Foundation.

Last week, I had the opportunity to volunteer at a conference in Atlanta. I love the heart of these people because they are truly servants. We were not merely “volunteers at a conference” but “door holders for a generation”.

I was in the area called Kneel. This area was made up of three environments. 1- A prayer journey. This area took students through 10 different areas to pray for different things like their campus, the nations, roommates, the conference, etc. 2- Pure Grace. This room consisted of the cross and was a room that students could go into and pray about whatever was on their hearts. There was paper and pens so that students could write prayers or whatever and lay it at the cross. I saw many students praying over these different cards through out the conference. 3- The holding area. This was a quiet place with couches and different places to sit. We encouraged students to use this area for journaling or reading the Word.

Most of what I did was registration for Kneel and talking to students about what the different environments were. Even thought I worked really hard, I had a few bits and pieces of time that I used to go down to see the students praying and it was powerful. I saw a young male student and he came and asked me about the certain room I was in. I explained it to him and he got really excited and went in and started to pray. I was blown away and just started praying for the student. I obviously don’t know anything about him but I prayed for him to really follow the Lord passionately and to grow in his walk with Christ and that he would grow up to be a spiritual leader and a man that followed God with all of his heart. After that I just began to pray over the students. Every time I would pray for a female student it was almost always the same- “Show her your love. Show her that she is worthy in your sight. Show her that she is ‘good enough’. Show her that she is fearfully and wonderfully made.”

I was blown away the most by the students that came and talked to us after they finished. They definitely had the radiance of God on their faces as they explained what an amazing time they had in prayer and what a neat experience it was to go on the prayer journey.

The BIG THING that I really got out of the conference wasn’t from a speaker or a lead worshipper or anyone else. I had a few minutes of free time and went to Kneel and just had some quiet time before the Lord. I have always known that I had a passion for working with youth and college students but God just really reinforced my heart for students, especially girls ministry. One of the things I felt so heavy on my heart was that in order to really speak into the lives of these girls, I need to really know what God says about them and about me. So that it’s not just Ashley telling them that they are really great but it is the God who created them that thinks they are really great.

With this vision in my heart, I am trying to keep to just that. I have a tendency to get a little out of proportion when I feel like God is telling me to do something. Right now, I feel like he is telling me that in order to really speak into these girls lives, I need to really dig into his word and see what HE says about them/us. When I hear that I’m like “okay, oh gosh. It’s time to look into seminaries, and find a job in ministry, etc.” He may call me to that yes.. but for now- I think he is just asking me to dig into his word so I can tell girls what it says. I think right now He is calling me to the foundational steps instead of any kind of full time ministry.

I’ve been blessed with several like minded women in my life who have a heart for girls and it’s been amazing to just talk to them about what the Lord is doing. They have all given me several references to go to as well as just encouraging me to dig into the Word. There is a book that I’ve wanted to read for the longest time by Francine Rivers called “A Lineage of Grace”. It chronicles the lives of five unlikely women in the lineage of Christ. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary- who were all women whose lives were tainted according to human understanding, yet God chose them to be a part of his plan of redemption. Also, in the book there is a bible study that goes along with each story. I’m pretty excited about learning from these women as a part of my foundational plan and see what the Lord does next.