happen in US much. To them it is common place.

Last night the drums were going in the village again. It sounded like an animal was being killed. Kinda strange. When I first arrived we used to hear the drums more often.

We have water early in the morning or later in the evening - sometimes. If the well goes dry we don't have water. We have to hand pump the water and can only use it for bathing. We do have electricity - sometimes. A couple hours a day maybe. We have a refrigerator in our room but we have to use the food quickly because of the little electricity.

One thing God is teaching me is a missionary is what we do and who we are. Incarnal missions is being with the people and going with the people. Gleaming with them being fully a part of their lives. Learning the language and their cultural. Then you can tell them the good news.

One guy accepted Jesus in the morning and that night he wanted to be baptisted. When he was baptist he saw fire coming from the person's hands. He asked if that was not painful?? He started pastor's school right away.

I went to the 5 star hotel the other day with one of the other people here. I wanted to see what my reaction would be. It seems so unreal! I went into the bathrooms and they had an automatic fan. I stood there and looked and then started to cry. It was almost like a little child seeing a new thing. I don't know how I am going to handle it when I get home.

The fact I can take medicine when I am home but here there is nothing. Here they can pray or go to the witch doctor. For us it is to pray of course. It is so different.

It is such a blessing to know everyone is praying. We all really need it. Please keep praying.

For now I must go and rest.

Thank you for your prayers,

Ashlee