The fall season at the
beach is a lot different than what up north
experiences. It's usually
summer, like 90 degrees until October.
The palm trees don't
change color and the desire to wear flannel,
boots, and scarves is
pretty much not there unless you like to be
wrapped up in the
humidity. But pumpkin spice lattes, apple crisp
candles, and the thought
of it being fall somewhere is always nice.
Florida's fall is the one
thing I do not like. I really enjoy the
leaves changing and
hearing the cheers from the football stadium.
But I haven't had one of
those in four years which is a long time.
It's my favorite time of
year, well that and it being the season of
my birthday. October the
best month of the year. This year is my
23rd birthday. Age
twenty-three has no songs written, no special
adult thing happens or
anything cool like that. But for me I think
it's a pretty special
one. I think this next year of life is going to be
full of promise and
blessing. The Lord has spoken of greatness
coming and I'm so ready
to step into that. I know He gives good
gifts and His is the one
I am waiting expectantly for.
So as I wait on the Lord,
I want to share some more things that
are going on. September
27th started the kick off for our
Discipleship school (DTS)
and the last three months of our first
School of Biblical
Studies (SBS). The DTS has already seen some
amazing things happen.
Students have been pouring out their
hearts, staff have been
listening and encouraging more hearts
with stories of God in
the nations and they seem eager to go into
the nations.
During the fall DTS my
friend Kathleen and I have the privilege
of leading a time called
"Focus on the Nations". During this time
we take an hour and a
half of worship, prayer, and intercession.
The point of this time is
to introduce students into the Fathers
heart for unreached
nations, for people who have never heard the
Gospel. We make it fun
and interactive so people are engaged and
willing to invest in
hearing from the Lord. Our hope by the end of
the school is to have
students see what the Father is doing in the
nations and at least one
person has heard His call to inspire,
equipped, or GO! I am
personally looking forward to what the Lord
will speak to each person
this fall.
You all make such a difference
in the lives of others by supporting me
to invest back into
others. I've walked along side many people who've
heard the call to go and
I've been an encouragement to their life in
carrying the Gospel to
where it isn't. You don't get to see all that your
support does so I wanted
to share a story of that fruit. A few years
ago I picked up a girl
from Wisconsin at the airport that was coming
to do the School of
frontier missions. I'd never met her but the
second we said hello I
knew she was going to be a friend for life. She
had so much joy and love
for people all around her.
Over the course of the
next few months I watched as God put a
North African country on
her heart. At the same time He was
speaking to me to go with
her to visit different teams she could join.
So that February we both
traveled into a foreign country with no idea
what to expect. We stayed
for two weeks and after much prayer and
discussion she knew what
team to join. For her that time was to
search for a home and
mine was to support her in that.
A few months later we had
decided what she should do and she
packed up her life and
left for at least two years. Since then she has
learned Arabic, shared
the Gospel through henna and has started
many studies with women
who are seeking for more than what Islam
was giving them. She is
an incredible women of faith and obedience
and I'm so glad God
placed her in Jacksonville. She's been a part of
the workers that I take
care of & what a joy it is.
That's the kind of fruit
that you are giving into. It leads to changing
lives. And that's what
God is leading me to. His kind and gentle love
impacts nations. It
impacts people who change the world. Thanks for
your love.
Love you like crazy,
~Ansley~
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