jumping out of the box

When I ventured off to Costa Rica, I left behind a job. I trained a friend (also my brother's girlfriend lol) to replace me. So coming back home.. that meant I had no job. Q triste (how sad..)
I had been praying, for about 2 months before I returned, that God would provide for me a job when i got back to motown. I needed a job in order to start saving up for college.. and to have gas and other spending money. I prayed that God would provide me a job where I could either do some sort of ministry or be able to practice spanish.. and whatever the job may happen to be, that I would still have time to do ministry things within the community.

When I returned home (about a month ago), I quickly found that there were ZERO jobs to be had in our good ole town. So I kept prayin.. Last week I started getting myself more involved in my church. And I've jumped out of the box. I'm not doing things with the youth. Instead, I have started going to a pastor lead Bible study, an intercessory prayer group, and a women's Bible study.. all lead at the church I attend. I have also been blessed with the opportunity to start a young women's Bible study with my bff, Jennie :) and that awesome chick, Heather :)

Last week I realized that God had given me a job for this summer. That job was to take all of this free time that He had given me..... to LOVE and SERVE HIM!!! and you know what??? He's even been paying me for it!! He has blessed me with money randomly given to me by family members, brothers and sisters in Christ, and even churches! It is CRAZY how God works. And it just goes to show that He is completely unpredictable!! and He doesn't always answer our prayers in the ways we are anticipating. But His ways are so much better (and way more thought out) than ours!!

All of this was really just to say that God has really been blessing me lately. I don't deserve it at all... and its awesome. I have been so blessed by the women of my church. There are a handful of wonderfully amazing ladies who are older and so so much more wise and spiritually mature than I. I am so excited about all the things I am going to learn from them, and all the encouragement that they've already given me!!! Oh! and I joined a Sunday School class that includes these beautiful women. My heart has been so blessed... I've gone to this church for my entire life.. but over the past year my heart has really grown away from the congregation... Now when I go off to school, I am really going to miss this church. I'm gonna miss these ladies who have blessed me. It is SOOO good to be around those who are older than us! They have so much to teach! They have had much more experience, they've studied the Word longer..

So... I encourage you to get yourself involved with some of the 'older' crowd in your church. 1. They love it when young people show interest in learning from them. 2. You're going to grow and be encouraged and gain so much knowledge and wisdom from them!

So thats all for today.. be blessed!!
Ash.

p.s. I'm not saying you should quit your job in order to serve God.. haha this is just a way He has blessed me.. and i do plan on getting a job at college..

amen and the end.