The Lord hears my cry

WOW! Words cannot describe how amazing but also very challenging this past month has been. I was blessed to see my sister for a week. Best surprise ever and it was great to reconnect with my sister but also a few friends as well when I was there. It was too hot for me though that is for sure (like 100s) but enjoyed the time there. Before I left for Arizona though, God gave me a miracle on Thursday September 12, 2013 that I will never forget. The Lord has blessed me through the support of my donors and is using me to feed the children in Ochente Nueve. At times it is hard what to cook for a large group of people and not knowing the amount that we be there as well is also difficult. On this day I went to the store and bought enough food for 30 people but there ended up being 55 that day. I truly believe God gave me a miracle that day and multiplied the food to where each person got a plate of food. Amazed of what God did and will continue to do.

To be honest, even though I love being here but it has not been easy. It is also hard when you want to vent in English but everyone around you speaks Spanish. I want to call my friends back at home but I either have to connect to wifi or it is hard to explain the whole situations. At least I have my roommate/ friend Flori who speaks both because without her I feel as if I would be all alone to get through the hard times and understand what I am going through.

Right now the times are tough because finances are getting low and I know my God will provide but it is hard when you are in that spot where people are relying on you to provide from them but I am relying on people to help me with my finances. It was yesterday at Pastor Mercado's Church where I fell onto my knees at the end of service and just cried out to God but it was a good cry. There has been many tears these past few days not knowing what is going to come next and that scares me. I am the type of person that is always planning ahead and it is hard when I cannot. But notice a couple sentences back, I was not relying on God to carry this stress. I was not relying on God to provide but rather just my donors. He knows my needs and my requests. 

Yesterday in service, I really felt like God was saying "look at your phone." I was confused because even though I do not understand a full service yet (partially because they talk so fast), I do not want to be rude and use my phone during service but I was like, "ok." It was my dad who text me a message saying to look at Luke 10:40. And when life gets burdensome and complicated pray to God "Help my heart dream again." I then look up that verse right away and it states "But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!." I then read the footnotes as to what this meant and it was exactly what I needed to hear at that exact moment. The footnote reads as this, "Mary and Martha both loved Jesus. On this occasion they were both serving him. But Martha thought Mary's style of serving was inferior to hers. She didn't realize that in her desire to serve, she was actually neglecting her guest. Are you so busy doing things FOR Jesus that you're not spending any time WITH him? Don't let your service become self-serving. Jesus did not blame Martha for being concerned about household chores. He was only asking her to set priorities. Service to Christ can degenerate into mere busywork that is no longer full of devotion to God." When I read that I began to cry out (I still do at times). It was at that moment I was realizing that I was relying on my own strength and I was carry the burdens of provision for not just myself but for others. I had the faith that God will provide but I think it was 75% faith and 25% doubt. I need to have 100% faith. Where is the faith when there is little doubt? I need to seek Him more. I get so caught up doing things FOR Him rather than spending time WITH Him and that is where I grew weak. When I do His work WITH Him and along side Him, I can rely on His strength. I would like to not that I am human and will not perfect this but I need to remind myself this daily. It may be not easy at times especially in times of need but I believe it is a great tool to have.

PSALM 116:1 "I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy."

Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Mark 9:23-24 "Jesus said, 'Everything is possible for him who believes.' Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, 'I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'"

**Help me Lord to dream again. Help me to dream bigger dreams that can only be done through You.

AMEN

The Roller Coaster of Life

            These past couple of weeks has been one of the best but also the hardest weeks on this trip. The best part was when I got the privilege of going home for week but that was because I was in one of my best friends wedding as a bridesmaid and I went to Canada with my family. When I got to the hotel, the first thing I noticed was that the room was bigger than the house that I live in but it was an amazing week that I got to spend with my family. The week went by too fast. I wish I got to see more people that I know and love but I know God has a purpose for me being here.

            When I got back to Mexico from being home, it was full of many ups and downs. I could not believe I could be happy one day and sad the next. So many emotions and I felt as if I was on a rollercoaster. There were things that I had no control over and was frustrated at a situation that I could not change. It was so hard not to be bitter or to have anger. I do not wish to go into details because that would be gossiping but I can say that it was hard. I wanted to quit and just go home to where it is comfortable. I wanted to be with my family at that moment and my friends back at home. I feel as though when you are comfortable, you are not growing because life is full of change and with change, there is growth.  It was then that the Lord gave me two visualizations for my life that I thought I would share.

            The first was a roller coaster. Roller coasters can be either fun or frightening but either way they have a beginning and an end. You step onto that rollercoaster knowing for certain that you are strapped in and safe. Even though it can be scarier for some people, you are still safe strapped into the seat. That is like the protection that the Lord gives. I am sitting in this chair called faith, knowing that I am protected by a God that loves me and even though I go up, down and upside down sometimes, I know and trust in Him that I am safe. It is all about the perception and attitude of this ride that you are about to endure that can make the ride seem worth it.

            As the roller coaster starts to move and the anticipation is ready, you go all the way to the top knowing you are going to go down.  If you are not ready, then when you are going down is going to hit you by surprise and you will just want the ride to end. You will also wish that you would have never stepped onto the ride as well and miss out on the opportunity to grow and keep going even though it is hard.

            If you have your eyes closed during the whole ride or even part of the ride, then you will not see what is coming ahead. Like this, you will miss what God has for you in this rollercoaster of life if you are not paying close attention. There will be many ups and downs but it's knowing that you are safe and strapped in during the whole entire ride that gives can give you peace about the ride. I find that there is nothing to worry about when I step into the rollercoaster of life because Jesus is always with me. He is protecting me during the entire ride and will bring me to the finish line.

            The second was being on empty. It was when I had to get gas here in Mexico and I waited until it got empty to fill of course. The light was on and I was in desperate need of gas. As I pulled into the gas station, the workers were on strike and I was not able to get gas. I prayed to God so that I could make it by morning and faith that everything was going to be good until then. But why did I wait until I was empty in order for God to intervene? Why did I have to wait until I was low in order for God to fill me up? Do I only come to Him when I am in need of something? God has been there during the whole time, whether the gas was full or empty but I only come to Him when it is empty.  Do I only praise Him when things are going well and ask God for my needs when I am on empty? It has never failed me when I am at filled or when I am running on empty for He always provides for the needs but help me Lord not to come to you only when I need you. The Lord is always with me so why not praise and pray to God always?

            This summer is definitely stretching my faith. Trusting in Him always at all times is what the Lord is speaking to me and I thought I would share. I love being here and serving but it is hard at times. Right now I am running low of finances and in need of it but I know and have faith that God will provide. If you find it in your heart to give just let me know. This type of faith scares me sometimes because I have to fully rely on God and not on myself or anyone else. I know that my faith will build this summer and that it will be hard but I can’t wait to see how God will reveal Himself to me.

Dios te bendiga!

It is only the beginning....

To where do I even begin to start? I first want to thank all who have supported me financially and with prayer. I would not be where I am today without your help so I appreciate all that you are doing for me. Especially since I got sick a few days ago but with your prayer I feel so much better. Blessings to all.

So from the beginning, I began this journey and the drive by myself to Mexico on Tuesday June 18^th and arrived in Mexico Sunday June 23^rd. From that moment on, I have been blessed to serve the people in Ensenada.  The people here are so friendly and so welcoming that the saying, “mi casa es su casa” is the truth.  I have been feeling blessed by the people here welcoming me into their homes and to their family.

That first Wednesday June 26th I went a junior high graduation in the morning, reconnected with my friend Antonio in the afternoon and then in the evening I went to church and took 6 people in my car with me. Two people came up to the alter and got prayed for and the two little girls loved their class. They now want to go to church with me every Wednesday.

On Thursday, June 27^th I got the amazing opportunity to feed the children in Ochente Nueve. When I started to cook, I thought there was going to be 20 or 25 kids but there were around 65 kids. I first thought I would have enough but it was the perfect amount and every single child that came received spaghetti and juice.  Praise be to God.

That Friday was the elementary graduation for Ochente Nueve and the kids invited me to come and watch them graduate. It was so cool to have that instant bond and they wanted me to be apart of something that was special to them. For those of you who don’t know, they have graduation from elementary, junior high, and high school. It is a big deal for kids to be there at graduation because a lot of people drop out due to various reasons.

The next day was the group from Gig Harbor, WA to stay at Rancho Milagro for a week. Rancho Milagro is the place where I stayed at last summer and it is a children’s home here in Ensenada along with many others. This week with our group is what they look forward to every year and it was nice to see some familiar faces.

Sunday is a day of church and I mean a day of church. There will be about one hour of worship, 15- 20 minutes of tithes and offerings and about then an hour worth of the message. I am not exaggerating with these times. Church can last 2.5-3 hours here and at this point where you don’t understand the language, it can be difficult to pay attention but no matter what I love the worship. I love seeing people around me worshiping the same God that we worship in the States. And even though I don’t know the language quite yet, I can still feel the same Holy Spirit.

That week when the group came down will be something I will never forget. God showed up in many ways whether encountering previous relationships with the kids such as Brian, Angel, Brandon, Lui, Antonio, Omar, etc (other people who used to live the Ranch). Or providing a lot of food and clothes for the people in Ochente Nueve to seeing joy on the faces of the kids at Rancho Milagro.  It was also a very tough week because there was one kid named Jorge and his mom randomly came by to pick him up and took him home. I did not even get to say goodbye and who knows if I will see him again. It makes me sad and the fact he was crying like he didn’t want to go from what I heard breaks my heart. So praying for that situation to be better and for him to be in a safe environment.

That Wednesday I went to church and of course brought people with me. I would have never imagined though that there were 11 kids in my car. I could not believe that there were 11 people in my car. Of course I was driving very carefully and the distance wasn’t that far from the church. This was also the first day that Miguel went to church for me and I am happy that he went. Miguel is a kid that the Lord had placed in my heart and he lives in Ochente Nueve. He now has a job, which I am happy about, but a relationship with the Lord is always so much more important. So pray that work will not get in the way of going to church or his relationship with the Lord.

When the group left it was a very sad day. Many of the kids were crying and wish the group had not even left. I have never experienced what happened after a group leaves and it was hard. When they were crying, I wanted to take their tears away. I was holding Paola for a good 15 minutes because she was crying. That was hard because I wanted to fix it but I felt helpless and there was nothing I could do but to hold her.

This day was also a very emotional day because my sponsor child had left to be with her mom. The situation is going to be great and she seems very excited to be with her mom, which is a great sign. I was there when she came to the Ranch last summer and was there when she left so of course it was a little bit emotional for me. I was blessed with the opportunity to pray for her before she left but it was hard because I was crying in the midst of my words. I received the mom’s number and my prayer is that I get to see her again this summer. Jaramar will always have a special place in my heart not just because she was my sponsor child but there was this sweet spirit about her that I will never forget. 

I wish I was able to feed the children at Ochente Nueve more often than I get to but I know the Lord has many plans for me being here. If I am not feeding the kids in Ochente Nueve then I am feeding the kids on my block. I still get to feed the children though but not just with food but also spiritually. Because I was crazy and drove here, I am able to drive people to church. I also get to drive two kids to soccer practice every day. One of them is trying to become pro and this opportunity would change his life forever. He is one of the kids at Rancho Milagro and has been and will always be apart of the HCC family. He has made the tryout team but they are cutting that team in half. So from about 70 to 35 people and pray with me that this opportunity will come about in his life. I have faith that what ever happens will be in alignment with God's plan but of course I pray that he will make this team.

Some things I find difficult would have to be of course the language barrier. I wish I was knew the language better but I know that over time I will know the language which is why I am embarking on this journey. It if frustrating when I cannot understand the language but that just causes me to study it more and more. My goal is to become fluent, be able to preach a message, and pray to someone in Spanish. What an amazing experience that would be but waiting upon the Lord for the right time is what I have to do.

Another thing I find hard is not being able to meet everyone's needs. I love serving in the community of Ochente Nueve but the needs are of course unless. But I find peace knowing that God will supply their physical need. My prayer is that God will use me to supply their spiritual need. I know this summer will be amazing but it also will be challenging at the same time. Please continue to pray for me for God to supply financial needs but also He will use me to reach the people here in Ensenada and that everywhere I go the Holy Spirit will lead me.

Thank you so much for taking the time and reading this. I know that this is long because I meant to send an update sooner and I apologize. I hope you got a glimpse of what God is doing here in Ensenada and words cannot express how grateful I am for your generosity.

Dios te bendiga.

Go, Send, Prayer

One month from today, I will embark on a journey to Ensenada, Mexico. As most of you all know, I am driving to Ensenada and will be living down there for 4.5 months with my friend Flori who lives there. It has been such a long time since I have written on my blog but I am really excited to share with and to give you an update as to where I am at with everything.

Words cannot describe how excited I am to be going down to the country I am most passionate about. The kids are excited to see me just as much as I am to see them. I communicate with the kids via Facebook and they chat with me of how truly excited they are to have me come down. With your help, I will be able to feed the children at Ochente Nueve and provide for them a meal 3-5 times a week depending on the amount that comes in but I cannot do it alone.

Right now with finances I am at $1,740 and I am in need of $7,500 for the entire time I am there with a total of $5,760 that is left needed. That number may seem large but if I have 145 people donate $40 ($10 a month) then I will have what I need. A lot of finances will be going towards gas and food for the kids at Ochente Nueve but if you have any questions as to where your money will go towards please email me at ashley.berg57@gmail.com My plan is to give everyone updates with what I will be doing 2-4 times a month so I can partner with you in this experience. I have set up a paypal account so that you will be able to give online and to partner with me and the vision I have for Mexico. If you have any questions about paypal, I have given a list on instructions to help guide you through that process.

 

I know that God has commanded me to go to Ensenada during this time of my life. I believe there are 3 things that people do in order to enhance the kingdom. There are people that Go, people that send (financially), and people that pray but all 3 are needed and equally important. God has called me to go but I need your help to send and pray for me to get me there.

Thank you for taking the time, reading my blog, and partnering with the vision God has given me for Ensenada, Mexico.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." -Matthew 28:19-20


Prayer Requests:
*God will provide financially
*He will prepare the people in Mexico to receive His love and word
*To be lead by the Holy Spirit
*Save Travels


Paypal:
1. go to paypal.com
2. put mouse over the transfer tab
3. click "overview"
4. click on "Send someone money"
5. type in your email
6. type in my email (ashley.berg57@gmail.com)
7. type in the amount that you wish to donate
8. click "Continue" and it should guide you to your next step