This has been a crazy year. Thirty-two people, eleven countries. Who does that with their life really? We travel for days and days every month. We change and adapt to new cultures and languages every few weeks. We carry one heavy bag. Our entire life stuffed into one bag. We've have slept in tents, on floors, in barns, on a mattress without a middle, on pull out beds, on strangers floors, in dorms on trains, on planes on buses, and in the back of trucks. My diet consists mostly of rice (which I strongly dislike) and peanut butter (which I'm not too fond of either) We go days without showering. We live on seven dollars a day. If that all isn't enough the kicker is this, I share this life with thirty two people. That means no privacy. No time alone. No entitlements. No quiet mornings to sleep in late. No quiet evenings. no quiet anything. Nothing is your own. Everything is shared.
Now for those of you who know me well, I need time alone. I process life well only when I have time by myself. Running has been my one outlet this year. My one source of sanity. My only time alone. My time with God. My time to think and pray.
The last few days of our trip have been spent in Bucharest, Romania for debriefing. In the past our squad debriefings have been overwhelming to me. And often I would just escape and run, sometimes for hours. (Well, I don't actually run the whole time, but I would run walk for hours just to be away).
However, this debrief was different. Way different. I guess because, I am different. It was the first time in two months our whole squad has been together. And you know what? I wanted to be around everybody, all the time. I have truly grown to love these people, the men and women, who I God has given me privilege to walk this year. I sat at breakfast one morning, sipping on some coffee, and I looked around the room. All I could think was haw each person is living evidence to me of Jesus Christ. It's Jesus's church, and I have the great honor to drink coffee with His people.
Moldova has issues. Since most of you can relate to the harsh realities that face a dying Swaziland, I am going to use this small African country as a reference point. Moldova is the Swazi of Europe. It is the poorest country in Europe and the population is shrinking in record numbers. A few years ago, in this tiny agricultural, wine-gem land lived over 5 million people. Today, less than 4 million inhabit the country. What is happening?
"The wolf's coat is just changing colors; but its heart or character still remains the same." Communism fell in 1992, right? Well, in Moldova, communism is becoming relevant. Just like Christianity. It is changing faces, but still has the claws that that hold people down.
In Moldova you cannot home school. That would promote the family, not society.
Everyone has to pay for medical insurance. Yet, one of my friends just had surgery and they had to buy their medical tools, pay for surgery and the patient even had to pay to go to the bathroom.
There are over 60 orphanages or boarding schools in Moldova. Around 100-250 boys and girls live in each home. When they finish the school at age 13-16 they are kicked out of the orphanage. They have no where to go and no one to go to; yet they cannot stay in the ‘home' that they grew up in. I've heard that around 80% of the boys end up in prison and over 50% of the girls are trafficked as sex slaves or choose to enter the life of prostitution.
Economy is falling and everybody looks for work outside of Moldova. On average people get paid $100-$150/mo; yet their prices of living are the same of other European countries.
Human trafficking is a reality that lives in the eyes of abandoned kids. Every day it is estimated that 3-5 individuals are trafficked from Moldova to other countries (Istanbul is the hub). These are mainly moms in search of jobs to support their kids. Only they are tricked and sold to brothels. I talked MANY orphans whose parents have left the country for a better life or better jobs. How many of these moms and dads ended up locked in rooms forced to service men all night long or forced to work 16 hour days in the dirtiest of dirty jobs?
Many orphans are trafficked for there organs. In Western Europe, many kids need heart and kidney transplants. The lack of available organs leads to preying on the helpless, orphan kids in Moldova who have no one watching out for them. They are a commodity that is readily available.
Sometimes I wish truths would remain hidden in the shadows. Revelation brings responsibility that has the potential of lying heavy on the spirit for years to come.
On the flip side, I love revealing truth. I love opening the eyes of those who are in the dark. I love introducing the forgotten one as the known one. Bringing "their" stories into the homes of Westerners.
After this month, I had a self revelation. Why is it so difficult for me to settle down in one place and focus on one issue, one country, one people group? Do I have commitment issues? (Well, maybe, but that's another story.) Am I addicted to travel? (Again, maybe a little, but that's not really it either.)
I have seen too much. I have not been burdened and broken for only one country, or one issue or one ministry in particular. As a Christian, I am responsible for what I know. (Not responsible for playing God, but responsible to be the body!) Is the need necessarily the call? No; but the knowledge will constantly live in my mind and the emotion in my heart and the truth in my spirit...in the names and faces that I have met in Haiti, Peru, Malawi, Nicaragua, Thailand, China, Moldova, etc... To settle down in one community, I am choosing that community; thus, by default, I am choosing to not act on all the other challenges and needs that still ring very true in my spirit.
I might desire to live in Northern Thailand and work with the marginalized Karen, while I think of the women being trafficked from Moldova to Turkey. I could live in the trash dump in Nicaragua while thinking of the kids in Cambodia eating food from the garbage. I could return to teach pastors in Malawi, knowing how thirsty university students in China and Vietnam are for truth. I could provide shoes for hundreds of kids in Swaziland while imagining barefoot children in Haiti. I could prepare cuey (guinea pig)with a local family in the Andes Mountains, but my heart could be making empanadas in a sleepy town on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.
While this "philosophy" could be a bit skewed, it is a very real challenge that keeps me on the move daily. Yesterday I arrived in Romania; my 26th country (or something like that). By June 19th, the day I arrive back in America, that number will be around 35 (backpacking Western Europe).
So, Moldova has issues. I did not know about them a week ago. You did not know them 5 minutes ago. But now I do; and so do you. Now, I am responsible. Now, you are responsible. What is the body going to do about it?
For the next week or two, I will be in Romania debriefing the squad and serving in a gypsy community. Then I head to Moldova for the rest of the race (mid-may) . Yes, Moldova stole part of my heart.
Lord, Why do you have to be God of the nations? "The nations are my heartbeat...just as I am yours," He gently whispers to my spirit.
We
say that slavery has vanished from European civilization, but this is not true.
Slavery still exists, but now it applies only to women and its name is
prostitution. VICTOR HUGO, Les Misérables
As we departed the plane in Kiev, Ukraine, the cold
crisp winter air was a drastic change from the heat of Africa. Our squad
is the first in the World Race program to travel to Eastern Europe. As a result
our team was sent ahead a month early to scout out the region and set up
ministries. It was a hopping month. I thought I had traveled a lot already
this year, however, this month we moved lodging about every other day.
The Lord taught me a lot and my faith was deeply encouraged. But foremost,
among God's teaching in my life is the ever increasing awareness and burden for the
evil of human trafficking.
One evening
we sat in a room with about ten young men between the ages of fourteen and
twenty-two. Externally they looked like typical teenage boys, but their
lives were far, very far from typical. Initially we arrived and just
kicked back laughing together. They were smiling, a little awkward at
times, and simply a joy to be around for the afternoon. As the time
pressed on the conversation got deeper. Each boy began to share the story
of his life. All of them are orphans. Each had a story more horrific then
the one next to him. One boy's mother just left him. He is fifteen years old,
and he was working in the fields when a friend came and told him his mother was
gone forever. Another young man sat next to me and with a small tear in his eye
he explained that his parents were killed after they emigrated from
Kazakhstan. His grandparents raised him and beat him brutally before
they passed away. Story after story. Heart after heart. Boys
becoming men, without any fathers and without any love. It was a moment -most literally- that no words can ever begin to describe. It has impacted my life forever. It was God, the author of life, writing the
story if His people on my heart as they shared their lives, their pain and their
hearts.
In the
middle of our time, a set of brothers were well into sharing when they made
a statement that has stuck with me... "Our mother was trafficked
leaving the six of us children as orphans." It stuck with me because
they said it so matter of fact, it's merely a part of life in Moldova. As we continued to meet numerous pastors and
missionaries in Eastern Europe the issue of Human trafficking always arose.
Moldova is currently the world's lead of the countries where women are being
trafficked from before being sent over seas. Ukraine and Romania follow closely
behind in rankings.
Human trafficking is a global problem.
"Human
trafficking involves the movement of people through violence, deception or
coercion for the purpose of forced labor, servitude or slavery-like practices.
It is slavery because traffickers use violence, threats, and other forms of
coercion to force their victims to work against their will. This includes
controlling their freedom of movement, where and when they will work and what
pay, if any, they will receive..."
Most often it involves forced prostitution. Men, women, and children are all vulnerable
to trafficking. However, women and girls stand as the people group that are most at risk. Traffickers target orphans specifically. Often orphanage
directors are paid corruptly for young girls.
This declared indifference, but, as
I must think, covert, real zeal, for the spread of slavery, I cannot but hate.
I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it
because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world,
enables the enemies of free institutions with plausibility to taunt us as
hypocrites, causes the real friends of freedom to doubt our sincerity, and
especially because it forces so many good men among ourselves into an open war
with the very fundamental principles of civil liberty, criticizing the
Declaration of Independence, and insisting that there is no right principle of
action but self-interest.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, speech, Oct. 16,
1854
Slavery never ended with Abe Lincoln and the
Revolutionary War. Slavery exists today. Among the areas of the world involved is
Africa, the America's, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Russia.Each
year, an estimated 700,000 to 1 million women and children are shipped across
national boundaries and sold into modern-day slavery. The United States is as much involved in trafficking as any other
country with an estimated 50,000 women brought into
the United States for sexual servitude, domestic servitude, bonded sweatshop
labor and other debt bondage each year. Humans
are the third largest illegally imported "good" ranking closely
behind illegal drugs and illegal weapons. Human Trafficking is the fastest
growing crime today.No country is immune or unaffected.
Pi, Greek letter (), is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi = 3.1415926535...Pi Day is celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world on March 14th.
Pi is also the beloved name of the greatest team of all
time. Josh, Dan, Dre, Shanda, Ashley, and Pamela are the wonderful
pieces that make up team Pi. We were going to have a competition to see
who could memorize Pi to the 147,231 decimal, but instead, wrote a rap
to the theme song of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air":
"Team Pi of Azungu Air"
Now, this is a story all about how
Our lives got flipped-turned upside down
And we'd liked to take a minute
Just sit right there
We'll tell you how we became thepieces of a team with a whole lotta flare
Four continents later scoutin and eatin' maize
On the tuk-tuks was where we spent most of our days
Straight Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool (literally now in eastern europe)
And all eating some peppers actin' like a fool (Dan)
When the black magic man
Who was up to no good
Startin making trouble in our neighborhood
He got in one little fight and Rocco got scared
and Josh said, "we're on a one-way ticket flyin Qatar air"
Shanda whistled for a bike taxi and when it came near
The wood plate said and it had a Rasta to steer (named coconut)
If anything Dre would say this bike caused fear
But she thought 'Now forget it' - 'We are team Pi-oneer'
Pamela pulled up to the tent about 7 or 8
And she yelled to ashley 'Yo, the diesel smell's Dan's fate'
With the keys to unlock God's kingdom
was finally there
To sit on our throne, and 'choose in' and start to share.
Team Pi, thanks for an awesome journey! We LOVE you!!
Now this man Melchizedek,
king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, met Abraham and blessed him when
he was returning from defeating the kings. Abraham gave Melchizedeka tenth of everything.In the first place, his name means "king of
righteousness," and then he is also king of Salem, that is, "king of peace." 3He has no father, mother, or genealogy, no birth date
recorded for him, nor a date of death.Like the Son of God, he continues to be a
priest forever.
4Just look at how great this man
was! Even Abraham-the patriarch himself-gave him a tenth of what he had
captured!5The descendants of Levi who accept the priesthood have a
commandment in the law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their
own brothers, even though they are also descendants of Abraham. 6But this man, whose descent is not traced from them,
collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the man who had received the
promises.7It is beyond dispute that the less important person is blessed
by the more important person. 8Mortal men collect tithes,
but we are informed by Scripturethat Melchizedekkeeps on living. 9One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid
the tenth through Abraham, 10because Leviwas still inside his ancestor when Melchizedek
met him.
11Now if perfection could have been
attained through the Levitical priesthood-for on this basis the people received
the law-what further need would there be to speak of appointing another kind of
priest according to the order of Melchizedek, not one according to the order of
Aaron?12When a change in the priesthood takes place, there must
also be a change in the law. 13For the person we are
talking about belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has
ever servedat the altar. 14Furthermore,
it is obvious that our Lord was a descendant of Judah, and Moses said nothing
about priests coming from that tribe. 15This point is even more obvious
in that another priest who is like Melchizedek has appeared 16who
was appointed to be a priest,not on the basis of a genealogical registry,
but rather on the power of an indestructible life. 17For
it is declared about him,
"You are a
priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek."
Melchizedek. He is an odd character, isn't he? He has no mother and no father. Hebrews explains the dude really has no genealogy at all. Abraham, the father of our faith, esteems him so highly that he tithes to him. He is a priest and king, yet he is only mentioned three times in all of scripture! (His appearance three times in scripture include: First in Genesis 14, then in Psalm 110 and lastly in Hebrews 5-7.) Furthermore, his priesthood has a direct correlation to the priesthood of Jesus Christ. However, Melchizedek's priesthood is different than the Levitical priesthood. More importantly, Christ's priesthood comes from his. Psalm 110:4 "The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.' " Yet the larger majority of writing in the Old Testament focuses on the Levitical priesthood not Melchizedek's priesthood. Why is that.
I really like Melchizedek. In fact, I may even place him on my list of favorite Biblical characters. I like him mainly because his mysterious. I have read numerous commentaries over the years on this peculiar man. Some believe him to be Jesus Christ as a preincarnate in Abraham's time. Others would say that Melchizedek was an angel taking human form. Wherever you land on this debate in scripture, hear my heart for one moment. I write this out of a motivation to spur you on to study scripture for yourself, and I give just one perspective on this crazy character.
So here its goes, Melchizedek. To understand him we have to take a moment to discuss the Levitical priesthood. The tribe of Levi were one of the twelve tribes if Israel. The Levites were specifically ordained for religious service. The priests of Israel had to be Jewish and furthermore, they had to be descended from the tribes of Levi. (However, not all Levi were priests. Others jobs of Levites included singers, instrumentalists, servers in the tabernacle, helpers to the priests.) The priesthood was only Jewish. This is very important to understand, because it gives us the basis of understand this truth. Melchizedek's priesthood was a universal priesthood, not a Jewish priesthood. Thus, Jesus' priesthood is universal and a priesthood to all nations.
In Abraham's day, the name for God was Jehovah or Yahweh. However, if you were chillin in ancient Hebrew culture, this name for God would not have been used in everyday lingo- actually it wouldn't have been used at all. For the name Yahweh was considered too holy to pronounce. When scriptures were read aloud the title Lord or Adonai was used for the name of God. This name holds a divine connotation for the Hebrew. The word Adonai makes a direct reference to God's covenant with Israel. It was His covenant name.
"The Levitical priests, therefore, were priests of Jehovah. The Israelites were Jehovah's people, and the Levites were Jehovah's priests. The Levitical priests could minister only to Israel and only for Jehovah.
Melchizedek, however, was priest of the Most High God. (El Elyon, a more universal name for God). It represents God as a possessor of heaven and earth, God above all nations or dispensational distinctions. The Most High God is both over Jew and Gentile, and first mentioned in scripture in relation to Melchizedek. (Gen 14:8)" John Mc Arthur, New Testament Commentary Hebrews.
You see culturally this truth, the truth that Christ is a priest to all nations, flew in the face of everything a Jew was taught in regards to the Messiah to come. To Jew there was no other true priesthood outside of the Jewish nation. The Levitical priesthood was it. And that was only for Jews.
"Here they are reminded that their father Abraham, the first Jew, offered tithes to another type pf priest. This priest served as the one true God, but lived hundreds of years before the Levitical priesthood came into existence. It is significant that, immediately after the encounter with Melchizedek, Abraham spoke to the king of Sodom about 'the Lord Most High' (Genesis 14:22), a combination of the covenant and universal names.
The indecisive Jew were told, in effect, 'Even your own Scripture recognizes a priesthood not only that is completely apart from Aaron (the Levitical priesthood) but that existed long before Aaron's.' This was a powerful argument. " John Mc Arthur, New Testament Commentary Hebrews.
Just yesterday I spent the day at an orphanage in northern Ukraine almost to the Belarus boarder. The day was long, and exhausting. Through out the day I heard numerous stories that at the end of the day just left me emotionally depleted. Child abuse, corruption of government, child abandonment, sexual abuse, the list could go on and on. And that was just one day out of a year of seeing and experiencing first hand the literally thousands of injustices in this place we call earth.
Isn't it is an amazing truth that Jesus is the Messiah not just to the Jewish nation, but to the whole world?
If you asked me what one lesson did you walk away with from your time on the race, it would be this resounding truth. Through Jesus Christ, God's kingdom came, comes and will come to earth. Jesus teaches us to pray "on earth as it is in heaven." He teaches us to pray those words because He intends for his kingdom to reign on earth.
The day started out as normal. Well, as normal as life goes in Nkhotakota. I woke up with a stiff back from sleeping on a rock hard floor. As I stood brushing my teeth a spider crawled across my foot. Breakfast consisted of a piece of bread and horrible coffee. I was tired and exhausted. I wished I was awaking in the comforts of my American life. But I am far, really far, away from home. So, with a not so hot attitude, I tied up my worn down sneakers and hit the dirt road for my daily run.
Not five minutes into my run , I caught a glimpse of a young African child running after me. A normal days run for me in Africa is quite an experience. In spite of the heat, humidity and bugs, I acquire quite a following of young African children. It can be anywhere from about eight children to up to thirty. Most of them are too young to keep pace with me so I give them a high five and they trickle off as I run. Others I have to humbly confess can easily keep my pace as they run along side with me without one thought to slowing down or letting up. I have come to believe it's a game they are playing....the rules include running directly in front of the white girl and you earn points with each successful trip. As I finish my run they follow me to the front door. Then the children simply sit outside our front door. Awaiting what? I haven't figured that out yet.
So, anyway, Im kicking along with my I-pod jamming out some Lynyrd Skynyrd tunes, and I hear above the music, "Azungu" (That means white person, and it is what Africans call us here.) It was early and I was in no mood to deal with the abundant amount of children. But it's just one child and I had resolved to have a good attitude. As I turned around to give my friendly fellow a high five, I looked up and behind him was about twelve other children running toward me. "Azungu, Azungu!" Great, I thought. But in the stillness of that moment, I hear the Lord whisper, "Ash,don't miss this moment."
I took a deep breath, still annoyed, but I turned off my music and smiled. I started high-fiving the children as they gathered around me. One high five after another. A smile. A laugh. Then I tickled one young girl, and more laughter. I even got crazy and I threw in a double high five. Moment by moment, smile by smile, child by child...the kingdom of God.
"Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven"
Matthew 6:9-10
Next on the morning agenda was prison ministry. A few of the local pastors have been pastoring inmates for years. Every Saturday morning they visit the local prison and lead service. I was not sure what I expect. Moments before entering the prison I was told I would be preaching. Ha, thats a joke if I've ever heard one. As we entered, the heat from mid day sun was felt on the back of my neck. We were escorted into the prison with a guard dressed in an olive green uniform and a red trimmed hat. We walked through the prison doors and immediately I could smell urine. There were hundreds of prisoners. They were dressed in dirty tattered clothing. There was one main courtyard with prison cells lining each side. It was dirty and loud.
Above the loud rumble prison life, worship songs echoed. Worship had already started. About forty men were gathered in the corner singing. They trotted our posse front and center. What on earth am I going to say to these men? As I stood there, in the hustle of the moment, again I heard God's gentle voice "Ash, don't miss this moment."
I spoke and so did some of my other teammates. When I was all over, then men began to sing again. Let me just say, one of my favorite aspects about Africa has been the music. Africans have this crazy ability to all clap on different beats, but yet somehow, its sounds amazing. They also can dance way better than any white boy, and when they worship they dance with authenticity before God. In native tongue of Chechwa, men stood together praising God. One man caught my attention. I watched him the entire time.
With his head turn
upwards and arms open, he sang. He sang and sang and he never once
opened his eyes. Donald Miller writes this author's note in Blue like Jazz.
I
never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. But I was
outside the Baghdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man
playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never
opened his eyes.
After that I liked jazz music.
Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way. "
God was there. He was there in that dirty prison in Nowhere land Africa and He was there in hearts of the children of Africa.
"Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven"
Matthew 6:9-10
"It's my kingdom, Ash, Don't miss this moment."
God's kingdom....on earth as it is in heaven.
Team Pi in front of teh Livingston tree. The place where the slave trade was ended in Africa.
The team of pastors we worked along side in Nkhotakota.
The testimony of Edward Sheko written by Eddie himself. I hope
you enjoy reading this as much as I did. I am working on a video as
well and should have that posted in a couple of days.
I was born of influential Muslim parents; I was almost killed for believing in Jesus Christ in May 1982.
My grandparents were associated with Arab slave traders in Malawi.
These Arabs were Muslims. Thus my grandparents were among the pioneers
of Islamic religion in Malawi. Our village is Islamic and my family is
a Muslim family.
From the age of 7 my Uncle began preparing me intensively for
active participation in the Muslim religion, he trained me in the
principles of the Islamic faith and taught me the practices of Muslim
propagation. All of the training was based on refuting the claims of
Christianity, by pointing to assumed errors of the Bible and it's
teachings. I was instructed that there were over 50,000 errors in the
Bible.
Naturally
I became so committed to the anti Christian religion. In 1976 I was
placed in the actual work. I joined the Islamic movement whose goal
was to confuse Christians, especially in their meetings. This movement
brought me into frequent contact with Christian workers, especially
freelance evangelists and consequently I became skilled in presenting
my arguments against Christianity and its book the Bible. Many
Christians became aware of my influence and began praying for me.
Though I was committed to the Islamic Faith I did the opposite of its
claims. I was doing magic, witchcraft, drinking beer, smoking,
involved in sexual immorality, fought with people, robbed and many
others. I saw these indignities as help in my aggressive approach to
Muslim propagation. It was a total (though blind) commitment.
The
turning point came in 1982. My Uncle just returned from his trip to
Mecca and I was invited to a Christian meeting. I proudly accepted and
I was ready to fire confusing questions at these Christians about their
Bible. I sat at the back row. The gospel was preached and this time I
heard it differently. It was so powerful that I began paying attention
and I miraculously moved forward and knelt in front of the preacher.
The preacher however, did not care about me, because he thought I was
there to start opposition. But, the Lord had touched me within. The
word convinced me and the Spirit convicted me. I was a rebellious
sinner. There and then my life was transformed and I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and the Lord on my life. I stopped fighting against God. The peace of God subdued my worries. How it happened is God's mystery.
When news of my conversion reached our Islamic village, Satan stirred the hearts of all my relatives to attack me. I
was severely beaten by my uncle to the point that I fainted. The next
three weeks I was again severely beaten and fainted three times by the
elders led by my uncle. He was the first man to beat me. He beat me
heavily with his walking stick to the point of death in his house.
He then ordered that all my clothes, schoolbooks and papers be burnt.
He also ordered to take me to the circumcision camp. I was already
circumcised but this time it was to subject me to great pain so that I
could renounce Jesus Christ, the Bible and my new found faith in
Christ. They tied my hands and my feet and with a big pole carried my
body to the camp. There I was tied upside down to a tree and I stayed
hanging there head down, five feet above the ground, for the whole
day. This was repeated for the next six days. They rubbed substances
all over my body and I was brutally beaten for three weeks, fainting
three times in the process. When my uncle saw that I was determined to die as a Christian, but never to live as a Muslim, he ordered for my release.
Commitment to the evangelical faith in Christ resulted in being disowned as a member of my family and my village.
I was ordered to leave the village. During this time Christian
brothers opened their homes to me. They took care of me spiritually,
physically, paying my school fees and involved me in Christian
fellowship where I was asked to share my testimony to them and other
Christians. Many were convicted and challenged. In April 1984 is when
I was baptized in a Baptist Church in water at a public testimony of my
faith.
I am
now serving the Lord as Pastor – Evangelist and pioneer worker among
Muslim people in my area. The majority of the people that I work among
are Muslims, the youth and prisoners in jails in the rural area. In my
ministry I hold open-air meeting, conduct door to door visitation,
distribute gospel tracts among the lost and reach many people with the
word of God through Crusades. At the Crusades many people who are sick
are being healed and delivered from the bondage of the devil. Through
prayer my goal and vision is to plant churches among the Muslim
villages and to serve the youth and prisoners in the jail. Please pray
for me that I will fulfill God's plan to expand His kingdom. Pray for
me as they are still hunting for my life. But, God our father is still
protecting me. Romans 15:20 and Isaiah 54:17 are two verses that
really minister to me. God is always great. I praise him for he is
always faithful. I am now ready and prepared to work with those who
are ready to do the mission of reaching the unreached, church planting
and rural evangelism.
May God bless you as you read this testimony and pray for the expansion
of the great commission of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
Moldova has issues. Since most of you can relate to the harsh realities that face a dying Swaziland, I am going to use this small African country as a reference point. Moldova is the Swazi of Europe. It is the poorest country in Europe and the population is shrinking in record numbers. A few years ago, in this tiny agricultural, wine-gem land lived over 5 million people. Today, less than 4 million inhabit the country. What is happening?
Human trafficking is a reality that lives in the eyes of abandoned kids. Every day it is estimated that 3-5 individuals are trafficked from Moldova to other countries (Istanbul is the hub). These are mainly moms in search of jobs to support their kids. Only they are tricked and sold to brothels. I talked MANY orphans whose parents have left the country for a better life or better jobs. How many of these moms and dads ended up locked in rooms forced to service men all night long or forced to work 16 hour days in the dirtiest of dirty jobs?
While this "philosophy" could be a bit skewed, it is a very real challenge that keeps me on the move daily. Yesterday I arrived in Romania; my 26th country (or something like that). By June 19th, the day I arrive back in America, that number will be around 35 (backpacking Western Europe). 
), is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi = 
Dan and Ashley at teh Zimbabwe boarder
Lay Over in London 
London by Night
Steph and Ashley in front of the circus in Kiev (Its very cold and very gray here)
Downtown Kiev
Independence Square Steph Ash and Pamela
Kiev again
At an orphanage in Northern Ukraine
Shoe distribution in Swaziland
Marissa and Ashley- An African Safari
Swaziland 
Swaziland
Pamela and Ashley
