Hope for Tomorrow

Varbah in March 2008

For about the last week, I have been looking through thousands [yes, thousands] of pictures from Liberia. I have 7 months worth of my pictures, and then some. Anyway, I've been looking through all of the pictures because I'm in the middle of a string of planned events where I get to share about Liberia. Not only does looking through all of these pictures bring back great memories, they also make me miss Liberia!

I wanted to share someone with you. Her name is Varbah...and I absolutely love her! I honestly don't really remember Varbah from when I first got to Liberia. I came across a picture of her from back in March when I first started working with her orphanage and it doesn't even look like the Varbah that I know and love. The children at the home were extremely hungry and sick. They were lathargic, sad and down-right no fun to be around. At first, I hated going to their orphanage--it was dirty, depressing and the director was a total headache. But now, the home is my absolute favorite place to be! Why? Because these children have hope! Today, Varbah is happy and healthy. She isn't sleeping on the floor anymore. She's going to school. She has food in her belly and clothes on her back. And...her little snaggle-tooth smile has stolen my heart.


Thank you to everyone who supports ORR's ministry and my personal ministry in Liberia. I am in Liberia because my Father loves me and wants me to share His love with the fatherless. Because of His hope, and your prayers and support, children like Varbah have hope for tomorrow!

Varbah in December 2008

Can We Say...

Handcramp!

Today has been a productive day!

New Chapter, New Look

I've been messing around in html world for about 2 hours...ugh!

What do you think about the new look?

I also thought it would be best to put a picture in the header that makes you (or at least, me) smile everytime I look at it. That is Lucky. And yes, she is always like that. And she's an orphan, living without alot of things, but check out her joy?!

I'm leaving for Liberia a week from today. [oh man, I need to take my malaria pill!]

I am still in need of some finances, so if you feel lead, please use the 'donate' button on the right hand side. Above all else, please continue to pray for me, Orphan Relief and Rescue, my team, Liberia and the children (like Lucky) who are in desperate need of basic necessities and the love of Christ.

A Night to Remember

On Saturday night, I had the opportunity to share about Orphan Relief & Rescue at Acoustic Jeremiah. My sister Julianne went with me. I should have known...when the two of us are together, it always makes for an adventure!

We decided to leave the house early to head to the north side of Atlanta; we planned to make a pit-stop at REI and then we would head to Canton. We allowed an hour to get from REI to the Chapel, and I knew that would be plenty of time. As we approached exit 14, the sky looked ugly! We drove through Micky-D's for a $ menu dinner, and as we sat in line at the drive-thru the rain began to pour...and I mean, POUR! It seriously looked like a hurricane! (I later heard there were 70mph winds around Atlanta)

We got our double cheeseburgers and proceeded to the Chapel with caution. Well, there was a completely uprooted tree laying across 3 lanes of the 4 lane highway, so we waited about 15-20 minutes to pass. Then we turned onto the road that the church is on, and I knew we were only about 2 minutes away. There were a few cars stopped on the road, and come to find out, a powerline had fallen across the road...and this was the only way to get to the church. By this time, I was really beginning to feel like God was playing some mean trick on me!

After waiting here for almost 30 minutes, we got tipped off by a local resident that there was a gravel driveway that we could take to bypass the downed powerline. We decided it wouldn't hurt to give it a try...so off we went, looking for the magical gravel driveway. We bypassed the roadblock, and arrived to a chapel with an empty parking lot and without electricity...making it alittle difficult to have a concert! We decided that we would walk back down the road and tell everyone about the magical driveway...and people began to make their way through. We walked back to the chapel, and almost every car that had gone down the driveway was now in the parking lot! And, the lack of electricity made for a very good topic of discussion with the 50 or so people...trying to get them to imagine life without electricity. I honestly really don't remember what I said, and I think I spoke for about 10 minutes. I sent eveyone home with a postcard that I had put together the night before, so I hope it will be a reminder to check out ORR's website and my blog. I also asked them to pray for Liberia, for the children and for ORR's ministry. Then we had a really good concert...without power...without mics...without guitars plugged in...without lights....it was the real 'live and unplugged'!

Anyway, thanks to Matt at Acoustic Jeremiah for giving me the opportunity to share! It was an adventure! I figure this was pretty good practice...nothing more could go wrong, right? And, since I'm not much for speaking in front of crowds, it made it much easier to do it in the dark and without a mic! If you were at AJ, and that's why you're reading this now...thank you for listening and thank you for digging deeper into God's call to care for the fatherless.

[I was pretty proud of my flyer creation, haha.]

Want to Get My Monthly Newsletters?

I just sent out my newsletter for June, and realized that there might be some of you who have joined me mid-journey. So, if you aren't on my update list, and you'd like to be, leave me a comment with your email address. I won't pester you with emails...I send out a montly newsletter at the end of the month, and I occassionally send out things like urgent prayer requests. Thank you all for joining me on this exciting journey!

Liberia Update (Vol. 6)

[I usually don't post my updates on here...I usually send them through email. But, Yahoo isn't cooperating, and I'm sweating like crazy in this internet cafe, so I give up!]


First of all, I want to apologize for my recent lack of communication. Between my spotty internet connection, and being very busy these last few weeks, I haven’t had the time to sit and write an update, much less get to the internet to send it out. It’s hard to believe that I only have a few days left in Liberia! I left home 3 months ago, not knowing how long I’d be in Liberia, and now I’ll be home in 4 days! I can’t believe how quickly these last few months have gone by. I know that so much has happened at home while I’ve been away, but I wouldn’t trade these past 3 months.

This week started out with a bang—in the sense that I spent Monday and Tuesday in bed, feeling quite miserable. Of course I couldn’t leave Liberia without having sinus problems. My body decided to wait until my last week here to keep me in the bed for a few days, so I was left with only 3 days to get everything wrapped up before I leave. Needless to say, I’ll be spending at least my Saturday working. By Tuesday, I think I reached the point where I just wanted to be at home, with the ability to lay on the couch and watch movies and eat popsicles (hey, it sounded really nice at the time!). The good news is that I’m starting to feel better, and I can breathe again! Just pray that I will be healthy for the flights home. You can also pray that I will get a seat on my flight from Brussels to Atlanta! I’m flying standby, and I know that once I’m actually headed home, I won’t be the least bit interested in spending the night in Brussels. I will be leaving Liberia on Monday night (4:30pm Atlanta time), and will arrive in Brussels at 5:10am. The flight to Atlanta leaves at 10am, which puts me in Atlanta at 1:40pm on Tuesday. I can already say that I’m not looking forward to the trip home—airplanes are freezing to someone who’s been without air-conditioning for 3 months!

Since I haven’t felt great these last few days, I’ve pretty much reached the stage where I’m ready to come home. I know I’m going to miss Liberia once I’m gone, but there are a lot of things that I’m really looking forward to—like being with my family and friends, going to my church, eating vegetables, drinking a glass of ice cold water, sleeping without a mosquito net hanging on my feet, flushing a toilet with the push of a handle, and most of all just blending in to a crowd. There are so many small things that probably sound totally crazy, but it seems like it’s the small things that I miss. I can handle it being hot or not having running water or being without electricity—but it’s the little things that make life “normal” that I seem to miss the most.

I will say though, that today as I was delivering food to two orphanages, God really allowed me to see the beauty of Liberia and her people, which I had momentarily been blinded to. Even after waiting in Red Light Market (the craziest, most hectic place in Liberia) for 2 hours to buy food, and dealing with a very ridiculous police officer, God reminded me that His creation is beautiful…and that I actually get to live in this place and experience it all. Sometimes it’s hard to not get wrapped up in what you need to accomplish, and it takes alittle extra effort to really sit back and enjoy the world around you.

I confess, this last week has been difficult for me to focus on God. We have been incredibly busy trying to make sure we get everything taken care of before we head out, and I have failed to take the time out of my day to really sit and listen to God’s voice. It’s a weird feeling when you realize ‘hey, I haven’t heard from God today…and it’s my own fault’. Most of the time, I feel like it’s incredibly easy for me to hear God’s voice when I’m in Liberia—much easier than when I’m at home, because I feel like there are fewer distractions here (no TV, no internet, no mall, limited finances, etc.). But after being here for 3 months, I think that I’ve started to create my own “Liberian distractions” like sleeping in, or rushing out the door in the morning to get something done or playing with the kids in the neighborhood instead of coming in early for some down time. I think going home will help give me some perspective, and I will be able to spend some time thinking and reflecting over these last 3 months. I’m also looking forward to not living next door to a nightclub that blasts obnoxiously loud music every night…that alone makes me unable to focus and think!

Beyond all of that, I have absolutely enjoyed my 3 months in Liberia. There have been some rough patches and uncomfortable days, but I can’t complain. I go to bed at night with food in my belly. I have a roof over my head. I have the best family in the world at home waiting for me to come home. I have spent time with an amazing group of people doing God’s work for some pretty incredible children. I have a God that loves me and never leaves me. And because of my time here, I am more in love with Him.

I feel like this sounds like a goodbye letter, but I guess this will be my final update from Liberia for now. As of right now, the plan is for me to be home through August, and then I will be heading to back Liberia in early September. I would really like to do some speaking/sharing/fundraising events while I’m home (I will be in Arkansas sometime in July for those of you there), so if you would be interested in hearing about what God’s doing among orphans in Liberia through ORR, then please let me know. I will go ahead and say that I have not made any decisions as far as committing to ORR for 2009, and I think that being away from Liberia will help me to really hear from God about the future.

I want to thank all of you for all of your prayers and support during my first 3 months in Liberia! It’s true when I say that I can’t do this without each and every one of you! Your encouragement has meant so much to me, especially when things haven’t been easy. In case you’re wondering, I will send out my June newsletter after I get stateside, and I will also be doing a bunch of blog updates with pictures since I’ll have a real internet connection! Boy do I have some stories for you! Thank you again for everything, and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Love from Liberia,
Ashley

Leaving for Liberia!!

Hi everyone!
I'm leaving for the airport in about 30 minutes. It's been a great day of spending time with my family, and celebrating the resurrection of Christ! How can the day get any better? I wanted to send you all a quick note to say thank you so much for all of your prayers, love and support. I still cannot believe that I will be in Liberia....it still seems unreal! I'm very excited, and I know it's going to be emotional at the airport today....and at the airport when I get to Liberia! Pray for my family....I've caught a few teary-eyes today! Pray for travel mercies! The last time I checked, there was still about 60 seats left on the plane to Brussels....praise God! Pray that my bags make it, and that everything is still in my bags! Pray that I'll get some sleep on the plane....I was up until 3:45am! Thank you all so much for everything you have each done to provide for my time in Liberia, and thank you all who have generously donated to the children of Liberia!

Seeking the heart of Christ, and sharing His love with the orphans of Liberia,
Ashley

P.S. There's not enough time to say anything deep and meaningful....I need to leave for the airport in 20 minutes....and I still have wet hair!!

See You Laters and Blessed

Today has been a rollercoaster. I worked on getting alot of small, administrative-ish things done today. Today was also a day of "see you laters." I don't like good-byes, so I opt for see-you-laters.

I had to say see-you-later to my best friend, Leslie, and her two kids, John Ryan and Sarah. It was hard. Les and I have been best friends since I was in the 8th grade. We've been through alot together, and no matter what, we've always stuck by each other. John Ryan and Sarah are two people in this world that no matter how annoying or mischievous they get, I still love them to pieces (well, the same holds true for their mama!). John Ryan has seen pictures from Liberia; he likes to come to my room and look at the pictures and 'make parades' with all of my woodcarved animals. He knows I go to Africa to play and help kids. Tonight I throughly enjoyed laying in bed with him and reading him 3 bedtime stories....even though mom said I could only read him one! After the I love you's and see you laters, I was driving home thinking about how much God has blessed me with such a wonderful best friend. And, how much God has blessed me through the children God has given her! I admit, I spoil them like crazy.....um, non-stop cupcakes, candy, play-doh, 3 bedtime stories vs. 1, etc. I realized they're my training ground and my practice runs for loving on kids in Liberia! When I can't be in Liberia, I've got kids here to love on like crazy! And, they constantly crack me up!

[Sarah & John Ryan's Easter pics I took last week. Can we say supermodel children?]

Tonight was also my last night with my HeartCry family. They prayed blessings over me tonight, and it really meant alot. Then we had cookie-cake and celebrated. They gave me a little treasure box filled with notes and letters, and after I got home, I sat down to read through them. Such kind and encouraging words! Also, appearently someone decided to be sneaky, and people enclosed checks...lots of checks. I will be honest when I say, I've raised enough support through ORR, but my support at ORR can only cover my plane ticket and room & board. So, money for my visa, malaria pills, insurance, and spending money were going to all be out of pocket. Until tonight! Everyone knew to make their checks to ORR, but everyone made their checks out to me personally. Such a HUGE blessing, because I now have $1150 to use towards all of those expenses that would have otherwise been out of pocket (which I didn't have the money for to begin with)! It's amazing how God works! It was another gentle reminder that God's taking care of everything....down to the details....and that I don't need to worry. His hand is all over this trip (just like last time), and when I start to doubt, He always reminds me that He's here, taking care of me, and that He knows exactly what I need. My words are not adequate to describe God's goodness and faithfulness; but for some reason I continue to doubt, and God has to keep reminding me! I guess that's part of being human?

Tonight has been a night of tears...both good and bad. A year ago today, I was getting on a plane to come home from Liberia. That day too, there were lots of tears...both good and bad...but above all, I knew in my heart that because of God's goodness and faithfulness, and because of the passion He's put in my heart to reach the children of Liberia, I would be able to return to Liberia. I'm leaving on Sunday to go and reach the children of Liberia!

What a mighty God we serve!

Double S

SPRING
So I've been loving the weather here in Atlanta these past few days! I've been taking full advantage of driving with the windows rolled down and the good tunes blasting! I realized yesterday that this weather feels so good because I totally missed out on Spring last year while I was in Liberia. Needless to say, the flip-flops are in full force!
Spring is in the air!

SUPPORT
Spring also means that my time at home is drawing to a close. I'm leaving in 17 days! How crazy is that?! My sister Julianne was messing with my camera awhile back, but I thought I'd show you what I anticipate everyday...... [The daily walk to the mailbox. However, I'm usually praying instead of performing as I walk.]

[The daily checking of the mail, hoping there's a support envelope in there somewhere.]

[The result of a good day at the mailbox.]

The encouraging thing is that I'm at 72% (including pledges) of what I need for my first 4 months in Liberia. I will still need to raise money for when I go back around the beginning of October, but I'm praying that my condo will sell while I'm gone (or before I leave would be nice too), and that money can go towards my second trip.

[So if you want to support me, click the donate button on the right hand side]

I am also being commissioned this Sunday at New Hope North, if any of you are in the area.

Updates!

I'll begin by saying this started as a rough week! I spent all day Monday trying to avoid hugging a toilet, and was successful until about 11pm. The good news is by Tursday morning I was feeling much better, despite the fact that I slept all squished up on the couch, and my stomach was totally empty!

The even better news is that GOD IS SO GOOD!

This week God has been showing me how faithful He is. How He takes care of us, no matter how much we doubt. This week I've had 2 people from my parent's church take interest in my trip to Liberia. One man is providing me with a drip irrigation kit and tons of printed materials to take with me, in hopes that the kit will be useful to ORR, and we can order more at a reduced rate. Another man has created a program for me to track each child that ORR works with. He's also in the process of creating an application where we can track each orphanange! These two men are donating their time and talents to the children of Liberia!



I met with the missions pastor of my home church yesterday. I didn't know what to expect, so I went with no expectations. The church will have a commissioning time during the service for me within the next 3 weeks, as well as they've committed to give me some type of financial support....along with prayers and all of that good stuff!



As I've talked about before, raising support is really making me step outside of my comfort zone....I hate asking people for money! Today alone, I recieved $600 in the mail! That's enough to cover 2 months of room & board, and have $100 spending money for one of those months!



I got my pictures taken for my Liberian visa today, and will be going to the doctor tomorrow so they can tell the Liberian embassy that I'm in good health and free from all communicable diseases. I also should be buying my one-way (?!) plane ticket tomorrow!



Things are moving right along.....quite fast actually! And all I can think about is the smiles of the children, and I can almost hear the high-pitched chuckle of Obediah! I'm also starting the think about the heat, and all the sweating that I'll be doing, haha. Even still, nothing's totally freaking me out. Heck, I sent my mom and sisters to Italy today....and I'm not sad....I could practically care less. Liberia is the only place I want to be!

And all I can say is God is so stinkin' good!

[I didn't want to leave you empty handed, so here's a rare picture of Obediah smiling! In my month's stay, I probably only heard him speak a handful of times, and I think he smiled even less, but you could usually always find him at my side. He had only been at the village for a few weeks when I arrived, so I think he was still in process mode. I could sense the pain in his eyes, and it was my goal everyday to try to get him to smile. I will never forget when I left the village for the last time. Right before I got in the van, I found Obediah in the crowd of kids, picked him up and squeezed him to death, and told him that I loved him and that I would see him again. I cannot wait to pick him up and squeeze him again!!!]

My Support Letter

Dear Family and Friends,
I pray that this letter finds you and your family doing well. It has been far too long since I last corresponded with you concerning my trip to Liberia last year. I wanted to write and share with you some exciting things God has been doing in my life. I’ve been home from Liberia now for about 11 months, and in that time, Liberia and the children that I grew to love have never been far from my mind. When I got home, I tried my hardest to get back to Liberia as soon as possible; little did I know that God had other plans. I finally settled back into life and began to sense that God was telling me to wait because He would provide me with an opportunity beyond my dreams, but it would happen in His timing. God has taught me so much in the last 11 months about patience and has continued to open my eyes to the Biblical mandate to minister to orphans. Now in His time, I will be returning to Liberia!

I have committed to serve for 6 months in 2008 with a wonderful organization called Orphan Relief and Rescue. I will be leaving for Liberia on March 24th, and plan to return home for a short break (and escape the really rainy months of rainy season) around the beginning of July. Then, I plan to return to Liberia at the beginning of October, but then I must come home in early December because my younger sister Julianne will be getting married (that’s a whole different letter!).

Orphan Relief and Rescue (ORR) is doing some amazing work with 80+ uncertified orphanages in and around Monrovia. They provide relief for orphanages and try to help them meet UN certification requirements, thus enabling the orphanage to receive government support. ORR’s ministry is built around Christ’s example of reaching out to the poor, and they focus on investing in people to secure and empower the future for Liberian children. They mentor and support the caretakers of the children and encourage them to continue to not only provide for today, but to plan for tomorrow. ORR has three operating programs: emergency relief, capacity building and construction. I will be serving as the Emergency Relief Program Manager, meaning I will be addressing the most critical needs of the children, including: food distribution, healthcare, safe drinking water, shelter construction, safety, education opportunities, hygiene, beds, mattresses, mosquito nets and clothing. My job description is quite overwhelming for me because I do not have any training, but the position encompasses my God-given passion! It will be the most challenging thing that I have ever done, but at the same time I know it will be the most rewarding.

I cannot wait to return to Liberia with an organization whose mission and heart align exactly with what I feel like God has called me to do. I am also excited because my new home will be a short 15 minute car ride from the orphanage I worked at last year, so I will be able to visit anytime! I am ecstatic to be reunited with all of the children that my heart has deeply missed for these last 11 months, and I look forward to meeting the hundreds of new children that ORR supports. More than anything, I am excited to see what God has in store for my future; I am anticipating my departure and I will leave for Liberia with great expectations.
I am writing you today to let you know what God has been doing in my life, but I am also writing to ask for your prayers and support for this new ministry opportunity. I need prayer! I need to be lifted up and encouraged as I prepare for this next chapter in life. I had some bumps in the road during my last trip, and when God is using you, the enemy loves to attack. When I was in Liberia, it was amazing and comforting to know that I had people lifting me up to the throne from half way around the world!

I am also in need of people who are willing to sponsor me. I do not want to go to Liberia alone; I want an army of people standing behind me, enabling me to follow God’s calling and cheering me on! It is my prayer that God would provide for me through you. I have less than two months to raise over $4,000, but I have faith that God will provide. If you are led to support me financially, please use the enclosed self-addressed stamped envelope to send either cash or a check. If you prefer to pay with a check, please make the check payable to Sharing International, and do not write anything in the memo line. I have also enclosed a response card, so please take a minute to fill it out and return it along with your support. Again, any amount of financial assistance is a blessing and is greatly appreciated!

I have set up a blog so that you can join me on my journey. You can stay up-to-date at http://loveinliberia.blogspot.com/. I have also enclosed a brochure about Orphan Relief and Rescue, but if you want to find out even more, you can check out their website at http://www.orphanreliefandrescue.org/.

God has already been preparing me to go back to Liberia. He continues to fill my heart with compassion and love and He continues to give me a desire to follow hard after His heart. Every time I would look into the eyes of one of the children, I felt as if I was experiencing Christ—I cannot wait to look into those eyes once again! I am so excited to see how God is going to work in and through me to reach the children of Liberia with the unconditional love of Christ! Thank you for prayerfully considering joining me in this ministry and I look forward to sharing with you along the way!

Seeking the heart of God and sharing His love with the children of Liberia,



Ashley Stoll
110 Sweetwater Drive
Fayetteville, GA 30214
Polychic5@yahoo.com

Ways You Can Help

1. Commit to praying for me everyday in 2008
2. Give a one time gift
3. Give a monthly gift
4. Have your Sunday School class, small group, house church, prayer group, etc. adopt and support me as their missionary
5. Start a fundraiser through your church, school, or any other organization or group (love offering, bake sale, car wash, penny drive, etc.)
6. Get involved with Orphan Relief and Rescue by praying for the children, the field team and for the continued growth of the organization.
7. Promote Orphan Relief and Rescue by sharing their literature or website with family and friends
   

I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.
Psalm 140:12

Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this, to care for orphans and widows in their distress…
James 1:27

Support Letters

Phew! I just had a marathon day in the 'office'! It's 5pm and I'm still in my pj's and I've only had a piece of string cheese to eat, but my support letters are done and in the mail!! I'll post a copy later since some of you will be seeing these lovely letters in person very soon.

Prayer

Everyone keep Raquel in your prayers as she travels to Liberia to pick up her new son! She leaves tomorrow (well, I guess technically today), and is leaving behind the hubby with 5 kids! Also, as of today, the flu has hit her crew...so they need some prayers!

We can't wait to meet Mr. P!!


Also, keep me in your prayers. I have to get my act together this weekend so I can start sending out support letters. I'm the kid, who in elementary school, hated to sell wrapping paper because I hated asking people for money. I could have cared less about the prizes! Well, I'm still that kid....I hate asking people for money, so asking for support is hard for me. But, last time, God provided, and I have faith that He will provide again! This trip is more expensive than last time, which makes the task daunting, but this time, I care about the prize...being surrounded by smiling faces of beautiful children who need to experience Christ's unconditional love!