Miracles and Fun in Mozambique - Sept 21, 2009

Hello.

Here is a quick update on the happenings of life here. But before I get into that I want to let you know that the finances for Samuel to come to Mozambique still have not come in. Please keep this in prayer and thought.

Outreach with boys & miracles:

I just finished with a full, but good weekend. On Saturday I took 15 of the boys on outreach to Mafambisse which is about a 20 minute drive away. We had a great time. The people of that community were very encouraged. They tasted and saw God’s Kingdom touch earth. The boys presented two dramas that were very powerful. I could feel God’s power in that place as we ministered. I felt such a joy as I watched our boys step out and minister. I felt a fire as I ministered God’s truth. I believe many lives were touched by Jesus’ presence. There was one lady who I spoke with when we arrived who had been experiencing problems with her eyes. At the end of our time there this same woman came to me and told me that something happened with her eyes…they felt better. Another woman said the back pain that she was experiencing had left. The greatest miracle was the many men, women and children who wanted to know Jesus. The pastor of the area along with many people asked when we were going to come back. It was great as we did not minister inside of a church, but we were outside in the front yard of a man named Peter’s house who God had touched to allow us to use his land.

Children’s Church:

For the past two Sundays I have been doing a special children’s church for the kids of the community and our kids. I have felt that I wanted to do this for quite a long time, but never felt the release to start until a couple of weeks ago. The first Sunday I had about 100 kids. The second Sunday I had around 50 children (it was raining so the numbers were down). The kids are very responsive and I feel like they are eating up everything that I give to them. The first Sunday I taught them that God is in a good mood, which led into salvation. At the end I asked who wanted to know Jesus as their best friend and almost every child raised their hand. What was neat about this was that I felt it was very sincere. You see, sometimes here in Africa they raise their hand or answer a call to repentance just because of the person who is giving the message (a white person). But these kids know me and on this day their hearts where open and prepared. I can see in their eyes that they are hungry and that the Holy Spirit is working in their hearts. Some of the boys who are part of my discipleship class have been helping me on Sundays. It has been great seeing them step out.

Boy’s Birthday Party:

Once again this year we celebrated the boy’s birthdays. This year we did something different….we took them to a pool. They had a blast. I made chocolate cake for them, Janet (another long term missionary and friend that is at our base right now with her husband Jeff) brought bananas, we bought sodas and brought lots of balloons for them to inflate and play with. They had such a great time. To make the celebration a bit smaller and more intimate, Janet and I took two different groups on different weekends. It was so great seeing them all laugh so much and having so much fun. One visitor made a comment that he had not seen one of our boys (Domingos Costa) smile so much. It was great!

Thank you again for your loving support financially, in prayer and encouragement. Please remember to keep Samuel and I in prayer as we continue to seek God’s plan for our lives and the steps to come.

With gratitude,
Ashlee

Some Good News! - September 1, 2009

Hello.

I hope this email finds you full of abundant life and joy today because Father God is in love with you. What a great Heavenly Father we have.

Some good news is that Joanel is doing very well with his recent transition of living here with us. It filled my heart with warmth as I saw him running through my front yard today smiling and laughing as he chased after Nando (one of our other boys). He is adjusting to life here and fitting in really well.

I was told that his dad was let out of prison on Saturday and had already come to the base to try and take him back home, but our guards and pastor told him that he could not and needed to talk to the police about the situation. We now need to find out what we can do to help keep Joanel safe. He has not left the center yet since he came except to go to a funeral and cut his hair. We are looking into the possibility of reintegrating him back to a family member who lives in Maputo (Mozambique's capitol city in the South).

Thank you for all of your prayers and support during this difficult time.

God bless you abundantly.

Jesus wins!!
Ashlee