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Bush Ministry / Farm Project - 10/10/08
Hello to my precious family and friends!
It is with great love and care that I send you this email. In the first place I want to give glory to my Heavenly Father who is continuously looking after me and never allows me to carry more than I can handle. To speak openly with you these past few months have been very difficult, but without going into great detail I can say that we serve a great God who cares. When my church heard that I was walking through some very difficult times they came together and prayed fervently for me along with my family who knew as well. I give great glory to God as I can testify that response was felt immediately as the heaviness lifted and I began to see God’s hand at work. There seems to always be battles that rage here from one extent to the other, but through each I am learning more and more to rest in the Lord and know what it means to strengthen myself in Him.
As I write this letter my heart is very full of gratitude for all that I am seeing Father do here and for the open doors He has given me. My heart is so full of love and gratitude. On September 17, 18 and 19 I took a team of 6 people to visit three of our churches in the District of Beira. They were three very full days and very fruitful. Our goal was to go and encourage the churches and see how they were doing. Upon our arrival we had a service at each place where I shared a message that I felt the Father had given to me. Each time I was blown away by the closeness of Jesus. Each place was very different, yet very special. After our time of ministering to the Lord and to the people I met with the leaders of the church. During each of these meetings my eyes were opened more to the struggles that they face here not only physically but spiritually. I learned so many valuable things. There is such a huge need for discipleship and training in these churches. I know this is true, but I got to hear it from the leadership’s mouth themselves. They struggle so much with people being deceived by other false religions.
The second church that we went to, Nhanguro, I felt the pastor was in a state of discouragement. In 2004 the pastor bought and built the church with his own finances and hard labor. He feels that his people in his congregation are becoming weak, but he will not give up because it was built to glorify Jesus. A while back I was given a special offering to use for Bibles so I took 3 Bibles with me and gave them to this pastor. Two of the Bibles are in Sena (the local tribal language) and the other in Portuguese. When I gave them to the pastor it was like I had given him gold. He, along with the leadership, were so thankful. We also took a church sign to this church as they did not have one and we saw the same response of great joy. The pastor was so thrilled. He said now people will know that it is a church and not a movie house or discotec. My heart was flooded with gratitude to the Lord for allowing me to be a vessel He was using to bring His good news and encourage this pastor and his church. As I met with the leadership, Lino who was part of my team, went out into the village to evangelize. It was a great three days. Upon our arrival home on the last day each of the people that went with me wanted to know when we were going again! They loved it!! And so did I!! I feel so alive when I am out in the bush and ministering to the people there. Father’s love is always so strong and the Holy Spirit is always so present working in the hearts of the people as we are obedient to follow His leading. Since we have two conferences in October I will not be able to go this month, but I hope that I will be released to go in November.
The Farm Project
A couple of months ago I was given a specific amount of money from an individual who is a dear friend of the family. She asked that I use the money to feed the children in Mozambique. The money came as a result of her not giving up in the midst of many trials as she pursues the vision God has given her. I did not know exactly what the Lord wanted me to do with the money she gave to me, but knew He had a plan. The first thing I knew was that I was to plant the first seed into a family where the mother is struggling desperately to care for her three boys. I feel as though I am like a big sister or aunt to the oldest boy who has drawn close to me and looks to me a lot for counsel as he tries to help his family. I took the three boys to the market and we bought food that would last them three months at least, plus some extra goodies that they never get. It was great. I did not know what I was to do with the rest of the money until about a month ago while I was over at a friend’s house eating lunch. She and her husband are pastors of a local church here in Dondo. They are people that I have grown to love and respect very much. While we sat eating lunch I felt the Lord nudge me and say to open the door to her. So I began to tell her that I was given a bit of money to help the children of Mozambique and heard the Lord say to open the door to her. Happy is not a sufficient word to describe the gratitude that I felt flow from her. She has a tremendous heart for children and is the one who is responsible for them in their church. To make a long story short, I found out that in total the church has about 66 youth/children that are orphaned (Dad and Mom died) or partial orphan (only Mom or only Dad living, but the situation is bad). Rainha, the women’s name, has been praying for help and intervention for these children for at least 5 years. On many occasions she uses the little she has to help them. Since that day until now we have watched how the Lord is exploding the little bit of money that I had into a vision coming true. After speaking with Rainha and hearing what was on her heart I took the report back to my family and the original women (whom I love very much – you know who you are) who gave the money and great investment of prayer and sacrifice. The dream is to have a farm where these children can benefit not only physically, but where there can be emotional and spiritual healing and growth. When I sent the report other people began to get wind of it and are beginning to invest into the vision. As of two weeks ago we (Pastor Jacinto (Rainha’s husband), Rainha and myself) went to Tica (which is about a 40 minute drive from Dondo) and we bought land!!! What an exciting day. The land is 3 hectares – which is supposed to be about 6 or 7 acres. One of their new church plants is located on the corner of the land so it is an amazing place to have a field. This past week we hired a man to plow the land with a tractor. They say that the land had not been plowed with a tractor for at least 9 years and we should get a really good crop. The vision of Pastor Jacinto and Rainha is that the youth, most importantly, grow to know and love Jesus with all of their hearts; secondly they must study (go to school) to prepare for their future; and thirdly they must work for that which they receive. They believe very strongly that if you give a person a fish they will eat for one day, but if you teach them to fish they will eat for a lifetime. This farm project is being built with these goals at its base.
Right now we have a group of children/youth that are more of a priority according to their situation. These ones are our focus group. There are 36 youth/children that will benefit from this project as they will be the ones who go to the field and work the land and will benefit from the harvest that the field yields. At least twice a month we/they will take the older girls and boys of this group to work the field. During this time it is my hearts desire that there will be times of ministry and healing of hearts. God is very creative so I believe even the simple fact that they can get away from Dondo and away from the burden they carry here that Father is going to work on their hearts. Perhaps they can win back a bit of the childhood some of them have lost because they have had to grow up so quickly to care for their siblings after their parent’s death. We think it would be great to even take these times to allow this group to minister to the church there. There are so many things stirring within me regarding this project and I feel the love of Jesus for these children/youth so strongly. I wish I could take them in my arms and tell them that it all will be ok. Since the land is next to the church the pastor of the church has agreed to watch over and take care of the crop during the week when we cannot be there. We will bless him with a monthly amount for his work so it is a two-way blessing.
The youth/children that are in this project are true orphans (physically). There is one situation where the Dad and Mom died leaving 3 children ages 15, 12 and 6. These three children had no where to go so they were separated to live in the houses of people they do not know working as hired servants. The 15 and 12 year old get 250 mets (about $10.50) per month. From this money they have to take 150 mets each to send it to a family who is caring for their younger brother who is in Beira. If they don’t send the money the family sends the younger brother of 6 years old to get it. If they don’t pay the money their younger brother cannot stay with the family and would end up on the streets. When I spoke to the 15 year old (girl) and 12 year old (boy) neither of them are studying, but would love to. They both only studied until 3rd grade and then had to drop out because of their situation. If I had my own house I would take these three to live with me and see Jesus do a work in them. Each of the children/youth have stories that really do tug at the heart and are stories of reality which they are living. Through this project, Rainha and myself, are glorifying God as we believe that healing and restoration has begun. This Sunday, October 12, we are taking the group of youth to see and pray over the field. I am greatly looking forward to this. J
There is so much that has taken place with this project and things are moving quickly. If you have questions or would like to help financially or in any other way please contact me. I would love to hear from you. In speaking with Rainha yesterday (October 8) she said that this is a project that they have wanted to do for a long time and suddenly God is bringing it to the forefront. She has knocked on so many doors, but nothing has ever opened, but now God is surprising her with His goodness. She says they don’t have words to say how thankful they are to the Lord. She says not many people have this heart. So many people have promised things, but never kept their word. She feels so encouraged.
“Oh, how great is Your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear, revere, and worship You, goodness which You have wrought for those who trust and take refuge in You before the sons of men!” Psalm 31:19
Thank you for continuing to stand with me. Thank you for loving Jesus and for loving His people!!
May all the glory be to Jesus!
With His Love,
Ashlee
It is with great love and care that I send you this email. In the first place I want to give glory to my Heavenly Father who is continuously looking after me and never allows me to carry more than I can handle. To speak openly with you these past few months have been very difficult, but without going into great detail I can say that we serve a great God who cares. When my church heard that I was walking through some very difficult times they came together and prayed fervently for me along with my family who knew as well. I give great glory to God as I can testify that response was felt immediately as the heaviness lifted and I began to see God’s hand at work. There seems to always be battles that rage here from one extent to the other, but through each I am learning more and more to rest in the Lord and know what it means to strengthen myself in Him.
As I write this letter my heart is very full of gratitude for all that I am seeing Father do here and for the open doors He has given me. My heart is so full of love and gratitude. On September 17, 18 and 19 I took a team of 6 people to visit three of our churches in the District of Beira. They were three very full days and very fruitful. Our goal was to go and encourage the churches and see how they were doing. Upon our arrival we had a service at each place where I shared a message that I felt the Father had given to me. Each time I was blown away by the closeness of Jesus. Each place was very different, yet very special. After our time of ministering to the Lord and to the people I met with the leaders of the church. During each of these meetings my eyes were opened more to the struggles that they face here not only physically but spiritually. I learned so many valuable things. There is such a huge need for discipleship and training in these churches. I know this is true, but I got to hear it from the leadership’s mouth themselves. They struggle so much with people being deceived by other false religions.
The second church that we went to, Nhanguro, I felt the pastor was in a state of discouragement. In 2004 the pastor bought and built the church with his own finances and hard labor. He feels that his people in his congregation are becoming weak, but he will not give up because it was built to glorify Jesus. A while back I was given a special offering to use for Bibles so I took 3 Bibles with me and gave them to this pastor. Two of the Bibles are in Sena (the local tribal language) and the other in Portuguese. When I gave them to the pastor it was like I had given him gold. He, along with the leadership, were so thankful. We also took a church sign to this church as they did not have one and we saw the same response of great joy. The pastor was so thrilled. He said now people will know that it is a church and not a movie house or discotec. My heart was flooded with gratitude to the Lord for allowing me to be a vessel He was using to bring His good news and encourage this pastor and his church. As I met with the leadership, Lino who was part of my team, went out into the village to evangelize. It was a great three days. Upon our arrival home on the last day each of the people that went with me wanted to know when we were going again! They loved it!! And so did I!! I feel so alive when I am out in the bush and ministering to the people there. Father’s love is always so strong and the Holy Spirit is always so present working in the hearts of the people as we are obedient to follow His leading. Since we have two conferences in October I will not be able to go this month, but I hope that I will be released to go in November.
The Farm Project
A couple of months ago I was given a specific amount of money from an individual who is a dear friend of the family. She asked that I use the money to feed the children in Mozambique. The money came as a result of her not giving up in the midst of many trials as she pursues the vision God has given her. I did not know exactly what the Lord wanted me to do with the money she gave to me, but knew He had a plan. The first thing I knew was that I was to plant the first seed into a family where the mother is struggling desperately to care for her three boys. I feel as though I am like a big sister or aunt to the oldest boy who has drawn close to me and looks to me a lot for counsel as he tries to help his family. I took the three boys to the market and we bought food that would last them three months at least, plus some extra goodies that they never get. It was great. I did not know what I was to do with the rest of the money until about a month ago while I was over at a friend’s house eating lunch. She and her husband are pastors of a local church here in Dondo. They are people that I have grown to love and respect very much. While we sat eating lunch I felt the Lord nudge me and say to open the door to her. So I began to tell her that I was given a bit of money to help the children of Mozambique and heard the Lord say to open the door to her. Happy is not a sufficient word to describe the gratitude that I felt flow from her. She has a tremendous heart for children and is the one who is responsible for them in their church. To make a long story short, I found out that in total the church has about 66 youth/children that are orphaned (Dad and Mom died) or partial orphan (only Mom or only Dad living, but the situation is bad). Rainha, the women’s name, has been praying for help and intervention for these children for at least 5 years. On many occasions she uses the little she has to help them. Since that day until now we have watched how the Lord is exploding the little bit of money that I had into a vision coming true. After speaking with Rainha and hearing what was on her heart I took the report back to my family and the original women (whom I love very much – you know who you are) who gave the money and great investment of prayer and sacrifice. The dream is to have a farm where these children can benefit not only physically, but where there can be emotional and spiritual healing and growth. When I sent the report other people began to get wind of it and are beginning to invest into the vision. As of two weeks ago we (Pastor Jacinto (Rainha’s husband), Rainha and myself) went to Tica (which is about a 40 minute drive from Dondo) and we bought land!!! What an exciting day. The land is 3 hectares – which is supposed to be about 6 or 7 acres. One of their new church plants is located on the corner of the land so it is an amazing place to have a field. This past week we hired a man to plow the land with a tractor. They say that the land had not been plowed with a tractor for at least 9 years and we should get a really good crop. The vision of Pastor Jacinto and Rainha is that the youth, most importantly, grow to know and love Jesus with all of their hearts; secondly they must study (go to school) to prepare for their future; and thirdly they must work for that which they receive. They believe very strongly that if you give a person a fish they will eat for one day, but if you teach them to fish they will eat for a lifetime. This farm project is being built with these goals at its base.
Right now we have a group of children/youth that are more of a priority according to their situation. These ones are our focus group. There are 36 youth/children that will benefit from this project as they will be the ones who go to the field and work the land and will benefit from the harvest that the field yields. At least twice a month we/they will take the older girls and boys of this group to work the field. During this time it is my hearts desire that there will be times of ministry and healing of hearts. God is very creative so I believe even the simple fact that they can get away from Dondo and away from the burden they carry here that Father is going to work on their hearts. Perhaps they can win back a bit of the childhood some of them have lost because they have had to grow up so quickly to care for their siblings after their parent’s death. We think it would be great to even take these times to allow this group to minister to the church there. There are so many things stirring within me regarding this project and I feel the love of Jesus for these children/youth so strongly. I wish I could take them in my arms and tell them that it all will be ok. Since the land is next to the church the pastor of the church has agreed to watch over and take care of the crop during the week when we cannot be there. We will bless him with a monthly amount for his work so it is a two-way blessing.
The youth/children that are in this project are true orphans (physically). There is one situation where the Dad and Mom died leaving 3 children ages 15, 12 and 6. These three children had no where to go so they were separated to live in the houses of people they do not know working as hired servants. The 15 and 12 year old get 250 mets (about $10.50) per month. From this money they have to take 150 mets each to send it to a family who is caring for their younger brother who is in Beira. If they don’t send the money the family sends the younger brother of 6 years old to get it. If they don’t pay the money their younger brother cannot stay with the family and would end up on the streets. When I spoke to the 15 year old (girl) and 12 year old (boy) neither of them are studying, but would love to. They both only studied until 3rd grade and then had to drop out because of their situation. If I had my own house I would take these three to live with me and see Jesus do a work in them. Each of the children/youth have stories that really do tug at the heart and are stories of reality which they are living. Through this project, Rainha and myself, are glorifying God as we believe that healing and restoration has begun. This Sunday, October 12, we are taking the group of youth to see and pray over the field. I am greatly looking forward to this. J
There is so much that has taken place with this project and things are moving quickly. If you have questions or would like to help financially or in any other way please contact me. I would love to hear from you. In speaking with Rainha yesterday (October 8) she said that this is a project that they have wanted to do for a long time and suddenly God is bringing it to the forefront. She has knocked on so many doors, but nothing has ever opened, but now God is surprising her with His goodness. She says they don’t have words to say how thankful they are to the Lord. She says not many people have this heart. So many people have promised things, but never kept their word. She feels so encouraged.
“Oh, how great is Your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear, revere, and worship You, goodness which You have wrought for those who trust and take refuge in You before the sons of men!” Psalm 31:19
Thank you for continuing to stand with me. Thank you for loving Jesus and for loving His people!!
May all the glory be to Jesus!
With His Love,
Ashlee
posted by Ashlee at 12:58 PM
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