when life hands you lemons.

"The spiritual disciplines are time tested activities that are an essential means of receiving life transforming grace." -Jeff Pratt

Last week our topic was on spiritual disciplines.  I missed the first day of this week because I was visiting home.  It was a good week that had a good bit of revelation for me.  I'm not going to talk too much about it because I have more important things to ramble about.  One thing we did that was really awesome was we spent 4 hours alone with God in silence.  We were not allowed to talk to anyone else, just God.  We went to this beautiful spot in Mexico right by the ocean.  I was in awe of how beautiful God created the ocean.  I  loved watching the waves crash against the rocks. It was beautiful.

Mexico

I leave for outreach tomorrow. It's a scary thought because the people here have become my family and having to split from half of them is going to be extremely hard for me.  I'm the official kids director, which is a very exciting and challenging task for me.  Exciting because working with kids is my passion, challenging because it's in a whole other language than I'm used to teaching in, spanish.  I've been practicing songs and learning as much spanish as I can in preparation.  There are 15 of us on my outreach to Mexico City and Southern Mexico.  I love every single person on my team and cannot wait to spend two more months with them. It's just going to be hard because I'm close with the people on the other outreach as well.  I will not have much computer access so I'll update this when I am given a chance.  

My best friend & twin Kara

I have two amazing experiences to share now.  They both have to deal with the faithfulness of God.  One, when I first came here to YWAM I brought with me my camera, needless to say it got ruined the first night we were here.  So, not wanting to be without a camera I ordered another one.  This time a nicer one with more features and better zoom.  It was dropped about the 7th week here.  The lens broke but luckily one of my friends here was able to fix it.  And it worked well till this past sunday.  The motor for the lens is completely shot and it won't work unless I send it in to Canon.  Which obviously won't be happening since I leave for outreach tomorrow.  I was trying to keep a positive attitude about it and know that God had a plan in it breaking.  I knew that I did not want to be camera less for outreach though since I love to take pictures.  But guess what? We serve a faithful God.  I got a comment on my facebook status that someone was sending me theirs.  Upon hearing that I couldn't help but yell out in praise. I was completely humbled and in awe of how faithful the God I serve really is.  I was struggling with doubts for awhile before that but all of that was smashed.  God is GOOD.

Two, my outreach team has ALL the money needed and MORE. Thank you so much for your support, financially and by prayer.  It means the world to me. 

Jumping Rope.

Mikey, my brother Adam, and me. :D

Fabiola and I at local outreach, Circulo Andante.

Alex and I.

Ensenada at night.

Well, that's all I have for right now.  I hope you enjoy the pictures of some of life here in Ensenda. :D

We can't control the situations we find ourselves in, or the struggles.  What we can control is our attitude on the situation. We have the power to speak life or death.  Choosing to be positive and realize that God is GOOD we are able to overcome the struggles and move on to a place or joyfulness that only God can give us.  When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. 

Hello,

Another greeting from Mexico! I'm on my last week of school here.  I leave this friday at 6 in the morning to fly to Mexico City, where i'll be spending approximately the next month of my life!  I'm very excited because I have a really great outreach team.  There are 15 of us in total going.  We will be working with another organization called MegaCities.  They are known around the world in "big" cities.  I'm not sure exactly what i'll be doing besides working with children. I'm the official "Kids Ministry Director" on my outreach team.  And if you know me at all you'll know that children are my passion. It'll be a great learning experience for me as well. My room is a big mess right now because if you can imagine 7 girls trying to pack.  Our team almost has all the money needed to go, I still need about 400 dollars I found out.  I'm trusting that God will provide.  He has me here for a reason. If you'd like to help contribute you can mail it to the san diego office the address is 

YWAM San Diego Baja

Ashley Woods ENS DTS

100 W 35th St # C
National City, CA 91950

If you do send money if you could let me know, that would be best so I can inform the office to look for it in the mail since I cannot go on outreach without being paid.  Do not feel obligated to give anything, I need your prayer most of all.  Outreach is going to take a lot out of me and it'll help me grow into the person God has created me to be.  I can't wait.

In Christ,

Ashley

seeing through the eyes of Jesus.

This week has been great.  It's been a rough two weeks for me because i've been struggling with severe homesickness, emotional stress, burned out feelings and this constant lack of joy i'm so used to having in my life.  This week we talked about team building and what it really means to be united.  It was really a moving week.  It started off where people were hesitant to share personal things but by today everyone was   opening up and being vulnerable with each other.  The kind of vulnerable that only happens when trust is formed and you really start to see people for who they are and not for their crap.

And that's really what happened this week. We grew. Together. As a team.  I'm not really one to look down on people, i get annoyed easily yes, but i don't judge others for what they've done.  So, when past struggles were revealed this week and hearts were poured out I began to love people more than i already had.  Because of peoples honestly, it allowed me to see them and to be able to understand them more.  It gave me more of a heart for them and I truly want to see everyone on my team succeed.

I've felt like i've been in this spiritual slump lately.  It's kind-of expected though being here & learning all this new stuff.  It's easy to get burned out because you're taking so much in and i'm gaining head knowledge but unless i move that knowledge into my heart it doesn't do much for me.  I'm starting to see that.  It's been hard for me lately to accept God's love.  He loves me regardless but I have to be willing to recieve that love.  It's something i've really been struggling with.  Even though i may say I relent something to God it doesn't always mean that I gave it to Him and a lot of the times I don't. It's a motion that I go through.  He knows that but he continues to tell me over and over and over again. I love you. No matter what you think or do or say, I love you.  It's hard because I struggle with not being able to feel God's love around me even though it engulfs me all the time.  He holds me close to His heart because he can. Not because he has to but because he wants to.  It's quite an amazing feeling when you are finally able to grasp that.

He shows his love in many ways and the biggest way to me is through people.  If you've ever studied people or just watch how they are we have such quirky mannerisms. It's great.  I've been given a new appreciatin today for the people here on my DTS.  I've been dealing with thoughts of not being loved or liked by people here but God kindof put a stop to that through my friend Emily.  Emily is a beautiful friend who I admire greatly.  She has a heart full of love, a chill spirit, and a passion that burns for God.  We had taken a walk to get tacos and I poured my heart out to her about my struggles with small group and groups of girls in general.  I'm not going to go into detail but it was a conversation that really helped me.  I'm someone who likes to hear that they're loved it's my biggest love language.  I like to know that I have value in peoples lives ya know?  So, it's been hard sometimes here when I don't feel like that.  It stems from an insecurity I have about myself and a lack of confidence.  Emily helped me see that today.  She told me it was going to be a daily struggle and that I would have to keep telling myself things over and over again. But she helped me regain some joy that was lost by helping me to see things and people in a whole new light.

Well, it's 1 'o' clock in the morning and i'm quite exhausted.  I figured i'd pencil all of my thoughts out while I had the chance though.

love. love. love.

live like a disciple of Jesus.

This past week here in Ensenada, Mexico was great! (: We learned about how to be like disciples of Jesus.
There's two main things you need to do. Are you ready?

1. Love Jesus
2. Love Others

Plain and simple.  If we love Jesus we want to be in his word.  By being in the word we want to love others.  By loving Jesus we want to be in communication with him through prayer.  It's a circle that just keeps going.  Our speaker Art Collins was AMAZING! He told it like it was and didn't cut corners.  He gave us each the version of the bible called "The Message."  Well, we were supposed to pay him so i'll be sending him some money.  I really like this version.  It's not necessarily something I'll study from but it's worth reading.  It words things in a way that's easier to understand. We were given a guide to reading the bible and right now we are supposed to be reading through Matthew.  We underline, highlight and write what stood out to us.  It's a great way to go about learning from the bible.  In Matthew 5 it says this

[from the message]
"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are--no more, no less.  That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought."

How true is that?  Being content with who you are is SUCH a hard thing.  I can totally attest to that but the message puts it so well. Once we are content with who we are then we see the beauty in how God made us and we find ourselves totally lost in a beautiful world with Jesus.

Go buy yourself the message.  Just do it.  You might not agree with everything in it but it's something that will help you comprehend the bible.

Well, that's all for now! I'll write again soon!

comment.

This is a topic that has been set on my heart the past two days.  As a disclaimer everything said in this note is my opinion it is not meant to judge, hurt or cause anger.  It is things I feel convicted of and feel I should share with others.  Everything said I am learning to apply to my life as well.

Modesty

a. the quality of being modest; freedom from vanity,boastfulness, etc.

b. regard for decency of behavior, speech, dress, etc.

c. simplicity; moderation.

Modesty doesn't always just apply to clothing, but in this case it's what I'm referring to mostly.  When getting dressed in the morning what are the reasons why we choose different outfits?  It is because we want to wear something that looks good on us or that is comfortable.  When choosing shirts to wear though why do we choose to wear lower cut shirts? I'm not saying that this is wrong, I'm just looking at the motives behind it.   Do we do it because we want to draw attention to ourselves? Because we like how it looks? Or both?  As girls we often want attention right? Maybe not everyone but I'm guilty of it.  I like attention, not in all circumstances and not necessarily in this one. For me I sometimes wear shirts that are lower but with a tank top yet it does not mean that my motives are right in doing so.  Is it God-honoring to wear a shirt like that with the motive behind it being that I want attention or I want to be noticed?  The answer would be no.  Modesty is first and foremost a matter of the heart, not the wardrobe.  So, next time you go to put something on check your heart first.

I think it comes down to a respect thing.  Respect for our brothers in Christ.  Why would we want to be stumbling blocks to them? I'm not a guy but if I accidently notice something I don't want to see I most definitely think they will.  If it's there, guys WILL notice.  And being a guy from what I hear is NOT easy.  Shouldn't we respect them and how God created them by making their lives easier?  Shouldn't we bless them by choosing to not be stumbling blocks. Guys might not even notice that we are trying to be modest but do we need the recognition for this?  No, this is something we can do and God will see it and smile.  I can't think of anything better than to make my Father in heaven happy.

 If we are modest, we do not draw undue attention to ourselves. Instead, we seek to glorify God in [our] body, and in [our] spirit.  Our good works should outshine our outward appearances as well. 

1st Timothy 2"9-10 "women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works."

Let's check our hearts when it comes to modesty.  Modesty in clothing, modesty in behavior, and modesty in speech.  Maybe God has something he'd like to say to us in this area.  I've been convicted lately and thought I would share my thoughts with you.  Our goal everyday should be to bring God the glory; in how we dress, what we say, and how we act. I leave you with this.

1 Peter 3:3-4 "Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is veryprecious."

Your thoughts would be great <3

http://www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey/browse 

Updateeee.

So, last night was a night to remember.  We got to choose our outreach location, actually God chose the location for us according to his plan.  I'm staying in Mexico and going to Mexico City and Pachuca and villages down in southern Mexico!

I am PUMPED! I couldn't be more excited about my outreach location! The other choice was Haiti/Dominican Republic! I did NOT want to go there at all being completely honest.  It was the last place I wanted to go.  This is not something I voiced out loud! God is SO faithful though. He knew my heart was for Mexico and it's culture & people.  I love everything about this place.  Especially the people-YES the MEXICAN people.
It's time to stop being so judgmental America and realize that not all Mexicans are illegal border jumpers.  They have hearts, passions and desires just like we do.  They have the same FAITH that we do.  Why is America so quick to judge Mexico?  I'm not sure but I absolutely love the people here! They are some of the greatest people I've ever met.   But that's enough of my little rant! :D

If you would like to know how I came to this decision I will tell you.  We had about 30 minutes to pray about the 2 locations.  They gave us 2 colors to chose from.  Gold and Silver.  I then took my bible and went off and just prayed that God would show me where he wanted me to go.  I kept thinking of random verses that didn't make sense at all to me but then i saw the word SILVER.  I was like oh, my color is silver.  I didn't have peace though. I turned in the paper anyways with the word silver on it.  I then talked to my friend Monique who told me she chose gold [we wern't supposed to do this shhh] it was then that I had more peace because she was dying to go to Haiti.  Then one of my leaders Kelsey talked to me about what I wrote and that gave me peace as well.  Then it was revealed where we were to go.  Silver was Mexico, Gold was Haiti! God is SO faithful.  He gave me the heart for Mexico so why would he call me to Haiti?

Psalm 37:4 "Delight in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." That verse has a lot of meaning in my life right now, in more ways than one.

This week we are learning about a lifestyle of repentence. I have been having trouble the past 2 days paying attention so hopefully tomorrow will be better!

Last week, we learned about justice and we had one hour to do something that would have an impact regarding the issue of justice.  I wrote a song with my friend Adam.  One of our leaders Josh helped me put it to music and give it a tune! I'll post the words tomorrow.  I would like to also record a video of it and put it on facebook! So, pay attention.

OH YEAH! IF YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO KEEP UPDATING THIS PLEASE MAKE COMMENTS! :D

In Christ.

Mexico.

i love Mexico. I LOVE MEXICO. i love mexico. I lOvE mExIcO. i <3 mexico. I LovE MexicO. ((:

Plain and simple, i love it here.

i love the people, i love the fellowship, i love my roomies, i love this base, i love the town, i love the shopping. i love everything about this place. for real.

Honestly, i didn't think i would come to love this place so much it's weird.  It's definitely ten times better than what i expected, but hey God loves to exceed our expectations doesn't he?  There's so many beautiful people here with their ideas and their personalities.  I feel rather blessed to be a part of something so amazing. I can totally feel God working.  I mean who else could take me out of the spiritual slump i've been in and put the joy back into my heart?  It's great, i mean seriously.

I know things are going to get harder when the speakers start speaking but i'm okay with that. I want God to break me and change me into the person he wants me to be.  I'm ready for it.

well, sleep is in order so goodnight (:

Crazy.

i leave tomorrow for YWAM Ensenada, Mexico.

Crazy right? I feel like it was just yesterday that i was wishing it was time to leave and now i'm trying to love every second i have left at home.  I'm still not done packing, almost, but not quite.

When i'm gone i will be trying to update this as much as possible and my posts will be of more important things than my worries!

I need prayer, a lot of it.  In order for this trip to benefit me or anyone then I need to be open to what God has to teach me.   I need to be soley focused on Him and his desires and plans for me.  I can't do this without Him.  He needs to be my hope and joy and security going into this trip.

But oh how i'll miss everyone here. Know that I love you and I always will. (:

Keep me in your prayers.

hold up.

wait a minute put a little love in it! hehe, that has nothing to do with my post whatsoever but it's what popped into my head when i wrote that blog title. :D my mind works a little funny!





YWAM is eleven days away. 11. once. elf. onze.


that's so craaaaaaaaazy. it feels like just yesterday i was applying to it. & oh dear i haven't even started the book yet.

my feelings have changed about YWAM a little bit. I'm more excited than i was, maybe because some things here just aren't working out.  ): Maybe because i actually do want to get out and help people even if it means i have to struggle. I am probably the most selfish person you've ever met. Seriously. Most of the time I only think about myself and whether doing something will benefit me. That's the wrong attitude to have. I want to be able to say at the end of my life that i put others first in every situation i possibly could.  Because isn't that what we should be striving for? To be like Jesus and serve others. Isn't that why i decided to do YWAM?  It doesn't mean i'm gonna stop doing some of the things i'm doing now because frankly i just don't want to!


IDK, my life is one crazy, confusing, messed up jumble right now. :D but that's okay with me. i'm learning a lot, especially about who i want to be and what i want to do.


danng. i just love people. a lot. like i FREAKING love people, you really have no idea.  I want to help people whether they're here in PA or in Mexico. i've been sucking at that latley. so i'm sorry i've let you down..


just please please please don't expect me to be perfect.. i'm trying i really am. it's hard ya know?!

comments would be niceee! (:

perfection.

perfection is hard.


i'm sorry i can't be perfect.

good grief.

i leave in exactly 20 days for Ensenada, Mexico.
you may wonder if i'm ready to go and the answer is...... i'm not.
not in the least bit. negative. not at all.

Actually, the very thought of leaving terrifies me to the core. Yea, God has big things in store, i've heard that a lot now but it doesn't make leaving any less hard. Here are some things holding me back-

work-i finally love going to work, it's not such a pain anymore. the people there are awesome and i love working with them.
friends-my best friends in the entire world are here. i know i'll make new friends that much is obvious but the people i care about most are here. the people i want to care about are here.  ch.gh.kk. <3
brother[s]-my little brother daniel is the single most greatest human being in my life. leaving him is going to be the hardest thing i've ever done. And my other "brother" tyler. he's awesome. i think you should meet him. not having him to text whenever i need to is gonna be hard, hands down.
family-it's just going to be weird not seeing them everyday.

It's not like i'm going to back out. i just have my doubts in going. annnnnnd there could be a few other things that are holding me back, but i will NOT be posting them on here. they're a little too personal. it's just hard since it's so close. i remember when the only thing i wanted was to leave to be out of here. oh my how the tables have turned. now i'm practically begging for a few more days at home.

i've already talked to some of the people i'm going with which is cool. but there's 26 people who are doing the DTS. TWENTYSIX. holy crap. that's waaay too many. that alone worries me. i know i'm just a worrier. but that alone is enough to stress me out. there's no way i'm sharing my whole life story with 26 other people. i'm open and honest with almost anyone but in this type of setting no way. i'm just a little freaked out

So, basically what i need you NOT to do is tell me that my worries are stupid because to me they are not. Don't tell me that God is going to work in my life in so many ways- i already know this i don't want to hear it again.

Well, that's all for now.   .