Greetings from Mozambique 3-16-2008

Querida Familia e Amigos
(Dear family and friends)!

March is my two year anniversary of when I came to Dondo , Mozambique as a full-time missionary in 2006. What a full two years it has been of learning what it is to walk in the joys and sufferings of the cross. I am thankful to God for every moment whether difficult or easy. I’m so thankful for how He has worked through my life to glorify His name and I am looking forward to what He has in store for the future.

TB Free Zone in Jesus’ Name

Since my last update I had two more of our boys tested for TB as their health was deteriorating and I recognized the signs. Their results came back positive so they have begun treatment. Thankfully they have not reached the level of being contagious so they do not have to be isolated like Tony was.

Tony has finished the two month intensive treatment phase and is back living in the boy’s house. The second phase of treatment for TB is four months. He has made quick recovery and I exalt the Lord for this as it was not an easy first two months.

Prison Ministry

Something very special has been taking place at the prison the last three weeks I have gone to minister there. A little over a month ago I felt the Lord say strongly to me to begin to be more sensitive and expecting during our times of worship in the prison because the Holy Spirit wanted to come in a more powerful way. I began to fervently pray and welcome the Holy Spirit to do this. I told this to Lino (the barber) who I minister with in the prison and he became very happy. Now for the past three weeks God’s presence has come in such a strong way during worship. The first week it happened during worship a break of silence came after one song of adoration to the Lord. When one of the prisoners began to sing again his voice was crackly as though he was holding back tears. Each week since that time there has been much more sincerity coming from the prisoners. As they worship there is passion in your faces as a handful kneel down on their knees in reverence. There is a small group that I have been watching for the past month or so being transformed. I have seen the hardness fall off and I see Jesus’ glow in their faces. This past Thursday two of them came to me saying “Mana Ashlee when we get out we want to come to your church”. One gets out at the end of April and the other in June. I pray they do come and continue to feel the embrace of the Father’s love for them. My heart is that when they get out there is someone with them who can walk with them and help disciple them in the truth. This brings me to Agnaldo.

In my last newsletter I introduced you to Agnaldo who I met while ministering in the jail. Since that time I have been in contact with him by phone as he lives in another town/village. A couple of weeks had passed without hearing anything from Agnaldo. All I could do was pray as I felt a deep concern for him within my spirit. Last weekend he called me to say he wanted to come visit me, but he had hurt his foot so was not able to make it. Within my spirit the Holy Spirit told me to go visit him, so this last Thursday morning I caught a 25 minute bus ride to Mafambisse to visit Agnaldo. This trip was very good and very much of God. It touched me very deeply and has left me with a heart of intercession for this young man named Agnaldo who Jesus loves so passionately. From the first time I met him I saw God has a special plan for his life and now He is allowing me to see the struggles he faces each day. Agnaldo was put in jail because he started to like a girl who lived in his area, but the father disapproved of this because Agnaldo is orphaned and poor. First he beat him up and then paid the police to put him in jail and keep him there. He was supposed to have been there for one year, but God showed mercy upon him and he was released after one month. Since he got out of jail he has been staying with distant cousins who he did not grow up knowing. I found out when I visited him on Thursday that his cousins do not want him to live with them and are not kind to him. There are four in all that he lives with and only one continues to show him mercy by defending him and allowing him to stay with them. Agnaldo is living like a servant in the house of his cousins. Each day he washes their clothes, cooks the meals, gets the water from the well (which is not close), cleans the house and whatever else needs to be done. He does this so that he can have a place to live and food to eat. If he has anything nice it is stolen from him and if he says anything about it they tell him he can leave. Since he was put in prison it is as though a label has been placed on him by individuals so any type of work is difficult to find. While spending time with Agnaldo he told me he has no joy and sometimes wonders if he even has a right to live. Thankfully he does have another friend who also loves Jesus and has a big heart for Agnaldo. Agnaldo is pursuing the Lord and hungry for God’s Word. Before I came back home on Thursday I gave him a few Scriptures that he can declare and hold onto knowing that God is faithful and caring for him. I also had a wonderful opportunity to pray for him and his friend. There is something within me that wants to fight for Agnaldo. I want to see him one day have a family and continue the family line that Satan has tried and is trying to destroy….to see him be a man like David – a man after God’s own heart. The enemy has tried to squish the joy of the Lord out of him by the cares of this world, but my Heavenly Father is greater than that….my Heavenly Daddy always wins!!!

There is such a roar of kingdom life that is burning within me to see salvation come…..I am tired of the suffering, tired of seeing lives being destroyed…..Satan has lost and I am determined to continue reminding him of that and seeing Jesus totally, completely, and utterly glorified!!!

On April 22nd I leave Mozambique to head back to America . I am looking greatly forward to seeing my amazing family, my friends and church family. I will be home for about 2 ½ months before coming back to Mozambique .

Thank you again to each and every one of you who has sowed into my life in prayer and financially during this past year. Thank you for those who have sent packages and letters in the mail…what joy these gifts have brought to me and those you sent them to (the boys etc.). Without you I could not be here seeing God’s Kingdom expand into all the earth. Thank you from me and from Jesus!

I want to leave you with a Scripture that has been very strong on my heart:

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Revelation 12:11

Because He Loved Us First,
Ashlee