"then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature" -Genesis 2:7
The heart is a powerful thing...place. Not only does it pump blood through our veins, giving life to our bodies, but it is important to God! Over and over again in scripture we see references to the heart, our heart. To "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
I may not be the best writer/blogger (I'm more like a below-average-writer, sharing what God has and is doing in our lives in random, sometimes crazy stories and sentences!), but I pray that this blog and my life show my heart for Him. I want my heart to beat for Christ, not just on Sundays or at any other church or Christian event/gathering, but from the moment I rise to the moment I lay my head down and I pray for that everyday. I pray that Christ is amplified in my speech and in my actions. I want to be like Jesus, as He says in John 12:45, "And whoever sees me sees him who sent me." I love the quote by John Piper: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." My prayer is that my heart be saturated in His Word daily that I may delight in His works, His words, His Word and that He receive ALL GLORY AND HONOR AND PRAISE in my life! As a mother, I'm constantly reminded of God's heart, as He has allowed Trey and I the blessing and privilege to raise our two beautiful girls, to train them up in the ways of His Word that they may know Him and that their lives would glorify His name.
My heart rejoices in being His daughter, rejoices in being a wife to a wonderful big-hearted godly man, rejoices in being a mother to two beautiful daughters, and rejoices in the burden He has placed on our hearts for orphans and to one day be a mother to one or many who were once abandoned/orphaned. But my heart hurts for them now, my heart hurts for the lost, the lonely, the dying, those children who go to bed hungry, those mothers who sit in their huts/homes day after day just wondering where there next meal will come from or where they will possibly find water (whether clean or dirty), my heart burdens for the widow that will die alone who has become blind because of the lack of nourishment, my heart cries out for the old man who sits drinking his sorrows away day after day. I thank God for the joy in my heart, but I also give Him thanks for the aches and pains that are also there. The book of Psalm is evidence of a man that had a heart of joy and also a heart that was burdened. I believe those go hand and hand. My own heart hurts when I sin, when I sin against the God who gave me life, but I can rejoice in knowing that by asking for forgiveness that is pure, He will hear my cries and will forgive because I have given Him my heart by trusting in Him as my Lord and Savior. He has given us life more abundantly. (John 10:10)
I know, again, this is a long post, but God isn't done speaking so I'm not done typing! This past month has led to many changes in my life, the life of our family, our adoption, and where we call home (and what fills our home)! First, let me say thank you! Thank you for your prayers and those who have financial supported our adoption journey so far! If you didn't see my post on facebook, we finally received our I-600 A Form back from Homeland Security, APPROVED! Yup, that's right! Over a year ago we started this wonderful journey, and now we have been approved for the adoption of up to 3 children from Malawi! Praise the Lord! If you don't know the joy of adoption (I know, we don't have our children yet, but trust me this journey has still brought much joy to us!), then you should pray about it because, well, God commands us to care for the orphaned (James 1:27)!
This past month has also been a time of 'peeling back, decluttering, emptying out'! What am I talking about? Well, a couple of things: 1. Literally, we have simplified our life and our home. Less TV (if any) and less "stuff" fills our home. We have sold a bunch of our stuff and the rest, the stuff I didn't list on craigslist (but still is beautiful in the eyes of most of the world) we have given away. These were things were holding us down and holding us back. 2. We have spiritually decluttered our lives. We have taken out (and still are, as this process is ongoing) the meaningless time and filled it with God, whether that be studying His Word, talking to Him, or sharing more of God's Word with our girls. Let me tell you....I am loving it! Who know? For a world (or maybe just this little "America World") that holds you in higher regard by how much stuff you have, I sure did fall into that pit, piling shirt after shirt in my closet, toy after toy into the girl's bins. This decluttering came after much prayer and after much of God's hand our lives (through His Word and through numerous other people and circumstances)! Praise the Lord for rescuing me/us out of 'that' pit!!
This decluttering also came with a strong calling on our lives, to prepare and to go!Trey and I have felt called to international missions for over 10 years now. We have both served on short term mission trips (I traveled to Romania twice and Kenya three times and Trey traveled to Nicaragua once and Kenya once). We have both spent a lot of time working with refugees and we have a heart for the needy, the hungry, the thirsty, the poor, the lonely, the orphaned, the widowed, the lost, the “least of these” and we want to be God’s hands and feet. We have felt God’s calling on our lives to leave our comfortable ‘middle class’ life and to go serve alongside our brothers and sisters in Africa. We have prayed countless hours about where to serve in Africa, what organization to go with (if any), and asking God to show us where to start. He has answered and continues to confirm His will in our lives over and over again. We are so thankful and blessed that God has chosen us to go, as inadequate as we are, to be able to be used by Him to love people like Jesus does. To touch one life at a time and to plant seeds, to be workers in the plentiful harvest. I could go on for hours about our love for Africa and its people (as we are blessed to have friends and brothers and sisters from all over this beautiful continent), but there aren’t enough hours in the day! God has burdened us for the people of Busia, Kenya and I'll share only a few reasons why (please don't stop reading, as long as this post is, it is our heart being poured out to you!)
Why Busia, Kenya?
First, and foremost, God led us to this village/city through much prayer. After seeing the alarming statistics and spoke to our Kenyan brother that is working and serving in Busia we understood more of the reason why God chose this place for us. Busia county is home to more than 270,000 people and more than 70,000 children orphaned (this was a 2009 rough estimate which has increased drastically since then). 1 in 6 children die before the age of 5 from preventable diseases. Children are orphaned due to the high mortality rate from HIV/AIDS and malaria or die due to malaria and waterborne illnesses. Busia is a safe haven for those escaping the Lord’s Resistance Army (Joseph Kony’s cult) that is killing people by the thousands in Uganda and taking children captive turning them into killing machines and sex slaves. At the same time, however, Busia has also been a place of unrest. During the 2007 presidential election, our friends in Busia (from the “wrong tribe”) had to leave the city to escape from political persecution. Busia is home to several unreached people groups, one of the largest being the Luhya tribe. Our Christian brother said, in a recent email, “If finally you choose to come be with us you will be the first missionary to have come to stay with us ever. You will be a pioneer and an answer to the great ministry here.”-David Gitau (a brother and a dear friend of our family’s).
We have been in contact with our brother in Busia and have prayed over the requests and needs of the people there in this area of Kenya. I will be posting some of these requests and needs. Needs that you can pray for, support, and even join in with accomplishing! We will be sharing God's love with these beautiful people and helping to empower them to reach Kenya for Christ! We want to give a voice for those who seem to have lost theirs in this cluttered world! Will you listen?
Thank you for listening to what God has laid on my heart to share with you! We covet your prayers as we prepare to go; preparing our minds and hearts spiritually and as we raise financial support, traveling to churches and speaking to businesses and individuals.
With a thankful heart,
With a thankful heart,
Ashley
(If you would like to hear more in detail about the work we are preparing for, please don't hesitate to contact me by email @ ashley_fuller@live.com or by phone @ (504) 276-4925)
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