Week #2

Hi friend!

Week 2 has finished up here in Lamego and I'm pretty sure it went faster than the first. I have gotten fully settled into my house and have slowly made my way over to my place for my meals instead of hogging all of the Koehn's (team leaders) food...and by slowly I mean maybe I've only done two meals on my own ha! But it's really not my fault. If Karis wasn't such a good cook then I would actually cook for myself. ;D

Highlights of the past week:

*Picking up The Fullers. This is the first of three families that are a part of the Lamego Team. The family consists of Trey & Ashley, their 2 daughters Hannah & Noelle, and another little one that will be here in December.

*Turning all of the paperwork into the government so I can get approval to stay here the full-term.

*Exploring the big market in Beira (the city that we fly into and go big grocery shopping).

*Taking a shower! I'm "bucket-bathing" it these days, but I stayed one night in the city that had a warm shower. Hot showers are a blessing folks, one that I am not often enough grateful for.

*More language learning and meeting more folks.

*Meeting with a girl named Fatima and her mom. I will be working with Fatima 2x/week helping her build strength in her hands and building on basic skills. (I am really excited about this opportunity and will introduce Fatima to you soon.)

aaaand lastly....

*eating a field mouse (well parts of 2 field mice). Karis and I were visiting the home of a wonderful woman and they were cooking field mice, which are in season right now. Karis began to speak to the host lady and even though I don't speak the language I knew exactly what she was doing haha. My thoughts were confirmed the moment another young lady went to get a plate and put 2 mice on it. They were cooked fully through and were quite salty but Karis and I finished both of them off and even though it really wasn't that bad, I politely declined more. Sometimes that's life in Africa!

Prayer Requests:

This past week the Lord has pressed John 10:14-18 on heart.

“I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep.  But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father.”

The Lord of the entire universe knows me. He knows me..phew. He knows the people of Lamego. He sent the King of Kings to lay down His life for His flock. How beautiful is this truth! But we must be willing sheep. To trust and to know that our Shepherd is good and that He will take care of us better than we could ever ask or desire. That is a lot to chew on folks.  We've been given this truth, we know it, we accept it. But what of those in Lamego? Do they know? Do they accept it? Please pray that they would and that their desires would be to cultivate a relationship with the Lord.

*Pray for the Fullers as they get settled into their new life here in Lamego.
*For the other team members as they are hardcore fundraising to come to Lamego.
*Language learning this next week as it will be in full swing. That all of our brains would be like sponges.
*Pray for me as I start my work with Fatima. That our time would be productive and that God would give her strength in her hands.
*For the team leaders, Robert & Karis. Their lives are fully about making His name known amongst this people group.


Enjoy the pictures!

Love from Lamego,

Ashley
P.S. While here I am going by Rebecca (which for those of you that wouldn't know, that is my middle name.) Ashley is already hard for the folks here to pronounce but along with that, there are two of us Ashley's here. So it was decided that I would go by my middle name.